The business was exceptionally good even though the coffee price was at least two-thirds higher than that of LN.
Being absent in the company for two months, Harry had accumulated so much work that he needed to dealt with it day and night.
As it is, he decided not to contact Lola for the meantime. He thought that this would also give her a chance to think matters over.
How time just passed by! Lola suddenly realized that she would be twenty-seven years old, as her birthday was just around the corner. It was the day before her birthday.
Last year, Harry gave her a birthday celebration that she would never forget, and Zoe gave her a crystal bracelet as his gift. She also received many lipsticks from Herren, and many of them were still kept there and unopened.
When Lola got back home at night, she opened a drawer. There was a delicate jewelry box inside.
The crystal bracelet that Zoe gave her was in that box. She had kept it carefully all these months...
Zoe had passed away for almost a year, and yet Lola didn't have the courage to wear the bracelet. It was a thing that would make her think of Zoe. Whenever she thought of him, she would just drop into grief, like now...
Every time she saw the bracelet, Lola would feel that Zoe was just around her. "Zoe, I will be 27 years old tomorrow. What gift will you give me this year?" She muttered to herself. What responded to her was the mere silence.
Early the next morning, Lola went to Panlong Cemetery with a bouquet of chrysanthemums.
After visiting the grave of Zoe, she came back to LN.
At noon, all her relatives were with her, except for Joseph and Lillian. They went to a restaurant to celebrate her birthday.
They were very happy, but Lola felt a little emptiness in her heart. It was because Nicole and Harry were not here…
Did he forget my birthday? Lola was having doubts already. For more than a month, except some several calls with Nicole, she hadn't heard from Harry. Not even a single call.
After lunch, Lola left the restaurant with her little nephew in her arms.
At the time she turned her little nephew over to his mother, her phone rang. There was a message from Thomas Herren on WeChat.
"Lola, Happy Birthday!"
She smiled. Even Herren could still remember her birthday, but Harry…The emptiness overwhelmed her again.
She answered the message quickly, "Thank you! Take care of yourself. You have too much work to do." When she stayed in Crown Province, she always saw Mr. Herren working from morning until night. At times, Herren would also be on a business trip for several days in a row. He really needed to take good care of himself or he would always get sick.
A new message notified soon after: "I will. You too." Herren found out that Lola and Harry were not together now. However, he was already married and could do nothing about Lola.
"I will" Lola replied. This was the end of their chat.
"Lola, are you going back home or you'll visit LN?" Jordan asked after he made arrangements for his wife and son.
Lola thought for a second and replied, "LN. No special things for me at home." After saying goodbye to each other, Lola drove back to LN.
That afternoon, Lola thought that it was time for Nicole to come home from the kindergarten. After a little while, she received a call from Nicole who wished her mother a happy birthday. She was waiting anxiously for her daughter's greetings for a while now.
Lola was happier now, and at the end of the call, she couldn't help but ask Nicole. "Where is your daddy? Is he with you now?"
"No, he isn't at home and he always comes back at night, mommy. I don't see him too often." Nicole was telling the truth. It was almost her time for bed when she would see her daddy. This had been the recent trend for both of them.
"OK, I get it. Enjoy your time there, my sweetheart. Mommy will go and see you when I have time." Lola tried to comfort Nicole, although a feeling of sadness filled her heart.
Their call lasted for almost thirty minutes before they hung up.
It was getting darker and darker. When the evening lights of the city were all turned on, Lola left LN in a sour mood.
As she was about to get on the car, her phone began to ring again. She picked up the phone quickly, only to find that it wasn't from Harry. Another disappointment. She answered: "Hello, Lillian." Yes, it was Lillian.
"Lola, Happy Birthday!" The voice of Lillian came over the phone.
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