Without a doubt, Josie was well aware of the situation. She furrowed her brow and said, “Allow him to enter.”
Mallory stood up leisurely, passing by Morgan, who had been waiting at the door all this time, and said to Justin, “Let’s go inside.”
Quietly, Justin followed. However, he was stopped by Mallory’s remark. “Remember your manners.”
Justin hesitated for a moment but continued forward. Since she was essentially his superior, a gentle reminder from her wouldn’t hurt.
The man sitting in the corner emitted an aura of desolation, an unusual display of exhaustion. Ryan, who had been standing nearby, couldn’t help but speak up. “Ms. Whiteford, our boss has been waiting here for three to four days. This is truly unfair.”
Mallory raised an eyebrow and replied, “Indeed, it is unreasonable. Let him go then.”
This was the first time Mallory had come face to face with Morgan. His eyes were expressive, concealing a sharp edge. He seemed vaguely familiar, but it was evident that he was no ordinary individual.
Ryan seemed to want to say something more but was silenced by the intensity in Morgan’s gaze
“Mallory…” He pronounced her name, syllable by syllable. “Have we met before?”
She paused, intently studying Morgan’s face.
Their eyes locked.
Mallory remembered everything. Long before she deliberately provoked Calvin, she had encountered him. It was a long time ago, back when Josie hadn’t yet attended university and hadn’t met Morgan.
At that time, she had returned to her home country from abroad. By the time she arrived at the airport, it was already three in the morning.
Even in the early hours, the airport remained bustling with people.
She maneuvered through the crowd, her phone continuously buzzing with incoming messages. They were from her questionable friends: “Don’t rush off after disembarking from the plane. I’ve arranged for someone to pick you up. Call this number.”
Mallory typed with one hand, slowly responding: “Finally, I have the chance to be human for once.”
Back then, she was engaged in a dispute with Calvin, and it took her a few months of wandering outside before she finally returned.
In the middle of the night, she didn’t want to struggle anymore. She accepted the act of kindness, promptly leaving the parking lot. Simultaneously, she dialed the number, which was a local one.
The airport was filled with noise, occasionally interrupted by the roar of a car engine. Amidst the commotion, Mallory strained to comprehend the words spoken to her. “Just around the corner ahead of you, turn around, and you’ll see me.”
He possessed a rather pleasant voice.
In the presence of strangers, it was always crucial to make a good impression, especially when it came to a friend’s acquaintance, with whom she was bound to interact frequently in the future. Mallory lifted her head and straightened her posture, attempting to appear less fatigued.
The lighting in the parking lot was dim and unclear, casting vague shadows on people. The individual was clad in a black windbreaker, with a hat pulled down over his head, engrossed in his mobile phone. Half of his face was visible, revealing sharply defined features.
Mallory playfully raised her eyebrows. “He doesn’t look bad.”
“Who are you?” Morgan raised an eyebrow, glancing at Mallory, who was slightly shorter than him. His face displayed a puzzled expression.
Mallory was intrigued, observing her staring at him. Morgan was the first to break the silence. “Do we know each other?”
Morgan suddenly had a realization.
Without much suspicion, he turned off his cell phone. The streets were deserted in the early hours, with cars speeding like arrows released from their bows.
Mallory sat in the back seat, her gaze falling upon the man’s distinct face reflected in the rearview mirror. His eyes and brows held a casual indifference, as if nothing in the world mattered to him.
“They had a gathering at home, and everyone had too much to drink, so I was called to come pick you up,” Morgan informed her.
Mallory nodded in understanding, then asked, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Morgan grinned. “You have an inkling.”
She neither confirmed nor denied. “What if I said there was?”
Morgan simply smiled.
