After finishing work as usual, Elise drove home, took a shower, and lazily lay on the bed, waiting for Braden to call her.
Time flew by quickly. In the blink of an eye, he had already been on a business trip for over a week. She, on the other hand, waited by the phone each day, sharing the details of their daily lives with each other.
She glanced at the ring on her left ring finger. In three weeks, they would be married, and just thinking about it filled her with wonder.
They had only been together for almost a month, yet they had grown up together, always by each other's side. Maybe a whirlwind marriage wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Every day, she looked forward to the day she would walk down the aisle with him.
Even though she had already held his hand and walked down the red carpet before, that time was too absurd—it didn't count!
Besides, they hadn't even liked each other back then, so it really didn't count.
An hour passed, and Elise still hadn't received Baden's call. She stared at her phone, debating whether she should call him first. But he had told her he would call her whenever he had a free moment—he wouldn't miss a single day.
So, should she keep waiting for him to call? But it was already 10 p.m.—would he still call?
She tossed and turned for a while, but her exhausted body eventually led her to close her eyes and drift off to sleep.
Even in her sleep, her hands held onto her phone tightly, refusing to let go.
By the next morning, she still hadn't received his call.
It was the first time he had ever let her down.
------
In the office, Elise stared intently at her computer screen, hoping that, at some point, she'd see a message from Braden.
Oddly enough, he had vanished for the entire night, and it extended into this morning—even up until lunchtime now.
A sense of unease surged within her. She felt restless and even began to entertain suspicious thoughts. Had Mylee taken advantage of her absence to latch onto him again? Was she throwing herself at him?
No, how could she think that way? He hadn't contacted her simply because he was busy—she should trust him.
But half a day had passed, and he was still like a ghost, with not a single message or call—was that even possible?
She felt a bit deflated. Was she the only one looking forward to talking?
Evelyn had a knack for perfect timing, appearing with two cups of coffee again—this time, both were iced.
Ever since Elise stopped dressing like it was winter, Evelyn had truly stopped buying hot coffee.
Evelyn set the iced coffee in front of Elise, pulled up a chair, and started the conversation, "What's on your mind?"
"Me?" Elise hesitated for a moment before making up an excuse. "Just thinking about work."
"Work?" Evelyn propped her chin on her hand, eyes filled with doubt. "Aren't you tired? Why are you thinking about work during lunch break?"
"No, it's nothing…," Elise hesitated, unsure of where to start, and opted to continue lying. "I was just wondering why Jakob hasn't contacted me. I specifically reminded him to see if he could convince the company to send me a game disc."
"Oh, I remember now. This trip was with the console manufacturer to discuss a new development project, hoping to bring the game to their platform."
"Yes, exactly!" Elise followed along. "I heard the company also produces game discs, so I wanted to see if I could get my hands on one before it's released. You know how much I love gaming."
"Jakob would definitely be able to get that for you." Evelyn thought about it seriously. "I had a quick chat with him yesterday. He even reminded us to start preparing for the next big event—Christmas."
"You talked to Jakob?" Elise asked hastily. "Did he mention what the employees at H Technology are working on?"
She was, of course, referring to Braden, but since their relationship wasn't public, she didn't feel comfortable mentioning his name directly.
"Braden and Mylee seem to be working together, though this business trip seems to be split up, sometimes Killian joins them." Evelyn didn't catch the nuance in Elise's tone and kept talking, making Elise feel even more anxious. "Jakob mentioned that the chairman invited them to sing karaoke and drink last night. It sounded more like a party than a business trip."
"Singing… drinking…" Elise felt utterly lost, unsure of what to think anymore.
She had been waiting for Baden's call. Even when she was exhausted and asleep, she would unconsciously wake up in the middle of the night, just to see if he had replied. But…
It seemed he was having a pretty good time, wasn't he?
"Yeah, it's way too much, right?" Evelyn laughed. "It's supposed to be a business trip, but it sounds more like a company retreat—they're having such a great time."
"Well… everyone's usually overworked, so maybe the chairman just thought about that and invited them to sing," Elise's smile faded, her heart weighed down with frustration.
"It's a pity we didn't go on this trip." Evelyn glanced at the wall clock, then turned her gaze back to Elise. "It's almost time to start. The new screenwriter from H Technology, Ethan Shaw, and their art editor, Rory Bass, will be visiting our company. Zayne asked us to greet them, so let's meet at the entrance in a bit."
