âWell, arenât you too? A girl can dream! Even if I canât become Mrs. Road, I donât mind just being his side chick!â Alex and Jewel had no idea what the others were saying behind their backs. They walked hand-in-hand all the way to the elevator and down to the first floor.
Ding! The elevator door opened, and the woman outside the elevator stared at them in shock.. The middle-aged woman looked elegant and well-dressed with a white fur cape around her shoulders and a pair of black pants.
She was a little plump, and her hair was styled to perfection. The emerald jewelry she wore on her neck, wrist, and ears all screamed luxury as well.
Alex was startled, too. He didnât expect to run into his mother here. âMom, what are you doing here?â Stefanie Mayer finally withdrew her gaze from. Jewelâs face. âWhoâs she?â
Alexâs heart jolted, and he quickly replied, âHer name is Jewel Fenton. Sheâs my friend.â Stefanieâs gaze fell onto their tightly clasped hands. Alex swiftly let go of Jewelâs hand and took Stefanie by the arm. âYou havenât explained why you are here so late.â
âI heard that you came back, so I wanted to come and see you. They said you didnât come to the office for two weeks. Where did you go?â the middle-aged woman asked.
âI have a last-minute business trip. You couldâve just called me if you wanted to see me. I wouldâve gone back to see you.â âYou say that, but how long has it been since you last came home?â Stefanie huffed. âI wouldnât have seen you if I didnât come to the office today.â
âYes, youâre absolutely right.â Alex went along with her. âYou made the wisest decision. Still, Iâm supposed to have dinner with Eugene tonight, so I canât go home with you. Why donât I accompany you for dinner tomorrow instead?â
She eyed him suspiciously. âYou and your glib tongue. Fine, go ahead and have your dinner with Eugene. Iâll go up and take a look.â Alexâs brows furrowed slightly. âWhatâs there for you to see up there when Iâm already leaving?â âIâll help you see if anyoneâs slacking off,â she said as she entered the elevator.
He called out exasperatedly, âMom- However, Stefanie ignored him, and the elevator door closed. Jewel gave Alex a quizzical look. âWhatâs wrong?â
He smiled. âNothing much. Thatâs my mom. My dad cheated on her and abandoned us when I was about three or four. She raised me all by herself, so I always feel helpless when dealing with her.â She laughed. âYour mother had a hard time. You should treat her well.â
Alex had a complicated feeling in his heart when he heard what she said. The old her had said the same thing before. At the time, he also cared a lot about his motherâs opinion and wanted her blessing. Stefanie didnât approve of Jean, so they tried their best to please her. Yet, no matter what they did, his mother still didnât like her.
When Stefanie finally relaxed her stance, Jean. ended up.. Alex withdrew himself from the memories. Though things had taken an unexpected turn, he was certain that things had not been quite as simple as they seemed back then..
He truly believed that his Jean wouldnât be that kind of person. But will Mom believe that? Nope, she wonât! All of a sudden, Alex felt a little uneasy. I hope Mom didnât recognize her. After all, she has changed a lot, and I have introduced her as Jewel Fenton.
But if Mom still doesnât agree this time...
His hand tightened around Jewelâs. He wasnât going to compromise this time! The two left Road Enterprises and went to Brianâs Fairview Hotel. It was their first gathering after returning from Promise Island.
They were the first to arrive, but Brian came soon after. He walked over to the two of them with a smile. âI thought I was going to be the first! Have you been waiting long?â