It was quiet in the villa. After Jared finished showering, he reached out to grab the clothes hanging there as usual, only to find nothing there. In the past, Yvonne would have already prepared and placed his clothes there.
It was Yvonne’s first time attending a blind date.
To show her respect, she washed her hair as soon as she got home from work. She then changed into a light blue fringed dress and put on a light touch of makeup before heading out.
Just as she got out of her car outside the cafe, she received a voice message from Lily.
Lily said, “I’ve checked for you, Yvvy. His name is Harold Quillan—he’s 28 and about five feet and ten inches tall. He works in the marketing department of an international company and makes more than 50 thousand dollars per month.
“He’s average-looking, neither fat nor thin, and has an introverted personality. Simon said he’s going over after work, and the signal is a white rose on the table.”
Yvonne couldn’t help but laugh. Not only did Lily not give her a photo, but she even wanted Yvonne to look for a signal.
The cafe wasn’t too packed at this hour. A man in a suit was sitting by the window, with a white rose in the glass of water on his table.
Yvonne felt slightly embarrassed. She took a deep breath before walking over. “Hello, I’m Yvonne Jamison.”
The man had been lounging in his seat as he browsed the stock market on his tablet. His fingers paused when he heard her introduction, and then he slowly looked up.
Yvonne froze upon meeting his gaze. The man before her wore a tailored suit and sat there with an undeniable air of sophistication. His deep-set eyes held a hint of aloofness, yet there was a subtle, restrained intensity in his gaze.
Was this what Lily meant by “average-looking”? This man’s appearance was clearly superior no matter how one looked at him.
Yvonne realized she’d lost her composure. The man had been staring at her in silence. Could she have mistaken him for her blind date partner? “Sorry, are you here for the blind date tonight?”
Samuel Hover subtly lowered his gaze and smiled faintly. “Yes. Please have a seat, Ms. Jamison.”
As soon as Yvonne sat down, she noticed the half-empty coffee cup on the table. She then glanced at the time, noting that it wasn’t 7:30 pm—their meetup time—yet. She wondered if she was late.
Samuel noticed her actions and quickly said, “I came earlier. What would you like to drink, Ms. Jamison?”
Yvonne wasn’t expecting him to be this attentive. “I’ll have a look at the menu.”
She ordered a mocha and a slice of cake. It was unnervingly quiet.
Yvonne wasn’t sure what to talk about on a blind date, and the man before her wasn’t inclined to speak either. She could only sense his uneasiness from his uneven breaths. It was probably also his first time attending a blind date, and he was equally nervous.
She recalled Lily saying that he was introverted, so she wondered if she should get the ball rolling.
Yvonne glanced at the stock market on the tablet and asked, “I’ve heard that you just came back from abroad. How have you been adjusting? You must be busy at work.”
“Work is fine. I’m just adjusting to the time difference—I’ve been craving coffee in the evenings.” Samuel’s breath evened out eventually. His gaze met hers—calm, without intrusive curiosity. He maintained a gentle, polite demeanor.
“What do you do for work now, Ms. Jamison?” he then asked.
Yvonne was surprised Lily hadn’t told him of her situation.
She smiled and replied, “I’m in charge of exhibition planning in the projects department. This is my business card, but I’ve just resigned—I’m planning to set up a studio.”
Samuel took Yvonne’s business card, looked down at it, and lightly traced her name with his fingertip. “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring my business card today.”
“It’s alright.”
Her gaze was suddenly drawn to his long fingers. Only then did Yvonne realize that the watch on his wrist was a limited edition worth millions from a high-end brand. Even the suit he wore was a custom-tailored Armani suit.
It seemed a little different from what Lily had told her. She wondered if he came from a wealthy family but didn’t feel comfortable asking him about it.
At that moment, the waitstaff brought Yvonne’s coffee and cake. The table was full of things.
As Yvonne lowered her head, she caught a glimpse of Samuel picking up an ashtray. Albeit surprised, she politely said, “It’s alright. You can smoke.”
He met her gaze. “I don’t smoke.”
