After a moment's silence, Tim finally said, "No."
"Really?" As expected, Caroline was surprised. After a while, she understood something. "Do you really like Mimi that much that you find a woman that looks just like her?"
That woman was indeed a substitute.
But Caroline had drawn the wrong conclusion.
This substitute was not for him.
But Tim was secretly pleased that Caroline misunderstood the situation.
"Yes." After a slight pause, he asked, "Did Michelle go back to work?"
"No. We don't go to work on weekends." Caroline shot him another quick glance before her eyes returned to the road. "Why? Shouldn't Mimi be in the hospital?"
But Tim just ignored her question.
The following Monday, Leon personally drove Michelle to work. After thanking him, she went straight to her desk. The work piled up while she was on leave, so she had to make up for the lost time.
At noon, someone sent her a special lunch package. This time, Michelle didn't even attempt to hide it and proudly announced that it was from her boyfriend.
She quickly took a photo of the lunch and texted Leon her thanks. Her colleagues were so what jealous of them.
Seeing the strawberries from the Dream Manor, Michelle suddenly remembered that she had promised Gray something and hadn't fulfilled it yet.
She then put this matter on her agenda.
Later that evening, Leon came to pick Michelle up and she asked about the Dream Manor.
"Leon, do you know Tasha of Dream Manor?" Settling into the passenger seat, Michelle fastened her seat belt and turned to him inquisitively.
"Yeah, why?" Leon turned to look at her with concern written all over his face. "Did the strawberries taste bad?"
"Not at all!" Michelle said quickly. "Caroline likes Dream Manor so much, but it seems Tasha doesn't allow entry to anyone. Leon, do you know how to get in?"
"I do," Leon replied with a knowing smile.
"How?" Michelle's eyes lit up instantly. Caroline had always been so nice to her, so she hoped to return the favor.
Leon didn't answer her right away. Instead, he just started the car and headed for the North Yard.
"Are you friends with Caroline?" he asked.
"Well, if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have found such a nice job. Also, she takes care of me at work."
"Caroline would have to go to Dream Manor with you. She can't get in without you."
Unbeknownst to Michelle, Leon had built Dream Manor for her and planted her favorite strawberries. The manor itself was decorated in her favorite color, pink.
Leon had never mentioned this to Michelle, so when she heard that they wouldn't let Caroline into the Dream Manor without her, she looked at him dubiously.
"Why?" she asked, brows furrowed in confusion. Pointing at herself, she asked, "Am I some sort of gate pass?"
Leon chuckled. "I guess you could say that."
When they had the time, Michelle took Caroline to the manor.
It was a weekend. The sun shone high in the sky, melting the last of the snow in Lexingport City.
Despite the snow melting and the radiant sun, it was still blisteringly cold.
Michelle sank deep into the collar of her jacket, regretting having forgotten her scarf in the car. Her cold, clammy hands hurried to zip up her jacket.
"Cold? You can wear mine." Caroline was ecstatic to finally enter the manor, and she barely felt the cold. She briskly took off her scarf and threw it to her shivering friend.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: You Are The Apple of My Eyes