Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph
Chapter 191 Totally Cool

I clamped my hand over my mouth, trying not to make a sound. Neither of us said a word; the silence was deafening.

After a bit, his voice broke through again. "Must've been a wrong number. But that's cool. I just needed someone to talk to." Ethan sounded a bit tipsy.

Thinking about his stomach issues, I felt a pang of heartache.

He kept going. "Do you know how to take care of a cat? I've got this cat named Rolie. My wife named him 'cause he loves rolling around on the floor. My wife is clever, right? She used to take care of him more, so he was closer to her. Ever since she left, he's not really into me. What do you think I should do to make him happy? Do you think he misses her? Just like I do."

I stayed quiet, feeling a sting in my nose and my eyes getting warm.

Listening to him, I could almost see him lying on the couch, phone in one hand, petting Rolie with the other, surrounded by beer bottles. After drinking, his neck would turn red, and he'd unbutton the top two buttons, showing off his muscular chest. He must look especially sexy and charming like that.

He burped and went on. "I always dream about coming home, smelling food, and seeing her in the kitchen with an apron, smiling shyly, just like before. But I'm scared I can't give her a stable life. When people choose one thing, they lose another. As a man, I gotta see my path through, even if I have to crawl. Do you agree? Sometimes, I wake up at night hearing a knock, thinking it's her. But when I rush to open the door, no one's there. Do you think I'm going crazy?" I covered my mouth, tears streaming through my fingers, and cruelly hung up the phone before I could start sobbing. Hearing his voice tore my heart apart.

Why would he say these things? Wouldn't it be better if I left so he wouldn't be torn anymore? The person who should be in the kitchen was Faye; she loved it there. Thinking about Ethan, Faye, and me, I felt all my pain resurface. I touched my slightly swollen belly, where two little lives were growing. They were my greatest hope.

I wiped my tears and plugged in the USB drive Aurora gave me. Pushing away my emotions, I focused on studying. Maybe one day, Ethan and I would meet again, and I wouldn't feel inferior.

Thanks to the influx of famous people, my Emberlyn Beauty Retreat quickly became popular. To manage the business better, I enrolled in night classes for business management. For convenience, I bought a $50,000 car. I knew a car was like a business card, but I preferred to use the money to give my employees raises.

Faris came with me to pick up the car. He drove, and I sat in the passenger seat.

As we drove back, he smiled and said, "I remember you don't have a driver's license yet."

I shrugged it off. "So what? I can hire someone to drive. Didn't you say that a boss needs to know how to manage people? Did you forget?"

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me, smiling. "You really carry yourself like a boss now."

I gladly accepted his compliment. "Of course."

After returning, I had my secretary post the job ad, and by the afternoon, many people had come to apply.

I specifically asked my secretary to limit the gender to female in the job ad, so all the applicants were women.

Actually, a driver's job mainly depended on driving skills. They all had licenses and several years of driving experience, and they were all under 30, so it was hard for me to choose.

"I'm a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo."

Hearing a woman say this, I stopped in my tracks as I was about to enter the office and turned to look at the short-haired woman.

"Let's go with her," I said.

The woman looked up at me in surprise and politely nodded, saying thank you.

She was also a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo and had short hair. She looked pure and had a polite but not servile gaze. She had many of Bella's traits. "What's your name?" I asked.

She replied, "My name is Dakato Nash."

And so, Dakato became my driver, and I handed her the keys to the new car.

Dakato drove steadily and was very focused. She rarely spoke unless I started a conversation.

As a driver, she was very qualified.

One day in June, I was in my office reviewing client files and feedback when the secretary walked in.

"Ma'am, Mr. Melville is here."

I kept my eyes on the documents and nodded. "Let him in."

After the secretary left, the sound of dress shoes approached, and soon, a pair of half-rolled sleeves rested on my desk.

I glanced up and saw a white shirt. That tall figure in a white shirt made me lose focus, bringing back memories of someone else in a white shirt.