It turned out he was just naturally putting aside the items. Yvonne couldn’t help but smile and nodded. “Thank you.”
She really hated secondhand smoke. Her hair and clothes would often smell of smoke whenever she headed home, so she had to wash her hair before bed. It annoyed her to no end that she had to dry her hair in the middle of the night.
“You mentioned that you’re planning to set up a studio, Ms. Jamison. What is it for?” Samuel asked.
Yvonne replied, “I’ll be working on my childhood dream—jewelry design.”
She’d expected this blind date to be incredibly awkward. He was slow to warm up, but once they started talking, he was the one asking all the questions—and they were all polite inquiries.
Samuel noticed his phone on the table lit up. He frowned before saying, “I have something to take care of, Ms. Jamison. I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Alright, let’s add each other on WhatsApp then,” Yvonne said.
She wasn’t expecting his profile photo to be of a kitten, and his name was just a simple “H”. She saved his contact as “Harold (blind date)”.
Samuel stood up and extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Jamison. Let’s grab a meal next time and continue our conversation.”
Yvonne looked up and met his gaze. As they shook hands, she could feel his grip tighten briefly before loosening. “Alright, see you.”
It was probably the usual procedure for blind dates. They wouldn’t necessarily meet again.
A black Rolls-Royce limousine was parked by the street outside the cafe. “Did someone… just hit on you earlier, Mr. Hover?”
“It’s someone I haven’t seen in a long time.” Samuel tucked Yvonne’s business card away before he got into the car.
…
In the president’s office at Ford Corporation, Frederick noticed that Jared hadn’t been wearing a tie these past few days. It seemed like he wasn’t in a good mood either.
After a meeting, Jared dialed the internal line for the secretarial department. “Bring me a cup of coffee.”
Shirley stepped in wearing a professional skirt suit. She couldn’t take her eyes off Jared, who looked captivating as he handled documents behind his desk.
She walked closer and bent down, intentionally letting one button of her shirt collar pop open. Jared would definitely notice it from his angle, yet he didn’t look up.
“Oh my!” Shirley pretended to lose her balance and spilled the coffee.
Jared quickly swept the documents away. There was a trace of anger in his gaze when he finally looked up at her. “Being my secretary is more than just looks, Shirley—your skills matter too. Don’t make this kind of rookie mistake in the office.”
In the past, Yvonne had been efficient when handling her work and always set her personal emotions aside. She was definitely his right hand at work.
Shirley’s bashful expression froze. She was surprised, as Jared usually enjoyed her clumsy mistakes and would playfully tease her.
“I’m sorry,” she said with her head hung low, tears brimming in her eyes.
“I’m not scolding you. I’m just reminding you to do your work.” Jared softened his tone and continued, “Button up your shirt and bring me another cup of coffee.”
“Okay.”
Shirley returned with a new cup of coffee and some biscuits soon after. “I’ve bought the best Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans—freshly ground and brewed—and paired it with pine nut cookies.”
The coffee had a wonderful scent. Jared took an expectant sip, only to frown and place the cup down. Somehow, the taste couldn’t be compared to the coffee Yvonne used to make for him.
“Are there no other coffee beans left in the break room?” he asked.
“There’s none left.” Shirley couldn’t understand how Jared was still dissatisfied even when she’d used the most expensive coffee beans.
Jared frowned before gesturing for her to take her leave. He’d been feeling inexplicably tired and irritated without his usual cup of coffee to freshen him up in the past few afternoons. Somehow, he craved Yvonne’s coffee.
He wasn’t sure what was going on with him.
After a while, Jared dialed Yvonne’s number for the first time since that night. The call soon connected.
He said, “Shirley hasn’t been feeling well these few days, Yvonne. The position in the secretarial department is temporarily vacant, and I couldn’t get anyone to fill it.”
Jared was confident. This was a great opportunity for Yvonne to return to him—there was no way she would refuse it.
He continued, “Why don’t you temporarily transfer back to the secretarial department to fill in for a couple of days?”
He paused slightly before going into the walk-in closet and putting on a suit. But after trying two ties, he felt that the colors didn’t quite match. In the end, he pulled off the tie in frustration and unbuttoned the collar.
