Chapter 16 Stand Her Up . Charles‘s POV: I stood in front of the elevator for a long time. I could still feel the warmth of Scarlett‘s mouth against my lips. Kissing her for real felt better than I had imagined. I stared blankly at the closed elevator doors and replayed what just happened in my mind over and over. I was not a man of strong desires. Although I had been with Rita for so many years, I had never felt the urge to touch her. But it was different with Scarlett. I really could not explain it. When she slapped me after I kissed her, I did not even feel it. The pain only registered to me when she started crying. It broke my heart into splinters. “Charles?” Rita called from behind me. I turned and saw her standing there. I averted my gaze. I did not want her to suspect anything, and my face would give me away for sure. “Let‘s go back to the apartment. I walked into the living room with Rita following me closely. “I‘m so happy that you‘re finally getting divorced, Charles. Now my wish will finally be fulfilled before I die. ” 1. “Stop cursing yourself, Rita,” I backfired without looking at her. I felt annoyed. Why did she always have to talk about death? 2. “Have you spoken with my doctor? You should know the state of my health better than anyone. ” After she said that, she began to sob. In the past, whenever Rita spoke in a weak voice and then started weeping, I immediately took pity on her and felt extremely compelled to protect her. But one day, I did not know exactly when, I realized that I was getting a little tired of all of it–the tears, the self–pity, and the sadness. They all just became too much to take. Whenever I had to deal with Rita, my mind automatically flew off to Scarlett, and I was not even sorry. “You‘re fine. Don‘t worry too much. The stress will just get you down. ” I restrained myself and tried to comfort Rita with all the patience I could muster. “Charles, am I starting to trouble you too much?” Rita looked at me nervously. “No. ” I walked to the sofa and sat down. I massaged my forehead so that I would not have to look her in the eyes. “So you and Scarlett will really file for divorce today?” Rita walked to me and asked cautiously. “Yes. “May I come with you?”. “Fine. Rita, who had been obedient and considerate, was suddenly turning into a paranoid, nitpicking girlfriend. I could not help frowning. Ten minutes later, Rita waited at the gate of the community while I went to t he basement to get the car. As soon as I got in the car, I called my assistant . “Gather all the senior executives. I want to meet with them in ten minutes. “Is there a problem, Mr. Moore?” . Judging from my tone, my assistant probably thought t hat there was some kind of big incident that needed ha ndling

Instead of answering her, I hung up the phone. Scarl ett‘s POV: . At the entrance of the law office, I paced back and forth wi th our marriage certificate in my hand. I glanced at my watch from time to time, waiting anxiously for Charles to show up. I only had half an hour before my sho w began. If Charles stood me up, then the divorce would be postponed again. “What happened? Why is Charles not here yet?” Afte r waiting for what felt like forever, I decided to call his assistant to ask what was taking so long. “I‘m sorry, Mrs. Moore. Mr. Moore just called an urgent meeting. I don‘t think he can spare some time to see you today. ” Charles‘s assistant spoke in a low voice, and I could hear some chatter in the background . She probably answered the phone in the middle of the urgent meeting she said Charles suddenly convened. I hung up the phone and stared at the bu stling city scene in front of the law of fice. I heaved a sigh and shook my head. I had no idea how much mo re delays I could take. I just wanted it all to end. I looked at my watch again. I onl y had fifteen minutes before I ha d to be at the studio for my show. I stared at our marriage certificate and grunted. Then, I left the l aw office and hailed a taxi to work. Fifteen minutes should be more than enough time to get me to the station before my program started. After I entered the studio, I put all my personal worries aside and focused on my jo b. Per usual, Abner and the director praised me many times for a job well done. They said that I was not only excellent at what I do but also had an impressive work ethic. After a whole afternoon‘s work, I was finally able to clock out and go home. It had been sunn y all afternoon, but now all of a sudden, it was raining heavily. Little bean–sized raindrops fell down violently, pummeling the pavement and releasing the day‘s warmth into the night