Paper Rings (English)

Chapter 28

Each step she took became heavier and heavier, but she managed to use all her remaining energy to escape Sander’s presence. She knew that staying would only lead her to loathe him more, so removing herself from the situation was the best she could do at the moment. 

When Primrose reached the front porch, tears emerged in her doe-like eyes. Her repressed sobs continued to burst as she caught the sight of Wednesday coming down from a car parked outside the gate. While dragging her rolling suitcase, the red-haired lady rushed to the embrace of her best friend. She walked past all of her husband’s clueless security personnel. 

“Hush, it’s okay. Let’s go,” Wednesday whispered as she patted her back. She pulled the suitcase from her and passed it over to Lowell, who emerged from the driver’s seat. “Let’s get in the car.” 

No words came out of her throat as emotions kept getting the best of her. All she could do was nod and follow her friend’s lead. After all the crying as they drove away, she eventually stopped and became dazed. The couple kept trying to talk to her, but her thoughts were blocking her ears. 

Before she knew it, she was sitting in the living room of Lowell’s penthouse as Wednesday sat beside her. At this point, she had already calmed herself down. 

“Wendy, Lowell, I’m sorry for getting you two involved in this.” She heaved a deep sigh and tugged the tips of her sleeves. “I’ll just compose myself in a bit and book a hotel room so that I wouldn’t get in the way of you guys.” 

She was about to pull the phone from her pocket when her best friend lightly patted the top of her hand. Upon tilting her head up, she shook her head to disapprove of what she said. 

“There’s no way I’ll let you be alone after seeing you bawl your eyes like that,” Wednesday glanced at her boyfriend. Both nodded as if able to read each other’s minds. “She can stay here with me. Right, Lowe?” 

Lowell drew a small smile on his lips. “I agree with Wednesday. We can’t let you stay in a hotel room alone. Stay here for as long as you want. I’ll go to my mother’s place, so you two can have the space to talk.” 

“You don’t have to do that for me, Lowell. I don’t want to burden you both any further.”

“Well, I’m not really doing it for you,” he jokingly said. His attempt to brighten up the mood made both ladies exchange smiles. “Besides, Iyanna has been bugging me to spend time with her. You just gave me a chance to be a better son to my especially needy mother.” 

“Iyanna isn’t needy. She just wants to bond with you.” Wednesday darted a sharp look at the man and folded her arms together across her chest. “She’s been complaining about you not picking up her calls and rarely responding to her texts.” 

“Hey, I respond to her messages.”

“That’s not what I’ve been hearing, Mr. Lowell Sebastian.” 

“Did Iyanna throw me under the bus again? You two kept teaming up against me the past few days.”  

Wednesday pouted. “No, we’re not. I’m just saying….” 

A soft chuckle came out of Primrose’s throat, halting the argument between the two. Upon noticing their eyes shifting on her, she covered her mouth. For a second, all the hurt and frustration at the back of her mind were silenced.

“Look like my job here is done,” Lowell leaned and kissed Wednesday on the cheek before turning to pat the red-haired lady’s shoulder. “My wine rack’s fully stacked. You ladies can drink all you want.” 

“Thank you, Lowell.” 

After changing to more comfortable clothes and settling in the room, Primrose stepped out only to find her friend setting up wine bottles on the coffee table. She grinned as soon as their gazes connected, making her chuckle for a bit. 

“What are you standing there for?” Wednesday grabbed her by the arm and made her sit on the sofa. She handed her a glass of wine, which she reluctantly accepted. “We should start drinking while the sun’s still up, or we won’t be able to drink all the good stuff from Lowe’s wine collection.” 

She took a sip while shaking her head before speaking again. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to get me drunk?”

“Well,” a twinkle of mischief flashed her friend’s eyes. “If that’s what it takes for you to tell me what’s going on, then yes. I don’t mind sacrificing Lowell’s collection. Besides, we drank way more than this when we were in university, didn’t we?” 

