Chapter 9

Justin mentioned coming again the next time, but there wasn't a next time for them anymore. Justin stopped in his tracks and lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Calling off the engagement?" he asked. Lorraine nodded. It was a farewell dinner, which meant the food would be tasteless to her. She then put down her utensils. Her heart was racing as she said, "Don't worry, Justin. I won't pester you. We've made our relationship public, but I can explain it to them. You don't have to suffer in silence out of respect for my dad." She looked so serious as she spoke that her eyebrows were tightly knitted. Justin let out a chuckle and leaned back against his chair, looking relaxed. He looked at her face with a nonchalant gaze and asked, "How are you planning to explain?" Lorraine's face fell. She had expected it. Justin must have wanted to console her, which was why he took her out to dinner and gave her a gaming console that night. After she snapped back to reality, she looked at Justin with resolution, as if she was ready to die doing what was right. "I'll just say that I've changed my mind, and I don't want to marry you anymore," said Lorraine. "What happens if Professor Neale blames you for that?" Justin asked, his eyes twinkling with a smile. Lorraine pursed her lips and said, "I'll take care of my dad. But could you hold off for a few days before going public with the announcement?" She had just gotten rid of Ambrose and had clarified the rumors that he was being pressured into marrying her. Even if they were to tell the public that their engagement was called off, they should wait until Frederick's project was done. Right then, Justin's phone rang. Lorraine breathed a sigh of relief. She was so nervous that her palms were all sweaty. Justin glanced at his phone and answered the call. He said, "I'm still having dinner with Lorraine, Professor Neale." Lorraine became nervous again as soon as she heard that it was her dad calling. Justin suddenly looked at her with a slightly peculiar expression. Feeling shocked, she mouthed the words to him, asking him what was wrong. Justin told Frederick he got it and hung up right after. Lorraine felt so nervous that she intertwined her fingers and couldn't wait to ask, "Is my dad calling about something?" Justin smiled and sipped on his tea as he said, "Something urgent came up, so he's going to be on a business trip for a few days. He asked me to take good care of you." Lorraine was speechless. She felt her world had crumbled around her in that instant. Fearing that it might put Justin in a difficult position, she quickly said, "There's no need to trouble you, Justin. I can take good care of myself." "It's no trouble at all," said Justin. Lorraine was surprised. Her heart was racing, and her cheeks were burning. "There's really no need to trouble you. I'll just tell my dad when he returns from his business trip. I think you probably wouldn't want to keep being in an undefined relationship with me as well…" Lorraine had plucked up the courage and said everything that was on her mind. The room fell silent. A moment later, she seemed to have heard him chuckle. She instinctively looked up and happened to meet his unfathomable gaze, making her heart pound. "Since when have I said I wanted to call off the engagement?" he asked. Lorraine moved her lips, but no words came out. Justin was wearing a dark gray softshell jacket that day. The crisp, structured material accentuated his sharp lines. He left his zipper partially undone at his chest, leaving a section of his black turtleneck exposed, giving him an effortless and laid-back air. Lorraine's cheeks were burning from embarrassment as she asked, "Then, why didn't you reply to my messages?" "Which one haven't I replied to?" Justin asked. "Both of them," said Lorraine. There was a hint of a sulky tone in her voice that she had never noticed before. Justin was very serious as he said, "I did reply to you." Lorraine felt a little speechless. She asked, "Does a question mark count as a reply?" Justin nodded and said, "Of course." "But you didn't reply to my second message either," she whined. Justin gazed at her as he arched an eyebrow and teased her, asking, "Do you want to take a look at the second message you've sent?" Lorraine pursed her lips, darting her gaze. She had listed the benefits of being together with her. She was so embarrassed by what she wrote that she couldn't even bear to read it again. Playing dumb, Lorraine asked, "What's that got to do with you asking me out to dinner tonight?" Just one glance from Justin was enough to make Lorraine feel a little sheepish. Justin wasn't Ambrose. He was cold to everybody, and Lorraine wasn't exactly close to him. "Nothing," he answered. Feeling helpless, Lorraine said, "Alright." "Let's just dig in," said Justin. Lorraine nodded, grabbing her utensils mechanically. Then, her phone vibrated. It was only after she checked on her phone that she realized she had yet to reply to Laura. Laura asked her if she had reached a decision, and she secretly stole a glance at Justin. He probably wouldn't mind her working at Fordwell Group. Out of the limited options available, Fordwell Group was indeed her best choice. "I've made up my mind, Ms. Whitcomb. I'll report to duty on time tomorrow," Lorraine texted Laura. Lorraine felt much lighter after everything had been confirmed. "Ms. Siegewick's food is really delicious. How did you find this place?" she asked. "She used to be the director of the orphanage," Justin replied. A look of surprise gleamed in Lorraine's eyes upon hearing that. By the time she regained her senses, she deeply wanted to slap herself in the mouth. She just had to bring up such an awkward topic. "Justin…" "Ms. Siegewick didn't want to be idle after she retired, so she started a small restaurant. And all her profits are used to pay the tuition for the kids at the orphanage," Justin explained. A thought popped into Lorraine's head, and she asked, "Justin, can you take me to the orphanage to take a look?" Justin frowned and asked, "Why do you want to go there?" Lorraine looked at him and wanted to tell him that she would like to get to know him better. But the words changed as soon as they got to the tip of her tongue. "I've landed a job, so I can make money and donate to them from now on," she said. "Is that so?" Justin curled his lips into a smile and asked, "What job?" Lorraine chuckled softly and said, "It's a secret." She couldn't tell Justin that she was joining Fordwell Group just yet. What if she didn't even pass her probation? It would be embarrassing. Justin wasn't in a hurry to leave after they finished their food. Instead, he went to the store with Margaret to get some ingredients. By the time they returned after the grocery run, it was already 10:00 pm. Justin handed Lorraine a blanket as soon as she got into the car and said, "You can recline your seat and nap for a while." "No need. I'm not sleepy." She waved the gaming console in the air before she said, "I want to play with the gaming console I bought for 300 dollars." Justin was a man of few words, so he spent the majority of the time listening to her. It was clear that he was driving much more slowly on their way back. Lorraine couldn't help but smile, and then she sent Summer a screenshot of her offer. Summer sent a few voice messages in a row right away. Lorraine was playing her game, so she didn't think too much about it and played the first voice message. Summer could be heard saying, "Holy crap! You'll be able to win Justin over in no time!" Lorraine let out a scream and grabbed her phone in a panic. But the more anxious a person was, the more likely she was to make mistakes. The phone slipped through her fingers and landed next to her feet. Summer's voice continued playing from the speaker, offering her ideas and strategies. As Lorraine bent over to pick up her phone in panic, Justin instinctively reached out his hand, shielding her from the edge of the dashboard. By the time Lorraine grabbed her phone, all the voice messages had been played. Lorraine's cheeks were hot like the sun, desperately wishing the ground would swallow her up. Fortunately, Justin didn't say anything. It was as if he had heard nothing at all. Lorraine suddenly felt incredibly defeated. After the car stopped outside her home, she got out listlessly and said, "Thank you, Justin." "Call me if you need anything," said Justin. "Alright," she replied, lifting her hand weakly and waving goodbye. "Go on in. I'll watch you walk through the door," said Justin.