air. I did not bring an umbrella with me, so I just stood at the gate of the TV station and waited for the rain to stop. A few moments later, I glimpsed a pair of shiny black shoes beside me, a nd the dim nearby light was blocked by something big and black. It was Abner and his umbrella. “Come on. I‘ll give you a rid e home. ” He smiled down at me and offered to drive me home. Ever since I joined the TV station as a program host, Abner had been nice to me. He always went out of his way to chat me up and ask about my expe rience so far on the job. I did not know whether or not it was just coincidence or something, but I always seemed to run into him. At the gate, in t he studio, during lunchtime, you name it. But I did not mind. I felt comfortable around him, and he made me feel like an important part of the team. “No, it‘s okay. I‘m just waiting for a taxi, “I refused politely. “A taxi in this rain? You‘re going to be here until morning. Come on. Your place is on the way anyway. I just want to make s ure you get home safely. ” As he spoke, he pulled me to his car, completely ignoring my refusal. He kept his umbrella above me the entir e time, and by the time we were inside his car, he was soaking wet on one side. I tried to pull him under his own umbr ella, but before I could succeed, I wa s already on his passenger seat and he . Chapter 16 Stand Her Up was on t he driver‘s seat

I took out a tissue from my bag and offered it to Abner to wipe his face, but he declined and insisted that he was okay. I wanted to help him wipe his face and his arm, but I dismissed the intention. There were just the t wo of us in the car now. I could not risk the gesture being misinterpreted by anyone who could have spotted us. I did not want to send Abner the wro ng message either. Soon, Abner gunned the engine and drove out of the gates. Then, he started conversing with me about my daily life. He seemed wor ried that I might grow bored of the city and fly back to France. When we passed a sup ermarket, my phone ra ng. It was Christine. Abner stopped talki ng and signaled me to answer the phone. I nodded sheepishly at him and picked up. “Hello, dear. Are you home yet? Can you come over for dinner tonight? I made your favorite apple pie. ” “Oh, Grandma, that‘s very nice of you, but I already had dinner. ” Two days ago, Charles and I almost made Michael faint with anger. I was not exactly in a hurry to see him again. The last thing I wanted to do now was upset him. I thought I had already done enough when I boldly asked him for Charles and I‘s marriage certificate. “But I already sent the car to your place to pick you up. ” Christine said in a begging tone, which v irtually made me feel guiltier than I already was. “How could I ever say no to you, Grandma? Okay, I‘m coming over. Wait for me. ” I had considered making up a more conv incing excuse, but in the end, I just gave up and said yes. Soon, Abner and I were in front of my house. Charles‘s car was also there, which struck a nerve in me. After standing me up at the law fi rm today, he had the nerve to show up now. What an inconsiderate jerk. After thanking Abner, I tried to op en my door, but it did not budge. I looked over at Abner in confusion. He looked like he wanted to say something but did not know how to put it into words. I just stared at him and waited for him to speak up. Finally, he met my gaze and said nervously, “Scarlett, there‘s something that I‘ d like to ask you. Since I first saw you at the office, I‘ve found you amazing and cool, and I was wondering…” . “Bang, bang, bang!” . Before Abner could get to his question, we were interrupt ed by three loud raps on the passenger–side window. Abner and I looked up at the same time to see who was knocking . Charles was standing outside in the rain with a black umbrella. There was enough light for me to see the men acing look in his eyes that sent a chill down my spine. With a click, the passenger–side door opened, and Charles grabbed my wrist and yanked me out. He dragged me out with so much force that I missed a s tep and he caught me in his arms. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Next thing I knew, Abner was getting out of the car and into the pouring rain. As Charles towed me away, I heard Abner scream, “Will you go out with me, Scarl ett?” I turned around and stared at him with wide eyes. Did he just ask me out? . “I like you! Let‘s go out!” Abner seemed to be concerned that I did not hear h im through the heavy rain. He rushed over to me and took my hand in his. “I jus t want to make sure that you heard me. May I take you out on a date some time?”