“Those were the days,” Primrose held the wine up for a toast, and they clicked glasses. She heaved a deep sigh and gazed at the sight of skyscrapers outside the penthouse’s glass window. “I honestly don’t know how to start.” 

“It’s okay. Take it slow. We have all day and night to get that out.” 

Her friend held her hand and smiled. The calmness and sincerity that naturally radiated out of Wednesday Curtis were exactly what she needed at times like these. Ever since they were little, she had always been the one to knock some sense on her.  

It took a sunset and two empty bottles of wine before she could tell the friction between her and Sander. As much as she wanted it to come without tears, her body wouldn’t listen to her. Just a mention of his name could make her waver. 

“That’s rough,” Wednesday said with a sigh and hugged her. She caressed her back while her sobs subsided bit by bit. “You did well walking out of the house. Seeing how this affects you, I don’t think staying under the same roof will do any good. Clearly, both of you need time.” 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought as well.” She dabbed the back of her hand on her cheek to wipe away her tears. “But now that I’ve calmed down, I kind of wished I listened to his explanation.” 

“If he did explain, I doubt you would’ve listened anyway.” 

“You think?” 

Wednesday tucked her hair behind an ear. “I’ve known you for years, Rosey. You’re the type who puts walls up right away whenever you’re upset and disappointed.”

Primrose shifted her gaze down her feet and slowly nodded in agreement. Sander’s words before she stormed out of the door were ringing at the back of her mind, and she knew it would most certainly weigh on her for the next few days if she didn’t address it now. 

“Do you think I have the right to be angry?” 

It was a genuine inquiry. One of the reasons she left was that she couldn’t figure out where she stood in their relationship. Sure, they’ve kissed twice—but did that earn her the right to be upset about what Sydney told her? Was she upset because he fooled her with the terms of their deal? She’s not so sure any longer. 

“You’re starting to have feelings for him, aren’t you?” 

“Maybe? I don’t know.” 

She ran a hand through the strands of her hair and gripped her scalp in frustration. The alcohol surely was taking a toll on her because she suddenly had this urge to call him. When she picked her phone up from the tabletop, she saw Wednesday’s eyes widening. 

“Maybe I’ll call him to find out?” 

“Rosey, you’re drunk.” Her friend laughed at her ridiculous idea and snatched the phone from her in fear of her rash actions. “Besides, I didn’t ask you that for confirmation. With this state of yours, I already know the answer.” 

Primrose raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. “You do?” 

“Uh-huh,” Wednesday poked her nose playfully and snickered. “You’re in deep with Messi Sander Mortel. And don't you dare deny it. You won’t be a wreck if you’re not.” 

“I’m not,” she firmly denied and rolled her eyes. 

“Well, you don’t dislike him, right? I mean, even I’m surprised at how you two seem to get along really well before all this.” 

“N-no. I don’t dislike him,” she cleared her throat and sipped a bit of wine again. “When I got the chance to know him more, he seemed nicer than how I initially thought him to be. But I’m not so sure now.” 

“Judging from that, I can already sense there’s something because you don’t like a lot of people.” 

“Hey,” Primrose pouted and placed down the wine glass she was holding. “I don’t dislike people for no reason.” 

“You still dislike Lowell, though.” 

She shrugged her shoulders. “That’s a different case. I’m just keeping him in check in case he makes my Wendy cry.”

“That’s reassuring. I’ll make sure to let Lowell know,” Wednesday grinned. “But anyway, I do think you have the right to feel this way. After all, your relationship started with a marriage deal. And if he did accept your offer with that ill motivation in mind, that’s despicable of him.  However, I still think you should hear him out before deciding to continue or move on.” 

“It’s terrifying for me even to imagine it right now.” 

“I believe in you, Rosey.” Her friend caged her in a tight hug and patted her back. “You’re a good judge of character. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You just need time.”

“It’s crazy how much confidence you have in me.” 

"Of course, because the friend I have known for years wouldn't let herself be involved in something she can't handle."

After hearing all the encouraging words from Wednesday, they spent all night drinking. She decided to let loose and forget the thoughts that were weighing her mind just for today. 