"Ethan Shaw…" Elise repeated the name, nodding with a hint of melancholy. "Alright, got it."
An hour later, Elise and Evelyn were standing at the entrance of H Corporation, waiting for Ethan Shaw and Rory to arrive.
Elise looked utterly lifeless, emanating an aura that warned others to keep their distance, as if anyone who approached would be instantly obliterated.
Unlike her usual self, who always wore a radiant smile, she now felt like her soul had been hollowed out, leaving only an empty shell with nothing inside.
She wasn't just blank; she was shrouded in darkness, overwhelmed by negative emotions to the point where she could hardly breathe.
He said he cared about her—is this what he meant by that?
Why did he feel even more distant now that they were in a relationship?
"Hello!" Ethan Shaw greeted with enthusiasm. Upon seeing Elise, he circled her, giddy with excitement like a schoolboy with a crush.
Though he had met countless women, seeing Elise still gave him a sense of novelty.
There was a strange subtlety, a feeling different from before. He wanted to conquer her, to possess her, to see her… in a different way.
Elise, unaware of being watched, remained in her own world, entirely oblivious to Tyree's presence in front of them.
The woman beside her, with twin braids, looked lively and bright. Evelyn said, "This is Rory."
"She's quite young, only twenty-five."
"Hi, I'm Evelyn." Evelyn extended her hand to Rory with a friendly smile and glanced to her side. "This here is Elise, our company's screenwriter."
Elise remained completely still, as if in her own world, oblivious to all sounds and movements around her, unreachable.
"Elise?" Evelyn called her name again, lightly tapping her shoulder. "Did you hear me?"
Elise looked at her, startled, covering up with an awkward laugh. "Sorry, I zoned out. Haha."
"Hello." Rory smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling. "I'm Rory, so nice to meet you both."
She didn't understand why it was so sudden. "Why so formal? Since we're partners, we should be warmer with each other, not so distant." Tyree took the initiative, boldly holding Elise's hand. "Since we're here to visit, why don't you lead the way, sweetheart."
Elise was startled, quickly pulling her hand back, covering it with a polite smile. "You're too kind, Tyree. This way, please."
Rory casually patted Tyree's shoulder, a hint of meaning in her tone. "Tyree, this isn't H Technology. You can't act so casually here."
"Why are you giving away our usual habits?" Tyree ruffled her hair. "But who says we can only be like this in H Technology? We all know each other here. What's there to be unfamiliar about?"
"Haha." Rory laughed out loud. "Tyree, you're really funny."
Tyree waved his hand, as if understanding perfectly. "Who doesn't know you love to joke?"
Elise listened, slightly stunned. Were they really just joking?
She recalled Mylee linking arms with Braden in front of her once. Was it only that one time, or had it happened before too…?
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Evelyn quickly chimed in. "We should get going. Otherwise, we might need three days and nights just to finish touring the whole company."
"That wouldn't be so bad." Tyree's gaze was fixed solely on Elise, smiling at her. "I'd love it if you were there for those three days and nights… I mean, all of you, haha."
Evelyn found him rather unpleasant, but when she glanced at Elise to gauge her reaction, all she saw was Elise looking utterly despondent, as though her soul had drifted far away, detached from her body.
Evelyn raised her hand, waving it in front of Elise's face, finally bringing her spirit back.
"Was I distracted?" Elise quickly apologized. "Let's go. We'll start with the Development Department."
Tyree simply nodded in silence, then reached into his pocket for his phone, moving too quickly, causing it to fall to the ground.
He was just about to pick it up when Rory quickly grabbed it first.
As Rory went to hand the phone back to him, the screen lit up, and she glanced at it, letting out a surprised gasp.
"They're really going wild, huh?" Rory remarked, handing the phone back to Tyree with an amused chuckle.
Tyree glanced down, a knowing smile spreading across his face. "When isn't it like this after a few drinks? Mylee loves leaning on him."
At the mention of that name, Elise's heart skipped a beat. She kept reminding herself that whatever Mylee did had nothing to do with Braden.
Yes, nothing to do with him. She couldn't let her mind wander or start assuming things about him.
But when Tyree, either deliberately or just absentmindedly, angled the screen towards Elise, she realized that sometimes, instincts don't lie...
