Scarlett's POV:
When I woke up, Charles was already gone, but he made breakfast for me and left it on the table. He seemed to be distracted by something last night, which worried me a little. Before I could get sucked into the Charles rabbit hole again, I knocked myself over the head. I had more important things to think about than him.
Los Angeles was always buzzing with life, especially in the mornings. Traffic was extra terrible today, and it actually took half an hour longer for me to reach the office.
"Scarlett, sweetie, how are you? Are you feeling better?" As soon as I entered the office, Nina walked over and gave me a big hug. She was wearing a red business suit today, and her hair was neatly rolled up behind her head. She looked bright and stunning.
"Yes, thank you. I just needed a ton of sleep," I replied and put down my bag in the lounge. I went to get myself a cup of coffee. Nina followed suit.
"My dad's home by the way. Would you like to have dinner this weekend at my house? We can talk about your divorce plans," Nina cut to the chase.
Her father was a famous lawyer in Los Angeles. Last time, I asked her to ask her father to help me sue for divorce. I did not expect that things would go so fast.
But I supposed I was thankful for the timing. Charles intended to keep me hanging, and I certainly did not want to still be married to him when Rita's baby was born. So I accepted Nina's invitation readily. Charles did not want to go about things the peaceful way. He left me no choice.
"Wow. That was quick." Nina was a little surprised.
"It's already long overdue. I want it to be over before I leave Los Angeles."
"Leave Los Angeles? Scarlett, are you sure you don't want to stay? I mean, you have a stable job here now, and things are going great for you," Nina asked.
I shook my head and handed her the cup of coffee I made for her. "I have too many bad memories here. I don't think I can start over here. I need a change of scenery and soon."
Hearing my response, Nina did not say anything more. We shook on our dinner date this weekend and then went our separate ways to work.
At noon, I went out to meet William for lunch. I was a little startled when I saw him. He looked a little haggard. It seemed that he was not used to living in Los Angeles.
"Are you all right, William? You look exhausted," I asked. After all, he was my friend, and I was worried about him.
"I'm fine. I've just been having a little difficulty sleeping, that's all." He looked distressed. His hair was a bit disheveled, and the dark circles under his eyes could almost pass for bruises.
"When I can't sleep, I drink a special kind of tea.
It's very effective. I can send you some if you want," I said with concern.
"I'd love that. I hope it helps me sleep, too. Thank you so much, Scarlett. You're an angel." And just like that, the gloom on his face was chased away.
"You're welcome," I smiled and refocused on my food.
"Didn't you study in France before? Why did you return to Los Angeles?" William asked.
"Why do you ask?" I was confused by the abruptness of his question.
"I'm just curious why you didn't stay abroad. I mean, you're pretty excellent at what you do, and if you had stayed in France, you would've found better career prospects," William replied and set down his fork.
"I suppose I just have different ambitions." I did not want to tell him that I came home because my husband asked for a divorce.
"What do you think of Rita and Charles?" William suddenly changed the subject.
"I'm not that familiar with Rita, so I can't make an evaluation of her. As for Charles..." I paused and took a breath, "He's a good man."
William raised his eyebrows and said, "But Rita told me once that you were her good friend. In fact, she mentions you a lot to me."
I almost dropped my cutlery on my plate. Since when was I her good friend? Every time our paths crossed, she always looked like she wanted to choke the life out of me.
"Well, was she telling the truth?" Since I did not say anything for a long time, William asked again.
I had no choice but to respond, "I suppose she's a good person as well. As someone who has been suffering from cancer for so many years, she's quite the fighter. I actually admire her more than I feel sorry for her."
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