He went to the kitchen downstairs, only to notice that breakfast wasn’t prepared. So, he headed straight to the office.
…
It was the first time Frederick had seen Jared having breakfast in the president’s office in Ford Corporation.
Frederick stood by the side as he reported work updates. “The morning meeting has been cancelled, Mr. Ford. It’s Ms. Ember’s first day at work today, and I’ve arranged for her workstation as instructed. She will be in charge of your work schedules moving forward.”
Jared looked up and happened to see Shirley, who was dressed in a professional skirt suit, outside. His gaze wavered as he recalled that Yvonne used to occupy that spot.
“Alright,” he replied.
“This is the list of people in charge of the projects department’s exhibitions, Mr. Ford,” Frederick said.
Jared flipped through the document and spotted Yvonne’s name on the list.
He said, “This jewelry exhibition is complicated and challenging. Now that she’s been transferred from the secretarial department, is Yvonne trying to prove herself by planning this all on her own? She’s lost all sense of self-awareness after getting used to the comforts of being my secretary.”
Jared had completely forgotten that Yvonne was also a graduate from Alphoria College, just like him.
He continued, “That’s fine. Once she fails to complete the project, she’ll realize that the secretarial department is where she truly belongs. Leave a place for Yvonne to come back to, Frederick.”
…
After closing six alarm clocks on her phone, Yvonne finally woke up at 10:00 am—a rare luxury.
She’d spent all night moving her things, called her best friend for help, and hired a housekeeping company to work overtime, just to clean up the villa.
Years ago, Yvonne had wanted to repurchase the villa the Jamison family had auctioned off. However, she’d missed the chance because Jared had unexpectedly changed his schedule.
Later on, he’d bought this beautiful detached villa as an apology gift for her. Although she’d never stayed here, it had been renovated in advance.
It gave Yvonne a huge sense of security to have a house of her own. Apart from this place, she also owned an apartment in the city and a BMW sports car.
Now that she and Jared had broken up, everything she owned would follow her. She certainly wouldn’t do something as foolish as sacrificing herself for the sake of moving someone else’s heart.
Yvonne was cooking breakfast in the kitchen with her phone on speaker. “Hello, I no longer want the wedding dress I custom-ordered before. You don’t have to deliver it. Just dispose of it, thank you.”
Her best friend, Isabel York, yawned as she walked out. Her throat was parched.
“Morning, I made you some honey water to soothe your throat,” Yvonne said.
“Thank you, babe.” Last night, Isabel had heard all about how Yvonne had gone from busying herself with wedding preparations to experiencing a sudden, dramatic breakup. She’d cursed Jared for hours until her throat went sore.
Isabel glanced at the time and asked hoarsely, “Don’t you need to go in for work? Or better—have the Fords gone bankrupt?”
“I’ve transferred to the projects department, and we have weekends off. Besides, I’m planning to quit soon.” Yvonne brought over two bowls of instant noodles with fried eggs. She smiled and said, “My fridge is still empty, so let’s make do with this for now.”
“You always cook the best instant noodles.” Isabel took a mouthful of noodles as she said, “What are your plans after you quit?”
Yvonne glanced at the old family photos on the table. She took a deep breath before replying, “I couldn’t bring myself to touch jewelry design again after Dad passed away. Do you think it’s too late for me to pursue my dream again now?”
“Of course not!” Isabel grabbed her hands tightly. “The Jamisons were once the spearhead of the jewelry industry in Jeriton City, Yvvy! Your hands were made for design—not for cooking meals for anyone!”
Yvonne caught her enthusiasm. “I’m thinking of opening a studio. Are you interested in partnering with me? I don’t have enough funds on my own.”
Isabel replied, “I’ve been waiting for you to say that. I would’ve been mad if you hadn’t asked me.”
She continued smugly, “I got half of my bastard ex-husband’s assets in the divorce—I can even live off the interests comfortably. I’m confident in your design skills, so let me handle the startup funds. If we’re doing this, we’re going big! I’ll start working on things tomorrow.”
