Chapter 353

Chapter 353

"What?" I asked, confused.

Paula explained, "I deliberately let Theodosia think I didn't have the nerve to send it. I'm setting a trap—she'll act recklessly now, thinking I'm bluffing, and I'll be ready when she self-destructs. As for Quinlan, difficult colleagues are inevitable in the industry, but Idris is responsible. They're a couple now, which means they're linked. Even if just for his own sake, he'll protect her."

I understood Paula's strategy.

Now it was just a matter of Quinlan's luck—hopefully she'd work mostly with decent people. As for Idris, he was probably having a rough time too. Being exposed as having a girlfriend while at the peak of his career would inevitably upset his more immature fans, who might even abandon him.

After chatting a bit more with Paula, I hung up.

Still concerned, I checked the Twitter account for the show to see which celebrities would be participating. I researched each guest's reputation and read fan comments about them.

Then I visited Quinlan's Twitter profile. The comments section was horrific—filled with Idris's angry fans hurling vicious insults and contempt at her.

I was furious and wanted to fight back, but I'm terrible at arguments and would likely just become their next target. Paula had warned me that even when helping others, I needed to protect myself first.

I deleted the angry reply I'd started typing. Those irrational fans would twist anything I said anyway.

I sighed softly.

I noticed Christopher had opened his eyes at some point. My heart skipped—had I disturbed him? He closed his eyes again, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon after, the car stopped in front of my house. I said goodbye to Christopher and went inside.

After playing with Sunny for a while, I decided to read something. Whether by coincidence or subconscious choice, I went straight to the bookshelf on the left wall, knowing Christopher's reading habits and preferences. I pulled out a book that contained a bookmark with Christopher's strong, distinctive handwriting.

For some reason, I found it precious and carefully placed it back exactly as I'd found it, positioning the book in a prominent spot on the shelf.

I wondered if my parents had known about Christopher's feelings for me. They'd always liked him—Mom had even joked that if Christopher and I had gotten together, they might have been spared so much hardship.

I quickly dismissed these thoughts. There are no "what ifs" or do-overs in life.

I shouldn't burden Christopher with my expectations. He'd hidden his feelings for me for years while quietly doing so much for me. It hurt to think about everything he'd sacrificed.

Enough overthinking. Perhaps missing our chance was the best outcome, given our vastly different social standings.

I slept poorly that night.

The next morning, I was still groggy as I got ready to leave, when a figure blocking my doorway startled me.

I instinctively stepped back, eyeing him warily. "What are you doing here again?" I asked coldly.

My gaze fell on the designer gift box in his hands—clearly expensive. But I felt no excitement about receiving such a valuable gift, only suspicion.

"Ms. Turner, please don't overreact. I'm just here to apologize," Bobby said with a smile that I found repulsive, especially knowing what Christopher had told me about his preferences and past behavior.

"Apologize? Don't bother. I won't forgive you," I stated firmly.

Bobby's expression momentarily darkened before he composed himself. "From what I understand, Ms. Turner, you're a kind and gentle person. You're just prejudiced against me. I'm here to apologize and ask you to mediate between Paula and me. Wouldn't it be better for everyone if we made peace?"

How naive of him to think I'd help.

"Impossible. You hurt Paula, and I haven't even settled that score with you yet," I replied icily.

Bobby's eyes narrowed, his smile not reaching them. "You know perfectly well whether I actually hurt Paula. Must we do this?"

Suspecting he was fishing for information, I ignored his question and instead asked something Paula had wondered about.

"Did you date Marlowe in high school?" I watched him intently for any sign of deception.

"Dating? We just hung out for fun. Why—are you jealous?" Bobby looked at me suspiciously, then his smile widened. "Don't worry, I'm not just playing with you like I did with her. You're different. I—"

"Do you actually believe the nonsense you're saying? I'm not a child you can manipulate!" I cut him off.

Spotting Christopher emerging from his house, I stepped past Bobby, leaving him with a parting shot: "We'll see how this plays out."

I distinctly heard Bobby stomp his foot in frustration.

Just then, his phone rang. "What? That bitch Marlowe is testifying against me? Does she have a death wish? That high school business—I'll make her—"

He lowered his voice for the rest of the conversation, but I'd heard enough to confirm our suspicions: Marlowe and Bobby knew each other in high school and had some kind of relationship.

Christopher was leaning against the car, watching Bobby intently. When he saw me, his cold expression softened, and he joined me in the car.

He handed me a package. "Tiana prepared this specially for you."

I couldn't refuse something Tiana had made with such care. Inside were sandwiches and small pastries—all my favorites. My eyes lit up as I took a photo to send to Tiana.

Me: [Tiana, thank you for the breakfast! It looks and smells amazing!]

Tiana quickly replied, clearly pleased by my appreciation. I felt our friendship was genuinely mutual.

Not wanting to eat in the car, I took the breakfast to my office.

While eating, I remembered the annoying Bobby incident and called the property management company to complain. Bobby wasn't even a resident—how could he get past security? This was clearly negligence on their part.

Fortunately, they were responsive and promised it wouldn't happen again.

Just as I finished breakfast, the police arrived to ask about the hospital incident. Since Paula had cleared my involvement, I was just a witness, making my testimony valuable.

I told the officer, "Sir, Paula only confronted Bobby because he was harassing me. She was standing up for me—isn't that being a Good Samaritan?"