Chapter 28

Ula sighed deeply. “Why don’t you just quit that lousy job at the coffee shop? Just take care of yourself. If you quit, there’s no need to put up with all this nonsense.” I suddenly thought about the situation at the Hastings residence. I had made a vow to myself that I would take Mom away from that place. Because of that vow, I couldn’t give up.

I shook my head. “The shop owner is very understanding, and the pay is good. The hours are flexible, too. Lila, I really need this job.”

Lila gave up on convincing me when she saw how determined I seemed. “Fine. In that case, let me cover for you tomorrow. You stay here and rest.”

I looked at Lila, feeling incredibly touched. I nodded as I leaned on her shoulder. “Lila, thank you. I’ll definitely treat you at least once I get my paycheck.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lila said with a grin. She playfully pushed me away. “Serena, do you think Kevin will show up to work tomorrow?”

The look of curiosity in her eyes made me think about it seriously.

“I’ll count to three, and we’ll say our answers at the same time,” Lila said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“One, two, three,” she counted.

“He will.”

The two of us said it at the same time. We burst into laughter as soon as our eyes met.

“So, why do you think he’ll show up?” Lila asked.

“I’ve got him by the throat with this,” I moved my phone slightly.

“Oh, please!” Lila rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t pursue the matter as long as he spilled the beans? He’s definitely not worried about that anymore.” I nodded slowly. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“So, why do you think he’ll come back?” she asked again.

“Kevin’s goal wasn’t just to make Julian misunderstand the relationship between me and Kevin. I think Julian’s appearance actually disrupted Kevin’s plans. And I don’t think Kevin will give up so easily,” I said.

Lila nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. You stay here tomorrow and study. I’ll bring back all the gossip for you after my shift.”

I chuckled at how serious she looked. “Alright, alright. I’m actually looking forward to the gossip.”

The next day, Lila came back from her shift in a hurry.

“Sera, Serena! Guess what?” Lila started calling out to me excitedly as she dropped her bag.

“I’m guessing Kevin did show up at work today,” I said, looking at Lila’s eager expression. I was certain my guess was spot on.

“There’s more. Go on!” Lila rushed toward me.

“I have no idea what else happened. Please tell me,” I replied as I poured her a glass of water.

Lila grabbed the glass and took a big gulp. Then she said, “Kevin asked me for your contact information today, but I didn’t give it to him. I said that it involved your privacy, so I couldn’t make that decision on your behalf.”

“And he wanted to apologize to you for what happened yesterday. He seemed so sincere,” Lila said, putting down the glass.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “He’s been plotting for so long. I had already guessed he wouldn’t give up so easily.”

“He even said that if I didn’t want to give him your number, I could just use my phone to call you. He said he just wanted to say a few words and apologize,” Lila said.

I nodded again. Everything was unfolding exactly as expected.

“Why don’t you seem excited? You’re such a boring woman,” Lila pouted, seeing the lack of reaction on my face.

“What’s there to get excited about? We already figured this would happen. If he’s back at work, then it’s only natural that he’d find ways to get closer to me,” I said, sitting back down at my desk.

“That’s true. You’re still a boring woman, though. I’m going to shower,” Lila admitted, tossing her bag onto my desk.