Chapter 1753
As Maja observed Shirley''s hesitation, she couldn''t help but wonder if Shirley''sck of confidence
was because of her age. Was Shirley thinking that at thirty, she was too old for Abner, who was just
twenty-four? Was the age gap making her reluctant to confess her feelings?
It was pretty clear that Abner had been the first to fall for Shirley, but at that time, Shirley seemed to
be engaged to another man.
So, she had been repressing her feelings, keeping them bottled up until now when she couldn''t help
but sneak a peek into his life, yet she refused toe face-to-face with him.
"Hey, Ian is nning to grab a bite with Abner soon," Maja casually mentioned to Shirley, "I was
wondering if you''d be free to join us, Ms. Dorothy. Since you know each other and I''m keen on
making a new friend, why note along?"
Shirley''s response was a momentary freeze, followed by a hesitant pause, and finally a tight-lipped
nod without a word.
Maja waited patiently.
After ten seconds, Shirley slowly nodded and said, "Sure, but I don''t think he''s too keen on seeing
me. We ended on a bit of a sour note."
It must have been the whole fiancé situation.
Maja couldn''t help but smile.
"Great, I''ll text you the details once the ce is set. Is it okay to add you as a contact?"
Without hesitation, Shirley pulled out her phone and disyed her QR code. They added each
other, and Maja breathed a sigh of relief. This was a good start, especially since Shirley was willing,
no one was forcing her. At thirty, Shirley knew what choices to make, and it seemed she wasn''t
devoid of feelings for Abner.
After leaving the university, Maja headed back to Greenfield Gardens.
Ian was busy training Rocky, who was leaping impressively high, while Coco sat loyally by, wagging
his tail more enthusiastically than anyone else.
Pregnancy had put a temporary stop to Maja''s pet cuddling sessions, so she could only watch from
the sidelines. Coco, understanding as ever, circled around her but kept his distance.
Upon her arrival, Ian asked, "So, what did Shirley say?"
Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.
"I reckon there''s mutual interest. Maybe there''s just some misunderstanding they haven''t cleared
up. Anyway, we''re setting up a meeting. How about you? When are you inviting Abner?"
"I called him, but he hung up as soon as he saw it was me."
Maja sighed.
Ian tried calling again, and this time Abner picked up, though his tone was heavy. "What do you
want?"
Ian was inwardly cursing. If he didn''t owe a favor, he wouldn''t be groveling like this.
"Are you free tomorrow? Let''s have lunch. I''ll send you the ce."
"You''re done? So soon, it seems that Queena''s poison is still not heavy."
Ian wanted to hang up the phone on the spot, but Maja red at him and continued humbly.
"Anyway, I''ve sent you the location. It''s up to you whether youe or not."
Abner still came.
Although he came a littlete.
When he arrived, Shirley had just sent a message to Maja to apologize, saying that she had been
pulled to a meeting temporarily and would be half an hourte. Maja told her not to worry.
After Abner entered the box, he saw that Maja was still inside. His eyebrows furrowed. He gave the
cigarette at his fingertips to the waiter and asked the other party to help throw it away.
He handed his coat to the driver and entered the box.
His rtionship with Ian was not that good. He was willing to help with the previous research base
because he was worried that someone would use the medicine inside to deal with him one day, so
the ce would be ruined if it was destroyed.
He casually flipped through the menu twice, showing ack of interest. At first nce, he was very
perfunctory.
Ian was angry. "Just order something to eat. I have a friendter."
"You''re inviting me to lunch and bringing a friend too?"
Ian stayed silent, secretly thrilled at the thought of Shirley''s arrival and how it would throw Abner off
bnce.
"It''s not my friend, it''s Maja''s. She''s quite the looker. Want me to introduce you?"
Abner scoffed and remained silent.
Ian''s anticipation grew. He finally understood the thrill Tyler must have felt watching dramas unfold;
people truly did revel in chaos.
Once the food was served, Abner began to eat.
Maja nced at a message on her phone and excused herself, "She''s just outside. I''ll go get her."
Abner pretended not to hear and continued eating as if he had no manners at all.
When Maja opened the room door to greet Shirley, Abner''s hand tightened around his utensils,
snapping a piece of cod in his grip.
His lips pursed, and for a brief moment, his breathing quickened.
Ian couldn''t resist turning to catch Abner''s reaction. He saw him neatly picking up the broken piece
of fish with a napkin and cleaning up the mess on the table.
Typical.