Chapter 17
Chester and Alexander had gone nearby to drink. When they returned, the smell of alcohol lingered around them.
Chester went to the bathroom to shower first. Angelina, lying on her side of the bed, stirred. slightly when she heard the noise.
“You’re awake. Did 1 wake you?”
Having just showered, Chester was shirtless. He was only wearing a pair of shorts. His muscles. were taut and cool to the touch.
“No, I just can’t sleep.”
“Do you feel unwell?”
“My stomach hurts a little.”
Chester responded with a simple hum but didn’t show much concern. He went out to grab a water pitcher, pouring himself and Angelina a glass of water.
As Angelina’s stomach hurt, she couldn’t drink, so she waved her hand to refuse.
“It must be hard to live such a difficult life with me.”
me
“It’s not. If your mom hadn’t brought out of the mountains, I don’t know where I’d be
now.”
“Lie down. I’ll rub your stomach.”
Usually, when they slept together, their bodies often touched unconsciously. This was the first time anything intentional happened.
Angelina’s belly was like a ball.
Shaking her head, she replied, “Go to sleep. I’ll rest early too.”
Angelina shifted her body inward. Chester lay beside her, and she caught a faint smell of
smoke and alcohol.
As she was drifting off to sleep, she felt a hand stroking her belly gently. His movements were so light and cautious as if he was afraid of waking her up.
Through the dim light from outside, Angelina could see the silhouette of his profile reflected on the wall. She quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, Florence brought over a pile of clothes her granddaughter had outgrown. They were all pure cotton, and they showed signs of being washed frequently.
Chang
“That’s a lot. I feel bad accepti
them.”
“Don’t be. Wearing hand–me–downs is good for children. When my granddaughter was born, we collected old clothes everywhere for her to wear.”
Emily was surprised. “Is that really a thing?”
“Yes, it’s kind of like a tradition. It’s been passed down because it works.
you
Emily took note of this. When she babysat the children of other families, she’d ask, “Do have any old baby clothes? My daughter–in–law is about to give birth, and they say wearing hand–me–downs is a good practice.”
Hearing that there would be a newborn, everyone suddenly became warm–hearted. Emily picked through the clothes and washed them clean before hanging them out to dry on the balcony.
The baby hadn’t been born yet, but the house was already filled with clothes.
Time flew by. In half a month, Isadora’s studio was finally completed at a cost of several hundred thousand. The remaining money was returned to Angelina, making her a wealthy
young woman once more.
Chester usually left early and returned late. But on this day, he came back quite early. He was dressed in a suit as if he had gone out to discuss business. When he got home, he changed into casual clothes.
Angelina was sleeping on the bed. Opening her eyes, she saw him take off his suit jacket.
He still had on a white shirt, but the buttons were undone. The white cotton shirt was stiff and neat. Even the folds of the fabric fell perfectly.
The muscles on his back were even more defined
Sensing someone watching him, he turned his head. Angelina immediately buried her face into the blanket.
No wonder he was a big shot–his figure was truly impressive.
“Do you want to go out?”
He pulled on a white jacket, quickly changing his style. The solemn air about him faded, and he looked much gentler now.
“Where to?”
“Eat.”
“Can I come?”
Chapoi 17.
“Why not?”
This was the first time Chester had taken the initiative to invite her out. Angelina quickly got up and put on a light gray A–line dress with short sleeves, which looked loose and comfortable.
Everyone was waiting for Chester at a diner.
Alexander and Joshua were smoking. Ryan was chatting with a woman, occasionally laughing.
No one was wearing suits, and they were all dressed casually. Two cases of beer were already prepared by the table. Alexander asked Megan, “Do you want anything else?”
“I think that’s enough. If it’s not, we can order more.”
After speaking, she glanced at Rosalind, who was being persistently pursued by Ryan.
“Rosalind, do you want anything?”
“No, I’m good.”
Megan leaned against a wide blue plastic chair and sat up slightly when she saw two figures approaching them.
“They’re here.”
Ryan stood up. “Oh, Angelina’s here. Hello, Angelina.”
“Have a seat, Angelina.” Joshua moved a chair over for her.
Angelina sat down, feeling a little embarrassed.
Megan’s gaze swept over her, but Angelina didn’t notice that as her eyes stayed fixed on
Rosalind.
Megan and Alexander, and Chester and Rosalind were the official couples.
“Do you want to order anything?”
“This is enough; it’s plenty.”
Angelina lowered her head and saw that Chester had already started squeezing sauce onto a hotdog.
“This is Angelina, and this is-”
Alexander began introducing, but Megan interrupted him, “We’ve already met. Hello, Angelina.”
No matter how dissatisfied she was with Angelina, Megan still had to maintain appearances. She wouldn’t embarrass Alexander or throw a tantrum in front of so many people.
Alexander felt both relieved and pressured. Chester hadn’t mentioned that he was bringing Angelina along. Had he known, he wouldn’t have told everyone about Angelina pursuing
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Chap 121
Chester.
After Chester assembled the hotdog, he put it on Angelina’s plate.
“Eat up. Why is everyone so quiet? What are we playing?”
“Anything. It’s up to you guys.”
Chester joined the others in playing a game where whoever lost had to drink.
“Chester…”
“Hmm?”
“I’m pregnant. I don’t think I can eat processed food.”
Upon realizing this, he picked up the plate and ate the hotdog himself. So, he prepared all of that for himself in the end.
Angelina’s
gaze had been fixed on Rosalind the whole time, making Rosalind feel awkward.
Seeing her best friend being stared at like that, Megan felt a bit uncomfortable. “Why is she staring at Rosalind?”
“How would I know?”
Alexander also thought it was baffling. Could Angelina have set her sights on Ryan now?
Anyone could tell that Ryan was trying to win Rosalind over tonight.
As the drinking escalated, Ryan didn’t pay much attention to Rosalind anymore. Rosalind had finished the chips in front of her, and no one was serving her anything.
“The shrimp cocktail is ready.”
“Put them over there. She likes shrimp.”
Angelina pointed at Rosalind’s spot. Everyone froze, including Rosalind.
She blinked. “Thank you, Angelina. But… how did you know I like shrimp?”
Angelina forgot that it was written in the novel. And according to the novel, Rosalind never had to shell a shrimp again after she met Chester.
Perhaps because Angelina had been too engrossed in the book, she blurted out, “Chester, shell some shrimp for Rosalind!”
Her mouth had spoken before her brain caught up. As soon as her words fell, Angelina felt extremely embarrassed.
Rosalind lifted her gaze and looked at Chester, her face turning red immediately.
Chester, who had been drinking, looked dumbfounded. He then put on gloves and took a shrimp. After shelling it, he tossed it onto Angelina’s plate.
Chip 17
He laughed out of frustration, not knowing how to help Angelina preserve her dignity. “If you want to eat, just say so.“”
Angelina lowered her head and ate quietly.
Also feeling awkward, Ryan said, “Rosalind, I’ll shell the shrimp for you.”
“I want some too,” Megan uttered.
“Alright, let me shell it.” Alexander started shelling shrimp for Megan.
Joshua leaned back in his chair with one hand on his waist. He licked his lips as he laughed in disbelief.
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Chim b
