Chapter 92

“Amber, that was a close call. We almost wiped out just now,” Claire exclaimed.

“Don’t pin this on me, Claire. Wasn’t it your shoe that got stuck?” Amber shot back.

Claire said with a grin, “My bad, okay, Amber? I have to head home now. Don’t forget to bring me that gift tomorrow.”

Amber gave her a playful shove. “God, you’re so annoying. I said I’d get it for you, so I will. Now hurry up before your driver loses patience.”

“And don’t forget to say goodbye to Sienna for me,” Claire called out, waving enthusiastically as she climbed into the car.

Amber watched Claire’s retreating figure, surprised to feel a pang of reluctance. She shook her head, trying to banish those silly thoughts.

“It’s not like we won’t see each other again,” Amber told herself. “Why should I even care? Hmph, I still have to bring her a gift tomorrow. What a pain. Claire really is such a high-maintenance friend.”

Sienna appeared behind her and asked gently, “Amber, did you have a good time?”

Amber looked up at Sienna, her eyes meeting her bright, smiling gaze. She nodded vigorously. “So much fun.” She had never been this happy before.

Sienna had taken Amber to the amusement park, and she’d even made a new friend. Sure, Claire was a total chatterbox and way too handsy—honestly, kind of annoying, but Amber had to admit, she wasn’t so bad after all.

“Let’s go home then?” Sienna suggested gently.

“Okay,” Amber replied.

After getting in the car, Amber took a few sips of water, her eyes filled with confusion. Her gaze wandered between the window and Sienna, clearly lost in thought.

Noticing her troubled expression, Sienna asked gently, “Amber, is there something on your mind you’d like to share?”

Amber fidgeted with her fingers, her head hanging low, and even her little cowlick drooped weakly. “What makes a real friend?” she asked softly.

Sienna explained patiently, “Everyone defines friendship differently. We’re all unique, with our own preferences, but what matters is that being together makes you happy.

“Maybe it’s someone you can share everything with, someone who’d go through fire for you, or someone you consider your closest companion—”

As Sienna spoke, her mind drifted, her eyes flickering with loneliness.

Amber drifted into her thoughts. ‘Am I really happy?’

She had to admit, she genuinely enjoyed being with Claire, but it was different from hanging out with Mia.

Claire was open and straightforward, never making her second-guess, while Mia always spoke in cryptic ways that Amber couldn’t understand.

‘Does that mean Mia and I aren’t real friends after all?’ Amber wondered.

Sienna couldn’t help but think of Nora, the once radiant, vivacious young girl now labeled a jealous, unreasonable madwoman.

‘It’s so ironic. It’s time I went to see her,’ Sienna wondered.

When Vivian returned from the restroom, a bouquet of roses and a hotel key card were waiting on her workstation.

‘Who left these here?’ she wondered.

As Vivian reached for the roses, Richard burst in, panic written all over his face. He rushed over, shouting, “No, don’t touch those. Vivian, they’re mine. Please, don’t.”

He quickly scooped up both the roses and the key card, hugging them to his chest with a nervous smile as he looked at Vivian.

Afraid she might misunderstand, Richard hurried to explain, “Don’t get the wrong idea, hey. These are from my wife. She had them delivered for our anniversary tonight. They must’ve been sent to you by mistake. I’ll take them right away.”

Vivian’s eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh, I see, Mr. Wood. Wishing you both happiness.”

Richard beamed an exaggerated smile as he carried the bouquet of roses into his office, wiping his dry brow in feigned relief. “That’s close. Vivian has almost seen the card,” he wondered.

Richard quickly snatched up the card from the bouquet of roses. In bold letters, it read: [Vivian, my dear, 8 p.m. tonight at the Chowmin Hotel. Don’t stand me up. Looking forward to our pleasant cooperation.]

‘That damn sleazeball Peter just won’t quit,’ Richard wondered furiously. ‘After I ignored him last time, he kept snooping around. Now he’s actively trying to work with us, specifically demanding that Vivian sign the contract.’

‘So that’s how you want to play? Fine. Tonight, I’ll make sure he gets a taste of his own medicine.’

Richard ripped the card into tiny pieces and scattered them into the air. He grabbed the roses and hurled them into the trash, then stomped on them until they were nothing but a ruined mess.

Still fuming, he clenched his fists, struggling to contain his anger.

Ever since Peter met Vivian, he couldn’t get her out of his head. He swore that he would make her his, no matter what.

‘Richard actually dares to ignore me? Who does he think he is? If it weren’t for Vivian, would I ever stoop to work with their pathetic little company? They really have no idea where they stand,’ Peter wondered.

Chloe eyed Peter, noticing how he was all slicked up. She swayed her hips as she sidled up to him, purring, “Babe, where are you headed?”

Peter shoved her away impatiently, his eyes flashing with disdain and boredom. “Back off. I’m going to an important dinner meeting. Just behave yourself. Got it?”

Chloe flipped her hair with a bright smile and asked sweetly, “Honey, what kind of dinner meeting is it? Why don’t you take me along? I’d love to go.”

Peter stood up with a blank expression, straightening his tie. “Chloe, don’t meddle. Stay home, or you’ll regret it.”

Chloe plopped down grudgingly, fuming to herself. ‘Jerk, like I’d ever believe he’s just going to some dinner. He’s definitely fallen for another woman again.

‘If it weren’t for his money, I wouldn’t even bother putting up with him. Who does he think he is, acting all high and mighty?’

Peter poured two glasses of whiskey, rubbing his hands together in excitement as he paced back and forth. ‘Vivian, you’ll be mine in the end,’ he wondered.

Nora, dressed in a white dress, walked into the cemetery and stopped before an unnamed headstone. Whenever she had a moment, she would come here to chat with her friend. Her best friend was gone.

After the plane crash, Sienna perished without a trace. All that was buried here was her bracelet.

The driver panted heavily as he helped her unload a lot of flowers from the car. After placing them in front of her, he nearly threw out his back.

‘Man, how much did all this cost,’ he wondered and gasped, “Mrs. Preston, would you like some assistance?”

Nora waved her hand dismissively. “No need. You may leave.”

Nora placed the flowers for Enna. ‘Enna, how could you be so heartless, leaving me all alone,’ she wondered.

Nora murmured at the graveside, “Enna, thank you for visiting me in my dream last night. After all these years apart, I finally saw you again. A decade has passed.

“You’ve shed your youthful innocence, and you’re just as breathtaking as ever. Honestly, when I saw you, I thought you’d come to take me with you.

“Who would’ve thought that when I opened my eyes this morning, I was still among the living?”

Nora sat with perfect poise in her elegant white dress. Her hair was neatly coiled at the nape of her neck, secured with a silver jeweled hairpin. Delicate emerald earrings accentuated her flawless skin.