Chapter 8

Lorraine instinctively slowed down her pace as soon as Justin walked in. Perhaps he heard the commotion. He looked up, his gaze clear and bright. A faint smile curved on his lips, though it felt a little distant somehow. Lorraine nodded at him as she called out, "Justin." "Lorraine, I heard from Justin that the two of you are going out for dinner tonight," said Frederick. He was very fond of Justin, so he was incredibly friendly toward him. "Yes, you heard it right. Let's go, Justin," Lorraine replied before turning to Justin again. Justin nodded and said goodbye to Frederick before he followed Lorraine out the door. He drove that day, so he didn't have his driver with him. After Lorraine got into the front passenger seat, Justin tossed a gaming console to her. She was confused, but she still accepted it. Then, he said, "It's going to be a long drive. I'm worried you'll get bored." Lorraine frowned. It seemed Justin was truly going to call off the engagement. Otherwise, he wouldn't be walking on eggshells around her. She sighed in silence before she turned on the gaming console. She then noticed that there was only one game on it. And the name of the game was rather strange. It was titled "0922," as if it were the date of a particular day. She clicked on it, and a sentence popped up on the screen. "Are you willing to come into my world?" Lorraine picked "yes" without any hesitation. The game had a hand-painted art style, which was her favorite, and there was a character named Wilde. Then, the in-game narration reminded her to create a character of her own. She was very interested in the game, yet the thought that she and Justin would soon be going their separate ways made her set the console down. Silence filled the air in the car. Lorraine held the gaming console in her hands, feeling an itch to play. She glanced at Justin from time to time before she finally couldn't hold it in anymore. "Justin, what kind of game is this?" she asked. Justin answered her while driving, "It's a life simulation game." "And it's just called '0922'?" she asked, trying to search for it on her phone. "Yes, it is," Justin answered. He glanced at her and saw that she was looking it up on her phone. He gently reminded her, saying, "You won't find anything about it." "Oh? It has to be played on the gaming console?" she asked. She naively thought that she had to buy a game card for the game. She was even planning to butter Justin up and buy the gaming console from him if all else failed. "Do you like it?" Justin asked. He noticed that she was frowning, looking like she was holding her tongue when she had something to say. "Yes, I do. Justin, why don't you sell this console to me?" she asked. She mustered up her courage before she said, "I think we're a perfect match, but it can't be helped that you don't like me. A forced relationship would never be a happy one. "And I can't force you to marry me either. That would be no different from forcing someone to sell their body for money. "Don't worry. I'll definitely leave you alone after we're done having our farewell dinner tonight. As for my father, if you're too embarrassed to talk to him, I'll do it for you. "I'm used to being rebellious anyway. He'll just lecture me a little at best." Seeing her say such bitter remarks in an animated tone, he couldn't help but have his eyes twinkle with a smile. As the car stopped at the light, Justin held the steering wheel and turned to look at Lorraine with a meaningful gaze. "How much are you planning to offer to buy my gaming console?" he asked. Just as Lorraine had expected, it was a farewell dinner after all. Her face fell, and she lost interest in the gaming console. "Would 300 dollars be enough?" she asked. Justin smiled as the car behind them honked at them. He then started the car and drove past the stoplight. "Just take it," he said. "Thank you, Justin," she replied. After she got the gaming console, she silently comforted herself. She didn't get Justin, but at least she wasn't walking away empty-handed. Lorraine put all of her focus on the gaming console for the rest of the journey, and the car fell silent once again. "I heard from your father that you're looking for a place to do your internship," said Justin. "Yes, but nothing is confirmed," Lorraine answered while being distracted. "Have you got any ideas?" he asked again. "Dad wanted me to work for him, but I want to go somewhere else," she replied. She was looking down at the console, trying to clear the mission as she chatted on and off with Justin. Speaking of her internship, she had initially wanted to work at Fordwell Group. That way, she would be right under Justin's nose. Being in his proximity would certainly give her a chance to foster a relationship with him over time. Sadly, Justin didn't give her a chance to do it. She suddenly thought of the fact that she had yet to withdraw her application after she had submitted her resume to Fordwell Group. She had been waiting for a response from them for the past two days. She stole a glance at Justin. As she quickly set the gaming console down, she contacted Laura Whitcomb, the Human Resources executive at Fordwell Group. Refusing to give up, she texted, "Ms. Whitcomb, is the result of my interview out yet?" "Not yet," Laura replied. Lorraine let out a sigh of relief and wrote, "I'm sorry, but I have new work commitments now." Laura didn't reply anymore after Lorraine sent the text. Right at that moment, a phone suddenly rang. Lorraine glanced at Justin and said, "It's yours, Justin." Justin hummed in acknowledgement and said, "Answer it for me." Lorraine was shocked. She grabbed his phone and said, "It's from Mr. Davies." Justin said nothing after she picked up the call, and she asked on his behalf, "What's the matter, Mr. Davies? Mr. Ford is driving." Liam was stunned for a few seconds before he regained his senses and said, "There's a document that I need Mr. Ford to go through as soon as possible." Lorraine looked at Justin. He then nodded a little and said, "I got it." The call was ended, and Lorraine quietly returned the phone to its original place. As she looked at the darkened sky outside, she couldn't help but ask, "How much longer before we arrive?" "We'll be there soon," Justin replied. Sure enough, they arrived in less than ten minutes. It was a small restaurant on the outskirts of the city, which offered peace in the midst of the bustle. Lorraine followed Justin into the restaurant and met a lovely old woman named Margaret Siegewick. Margaret's hair had turned gray, but she was in high spirits. She surveyed Lorraine with a gentle gaze, and she smiled as she said, "I see that you're here with your girlfriend, Justin." Justin reflected the expression and said, "This is Lorraine Neale, Ms. Siegewick." "Hello, Ms. Siegewick," said Lorraine as her cheeks burned. Their engagement was about to be called off, yet Justin still didn't bother to clarify things with Margaret. "Hurry up and come on in. The food is going to be ready soon," said Margaret. Justin turned to Lorraine and said, "You may head in first." Lorraine nodded and followed Margaret into a room. Margaret had made tea, so the room was filled with the faint fragrance of tea. "You must be Professor Neale's daughter, aren't you?" Margaret asked. Lorraine was shocked. "Do you know my father, Ms. Siegewick?" Margaret smiled and said, "Justin mentioned him very often." "Did he ever mention me?" Lorraine asked. Margaret smiled. She was about to say something when Justin walked in. Lorraine suddenly felt as if she had been caught red-handed, and she sheepishly averted Justin's gaze. Right then, her phone in her purse vibrated. She glanced at it and was stunned. It was a text from Laura, notifying her that she had been accepted. On top of that, her package was better than what they had discussed during the interview. The huge surprise swept away the gloomy mood that she had experienced all day. But on second thought, Justin would soon call off his engagement to her. They would be meeting each other all the time in the future, and that would be extremely awkward. Lorraine put her phone down, feeling a little torn. As the food was served, Justin thoughtfully prepared her utensils. "This is roasted eggplant. It's Margaret's signature dish," said Justin. Lorraine was a little distracted as she took a bite, and the fragrance filled her mouth. "It's tasty," said Lorraine. Justin put on a faint smile and said, "If you like it, I'll bring you here again the next time." Lorraine was caught off guard. "Justin, didn't you ask me out to call off the engagement?" she asked.