Chapter 162: Want to See You More

Chapter 162: Want to See You More

"Just sitting here." Jack settled back into his chair, looking lazy as he propped his chin on his hand and watched her, a somewhat oblivious smile tugging at his lips. "Got nowhere else to go."

"You have nowhere to go?" Victoria draped the cloth over the edge of the counter, her tone displeased. "You've been sitting here for three hours already today."

"Four," he corrected. "You went to the storeroom for a bit in between—didn't notice me then, did you?"

Victoria was speechless.

She took a deep breath and sat down in the chair across from him, leaning on the table and looking straight at him. "Jack, what exactly do you want? If you have something to say, just say it. Stop wasting time here."

Jack scratched the back of his head, his expression becoming more serious, less casual.

"It's nothing really," he said. "I just want to see you more."

Victoria stared at him, her furrowed brow never relaxing.

"Also," he cleared his throat, leveling his voice a bit, "I told you before—that money, you don't need to pay it back. No need to transfer it to me again."

Victoria raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but he'd already raised his hand in a stopping gesture.

"Let me finish," his tone was firm. "I helped the Grant family of my own free will, with no strings attached. I won't feel like you owe me anything because of this, and I won't use it to pressure you into any choices."

He looked straight at her, without his usual lightness. "I just wanted to help you, that's all."

Victoria's raised eyebrow lowered, and she fell silent for a moment.

"I will pay you back," Victoria finally spoke, equally firm. "Every cent."

Jack opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing the stubborn look on her face, he swallowed the rest of his words and replied helplessly, "Okay."

Victoria nodded, stood up, and went to check the perfume inventory, turning her back to him.

Jack sat there watching her back. After a while, he asked softly, "Have you been sleeping well lately? You look a bit tired."

Victoria's hands paused for a moment. Without turning around, she said, "I'm okay."

"Get more rest," his tone was gentle. "You don't need to push yourself so hard. You just finished dealing with your own company's issues, and now you're spending time here—it's too much."

Victoria didn't respond.

Jack didn't say anything more, just sat there keeping her company.

The fragrance in the shop circled round and round, quiet and peaceful. Jack suddenly felt that if he could just stay here watching Victoria like this, that would be pretty nice.

At five in the afternoon, Jack left Scent Memories and returned to the Kensington Group. He'd be staying until evening anyway, and the Kensington Group's chef was actually quite good, so he went straight to the company cafeteria to eat.

He'd just sat down with his tray and hadn't started eating when his phone buzzed.

He looked down—sure enough, it was Alexander.

"What."

"Cover a client meeting for me," Alexander got straight to the point. "I'm sending you the address. Close the deal tonight."

Jack picked up some food with his chopsticks, chewed twice, put down his utensils, and complained indignantly, "I haven't even finished eating."

"Finish eating first, then go."

Jack had been run ragged by him lately and couldn't help venting. "You really are treating me like a slave, piling on tasks big and small. Am I working for you or doing this for free? At least pay me a salary."

"Take your time eating, don't rush. Go after you finish." Alexander's tone carried a rare patience.

Jack paused, not expecting him to not just hang up this time. He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you being so reasonable today?"

"I'm temporarily putting you in charge of things at the Kensington Group," Alexander didn't engage, saying instead, "Thanks for your hard work."

Jack actually appreciated this approach from him, but he wasn't about to let it go that easily. He mocked Alexander a few more times. "Fine, fine, fine. I'll handle things for you, but you'd better think about how to win Sophia back. The way you are now, even I feel sick looking at you. You're nothing like yourself."

The line went quiet for a second, then came a low, noncommittal laugh.

"Mind your own business," he said. "I heard you got rejected by Victoria?"

Jack clicked his tongue and snorted, "Who told you that? That's not what happened."

"Rufus passed by Scent Memories," Alexander said flatly. "Saw you sitting there in a daze."

Jack said, "Great, you guys have quite the spy network."

He shoveled down the last few bites of rice, stood up, and carried his tray toward the return area. "Alright, alright, I'll go, okay? Hanging up now."

Without waiting for Alexander to respond, he'd already hung up. He went upstairs to find Rufus and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go, we're going drinking and talking business."

Rufus had already gotten word from Alexander. Without a word, he drove them off.

Evening, Silvermoon City, by the sea.

The sea breeze carried a salty smell, blowing people's hair back.

Sophia and Emily had been walking along the beach for nearly an hour. Emily's condition was much better than during her first few days in Silvermoon City—she no longer needed Sophia's support to walk, and her steps were steadier.

On the way back, they passed through a small park by the street.

The park wasn't large—a few old trees around it, a stone path, benches along the side. In the evening, people walked dogs, old folks played chess—a very ordinary place.

As Sophia was walking, she suddenly heard some sweet puppy whimpers.

Her steps stopped immediately.

By the bushes, a very small puppy was curled up. Light brown fur, with an empty plastic bowl beside it that someone must have just placed there—the water marks weren't dry yet.

The puppy lifted its head and looked at her once, its round eyes moist. It didn't bark again, just shrank back and buried its head in its front paws.

Sophia frowned and crouched down, turning over the empty bowl and looking around. She didn't see anyone who looked like an owner.

Abandoned?

She was just thinking about whether to contact an animal rescue organization when she heard footsteps. A pair of clean sneakers stopped beside her.

She looked up—a man wearing a mask, with neat bangs hanging over his forehead, covering most of his face.

Scott.

He bent down and unhurriedly picked up the curled-up little thing. His movements were gentle, cradling it steadily in his arms. The puppy moved a bit but didn't struggle, obediently resting its head on his arm and curling into a small ball.

Scott turned his head and saw Sophia, his eyes crinkling. "Ms. Winters, what a coincidence."

Sophia stood up, brushing the dust off her hands. "Out for a walk around here?"

"I live nearby," he said, looking down at the dog in his arms. "This puppy looks pretty pitiful. I didn't see it yesterday—must have been abandoned by its owner today. I'm planning to take it to a vet to get checked out."

He paused, looking at Sophia and Emily. "By the way, would you want to adopt it? Want to come with me?"

Before Sophia could speak, Emily beside her had already moved.

Her eyes were full of sympathy as she reached out to gently touch the soft little ball of fur. She turned her head and tugged on Sophia's sleeve.

"Sophia, let's go with him."