----

Sander gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove on the way to SMU Publishing Building. It has been three days since Primrose marched out of the house after finding out his agreement with Merlin. 

The thought of her face clouded with anger and confusion made him draw a deep breath. Without minding his security team trailing behind him, he continued driving swiftly. He only slowed down upon approaching the red traffic light. 

"Goddammit." 

He slammed the top of the wheel. It was a sunny Monday morning, but all the traffic and work-related stress weren't playing in his favor. His gaze shifted to the packaged frame placed in the front seat. He ran a finger to the red ribbon attached to it as a bitter smile spread to his lips. 

The silence was interrupted by a ring from his phone connected to the car's dashboard. A sigh escaped his mouth as soon as he saw his Aunt's name on the screen. He wore a wireless earpiece before accepting the call. 

"Sander," her voice contained worry from the get-go. "Are you busy right now?"

"Yes, I'm on the road."

"I see, but can you talk?"

"Sure," he replied coldly. 

"I don't know what happened to you and Sydney, but please fix this. You only have each other."

"Why? Did she go crying on you again like a child?" The man was not having it. His voice remained indifferent as he continued to drive when the traffic light turned green. "I don't have to deal with her whims right now."

"Sander," Patricia sounded helpless. He could already guess that it was his mother who asked his Aunt to call him. "She's not eating or going out of the room. We don't know what to do anymore. Her coworkers are calling up, she's a mess, and you're the only one who can knock some sense into her."

What he heard wasn't news to him. In fact, Sydney was the very reason why the company was in a rough patch. The board of directors has raised doubts about her because she didn't attend yesterday's meeting. He had to work extra hard to calm them down, as well as the investors. 

"She's not a child anymore, Patricia. What she needs to do is grow the heck up."

"I understand your frustration. Both of you have contrasting personalities, but this feud between you two has been going on for years. Life's too short to hate your own blood, Sander."

“This isn’t the right time to lecture me on that. I’ll talk to you later.” 

It was all he could say before ending the call. He turned the car to enter the parking lot of the SMU Building, and the security nodded their heads when he rolled the window down. After parking, he was welcomed by Alexiel almost immediately. 

“Good morning, Mr. Mortel. The CEO is waiting for you in his office.” Lowell’s assistant beamed at him, to which he responded with a small smile. 

“Thank you.” 

Upon unloading the packaged frame from the car’s front seat, Alexiel led him to Lowell Sebastian’s office. From the moment he walked in, the grim countenance from the man was apparent. He wasn’t surprised to see that at all. After all, they were the ones who saw how devastated Primrose was when she ran out of the house. 

“You know she doesn’t want to see you yet, right?” 

“Yes, that’s why I asked to see you and not her.” As he strode closer to his office desk, Lowell rose from his seat and motioned him to sit on the couch. He did just that and placed the frame on the tabletop. “I just went to drop this off. If it’s not too much, can you hand this to her? It’s hers anyway.” 

“Sure, no problem.” 

“Great, thanks. I appreciate it.” 

“Wait, you’re leaving already?” Sander halted from heading to the door when he heard his query. “Aren’t you going to ask me how your wife’s doing?” 

He pressed his lips into a thin line. Deep inside, the man had been dying to know. It wasn’t a secret that he was standing in the same building she was right now. If he could, he would storm up Lowell’s penthouse just to see her. But he didn’t want to scare her further away from him. 

“Do you want to grab a drink later and talk?” 

He smirked at his offer and heaved a sigh. “For what? You’re going to act like a love guru again?” 

“No, I’m just bored. That’s all.” Lowell slid both hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been living the last three days as the third wheel to your wife and Wednesday, so don’t you think you owe me a drink?”

“So your future wife isn’t telling you anything, and you’re dead curious about what’s happening. Is that it?” 

“I wouldn’t say curious, more like I like to be updated.” The smugness in Lowell’s face disappeared and turned serious again. “And there’s something I wanted to talk to you about apart from your marriage troubles.”