Chapter 191
“His marriage? What does that have to do with me?” I countered, my voice colder than usual. I knew Marlon was testing me, and I didn’t appreciate it.
“Fair enough,” Marlon said, then quickly broke into a grin. “Don’t be so serious. I was just joking.”
I furrowed my brow but said nothing more.
The next few days, Dylan and I stayed in Marlon’s villa. Marlon was planning to go overseas for business expansion while attending to urgent domestic matters. He also needed to address Ethan’s whereabouts, a recent discovery. The Warner family had a strong international presence and traveled frequently, but Dylan hadn't graduated vet school, and with his family still in Elysiumville, I wasn't keen on him joining me overseas.
“Dylan,” I urged seriously, “I’ve thought this through. You should stay in Elysiumville. Marlon will arrange for your return from the coast, and the Parkers won’t suspect anything.”
But he refused outright.
“Yvonne, wherever you go, I go,” Dylan replied casually, walking out of the open kitchen with a bowl of pasta. He added awkwardly, “What do you think? I’ve never cooked before, but I figured I’d give it a try. Should’ve learned from my…”
I was discussing the future, and yet here he was, fixated on a bowl of pasta. “What about your studies? Don’t you want to graduate?” I frowned, sharpening my tone.
Dylan handed me the fork nonchalantly. “That doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter,” I emphasized, frustrated. Why was he being so stubborn?
He didn’t seem to notice my irritation and smiled. “Then I’ll just study abroad. Yvonne, can you lend me some tuition fees? I’ll pay you back when I graduate.”
I was about to get upset, but he added, “I’ve looked it up. Psychology is more advanced abroad, and I’ll learn better there.”
I stared at him, stunned. “I didn’t know you’d really considered it.”
“Of course. Medicine is about saving lives, and psychology is another way to help people. Plus, I want to understand myself better, understand the world better.”
As he spoke, I could see the spark in his eyes. He was truly passionate about studying psychology.
I was silent, and Dylan, seeing my hesitation, pleaded, “Yvonne, let me go? I’ve never been abroad. You always say you’re grateful to me, so why not take me with you? Let me see the world. What do you think?”
I couldn’t refuse. After all, he was an adult now. He knew what he was doing and what he wanted. There was nothing more I could say. Maybe after some time abroad, he’d want to return on his own.
Three days later, Marlon arranged a private jet, and the three of us flew to Frixyia. Just before takeoff, I saw trending news from Elysiumville on my phone: Hayden and Joanna were at church together. The headline read, “Newlyweds visit church, suspected of preparing for marriage.” I curled my lips into a cold smile. Let them enjoy themselves while they can. One day, I’d return and make them pay. I put my phone down just as the plane took off, the thick clouds swallowing the glass windows and blurring Elysiumville from view.
Three years later, in Elysiumville, Yasir was having lunch with Lucy in the Parker Group employee cafeteria. They’d been dating for over two years, and their relationship was stable. They had planned to eat out, but Lucy’s boss urgently requested she finish a proposal, so they ate at the office instead.
“Tina is so annoying,” Lucy grumbled, stabbing her fork into a carrot as if it were Tina. “Every time there’s work no one wants to do, she dumps it on me.”
“Anyone dares to bully you? I’ll go tell Mr. Parker and get her fired,” Yasir teased, offering her chicken from his plate.
“No need for that,” Lucy sighed, having vented and understanding workplace dynamics. “You said before that working here would put my parents at ease, and that people would want to work with the Coffey family because of it. And Yvonne also said she hoped I’d work for the Parker Group.” Over the course of three years, she’d matured considerably.
Yasir, knowing Yvonne encouraged Lucy to work at the Parker Group, commented, “Yvonne really had foresight. She set everything up for you.”
Lucy paused, pulling a USB drive from her bag—the one Ethan had given her three years ago. She had tried countless times to crack it, even hiring dark web hackers, paying a hefty sum, only to find it empty.
“Why did Ethan give me an empty USB?” Lucy muttered, puzzled. She’d expected clues, but found nothing.
“Maybe it was a mistake,” Yasir suggested, knowing she’d been trying to solve this for years.
Lucy suddenly lost her appetite. Yasir noticed her frown and took her hand. “Still thinking about Yvonne?”
“Yeah… It’s been three years. I wonder if she’s cold at the bottom of the sea,” Lucy sniffed.
Yasir pulled her into a comforting embrace. “Alright, enough of that. Yvonne’s probably in heaven by now.”
Lucy sniffed and nodded.
After lunch, Yasir went to the CEO’s office. When he knocked and entered, he was surprised to find Hayden eating takeout at his desk. Yasir’s jaw nearly dropped.
“No way… The president of the Parker Group, eating takeout alone in the office? You should have told me to come keep you company!”
Hayden glanced up. “Didn’t you just have lunch with Lucy?”
Yasir awkwardly cleared his throat. “What do you mean? Your company is so heartless, making her work overtime every day. Otherwise, I’d still be at lunch with her.”
Hayden narrowed his eyes, a familiar, ominous energy filling the room. Yasir quickly changed the subject. “Still keeping a picture of Yvonne?” He picked up a photo frame on Hayden’s desk. Inside was a picture of Yvonne in a sea of flowers, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and white dress, looking like a fairy.