Chapter 288: Chapter 288

Upon hearing Erin Bishop say she didn’t know him, Quincy Linden finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t answer Erin’s question, but instead asked, "Did he say anything to you after I left?"

Erin thought for a moment and simply replied, "No, I’m not familiar with him."

Yet she was still fixated on those few simple exchanges between Zane Rhodes and Quincy Linden, and asked again, "What did he say?"

After a while, Quincy texted her back: "He said he’s your boyfriend, and I panicked a bit on the spot, which is why I left hastily."

Erin was taken aback upon hearing this and didn’t doubt the authenticity of Quincy’s words. She immediately replied, "What kind of person is that? I don’t even know him!"

Quincy replied, "Seems like a prank. I should’ve explained it to you at the time, but my mind went blank for a moment, and I didn’t know how to handle it."

Erin, not knowing who she was venting her emotions on, held her phone and chatted with Quincy for a long time, as if they had endless topics to discuss.

Close to ten o’clock, Quincy told her she should go to sleep, saying girls shouldn’t stay up late.

Erin still felt a warmth in her heart, a sensation she hadn’t felt in ages.

With a pleasant mood, she said goodnight, put down her phone, and obediently lay in bed.

But after closing her eyes, she couldn’t sleep. An unexpected emptiness and sense of loss overcame her, which she couldn’t comprehend.

It seemed like she didn’t know what she wanted; she wasn’t clear about what she yearned for in love and marriage, and it always felt like she lacked complete trust in men.

She constantly felt insecure, her heart in turmoil.

When she woke up, those feelings disappeared. Early in the morning, Quincy texted her, asking her out for breakfast.

Erin readily agreed, changed clothes, did her makeup, and saw Quincy’s car already parked downstairs at her residence.

He gallantly got out of the car and opened the door for her, thoughtfully shielding the door frame to prevent her from bumping her head.

Girls are often easily swayed by these little gestures, and Erin was no exception. Every move Quincy made showed he was a considerate and gentle man in Erin’s eyes.

"I’ve just returned here recently, and I’m not very familiar with the area. Rona, could you suggest a restaurant?"

Erin nodded with a smile, typed an address into the GPS on her phone, and said to him, "Just follow this navigation." For original chapters go to novèlfire.net

They chatted as Quincy drove, his eloquence filled with a gentle humor that would be hard for any girl to resist, making their time together particularly comfortable.

However, he then received a call in the car, and pressed the speakerphone while driving.

Erin only heard it was a woman’s voice, speaking in Spanish with him, which she couldn’t understand, but the woman’s tone seemed flirtatious.

"Who’s that?" Erin inquired after the call ended.

Quincy answered straightforwardly, "A client, trying to get our company to sign a contract, using every trick in the book."

Erin was a bit suspicious but hid it because Quincy didn’t seem to be lying to her, so she smiled and said, "Business is tough these days."

"Yeah, it’s said that it’s quite easy for a girl like you to face losses."

"I’m alright; the business isn’t big, and I can manage it myself."

In the middle of their conversation, Erin suddenly noticed a familiar car in the rearview mirror. She paused, leaned out of the window to have a closer look, and confirmed she wasn’t mistaken.

Erin closed the window and smiled at Quincy, saying, "Oh, nothing, I thought I saw someone I knew, but I was mistaken."

When the car stopped at the restaurant, Erin specially looked back and saw Zane’s car also parked at the entrance, following them inside the restaurant.

"Let’s go upstairs," Erin suggested with a smile, taking Quincy’s arm as they went up, purposely choosing a private room to avoid being disturbed by Zane.

But even hidden from sight, her heart was troubled; she didn’t understand what he meant.

Those inexplicable words from that day, following her everywhere these days, even disrupting her date...

"Rona, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh... nothing, what do you want to eat?"

"It’s my first time here, so I don’t know what’s good. Could you recommend something?"

After breakfast, Quincy took her to the cinema. She knew Zane was sitting right behind her, and her mind was a chaotic mess, hardly able to focus on the movie.

In the afternoon, Quincy originally planned to take her to a concert, but Erin declined, citing work commitments.

After lunch, Quincy dropped her at the office and arranged for dinner together, to which Erin didn’t say no.

Lying on the sofa in the office for a while, Erin became increasingly frustrated thinking about Zane.

She abruptly opened her eyes, grabbed her car keys, and left, driving to the riverside, where she found a bench to sit on.

As expected, it wasn’t long before she saw Zane sitting on another bench not far from her. Erin quietly gazed at the river for a while before standing up and approaching Zane, asking, "What exactly do you mean?"

Zane simply said, "Don’t be with that man."

"What does it matter to you who I’m with?! When I shamelessly chased after you, you rejected me time and time again, and now that I’m with someone else, you still want to interfere? Who do you think you are? Do you really think you still hold a place in my heart? Do you know how annoying you are right now?!"

Zane lowered his eyes and didn’t speak, offering no explanation or stance.

His silence fueled Erin’s anger, and she took a deep breath, saying, "It was you who let go of me first. Now I’m letting go of you; please don’t show up anymore. I won’t disturb you, so please don’t disturb me either."

As Erin turned to leave, his three words, carried by the riverside breeze, reached her ears.

She halted, her back to him, feeling her nose tingle with sourness, overwhelmed by emotions upon hearing those words.

She couldn’t tell if he was apologizing for disappearing without saying goodbye years ago or for not responding to her advances.

It seemed like she had been waiting for these words for so very long, yet hearing them now seemed to hold little significance.

"Everyone has the right to choose love, there’s no need to apologize." She said, facing away from him, trying to steady her voice, "I’m making an effort to adapt to my life right now, so please don’t appear again... also, I wish you happiness."

As she started to leave, tears fell uncontrollably. She walked away quickly, not daring to look back, but faintly heard him say behind her, "I was serious about marriage, I’m one of your options, and choosing who is your right."