Jory met his gaze. “She rejected me because of how flawed I was then. Don’t tell me you assumed that I was always this impeccable?”
Boisterous laughter burst from Dustin. “That person must be unlucky. I bet she’ll eat her heart out if she knew how great you turned out to be.”
“No, it wasn’t just because of my flaws. She rejected me because she has feelings for someone else.” Jory shook his head whilst uttering this. A brief second passed before he voiced his doubt, “Dustin. Should a woman marry someone she likes or a different person who’s impeccable in every regard? What do you think?”
“You shouldn’t ask me this…” Dustin shifted uncomfortably. He then explained, “You know I won’t say the right answer.”
Jory snorted bitterly. “That’s true, because we both love someone we can’t have.”
Then, silence shrouded them.
Dustin froze momentarily. Once he snapped out of it, he looked over to Jory. “We? You mean—”
“I saw her again.”
Jory paused for a brief moment before continuing, “Speaking of which, the first time I met her was like a scene in a movie…” Jory reminisced whilst gazing absent-mindedly into the space. However, Dustin’s patience was wearing thin as he interrupted, “Who is she?”
Jory coughed and couldn’t bring himself to meet Dustin’s eyes. Seeing this, Dustin questioned further, “Is she related to your plan?”
“Yes, but that’s purely an accident.” Jory grinned as he continued, “Now that she has reappeared in my life and I got to know her better, I’m unsure if I should continue with my plan.”
He’s not as ordinary as I perceived him to be… Dustin felt puzzled as confused thoughts stirred in his mind. I initially thought I understood the motives behind his plan, but now… I’m not sure anymore. If Jory’s goal is the same as when he started, then I don’t actually know Jory as well as I thought I did.
Jory suppressed the smile on his face. He had always enjoyed showing off his boisterous smile to others, so it was strange to see him so serious now. Jory confessed, “Ever since she reappeared, I’m no longer sure of my initial motives.”
“I’m telling you this because we’re friends,” Dustin advised. “It doesn’t matter what you feel for that person. You must understand that she’s married to someone else, and she’s his wife now. But dang, I never would have imagined that you would end up like me…”
It was as if Dustin saw right through Jory, whose eyes darkened as he abruptly turned to leave. Despite this, Dustin still rubbed salt in his wound. “Remember what I told you.”
Nancy texted a quick message to Jory before entering the room, then shutting the bronze-painted door. Inside, Simon was typing something on his computer. Nancy paced opposite him and calmly greeted, “Dad.”
“Excellent timing. I was planning to head over to you if you didn’t come over. Now, I want you to cut all ties with Jory from this point on. He is not someone that should be associated with us, Barrymores. Also, it’s not appropriate for you to visit him frequently.”
Nancy gave him a baffled look, and her hand clutched tightly onto the handle. “What do you mean by frequently? Did you get someone to stalk me?”
“I’m doing this for your safety. You understand, right, Nancy?” Simon affirmed with unyielding certainty.
Nancy’s face puckered, trying hard to disguise her disdain from him. “Why must we dissociate ourselves from him? Even if he and I once had a marriage contract and our families almost collaborated, there’s no need to cut off all ties with their family. Why must we pay for your generation’s greed for financial profits?”
Laughter thundered from Simon. “Nancy, listen to yourself. I almost believed that the person you really like is Jory. I would have never guessed that Caspian is your husband.”
“You’re changing the topic! Even if Caspian and I are married, what law states that spouses aren’t allowed to associate themselves with the opposite gender?”