Isabel immediately made a call to place an order for champagne and flowers to be delivered.
Then, they popped the champagne ceremoniously. Still in their nightgowns, Yvonne and Isabel held a glass of champagne each and shook hands solemnly.
“Here’s to a successful partnership, Ms. Jamison!”
“Let’s get rich together, Ms. York!”
Both of them laughed and hugged each other happily.
…
Yvonne returned to the projects department on the 17th floor of Ford Corporation on Monday. Before the meeting started, she overheard gossip about herself in the washroom.
“Do you think Ms. Jamison’s transfer to the projects department is a promotion or demotion? I saw that Mr. Ford already has a new secretary now.”
“Of course it’s a demotion! No matter how beautiful Ms. Jamison is, she can’t hold a candle to a young and supple female college student.”
“So Mr. Ford dumped her? No wonder people were talking about how he dotes on Ms. Ember. You can really see the difference between the old flame and the new.”
Suddenly, Yvonne opened the door of the cubicle and stepped out. The two female employees who were gossiping behind her back immediately lowered their heads in silence.
She said nothing. She couldn’t be bothered to defend herself.
…
Yvonne’s exhibition proposal was extremely detailed.
The projects department’s manager, Wayne Greene, hadn’t expected the newly transferred employee to be anything more than a pretty face. But her presentation of the jewelry exhibition was unique, creative, and insightful.
However, he was surprised to see the resignation letter she’d handed over. “You’re planning to quit so soon after you got transferred to the projects department? Do you want to think this through?”
Yvonne replied, “I’m resigning due to personal reasons. Don’t worry, I’ll complete the exhibition before I leave.”
She set a countdown reminder on her phone. Her last month on the job was her way of taking responsibility to finish what she’d started.
…
Jared stumbled out of the gathering with unsteady steps. He blearily lit a cigarette before taking his phone out to make a call.
When a Maybach pulled up, Frederick was the one who stepped out of the driver’s seat.
Anthony Locke, Jared’s best friend, asked in confusion, “Shouldn’t Yvonne be picking you up?”
In the past, Yvonne had always been there at his beck and call.
“Ms. Jamison has left the secretarial department, Mr. Locke,” Frederick replied.
Jared’s friends stared at him in shock. “Did you fight with Yvonne, Jared? Aren’t you guys in the midst of preparing for your wedding?”
Jared’s expression twisted in displeasure as he somewhat sobered up. “She was the one who got unreasonably jealous and wanted to break up. I couldn’t be bothered to coax her.”
Anthony said, “You guys are childhood sweethearts. It’s impossible for you to break up over something so trivial.” He stood beside Jared as he joined the latter in smoking. He then smiled and said, “Let me call Yvonne up and help smooth things over for the two of you.”
When the call got connected, he put it on speaker. “Jared is drunk, Yvonne. Can you come over and pick him up? I’ll send you the address.”
After a brief moment of silence, Yvonne replied calmly, “That’s not within my job scope. You should call someone else instead.”
She ended the call immediately, rendering everyone speechless.
Jared exhaled a puff of smoke and chuckled. He complained bitterly, “Aren’t you just making things hard for yourself? Yvonne broke up with me because she wanted me to coax her. If you call her, she’ll definitely think I’m trying to get back with her. You’re just making things worse!”
Shane Thompson pressed on tentatively, “Aren’t you worried that Yvonne is actually angry, Jared? Even if she gets jealous, it’s because she cares for you. You should just coax her.”
“I refuse to! She’s the one who’s being dramatic over nothing this time. Once she calms down, I’ll have her come and coax me instead,” Jared replied.
“Just flaunt it as much as you like, Jared. Everyone knows Yvonne won’t marry anyone but you. She’s already preparing for the wedding, and you—her groom—are right here. She’ll definitely come back and find you!”
Jared was confident that Yvonne would never leave him.
…
Meanwhile, Yvonne received a text from Lily. “Yvvy, I’ve arranged a blind date for you tomorrow at 7:30 pm at Brisa Cafe. You’ll be free, right?”
Yvonne replied, “Yes, I’ll be there on time.”
