Chapter 248

Gloria froze for a moment before quickly explaining.

"I'm not what you think of him. That day was just a misunderstanding..."

She was afraid that Nicole might stir up trouble with Sebastian to defend her.

But Nicole's sudden question caught her off guard, and she couldn't think of a good excuse. She could only look to Emily for help.

Emily, equally bad at lying to Nicole, stammered for a while before blurting out, "Gloria has a boyfriend now, so you don't need to worry about her."

Gloria's eyes widened in shock. And Emily gave her a knowing look.

The photo was right there, and no matter what they said, it wouldn't help. The best way to ease Nicole's worry was to let her believe Gloria had a new boyfriend who could take care of her.

Sure enough, Nicole's expression shifted from suspicion to concern. "Is that true, Gloria? Do you have a boyfriend? When are you going to bring him over to meet me?"

Gloria had no choice but to comply. "We're not official yet, but I'll bring him around as soon as we are."

Nicole eyed her skeptically. "It's not Gavin, is it? He's not good enough."

Lying to Nicole was a monumental task, and Gloria was already sweating after just a few sentences.

"It's not him."

Nicole seemed satisfied. "Having a boyfriend is good. It keeps those jerks away from you."

Gloria nodded reluctantly.

Nicole was clearly very interested in her love life. For the rest of the time, aside from discussing their work, she kept probing about Gloria's boyfriend.

As Nicole's inquiries grew more specific, Gloria initially felt a twinge of discomfort. Yet by the end of their conversation, she found herself almost believing that she really had a boyfriend.

As they left the restaurant, Nicole kept insisting that Gloria bring him over for her to meet.

Gloria practically fled.

Once they were in the car, their eyes met in the rearview mirror.

Emily couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into silent laughter, with tears rolling down her face.

Gloria looked at her with a mix of frustration and resignation. "This is all your fault."

Emily straightened up, wiping away her tears.

"How is this my fault? You asked for my help. This was the best I could come up with."

"When Nicole asked you, you didn't deny it either," Emily murmured.

Gloria was exasperated. "What am I supposed to do when Nicole starts pushing me to bring him over?"

Emily started the car slowly. "That's easy. Just say you broke up because it didn't work out."

Gloria sighed in resignation.

Emily's voice chimed in again."If that doesn't work, you could ask Gavin to play the part. Or your childhood friend Vincent? I think Vincent would be a better choice. He could even give Nicole a check-up while he's at it."

Emily's detailed analysis left Gloria's expression more and more forlorn as the conversation progressed. Sensing Gloria's gaze, she laughed again.

"Rest assured, Nicole's memory isn't that great. She'll forget in a few days."

Gloria wasn't so sure. "Nicole still remembers the necklace she gave me."

Emily glanced at her. "So where's the necklace? Sebastian hasn't returned the pendant?"

Gloria shook her head.

During those days at the Windsor Villa, she had been very ill, and Sebastian hadn't been kind to her. She hadn't had a chance to bring up the necklace.

She didn't even know if Sebastian had it or if he had tossed it in some trash can.

"How about I get you a replica?" Emily offered.

Gloria fell silent.

That necklace was a gift from Nicole when Gloria got out of prison, something she had designed herself. It held a special meaning.

"Emily, did you ask about the wedding ring?" she asked.

Emily, who had been busy all day, was reminded of her question.

"Not yet. I slept all morning and forgot," she answered.

With a flicker in her eyes, Gloria wrestled with her thoughts for a moment. "I'll ask myself then."

Emily guessed Gloria wanted to use this as an excuse to talk to Sebastian about the necklace, so she didn't object.

She dropped Gloria off at her apartment complex. As they approached, they saw a car pulling up to the entrance.

"Is that someone from your complex? Nice car," Emily commented casually.

Gloria followed her gaze.

Vincent was just getting out of the car.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Nice build too. If all else fails, you could ask him to play the part."

The conversation looped back around.

Gloria gave her a helpless look. "He's the doctor you met last time."

Emily realized. "No wonder he looked familiar. What's he doing here so late?"

Gloria shook her head. She didn't know why Vincent had come by. "Maybe he's worried about my health and came to check on me."

She opened the car door and turned to Emily. "Want to come say hi?"

Emily immediately looked disdainful. "Do you think I should intrude?"

Gloria wanted to explain that they weren't what she thought, but the situation was hard to clarify. "Alright, I'm going."

Emily nodded, watching her get out and meet Vincent. She quickly started the car and drove off, not wanting to intrude.

At the entrance.

Vincent was about to call Gloria when he heard her voice behind him.

"Vincent."

He paused, put away his phone, and turned to see her walking over in a light shirt and pants, her hair tied back, looking neat and sweet.

"Why are you here so late?" Gloria walked up to him. "Want to come up?"

She remembered she had his jacket from the other day.

"I just finished a surgery and was passing by, so I thought I'd check on you."

Vincent followed her into the complex.

His apartment was even further out than Gloria's, and he passed by her place on his way home.

After working so many days, he had only found out yesterday where she lived.

He wondered if she had ever passed by him while he was working, and he hadn't noticed.

Upstairs, Gloria opened the door and let him in.

Vincent stood at the entrance, waiting for her to get him some slippers, and took the opportunity to look around the apartment.

Though the complex was old, the apartment was tastefully decorated, with custom-made furniture and appliances.

Even Gloria from three years ago would probably have been willing to live here.