Mikayla stared at Elliana, momentarily lost for words. The world was indeed small...
Daisy and Kenyon exchanged glances, and Daisy asked, "Are you talking about Marcus from H company?"
Elliana nodded. "Yes, he's very handsome! I'm serious this time. I'll bring him to meet you when I get the chance."
Cayden frowned slightly. "How long have you been together? Did he pursue you, or did you pursue him? How is he treating you? And how long do you plan to play with him this time?"
The barrage of questions overwhelmed Elliane, especially the last one. "Why are you more concerned than my parents? It's just a relationship! Did you hear some rumors about him here?" She became more agitated, almost standing up to argue with Cayden.
Mikayla quickly intervened, placing a spoonful of rich fish soup into Elliana's bowl. "Have some soup first."
Daisy laughed helplessly. "You two have been bickering since you were kids. Can't you get along for once?"
"Well, that's because he doesn't know how to talk properly," Elliana pouted, then turned to show Mikayla a photo on her phone. "What do you think, Mikayla? Isn't he much more handsome than my cousin?"
Mikayla stared at the man's profile in the photo. He looked much like she remembered, with an aloof demeanor, but now he seemed more hardened. Her only meeting with Marcus had involved Cassius.
Cayden snorted in discontent. "Just be careful not to get deceived. Don't call me when you are crying from a bar."
Elliana stuck her tongue out at him. "Lucky you have Mikayla. Otherwise, who would put up with you?" She whispered in Mikayla's ear, "Men are just for fun, right?"
Mikayla almost choked on her juice but nodded slightly in agreement.
"Elli, how did you and Marcus meet?"
"During my tour in Australia. He approached me after a performance. We hit it off and started dating. I guess he pursued me."
"Oh, I see." Daisy asked, "And how is he treating you?"
"Pretty well, I think. He stayed with me until the end of my tour in Australia, even though he was very busy."
Mikayla noticed the sapphire ring on Elliana's left ring finger, its royal blue glimmering and eye-catching.
"As long as you're happy."
Elliana turned to Cayden, "Cayden, do you really know any gossip about him? I don't get much news about him abroad. Keep an eye out for me."
"Now you need my help?" Cayden said without looking at her, focusing instead on putting Mikayla's favorite dishes into her bowl. "I don't know any gossip, but he's known for his sharp business tactics."
"Look who's talking. One is a wolf, the other a tiger."
Cayden was speechless, and Mikayla enjoyed watching him get flustered.
"Alright, alright. Elli, you've lost weight. Eat more."
After the family gathering, Mikayla sat in the passenger seat of Cayden's car, her phone suddenly buzzing with gossip notifications.
"Ahhhh!" Annie spammed the chat.
Cannon replied with a question mark, and Mikayla's heart skipped a beat with a bad premonition.
"Guys! I saw the CEO's wife! Ahhhh!" Annie posted a picture of Elliana standing animatedly beside a stoic Cayden.
"OMG, where did you see them?" Cannon quickly asked.
"I went to C carthedral this morning and ran into Mr. Novak. Mikayla was there too!" Annie tagged Mikayla, who immediately chimed in, "Yes, it was quite a coincidence."
"Why didn't you invite me to your weekend outing???" Cannon added a sweating emoji.
"It wasn't planned! Really, we just bumped into each other.Mikayla, did you go home?"
"Yes, a while ago, haha." Mikayla glanced guiltily at Cayden, who seemed oblivious to the conversation.
"What were you doing at the Carthedral?"
"I was going to make a wish! It is famous for that. You should visit." "Really? I'll go get a blessing then."
"Anyway, I saw Mr. Novak and a super beautiful woman together, probably with his parents. No wonder he keeps his wife hidden. If I had such a beautiful wife, I'd keep her to myself too."
The group chat had a member, Zion, who never participated in gossip, only forwarding company notifications. So, only two people were deceived by the misunderstanding.
"That beauty looks familiar. Have I seen her before?"
"You're at it again, claiming to have seen every beauty in the world, huh ."
Mikayla couldn't help but laugh at the screen. Cayden looked at her, puzzled. "What's so funny?"
Mikayla quickly composed herself. "Nothing." She decided to let the beautiful misunderstanding continue, sparing herself the anxiety at work.
She quickly changed the subject, "Do you disapprove of Elli being with Marcus?"
Cayden sighed, "Elli only plays around with relationships. I'd be surprised if she took anyone seriously. As for Marcus, I don't know him well, but from a business perspective, I don't think he's a reliable partner."
Cayden had his reasons, and Mikayla didn't overthink it. He asked her, "Have you met him before?"
