Chapter 211 Friends Who Went Through Adversities Together
Alexander’s expression was unamiable. A trace of coldness gradually seeped into the originally warm atmosphere, invading one’s body and spreading throughout.
Courtney’s hand that was holding her fork froze midair. Frowning, she glanced at him. “Didn’t I say that it’s just a friend? What’s wrong with you?”
“What’s their name? Was it a man or a woman?” His expression remained grim, but his tone was gentler than before. “I wish to know.”
“It’s not like you know them.” She looked at him suspiciously. Half-joking and half-serious, she asked, “You can’t be jealous just because I received a phone call from a friend, right?”
He secretly clenched his fists tightly. Her attitude at this moment made him feel absolutely ridiculous. It was clear that the truth was right in front of them, yet they were both being secretive about it. In the end, he gave in. Pulling out a chair, he sat down and said in a calmer tone, “I just want to know what other friends you have besides Cameron. Can’t I?”
“I don’t have many friends. When I was in America, I only had this one other friend aside from Cameron.” She smiled as she naturally told him the truth. “His name is Elijah Grant. He was my senior when I was still studying at a local university. However, he is several years older than I am. When I arrived in America, he was starting up a business and lacked a certain amount of capital. I was quite wealthy at the time, so when I learned that he was an alumnus at my university, I decided to help him out.”
Friends who went through adversities together… Alexander felt more and more suffocated the more he listened to her talk. It felt like it was difficult for air to circulate in his lungs, causing him to feel as if he was lacking oxygen. Courtney finished introducing Elijah to him in several simple sentences, but she left out the most important part—their marriage.
“The chicken wings are quite delicious. But, there’s room for improvement.” She did not hesitate to comment on his cooking as she placed a chicken wing on his plate. “Why don’t you have a taste? Try and guess what it is that you need to improve on.”
The chicken wing glistened in a brightly colored sauce; it looked extremely mouthwatering. Unfortunately, he wasn’t paying attention to it. Under her expectant gaze, he randomly took a bite. He was filled with anger as he bit down, so he took a particularly larger mouth than usual.
“How is it?”
“Hmm.” He nodded.
“Hey…” She seemed dumbfounded. “A-Are you sure your taste buds are alright?”
He glanced at her suspiciously. “What taste buds?”
“I-It’s raw…” She pointed at the remaining half of the chicken wing on his plate. Her face was scrunched up in horror. The chicken wing was raw and bloody, from the skin down to its bones. How can he take such a huge bite out of it and even swallow it without a change in his expression?!
His face turned pale in horror. Then, he went to the restroom with a complicated expression.
A long while later, she leaned against the dining table and hooted with laughter. “Hahaha… What on earth were you thinking about just now?!”
His cooking skills were quite good. In fact, he was very talented. Although he had never cooked before, he made an entire meal for dinner. Moreover, the vegetables he cooked were tasty. Under her guidance, the fish soup also came out well. However, for some inexplicable reason, she could tell that he seemed to be preoccupied with something during dinner.
His complexion was rather pale when he finally came out from the restroom.
“Are you alright?” She dished up a bowl of fish soup and placed it in front of him. When she saw the self-doubt written on his face, she helplessly explained, “I’ve tasted it. This soup is fine. Drink it. It’s good for your stomach.”
Upon hearing her words, he let out a sigh of relief. Although it was his first try at cooking, he had his pride too—he wanted to do well. While he was drinking the soup, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and noticed that she was watching him with concern. Her gaze was soft; it was much gentler compared to when she was working. Comparing her current demeanor to the sharp-tongued appearance she had when he first met her, the differences made her seem like two different people.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Go on; drink your soup.” Courtney winked at him and teasingly said, “Were you drinking the soup while staring at me and thinking that I look good enough to eat?”
Cough, cough. Alexander choked and started coughing. When he lifted his head again, his face was flushed from coughing. Apart from being much gentler than before, she is also more shameless now!
It was late at night in America. After Elijah finished his video conference, he returned to the place he lived at. Standing on the 60th floor, this height was enough for him to look down on the entirety of the world’s economic center, Manhattan. Touching the glass of his floor-to-ceiling window, streamlined creases appeared in his handmade and well-cut suit. He observed the bustling city with a trace of loneliness reflected in his eyes. When one stands at the top of the world, they’ll surely find that it’s very cold and lonely at the top.
“Elijah, this is the market research report for Otharia.” Lilian’s voice came from behind him. She was his assistant. Even though she was speaking in Otharian, she spoke with a strong American accent.
“Leave it there. Have you cleared the schedule for next week?” He returned to his senses. By the time he turned around, the loneliness in his eyes was gone.
She stood with her back straight. The contour of her face clearly revealed that she was of mixed race. However, she got the best part of an Otharian’s refined beauty. Looking at the man in front of her, she did not conceal the love and concern she had for him. “I’ve canceled everything. The flight tickets have also been booked. Several companies in Otharia have expressed interest in cooperating with us. I have attached the feedback on the schedule in the market research report just now.”
He merely nodded in response to the meticulous way his assistant handled everything. He had never expressed an opinion on her work attitude before. Ordinary people might find such meticulousness in one’s work to be extremely rare, but it was the basic requirement when working on Wall Street, Manhattan, New York. “When I arrive in Otharia, I will be taking some private time off. You can contact the companies on your own.”
She nodded obediently. “No problem.”
Then, he gestured with his fingers to indicate for her to leave. However, she did not leave. Withdrawing the sharp aura she generally had around her while she was working, she asked a private question in a gentle tone. “Elijah, are you going to meet with Hunter?”
“Yes.” As soon as Courtney was mentioned, the look in his eyes became considerably kinder. That woman was the light of his life—she illuminated the darkest years of his life. Unfortunately, she seemed to have regarded him as a friend for so long that she forgot one thing—he was an ordinary man that could fall in love with the outstanding woman by his side. Therefore, he had always acted carefully around her for so many years for fear of scaring her away.
Disappointment flashed across Lilian’s eyes, and she smiled bitterly. “Alright. Rest early, Elijah.”
When the door closed behind her, the room fell silent again. Elijah took off his gold-rimmed glasses and casually placed them on his desk. Massaging his temples, he noticed the family portrait sitting on his desk out of the corner of his eye. He looked startled for a moment before his gaze became gentle.
The photo showed a small family of three. Tina was still very young at the time and could only babble the words ‘Mommy’ and ‘Daddy’. Due to her lovable looks and the fact that pure Otharian children were rare in America, she would always get her face pinched by passersby whenever they brought her out. She soon became angry after getting pinched several times. From then on, she would shamelessly ride on Elijah’s shoulders whenever they went out. That was because most people could not reach her when she was in that position. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen them for almost a year now. I only get to see them a handful of times each year.