A hand waved in front of my eyes. Faris cracked a string of jokes. "I know I'm charming, but you don't have to stare without blinking, do you? Is this what they call 'stunningly handsome'? You're making me blush." "Narcissist!" I shot back.

I swatted his hand away, gathered my wandering thoughts, and went back to the documents.

"You're quite the busy bee now. I have to make an appointment just to take you out for a meal."

Without looking up, I said, "Stop mocking me. I'm just starting out, and I need to oversee a lot of things personally."

He suddenly closed the folder in front of me. "No matter how busy you are, you still need to eat. Let's go grab some food. Don't forget; you're pregnant now. Don't push yourself too hard."

I checked the time and realized it was indeed lunchtime. I didn't mind being hungry, but I couldn't let the two babies in my womb go hungry.

I followed Faris out of the office, and Dakato immediately approached.

Faris said, "No need to take two cars. We can just take mine."

I nodded and told Dakato, "Go have lunch. You don't need to pick me up."

Dakato nodded and agreed, but she gave Faris a meaningful look.

I thought Faris would drive to a restaurant, but he went into a residential area instead.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked.

He parked the car and smiled at me. "I'm bringing you home. You're pregnant, and you shouldn't eat just anything outside. It's safer if I cook for you. Come on, I've already bought the groceries." Walking inside, he asked me to sit on the couch while he took the groceries to the kitchen.

I noticed the decor was similar to his place in Starlight City. A book on the glass coffee table caught my eye: "Pregnancy Recipes."

Flipping through, I saw pen marks and bookmarks that matched the ingredients he bought today. I heard running water and dishes clinking in the kitchen. I got up and walked over, seeing Faris with his sleeves rolled up, handling a sea bass. Standing at the door, I couldn't take my eyes off him. My thoughts drifted to a memory of Ethan doing the same thing a year ago, cooking with such skill. That moment felt timeless.

Falling in love with Ethan wasn't sudden; his charm slowly took over my heart through small moments. Even now, thinking about it still gave me that flutter.

"Stunned by my handsomeness again?" Faris's teasing voice brought me back to reality.

He was putting the prepared sea bass into the oil pan, quickly flipping it to cook the other side.

Compared to the Faris who couldn't even fry an egg before, he now seemed quite competent.

In no time, several dishes were on the table: steamed sea bass, fried eggs, and sautéed okra exactly the recipes marked by the bookmarks.

He served me a bowl of sea bass soup.

"I heard sea bass is good for the brain. Drink more soup; you need the nutrition."

He liked to joke, and I was used to it, too lazy to retort.

"Come on, try it. How does it taste?" He urged.

I picked up the spoon and took a sip.

"How is it?" He looked at me expectantly.

"Very good, very fresh," I said sincerely.

Faris immediately beamed with joy. "If you like it, eat more."

He kept piling food onto my plate until it was overflowing.

Honestly, his cooking skills had improved a lot. I figured he must have practiced a lot in private.

After eating, I rested on the couch.

Faris finished washing the dishes and came over to sit down. He took out a cigarette but hesitated and didn't light it.

He put the cigarette down, leaned back on the couch, and casually turned on the TV, flipping through channels as he said, "Isn't it inconvenient for you to stay at Aron's place? You know, your current business is competing with Aron's. How do you think he feels about that?"

I answered, "Aron isn't like that."

Although I said that, thinking about it, some of my business did indeed conflict with Aron's.

"Keep an eye out for me. See if there's an apartment for rent. I'll move out as soon as I find a suitable place. It doesn't need to be too big."

"Stay here. I won't charge you rent," he said.

"No," I replied firmly.

He looked at me helplessly. "Then I'll charge you rent. Renting from me is the same as renting from someone else."

I looked at him and said more seriously, "No."

He bit his lip in extreme frustration and suddenly lunged at me, pinning me down on the couch.