Chapter 98
Linda’s eyes shimmered with carefully crafted tears as she approached Ryan.
She gave a long, trembling sigh and gazed up at him, her expression a delicate mixture of pity and resolve.
“Ryan,” she began, her voice soft yet resolute, “I’m sorry, really. I know you’ve liked me for years, but… I just don’t feel the same way. It’s time to let go. Please, stop following me.”
Ryan’s face, once flushed with hurt, turned an ashen shade, his lips slightly parted as he struggled to process her words. His hands fell limply to his sides, fingers clenching as though they might cling to some fragment of his pride.
For a long moment, he just stood there, silent, and in that silence, the weight of her rejection crashed over him, the finality of it shattering his remaining illusions.
I watched with detachment, yet a part of me recognized his pain. I knew the feeling of betrayal, the sting of being cast aside by someone you once trusted.
But Linda wasn’t finished. She turned to go, only to pause as Ryan’s voice, raw with desperation. broke the silence. “Linda–wait.”
His voice trembled as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a small velvet box.
“This… it was supposed to be a Christmas gift for you.” He extended the box toward her, his hand trembling.
Linda hesitated, eyes flitting from the box to his face.
With a slight shrug, she reached out and took it, a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes.
She snapped it open, and for a brief second, the charm of a delicate necklace reflected in her gaze.
A faint, mocking smile curved on her lips as she examined it.
“This… it’s the necklace you worked an entire month for, right? Serving tables? It’s cute.” Her tone was light, but the disdain was unmistakable.
Ryan’s jaw tightened, his face paling. He looked as if he’d been struck, his fingers twitching as if reaching for words he couldn’t grasp.
Chapter 98
Linda let out a sweet laugh and lifted her hand to show off the dazzling necklace around her neck, Sparkling with real diamonds.
“See this?” she said, holding it out for everyone to admire.
“This necklace is from Arman. Real diamonds all over it. Even if you worked as a server for ten years, you still couldn’t afford it.”
Without another glance, she dropped the necklace Ryan had given her, letting it fall to the ground in front of him with a dull clink.
Ryan’s face tightened, and he swallowed, his hollow eyes fixed on the necklace lying at his feet.
The crowd whispered around us, a blend of shock and judgment etched in every face.
Linda offered him a faint, pitying smile.
“Stop pestering me, Ryan. I’m afraid my dear Arman will misunderstand.” She threw a look of practiced devotion at Arman, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder with a smirk, relishing the power play.
The two of them sauntered off, Linda whispering sweetly as she leaned close, “I may not have Sophia’s dance skills, but you should see me in the studio sometime…”
They disappeared into the crowd, leaving Ryan standing alone, his gaze fixed on the ground. His shoulders slumped, the usual fire in his eyes now replaced by a dull, defeated stare. Around us, whispers of pity and laughter filled the air, like little knive
digging into whatever pride he had left.
I let out a quiet breath, feeling a strange mix of satisfaction and unease.
Part of me wanted to leave before the situation could get any worse, but as I turned to go, Ryan stepped forward again, his face pale and determined.
“Just… wait.” His voice was barely above a whisper. Lirian tensed, ready to interject, but I held up a hand, allowing Ryan to speak.
He pulled out another small box from his pocket, his fingers trembling slightly.
“This,” he said, his voice thick with desperation, “it’s for you, Sophia. It’s not the same as… as the
others.”
I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms across my chest as I studied him, skepticism etched on my face.
“This is your idea of being ‘single–minded‘? Giving two girls gifts on the same day?”
Ryan’s face flushed, and he shook his head earnestly.
“No! Linda…she means nothing to me now. I’m just honouring an old promise from my days at the orphanage so long ago that I owe her a year’s worth of Christmas presents. But you–Sophia, you’re different, you’re the only love of my life.”
As he opened the box, my breath caught in my throat.
There, nestled inside, was a beautiful proposal ring, glinting in the faint sunlight.
It was simple yet elegant, and for a brief, unguarded moment, I was speechless.
