She phoned Nancy repeatedly, and the latter felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. While her heart started to be swayed, Caspian snatched her phone and turned it off. By doing so, Joan could no longer call to ‘harass’ them anymore.
Being unable to get a hold of Larry either, Nancy panicked, and she felt fear spreading through her limbs. Usually, she was a person who would put all her energy into work, no matter what she encountered. Unfortunately, she now realized that was only possible because everything she had was built upon the foundation of having a lover, friends and a beautiful family.
With their backing, she had the capacity to fulfil her dreams. If they were gradually taken away from her, she would not have the strength and drive to chase those dreams of hers, as the people she treasured were more important than her ambitions.
Relative to her loved ones, her aspirations did not hold a candle to them. Is it too late for her to grasp this concept at this point?
Somehow, she stumbled onto the streets that were busy with traffic and filled with pedestrians as usual.
By the road, there was a woman who had set up a fruit stall. Her business seemed to be flourishing, and her line of customers did not seem to dwindle. Joan stepped forward to take a closer look. Unfortunately, from the perspective of others, she was blocking their way.
“Miss, can move away? It doesn’t matter if you are not buying anything, but please don’t get in our way,” a plump man chided her.
Startled, Joan took a few steps back obediently. At the same time, an older lady spotted her curious expression and asked her in amusement, “Are you trying to figure out why the business here is so good when there are plenty of other fruit stalls?”
Joan nodded. Seeing how she was willing to listen to her, the older lady grinned wider. “It’s because of how kind the owner of this fruit stall is. Her fruits are cheaper than her competitors, and they are delicious. Rumor has it that she is bringing up a child on her own. Yet, every time she makes a sale to us, she only earns a small profit. Since she is kind and pretty, we call her the ‘Fruit Goddess’.”
How can she live well on her own even though she has to raise a child by herself? The moment that thought popped out in her head, Joan felt taken aback. Regardless of how strained her relationship with Larry was, she never thought of breaking up with him. Besides, even if they went their separate ways, she could never leave with Leslie, given how influential the Norton family was.
She stood by the fruit stall for a long time and curiously wanted to take a peek at who this strong woman was. So far, she always thought that such powerful females only existed in books that featured famous people.
When the crowd slowly thinned, she managed to catch a glimpse of half of the owner’s body. That lady had a good figure, and her wavy hair was tied back into a ponytail with a black hair tie. She wore a white apron held together by a belt tied into a beautiful bow.
After serving the last few orders, the owner could finally take a seat to rest her feet. Given her tall height, it looked rather uncomfortable for her to rest on her small wooden bench.
While she raised her head to take a swing from her bottle of mineral water, Joan immediately recognized the woman’s dazzling facial features, perfect figure and iconic wavy hair.
Isn’t that Gabriella? I haven’t seen her in a while.
Without hesitation, Joan walked up to Gabriella, who was focused on downing the water in her bottle. She seemed parched as she did not even notice a person standing in front of her in such proximity.
“I would like to buy some apples,” Joan said.
“Sure. Please give me a moment miss, I’ll…”
Miss? Since when did Gabriella greet people so politely? Her attitude has changed three hundred and sixty degrees, from the unruly temperament she used to have to a gentle and polite one now.
That moment did not last long as Gabriella stopped midway through her sentence when she saw Joan.
