Chapter 555

Edward crossed his arms, looking relaxed and laid-back. “I was the one pestering you first, so it’s normal for you to be upset. And I’m not that petty.”

I paused for a moment, then strode toward the complex.

The next day was the weekend, so I didn’t have to work. I hadn’t slept well the night before, so I was catching up on sleep around noon.

A phone call came in, and I answered groggily, “Hello, who is this?”

“Ms. Murphy, this is Jeffrey Jennings. I’d like to meet you,” came a commanding old man’s voice.

I shot upright, my heart racing with nerves. “Jeffrey Jennings?”

“Are you free? I’ll have Edward come pick you up,” he said.

“Yes!” I used to be a little scared of meeting Jeffrey Jennings, but now, with the Chamberlain Family possibly causing trouble, I was set on meeting him, no matter what.

He hung up first, and I quickly got out of bed and tidied myself up, choosing something formal to wear. Not long after, Edward called. “My dad asked me to come pick you up. We’re having lunch together.”

“Will Ryan be there?” I asked.

Edward replied, “He’s not coming. Just the three of us.”

Hearing that made me even more nervous. ‘Does Ryan not know Jeffrey Jennings wants to see me?’ I wondered. ‘Looks like this meeting is all about me!’

‘So, I’m definitely the reason for this meeting,’ I thought.

Edward pulled his car into the underground parking lot. When I came downstairs, he got out and opened the door for me himself.

“Thanks!” I gave Edward another look–despite his usual cool and distant vibe, he really did have a gentlemanly side.

“You look a little pale. Didn’t get much sleep last night?” Edward glanced over at me as I got in.

“Didn’t sleep at all,” I admitted, too tired to even bother keeping up appearances around him. I just closed my eyes, trying to catch a few winks.

“Are you really that nervous?” Edward let out a soft laugh.

“If you haven’t had a knife at your back, of course you wouldn’t think the sky is falling,” I replied softly, keeping my eyes closed.

Edward laughed again, his voice deep and smooth, like a vintage wine.

I peeked at him through half-closed eyes. I was being dead serious about how freaked out I was, and he was just laughing. Talk about being heartless.

Edward stared right at me, and when he caught me sneaking a look, his grin grew even more mischievous.

I wasn’t sure if I was more angry or embarrassed, but my face flushed, and I quickly turned away.

After about ten minutes, my sleepiness wore off, and I finally remembered to ask some important questions.

“Is your dad easygoing? Is he super intimidating? Is there anything I should watch out for? Any topics that are totally off-limits?” I rattled off four questions in a row, leaving Edward a bit stunned.

“Relax, my dad won’t give you a hard time,” Edward reassured me.

“Do you know why he wants to see me? I just want to figure out how to handle it,” I asked, trying to keep my cool.

“Honestly, he just wants you to make things clear. As long as you promise not to get involved with Ryan anymore or keep in touch with him, you can just relax and have lunch,” Edward said, trying to put me at ease.

I let out a helpless, self-deprecating laugh. “If I’d known things would end up like this, I should’ve just held back from the start.”

“Could you really have held back?” Edward’s tone suddenly dropped, laced with sarcasm. “Ryan’s good-looking, young, and full of energy. Honestly, I bet you couldn’t wait even a second.”

“You’re wrong. I actually thought it over for a while,” I shot back, no way I’d admit I was just after his youth.

Edward let out a quiet snort. “From what I know, it wasn’t even two months. There are four seasons in a year, and you couldn’t even make it through a single one.”

I opened my mouth, but in the end just closed it, pressing my lips together and staying silent.

Edward could see right through me. With him, I couldn’t even come up with an excuse.

“If I’m really that kind of person, then why do you still want to be with me?” I teased him after a moment, my voice full of mockery.

Edward leaned back, looking a little helpless. “Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe… maybe it’s just because you’re really beautiful. I couldn’t help myself when I saw you.”

“You’ve seen people way prettier than me,” I shot back, not buying it at all. Edward had been around all kinds of gorgeous faces.

Edward turned to me, his gaze serious for once. “You’re one of a kind. You’re real, you show your feelings, whether you’re happy or sad. You’re strong, but you’ve got a soft side too.”

“You seem like someone I could hold onto forever, but also someone who could slip away at any moment. Maybe it’s your free spirit that draws me in,” he said.

“People get weirdly obsessed with what they don’t have,” Edward went on, brushing his hand against my cheek and giving it a gentle pinch. “My soul’s always felt trapped, like it’s never really belonged to me.”

His words left me stunned. He actually thought my soul was free…

Maybe he was right. Maybe dying once does loosen your soul a bit—when you know death is the end, you just want to live more recklessly.

“Edward, you really have a unique way of messing with me,” I said with a teasing laugh. “You’ve had everything, and now you’re telling me you envy me?”

Edward looked completely unfazed, not the least bit bothered by my teasing.

He gave me this world-weary, almost jaded look. “Yeah, it’s because I’ve had too much that everything feels dull. I keep chasing after something fresh, something that actually gets my heart racing.”

I blinked, a little stunned. ‘Wait, am I really something exciting to him?’ I wondered.

Noticing my dazed expression, Edward let out a low chuckle. “Relax, I didn’t mean you’re just some object… I meant, you’re genuinely interesting.”

I instantly got annoyed, refusing to engage with him. He managed to insult me with such a straight face–so damn serious about it, too.