George, Francis, and the old Sandler finished their conversation and came out from the hall. At the same time, Chuck’s mother, Victoria Livingston, also walked downstairs from her room. She was wearing a long green silk dress, with her blonde hair hung loose down her back.
Scarlett was amazed by her beauty. In return, Victoria was also impressed by Scarlett at first sight. She was about to ask who the girl was, but another voice came ahead of hers.
“When did you come here?”
Francis recognized the familiar figure sitting next to his mother as soon as he walked out of the hall. He was struck by a complex feeling: a combination of shock, delight, and anger. He was directing his query at Scarlett, and now everyone had fixed their gaze on the fresh visitor amongst them.
As soon as the holiday season was over, Skyler was about to embark on his adventure to Britain to pursue his studies. Scarlett had been busy as a bee trying to get everything in order so he could leave without a care in the world. Almost every single day, she would peer at Skyler’s luggage and keep adding more stuff.Two days before departure, Scarlett visited Skyler’s hostel again.“I think I’ve finished with all the packing,” said Skyler.“Oh, okay. Let me double-check the list for you, though. C’mon, hand it over.” Scarlett offered.“Did you pack your down jackets and windbreakers?”“Yeah, but just one overcoat. It’ll be too heavy otherwise. I’ll
One man was seemingly checking if the two persons in the flesh matched with the photo on his phone. After he had double-checked with careful scans, the two men walked a few steps toward Skyler and Scarlett. One of them said respectfully, “Good evening, Mr. and Miss. Morris. Welcome to London! Mr. Sandler sent us to pick you up. The car’s ready for you there.”Skyler thought they were some scammers or con artists in the first place until he heard the familiar name “Sandler.” Scarlett was unexpectedly calm, and she declined the kind offer politely, “Thank you, sir. But don’t bother, we can take a taxi.” Scarlett turned around and was about the leave. The man stopped her by saying, “Sorry, Miss. Morris. Can you wait for a second? Could you just hold on for a moment?”The other man quickly dialed a number
Francis seemed to be attending a meeting. He interrupted the presenter and walked out of the meeting room.“Listen, Scarlett. Two other Cambridge students rented the house, which means Skyler will actually have two roommates. I’ve investigated their backgrounds, and they just seem like regular kids. You don’t have anything to worry about.” Francis explained to her patiently.“But…but you didn’t even ask me before you made these decisions? I am his sister!”Francis leaned against the wall and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I didn’t ask you because you didn’t want to talk to me.”Scarlett was stunned and couldn’t find the words to argue with Francis at all. But obviously, Francis didn&
Scarlett was made sober by his words. She urged, “What do I have to be afraid of anyway? I have not done anything wrong!”She sat up straight when she yelled at Francis, but Francis wore a gentle and affectionate smile on his face. Scarlett had not looked at him, so from such close quarters in over a month, his elegance and charm caught her off guard. So, she kept staring at him and couldn’t move her eyes away.Francis leaned on the bedside; he touched Scarlett’s face gently and cautiously. “I’m so sorry for what I said that day, babe.” His voice was low and a bit hoarse. Scarlett could practically hear the guilt dripping from his words. She felt that his gentle touch and soft voice had almost healed her wounds. But she pinched her own thigh to warn herself to remain reasonable and remember the deep pain he had caused h
(Warning: This chapter contains a sexual scene. If you're not comfortable reading it kindly skip it and move to another chapter)In the morning, when the sun was warm, and the yellow glow shone through the tulle curtains into the room, the two shook off their slumbers at the same time.“I want to sleep!” Scarlett was alert to Francis’s movement and pulled the quilt to cover her head. Francis stretched out his hand and moved from Scarlett’s back to her waist, soft and gentle.“No way!” Scarlett buried herself in the bed. Francis pulled her into his arms and caressed her gently. “You’ll sleep even better after great sex, babe.” He whispered into her ear, trying to seduce her.Francis had, after all, been celibate for mo
“What do you mean? We’re boyfriend and girlfriend, aren’t we? Why shouldn’t we live together? That’s the real question…” Francis leaned on the door and stared at Scarlett with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. If they had not been in the middle of a dispute, Scarlett would probably have admitted that his posture was sophisticated and attractive.“Just because I’m your girlfriend doesn’t mean I don’t get to have my private space and time to myself.” Scarlett raised her voice.“You can do whatever you want. I will not interfere in your personal life. But living together is the most basic tenet for two people who are in a relationship.” Francis answered very patiently. He was the one begging her to stay, after all. He needed to be careful with his words so as not to upset
Chuck looked at the rearview mirror and backed the car. He was grinning ear to ear, and he was tapping his feet on the accelerator pedal to the beat music.“Francis talked to dad, and dad’s now reconsidering the marriage! This is revolutionary. It’s like a protest! Thanks, bro! I recognize your distinguished contributions to this great, heroic cause!”“Blah…” Scarlett pretended to throw up at his pretentious tone.“Come on, you should be happy for me!”Scarlett just closed her eyes; she felt exhausted and sleepy. Chuck was too high energy for her right now.“By the way, where’re you going?” asked Chuck patiently.
“Saudi Arabia?” Scarlett stared at Dan in shock. “Are you asking me to go with you?”It had been three weeks since the semester had started. Scarlett went to school as usual to take the all-important Russian newspaper reading and analysis course. Dan waited for her outside the classroom to inform her of his fieldwork trip to Saudi Arabia.“Yeah. I think it’s a great opportunity. You’re the only person I know who can speak Arabic properly. It would be so great to have you on our team. And I guess you’re not too busy this semester, right? You’ve only got a couple of classes, and Professor Kroll just asked for a month-long leave, so it really seems like perfect timing to me.” Dan adjusted his glasses and looked at her excitedly.“I mean, yeah, I guess&he