The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 407

"Honestly, if I had magic powers, I would project a loop of how you used to act around him just so you could see how pathetic you were."

Stella rolled her eyes playfully, making an exaggerated face of disgust.

The comment stirred a complicated mess of emotions in Suzie's chest. It wasn't because her friend was teasing her, but because the words dragged up memories of the past... images of herself desperately eager to please him, hanging on his every word...

Seeing Suzie zone out again, Stella threw an arm around her shoulders and laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll only roast you this once! Seriously, don't dwell on it. You have no idea how badass you looked just now. Utterly badass."

Her eyes were full of pride, but then she frowned, a hint of worry creeping into her voice. "That being said, based on how he was talking, and the fact that he's trying to help you close this old chapter... he definitely still wants something from you. It seems like he's changed his tactics, though. He's not forcing it anymore. You really need to be careful."

Suzie nodded slowly. If Stella could see it, she obviously knew it too. But right now, she just didn't want to care...

"Huh? Where did Chester go?" Stella suddenly asked, looking around.

The mention of his name reminded Suzie that he had even been there. She glanced back at the booth where they had been sitting earlier, but he was nowhere to be found.

Whatever.

Seeing her friend so animated significantly improved Suzie's mood. She nodded in agreement. "I know. The only reason I gave her the invitation was to play the long game and eventually drag the truth out. I just didn't expect it to fall into my lap so easily."

"Well, as long as you're in a good mood, I'm in an even better one! Now let's go have fun and eat some good food."

"Yeah!"

The two women strolled casually through the ballroom. Suzie pulled her gaze away from the crowd, looking at her friend with a bright smile. "Stella, how exactly do you network for your advertising agency? Teach me."