The representative proceeded to recite his piece as gingerly as possible while hoping that this meeting would end soon.
Smore, meanwhile, appeared to be quite taken by his surroundings. Anytime anyone talked, he would stop drinking, listen, and resume his meal only when everyone was quiet. It went on for a while, melting his father’s heart. He cooed, “What’s that? Something interesting catch your fancy? D’aww, do you even understand what we’re saying? Hee hee. Come now, finish your milk quickly and then chill in your buggy. Dada has work to do.”
The softness in Mark’s features right now was so overwhelming that it stunned everyone else in the room. Was their stonecold boss… actually radiating Big Daddy Energy?!
Meanwhile, Arianne and Tiffany met up in a café without Tanya, who claimed that she was too tired to go on and returned earlier.
Tiffany had ordered the most bitter coffee on the menu and refused to throw sugar into it. However, she almost passed out from a sip. “Urghh, this is… the most bitter sh*t ever…”
Arianne giggled at her friend’s antics. “Don’t drink it if you’re not into bitter coffees, alright? So, what now?”
Tiffany shook her head, clearly at a loss. “I don’t know… I don’t know. If I look for him, it becomes obvious that I want us to be back together. If I don’t, he and I will probably never cross paths again. The pickle I’m in right now is that I can’t lose him, yet I also can’t have him. What a paradox, isn’t it? Do you think I’m crazy? Because I really think I am,” she began. “Oh, uh, where’s your son? Did you leave him alone at home?”
Arianne was a little smug when she replied, “No, I brought my kid with me and then left him in no-good Mark’s care. He’s probably hosting a meeting with the baby, haha! I told him I want to work, but he kept saying no, so I got mad and decided to rebel.”
Arianne frowned. “You mean you’re content with being his friend-with-benefits forever? God, Tiffany, that’s a precarious relationship there, you know? Too many variables with too many stakes tied to them. No one will feel secure about this relationship! Besides, from what I know about Jackson’s character, he only wants to be with you because he loves you and wants you to be his wife. He would never agree with your harebrained arrangement!”
Tiffany was now embroiled in an intense mental battle. In the midst of the struggle, she unconsciously finished the entire mug of bitter coffee. “Do you think I can still try to bet on this? If I win, I win everything I truly wanted. If I lose, the worst that could happen is that I end up no different from now. I… I love him. Because of that, I cannot be a milquetoast! You and Mark managed to hold hands together till death do y’all apart, even after all the sh*ts you two had gone through! A little misunderstanding between Jackson and I is, in comparison, so tame and trivial! Right?”
Arianne nodded in agreement. “Right, and that is why I support you, always. You must be temerarious; your will must be firm. You need to believe that Jackson is someone you can rely on for the rest of your life. You need to believe that you’ll soon walk out of this looming shadow of trauma! No matter what happens, I’ll always be with you. Even if you lose the bet, turn around. I’ll be there, guaranteed.”
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