Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled

Chapter 37

Chapter 37 We had a quiet night. Ever since I wished Neil well, he hadn’t spoken a word to me. I was woken up by the alarm clock. As I got out of bed in a daze, I saw Neil was already up and about, dressed in a suit and tying his tie. Neil was a man of action, very disciplined. I’d barely ever seen him oversleep. If there’s something to be done, he never procrastinated. I watched him. He’s quite tall, with a bigger frame than most men. His muscles were firm and strong, he looked slim in clothes, but once he took them off, his muscular physique was revealed. “What are you looking at? Go get dressed,” Neil said after he tied his tie, glancing at me. “Okay.” I stepped into the dressing room and picked out a white co ck tail dress. The dress had a fishtail design, a bit tight but very elegant and understated, so it wouldn’t steal the show. I put on a pair of nude pink heels from Valentino and went to the dressing table to do my makeup. Neil was no longer in the bedroom. Barbara was the star of the day, so I went for a light makeup look. By the time I came downstairs, Ada had prepared breakfast. Neil was sitting at the dining table, sipping his coffee and eating avocado toast. “Good morning, ma’am,” Ada nodded at me. “Ada, we’re going to a friend’s engagement party today, so we won’t be home for lunch. You don’t need to prepare for us,” I told Ada as I sat down. “Understood,” Ada responded. By the time I was halfway through my meal, Neil had already finished his. After “Okay,” I replied, slightly puzzled. He even wanted me to ride in the same

wiping his mouth, he stood up and said, “I’ll wait for you in the car.” with him? Five minutes later, I hurriedly got into Neil’s car and we rushed to the ? Orchid Hotel.

The engagement party wouldn’t start until noon, but as Barbara’s close friend, I definitely had to arrive early. As for Neil, I had no idea why he was so eager. Stella and Alicia Rider arrived around the same time as us. Their outfits were quite similar to mine. We were all on the same page about this, to accentuate Barbara, the most beautiful girl in a red dress. When they saw Neil and me arrive together, Stella looked like she’d seen a ghost, her expression changing three times in a second. Shock, confusion, speechlessness. Alicia was a bit calmer, but her eyes were wide with surprise. “I’ll go up first,” Neil said coldly after seeing relationship had grown even colder. He and Stella were never close to begin with. After the incident at the bar and the fight at the Wellness Oasis, their “Sure,” I nodded. Barbara’s engagement party was on the eighth floor. He could take the elevator straight up. After Neil left, Stella rushed over and shook me by the shoulders, “What are you doing?” “What’s going on?!” Alicia asked dramatically I sighed, gently pushed away Stella’s hand, and explained, “The Sands family invited Neil. We’re still married, we can’t drive here separately, right?” If that happened, and my parents or his found out, it wouldn’t end well, unless we announced we were getting a divorce. Stella snorted lightly, “Don’t let his charm seduce you.” The moment Neil got out of the car, it was like a bright light had been turned on, radiating in all directions. Everyone who had eyes couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at him. The first time I met Neil when I was 17, he was just a young boy who had just grown up, but he already had an irresistible charm. When he stood in front of me, I felt like he was from a completely different world than everyone else. “Sure. Keep reminding me,” I replied with a smile. “Of course I will!” Stella looped her arm through mine, her other hand holding Alicia’s. The three of us

walked into the hotel lobby together and took the elevator upstairs. An engagement party is different from a wedding, it’s smaller and less formal, mainly just a meal with family, friends, and some important people. There were eight round tables in the banquet hall. Hotel staff were busily decorating the room. The big screen displayed the words “Barbara and Norman’s Engagement”, with red hearts as the background. “You’re here!” Barbara, holding Norman’s hand, ran over to us happily when she saw us. Barbara was wearing a red dress, her hair was up, she looked elegant and beautiful. She radiated happiness, which made Stella sigh, “That’s the power of love!” “If you’re envious, why don’t you seriously look for a boyfriend?” Barbara patted Stella’s butt playfully, “With your hot body, it shouldn’t be hard to find a boyfriend, right?” Stella held her chin up proudly. “Those guys aren’t good enough for me. I want to be the best version of me!” 1 sat down at a table, looking around, a lot of people had already arrived. The people here today were not only here for the engagement party but also for networking so everyone arrived early to have time to chat. To my surprise, Russel, Mitch, and Cooper were also here. They were sitting with Neil, chatting. “Mr. Whitmore? You’re here today too!” A woman in a black sequin dress came over to Neil, bent over and started talking to him. Her V-neck dress revealed her ample cleavage. She had a charming smile, ‘Long time no see.” Neil glanced at the woman, his brows furrowing slightly in confusion, “Who are you?” The woman’s smile froze, clearly taken aback. Mitch quickly jumped in, “Neil, this is Kathy You’ve invested in her movie!” When Neil heard the name “Kathy’, he relaxed his brows, gave a casual smile, “Oh, it has been a while.” “We should grab coffee sometime.” Kathy, somewhat embarrassed, hastily left after forcing out this sentence. Stalla was also watching Neil. She shook her head, “Look at your husband’s behavior! Only you could

put up with him for five years, Rena. If it were me, I would’ve been done with him ages ago!” Alicia chimed in, “Yeah. So, being handsome gives him the right to scoff at marriage? That’s just low!” Hearing our chatter, Neil’s gaze drifted our way We locked eyes for a moment before we both, as if on cue, shifted our attention elsewhere. 1/2 Chapter 37 “Enough about me. Today’s all about Barbara’s engagement, why are we talking about me?” I craned my neck to look around, “Hey, Barbara, where are your parents and your future in-laws?” No sign of Norman either. Barbara swiveled her head, “My parents are playing host to the relatives. Norman’s parents were here just a moment ago. Where did they vanish to all of a sudden? I’ll go check.” “Off you go.” I waved her away.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.