The conversation should have ended here, but for some inexplicable reason, she sent another message: "What are you doing?"
"Watching a movie."
"What movie."
"The Shawshank Redemption."
By this point, Averi knew it was time to end the meaningless and boring conversation.
Will approached again, after chatting about work topics, he looked at her with affectionate eyes: "Ms. Forbes, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen here."
"The most beautiful woman here"—the emphasis wasn't on beauty, but on where she was from. It was a classic display of subtle arrogance.
Averi said, "Thank you,"
Her cold and indifferent attitude only piqued Will's interest further. He boldly asked, "Ms. Forbes, would you like to sneak out for a drink alone? I know a very authentic club not far from here."
Averi thought to herself that this 'very authentic' club was probably in his hotel room.
She decided to make things clear: "Will, I have a fiancé."
Will blinked, smiling and said, "Well, the key word is 'fiancé,' isn't it? And long-term commitment doesn't conflict with short-term pleasure."
Averi couldn't help but be impressed by his way of thinking. Just as she was pondering what to say, her phone buzzed. Will courteously gestured for her to go ahead and stepped aside, giving her ample space for privacy.
Averi took out her phone to check, and it turned out to be Dallas.
He asked, "Where are you?"
"At the convention center."
"What are you doing?"
Seeing this, Averi couldn't help but laugh. He actually used the exact same questions to ask her.
Some questions were boring when asked by oneself, but became much more interesting when posed by someone else.
Her laughter caught Will's curious gaze; meeting those deep blue eyes that seemed so affectionate, an idea popped into Averi's mind, and she typed the words with a lowered head.
"Take a guess."
Her smile transformed her into a different kind of charm altogether, making Will's heart itch. He casually asked, "Working?"
Averi said earnestly, "No, online gambling."
The blonde man laughed heartily, not believing a word, but still played along, "The blond man laughed, clearly not believing her, but played along. "Poker or blackjack?"
"Neither."
"Then what is it?"
After a brief pause, Averi replied, "Texas Hold'em." A game where strategy meets the turn of a card.
Will raised an eyebrow, even less convinced, "Poker? I thought you'd go for something less dependent on luck."
Averi pressed her lips into a slight smile, not planning to continue discussing gambling any further.
This time, the wait was longer than before. After over ten minutes, her phone vibrated again.
*
Ever since Sidney arranged for job rotation, Dallas's workload had drastically decreased. Manuel had privately expressed a wish to retain him, but Dallas was firm in his decision, leaving Manuel with no choice but to let him go.
Beatrice, though displeased with his refusal once again, thought that the new bodyguard would probably be easier to handle than Dallas, and thus agreed to the change relatively quickly. For Beatrice, drugs were far more attractive than men.
As the new bodyguard became more adept at his job, Dallas began to reduce his presence at the Mcdowell's place. Yesterday, Sidney called to inform him of a new job offer, which paid as well as his position at the Mcdowell family, but came with greater danger and required leaving J City. Dallas thought about it and accepted the offer.
Fiona was under the care of specialists at the nursing home, and the only thing he could do to help was to pay off her medical bills as soon as possible.
As for her, once he left, she wouldn't look for him anymore.
Thus, leaving J City seemed like a win-win solution. Dallas didn't know why he hesitated when Sidney made the proposal, though it lasted for less than a second, he knew he did hesitate.
During this period of waiting, his life had never been so leisurely. After finishing his regular evening workout, he sat on the sofa to watch 'The Shawshank Redemption' to unwind.
Just as the movie started, he received a message from her. After a few short exchanges, she fell silent.
The end came as abruptly as the beginning.
Dallas put away his phone, looking at the screen seriously. The movie had been watched many times, and he almost knew the lines by heart. Dallas put away his phone, looking at the screen seriously. The movie had been watched many times, and he almost knew the lines by heart.
A slight howling sound came from outside the window, as if the wind had picked up. Distracted by the wind, he unlocked his phone and typed a few words into the text message box: "Where are you?"
She replied quickly, as if she had been waiting for his question.
So, he mimicked her and asked what she was doing, and this time she replied even faster, but with only two words—guess.
This response could be dismissive or playful. Dallas couldn't see her expression and thus couldn't tell which it was.
Rationality told him that the best course of action was not to respond. Whether she was bored or playful, he was only passively accepting it.
He did just that, putting down his phone and focusing on the movie for several minutes.
Familiar lines at this point became a burden, as they were too familiar to hold his attention with their novelty.
Dallas unlocked his screen and typed into the jumping dialog box: "I can't guess."
She replied quickly again, apparently waiting for his message.
His furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed, and he tapped the dimmed screen, causing the white light to illuminate, shrinking Dallas's pupils.
She said, "I'm looking for a new game."
