"Let it be; it's already happened; what else can we do?" Lea said resignedly."Well, you could try negotiating with Grace's boyfriend?" "Freddie?""Yeah, talk to Freddie, ask him to arrange another meeting with Shane, tell him you want to apologize," Amanda suggested, including some reasonable advice.Lea immediately rejected the idea."No way! I don't want that. Am I supposed to chase after him now?""Well, not really. There's a reason behind it. Do you want to apologize, don't you?" Amanda tried to convince her stubborn friend. But based on experience, Lea needed to be more easily swayed from her stance. The girl remained stubborn and refused to humble herself by apologizing first."I don't want to! Shane can be so arrogant. He'll probably bully me even more. No way!" Lea insisted.Amanda was at a loss for words to persuade her friend. She knew Lea was stubborn but didn't expect it to be this difficult!"You're so stubborn! I want to meet this 'ice block' Shane. It must be entertai
"Okay, fine. Not just Joan, Adam, Amanda, now even Mom is blaming me! OMG!" grumbled Lea, in maximal frustration. "I'm not blaming you, dear... what Mom means is that you need to control yourself when speaking to others and in your actions. Don't always explode like you usually do. Pay attention, if it's with us, your family, or Amanda, who has known you for a long time, there won't be any problems. At least we know that's just how you are, so we won't be offended or misunderstand. But when facing new people, don't act like that." Mrs. Anna advised at length. Lea realized that her mother's words were almost similar to Amanda's. It was true if she thought about it, but Lea was accustomed to rarely admitting her mistakes; her ego was too high. "So, Se? Have you realized where you went wrong?" Her mom confirmed. She knew exactly the temperament and temper of her eldest daughter. Lea nodded with an expression still unwilling. "Can you improve your attitude in the future? That's the m
"Shane...," called the soft voice of a woman around forty years old who still looked beautiful. The woman with neatly tied-up hair, revealing her slender neck, giving her a firm and efficient appearance, peeked into her son's unlocked room.Spontaneously, Shane turned towards the door and greeted his mom with an innocent look, "What's up, Mom?"Mrs. Kate scrutinized Shane, "I called you several times, and you didn't respond. I thought you weren't in your room. Were you not hearing or daydreaming?""Oh... sorry, Mom. I didn't hear your voice," he replied, somewhat flustered."Hmm... daydreaming about what?"Shane got up from his seat on the bed and pretended to place his phone on the table while searching for an excuse, "Just focusing on reading an article, Mom. You know, when I’m focused on work, I tend to ignore what's around."Mrs. Kate then approached her beloved and only son. She knew Shane's expression when he lied; he would either bow his head or throw his gaze elsewhere, anywhe
‘The next evening, accompany me to the office event; I want to introduce a cousin. No debate!’A chat message from Amanda that night made Lea tickled and want to laugh. It was indeed Amanda's habit to do whatever she wanted. The beautiful girl with a flashy appearance, known for frequently changing hair colors and styles, never hesitated to introduce Lea to many of her business colleagues.Lea had been introduced to one of the managers in Amanda's family-owned company before. On that occasion, Amanda insisted on bringing Lea to the opening ceremony of a branch office, where she was introduced to a mature, handsome man with a distinctive entrepreneurial style, formal and professional.During that introduction, Lea couldn't enjoy her interaction with the man. She felt no chemistry, and everything felt bland, leaving no impression on her.That's why Lea decided not to continue with such setups.It happened several times, yet Amanda remained curious about finding a match for her friend. A
Arriving at their favorite cafe where they often hung out, Amanda and Lea entered and looked around for Amanda's cousin, who had arrived a few minutes earlier."Oh, there he is!" Amanda exclaimed, grabbing Lea's arm and half-dragging her towards a table where a lone man was waiting, stirring his drink. It seemed to be a cup of mocha coffee, judging from the aroma that immediately wafted through Lea's nose as they approached the table.Yes, the cafe was indeed special. Although the menu was standard, the uniqueness lay in the aroma and serving techniques that set it apart from other cafes. It became a favorite for Amanda and Lea, who were pure food lovers."Hi, Daniel. Have you been waiting for so long?" Amanda greeted the tall, slender man who seemed serious."Oh, hi, Amanda. And... who's this, Lea, right?" Daniel, as called by Amanda, extended his right hand towards Lea.Lea shook his hand and introduced herself, "Lea, Amanda's friend.""I'm Daniel, her cousin. Take a seat. The menu
"Uhm, sorry, I got distracted again; my mind wandered," Lea apologized again for the umpteenth time that night. Daniel responded with a restrained smile several times, trying to understand the issues the girl in front of him was facing."Isn't it quite late now? How about going home?" Lea suggested then. She couldn't find anything else to talk about. Besides, she didn't feel comfortable staying out late and being escorted home by a man."Okay... sure, next time we go out, let's not make it too late, so we can spend more time, hehe," Daniel suggested. A suggestion that made Lea grimace without expression because she felt there was no other reason to meet this guy, she thought skeptically. However, she just remained silent and kept her feelings to herself."I... I'll order an online taxi now," Lea said casually, taking out her phone. But, as expected, Daniel immediately objected because he had promised Amanda to take the girl home."Hey, don't! Amanda will scold me if you take an online
That evening, Shane went to the cafe alone. He had arranged to meet a friend from his police academy who had some business in the city that day and took the opportunity to meet up.Upon arriving at the agreed-upon cafe, Shane sat and waited while playing with his phone. As he scanned the leather-clad room, he spotted Lea in the far corner. He examined her more closely to confirm that it was indeed Lea, his irritating blind date. Despite her simple and unremarkable appearance, her charm remained, especially with her wavy black hair tied up, framing her oval face.Shane scolded himself for being curious about who Lea was with. Was she often meeting new guys? Shane suspected. From their gestures, it seemed clear that they had just met. Maybe another blind date, Shane thought to himself.His heart suddenly felt warm. He didn't know how he felt about Lea, but he didn't like seeing her with someone else. However, he couldn't dictate who Lea spent time with. Shortly after, when his college
"Lea, come over here for a moment. Help me out for a bit," Adelle requested, prompting Lea to stand up and approach her friend automatically.At Adelle's table, she subtly nodded toward Bella, signaling to Lea that Bella was uneasy."Oops... I forgot again!" Lea said after realizing Bella's sulking behavior. Lea could be oblivious and forgetful sometimes, mainly when focused on her work."Adelle, seriously. Taking Lea without asking. I was here first!" Erick complained as Lea left him to assist Adelle. However, Adelle was almost done with her work and didn't need Lea's help. She was trying to keep Lea away from Erick to prevent Bella from getting more upset."Don't act so entitled. Do your work! Don't make it a habit to procrastinate," Lea scolded Erick, finding his use of the term "booking" negative, mainly when referring to a woman. Annoying, she thought."Yeah, right. Don't help him. Let's each do our work. So that when promotions come, it's just Lea, not others," Bella's sharp rem