After seeing off the young entrepreneur couple who had come to chat, Jayson released his arm from around Sidney's waist and suddenly said, "This outfit doesn't suit you."
"Huh?" She truly didn't know that Jayson was involved in the fashion industry. Was he now commenting on women's clothing?
He leaned his face close to Sidney's ear, making it appear to outsiders as if the couple were sharing sweet words, "This turtleneck black silk is hiding your impressive chest."
"…" Sidney stared at him wide-eyed, incredulous. A man she had only met twice dared to speak such vulgar words!
Jayson gave a smug smile and tilted his head to look at Sidney. Sidney turned to leave but saw her father walking toward them.
"I'm a bit drunk, so I'm heading out first," Esteban slurred, his words slightly unclear. "You kids enjoy yourselves. It's fine if you don't come back tonight."
"Dad! I'll go with you," Sidney said urgently.
"Sidney, why don't we go look at the wedding rings together? You haven't seen them yet, have you?" Jayson suddenly spoke up.
Sidney turned back, looking at Jayson with confusion. Wasn't this man completely uninterested in the wedding? Why was he suddenly so eager tonight?
"You two go ahead," Esteban said and immediately left, leaving just Sidney and Jayson.
Jayson first went to bid farewell to the host of the party, then chatted briefly with a few familiar faces before leading Sidney toward the elevator. Sidney silently followed him into the elevator, glancing at herself in the mirror and then at Jayson. This man would be her future husband... Was it time to start trying to get along with him, even if they eventually divorced and parted on good terms?
The elevator arrived at the third underground floor, and Jayson went straight to get the car. He used the remote to unlock his white Porsche sports car, then got into the driver's seat and opened the passenger door for Sidney. As she sat beside him, she noticed a scent of men's perfume in the car. Though they hadn't met many times, she hadn't smelled this scent on Jayson before.
Jayson quickly drove the car out of the parking lot and toward the city. The car stopped at a parking spot in front of a large flagship store. He leaned over to open the door for Sidney, got out himself, and even took the initiative to hold her hand, leading her into the prestigious jewelry store.
The gemstones in this store were very famous, not only for their cut but also for their clarity, which were guaranteed to be of the highest industry quality. Of course, they were not cheap, and the store specialized in custom services, setting the selected gemstones in the designs specified by the customers.
At this time, the entire luxury shopping street should have been closed, yet this store was the only one still lit.
When the staff saw Jayson, they led them into the VIP room, putting on pure white gloves and bringing out a set of rings.
"This is the custom design Mr. Nixon ordered. It was just finished this morning. Please take a look and let us know if it meets your expectations," the store manager said politely.
Sidney noticed the white diamond on the women's ring sparkling under the yellow light, its brilliance hard to ignore. While she wasn't an expert on diamonds, she could tell that it was something special.
"This women's ring is the VVS1, D-color diamond Mr. Nixon selected. You can use this magnifying loupe to examine it," the store manager explained. The store manager picked up the women's ring and handed it to Finnegan. He took the ring, glanced at it, then immediately took Sidney's hand and slipped it onto her left ring finger. "It's a bit big," he said.
"Because your fiancée hadn't come over earlier, we could only do a rough estimate. Could Miss Calderon let us measure her finger now?"
Sidney nodded blankly and immediately extended her hand to the shop manager, allowing him to measure her finger.
"We'll have it ready before the wedding date," the shop manager, who was nearing his sixties, smiled and said.
Sidney suddenly realized that she might really be getting married.
Jayson was fiddling with his men's ring, which fit perfectly and didn't need any adjustments. There was only a small diamond embellishing the platinum band.
Once the finger measurement was complete, the shop manager took the rings back. Jayson stayed behind to look at some gemstones, listening to the shop assistant's introduction. It was then that Sidney learned Jayson had a habit of buying gemstones, though she couldn't understand why a grown man would buy so many.
To give to his many lovers?
At this thought, Sidney felt a little suffocated.
Though the items in the store were sparkling and eye-catching, she wasn't very interested, as she didn't understand much. She could only vaguely tell whether they were sapphires, emeralds, or diamonds.
Seeing how bored she was, Jayson asked, "Do you like them?"
Sidney shook her head and said, "I'm not really knowledgeable about gemstones."
"It's the first time I've met a woman who doesn't understand gemstones."
"Well, the women you've met must all..." She suddenly fell silent.
"How are they all?"
"They... are quite bizarre."
Jayson frowned, not understanding her meaning, but he roughly guessed it was an insult. He didn't pay much attention to her, swiped his card, and forcefully grabbed Sidney's arm, pulling her outside. Sidney didn't understand—why had he suddenly turned cold when he had been quite gentle earlier that evening?
Jayson drove the car at breakneck speed on the road, overtaking cars, weaving through traffic, and taking sharp turns so fiercely it made people's hearts race. Sidney gripped her seatbelt tightly, feeling her life was in danger. It took only ten minutes for him to get her to the building's entrance.
"You can go in now." He didn't even look at her.
"Uh... Goodbye."
Jayson didn't say anything else and didn't bid her farewell.
Sidney was puzzled. She opened the car door and silently entered the gate. After pressing the elevator button, she turned back, but the white luxurious car had already disappeared.
Once inside, she found the living room lights were off and no one was in sight. Sidney quietly entered her room but heard the sound of a wheelchair moving. Her aunt was coming out of the room and, seeing Sidney from a distance, scoffed loudly, "Tch! Coming back in the middle of the night. Do you think this is a hotel? You're just like your mother, shameless."
Sidney let out a soft sigh, took a deep breath to steady herself, then shut the door behind her. She stepped into the bathroom, the cool air brushing against her skin as she turned on the shower.
