Chapter 82
Meanwhile, Cynthia returned to her room, unable to calm down for a while. She never explained anything to Jonathan, for it could never be made clear.
No way she could say that she had been defiled while losing consciousness, not even identifying the perpetrator. She had battled depression because of that and taken some time to move on.
It was not easy for her to sweep it all under the rag, let alone pretend it never happened. Hence, she never wanted to bring it up, much less let anybody pry into her deepest secrets.
The next morning, Jonathan exited the room and bumped into Cynthia going downstairs. “Morning, babe,” Cynthia greeted him as usual.
“Good morning.” Jonathan replied. They had breakfast together and went to work separately. Everything might seem normal, but deep down, they knew that the more they pretended everything was okay, the deeper their resentment would
grow.
After Cynthia reached the TV station, she departed for Paradise Resort with cameraman Vince. She had an upcoming interview and also had to collect original materials, preparing for a feature report on Paradise Resort’s construction progress
Paradise Resort was located in the most remote suburb of Roncrity, surrounded by scenic landscapes. It took them a two- hour drive to reach the project department of Paradise Resort,
The executive manager of the project department received them. “Ms. Jones, our project manager is hosting the groundbreaking ceremony. We’ll have the interview in a minute,
“Let’s go have a look. We can take some photos along the way,” suggested Cynthia as she and Vince were brought to the groundbreaking ceremony. At the time, the person in charge was delivering an opening speech.
Lo and behold, it was Filip. Cynthia was surprised to see him, not anticipating the Yates family to let Filip spearhead such a large–scale project.
Standing on a makeshift stage was Filip with a microphone, giving his speech. He donned a white shirt, a suit with a tie, and black trousers. Having dressed to the nines, he stood there looking all high–spirited.
Cynthia suddenly recalled the school days. It was her freshman year in college, and one day, Filip came to her out of nowhere, demanding a gift, “Buy me a suit this afternoon, Cynthia.”
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That left Cynthia scratching her head. “What for?”
“Prom is tomorrow. I wanna be in a suit when we dance,” said Filip.
“Buy it yourself, then, Cynthia pronounced.
“A gift from you can’t be compared to buying it myself. This will be my first suit ever in my entire life, revealed Filip,
Finally, Cynthia picked him a suit and matched it with a blue tie. Filip looked smug when he put them on. During their dance at the prom, he even kept fishing for compliments. Those times seemed so distant to Cynthia; then again, it sometimes felt like yesterday.
Rather than feeling nostalgic, Cynthia merely sighed. Even if they could not be lovers, for the first 20 years of their lives, they had been the closest person they had to each other. To think that things had gone south from then, she could only lament that time was magical yet cruel.
While Cynthia was in a trance, Filip finished his speech. Next came the initiation ceremony and a toast. Still, all was but a formality. It did not take long to end.
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Chapter 82
Zeke Hilton, the excentive–manager, bolted up the stage and whispered in Filip’s ear. The latter then turned to Cynthia. Their eyes met. Despite being not physically far apart, there seemed to be considerable daylight between them.
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In a jiffy, Filip descended the stage and approached Cynthia. He sounded unsure and surprised. “I didn’t expect you to be here for the interview today, Cynthia. Otherwise, I’d have received you in person.”
The smile on Cynthia’s lips was faint as she responded in a business–like tone, “You’re too kind, Mr. Yates. We’ll just be conducting an interview and gathering some materials.”
“Okay, we’ll see to your needs, agreed Filip.
The interview went well. No sooner had Cynthia and Vince gotten ready to take some on–site photos than Filip caught up. “Let me accompany you guys
Then came Cynthia’s indifferent remark, “You shouldn’t have, Mr. Yates. You must already have a lot on your plate.”
Tinsist. Paradise Resort’s just too big. I suppose you’re not all familiar with some of the areas here. Let me lead the way, uttered Filip.
Ultimately, Cynthia never refused. After all, she was in a foreign turf. Filip and Cynthia walked in front while Vince trailed them, stopping now and then for pictures. If anything, Filip was serious about being their tour guide.
That place was spacious. Although work had only begun that day, some subcontractors had already entered the site, cleaning
the environment. There were excavators, tower cranes, forklifts, and so on everywhere.
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Since the beginning, Filip had been observing Cynthia. The latter sported a calm mien throughout as if she was all about her work. The thing was, she was never like that with him in the past
At last, Filip could not help but halt in his tracks. “Cynthia…
Cynthia, too, stopped and turned around. “Between us, Mr. Yates best if you call me Ms. Jones.”
“Don’t you wanna know why I went separate ways with you back then?” commented Filip.
A pucker creased Cynthia’s forehead, her voice sarcastic. “Now that you mention it, I’m actually quite interested.”
There had been too many mysteries about their past. No matter what their relationship was, it was instinctive for her wanting to learn the truth.
Remorse and guilt inundated Filip’s eyes. “Did you know Lilian could imitate your handwriting? When we joined the summer camp, she stole your diary yet pretended to mistake the wrong diary and asked me to retum it to you, but I couldn’t help peeking…”
At that point, Cynthia could guess what was next–Lilian must have imitated her handwriting and fabricated a story just to sow discord.
“What did Lilian write that you didn’t even dare to question me? Cynthia might have probed that, but she figured it had something to do with that fateful incident.
There was a change in Filip’s gaze as a trace of embarrassment marred his face. “The diary is in the safe box in my room at the Yates residence. You know the password. You can go get it if you wanna know.”
“Got it,” answered Cynthia placidly. She had no wish to know how Lilian sowed discord, but she had had no leads after looking into the incident for so long. She reckoned Lilian must have a hand in it. Had Lilian used it to come between her and Filip, it had to be in the diary. Cynthia had to check it out to unveil the truth.
Cynthia’s nonchalant bearing despite hearing the truth was tantamount to a bucket of icy water splashed all over Filip. “I admit I was blinded by Lilian, but she was the one who set me up. Will you give me a second chance, Cynthia, to make it up for you?”
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