Second Life New Choices novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After leaving Nightscape Bar, Jolene went to the hospital to treat her wound. When she returned home, she packed everything that was related to Preston into a box.

Just then, Francis and Gloria returned. They were stunned to see what she was doing. “Jo, have you really let go of your feelings for Preston? Don’t you love him anymore?”

As she nodded without hesitation, they felt relieved and smiled. “That’s great. Cedric is abroad, and he’s up to his neck in work. Together with the Norwoods, we video-called him today and had a mutual agreement regarding the marriage.

“Compared to Preston, Cedric is more sensible and mature. He’s indeed a better match for you. It’s just that given his good reputation, we thought it would be too farfetched to consider him as a candidate for the marriage arrangement. That’s why we never did.

“We originally thought he would disagree with the proposal, but to our surprise, he agreed without a fuss.”

Jolene’s eyes reddened instantly. When she made the decision, she already knew Cedric would agree.

In her past life, descendants of the noble families, herself included, were afraid of Cedric due to their age difference. She rarely interacted with him, and they almost never met each other outside of family banquets.

All she knew about him was how he devoted himself to his career and single-handedly established an unparalleled business empire. He also never got married.

It wasn’t until he took his life when he was 35 years old that others found a stack of love letters among his belongings in his bedroom.

Every letter was directed to someone named “Starley”, and no one in the Norwood family knew who he was writing to.

Only Jolene knew.

On the day she was born, the sky was lit up by numerous stars. “Starley” was the nickname that her dearest elder gave her, with hopes that she would shine as brightly as a star.

She never knew that Cedric, who was cold and out of her league, had secretly loved her his entire life. Since fate gave her another chance to live, she was willing to give him and herself a chance.

While she was dazed, Francis and Gloria took out a gift box and handed it to her.

They sounded pleased as they said, “Jo, it’s your birthday tomorrow. Cedric couldn’t make it, but he asked his assistant to take this from his study and give it to you. Take a look and see if you like his gift.”

The moment Jolene opened the box, a brilliant ring came into view. It was the most expensive diamond ring that Sotheby’s had auctioned in the span of 50 years, “Eternal Star”.

Jolene laid eyes on it once and could never forget it. She didn’t expect Cedric to gift her such a priceless present. At that moment, she felt a burst of warmth in her heart.

In her past life, Preston stopped giving her any presents ever since word of their marriage spread. She had long since forgotten how it felt to receive a gift from a loved one.

The next day, Jolene’s birthday banquet took place in the most luxurious hotel in the city at 7:00 pm sharp.

Guests offered her well wishes. With her marriage arrangement finally decided, Jolene felt that a burden was lifted off her chest. Her smile never left her face.

It was all good until a commotion arose amid the crowd. Everyone looked toward the entrance. Following their gazes, Jolene saw Preston entering with Simone.