Chapter 10 I've Loved You for Six Years (Part Two)

Asleep on the sofa in Edmund's office, Pauline was lost in a long and strange dream.

In her dream, she was performing on the stage in her alma mater, and Edmund was in the audience. He seemed to be mesmerized as he stared at her with gentle eyes and a soft smile on his face. His gaze didn't make her feel uncomfortable, but she sensed that he was very lonely.

Then, the scene in her dream changed. Suddenly, she found herself in her car on the way to the South Mansions. Her car was the only vehicle on the road. After a while, a Maybach with the license plate number "1595" appeared at the end of the road. It was the day of Tiffany's birthday.

Their father had held a grand banquet for Tiffany and invited a lot of celebrities from NZ City to their mansion. But just the day before, Pauline had gotten into a quarrel with Tiffany, and her father had once again beaten her indiscriminately, so, in a fit of anger, she had rushed out of the house and stayed the night at Hedy's place. This morning, she had thought that her father would call her home for Tiffany's birthday party, but to her surprise, her phone didn't ring at all. She didn't want to embarrass herself at the party, so she chose an appropriate time to go home.

She had only recently gotten her driver's license, and since she was alone on the dark road, she kept the high beam lights on. When the Maybach appeared at the end of the road, driving in the opposite direction, its lights kept flashing, signaling for her to switch to the low beam lights. However, as someone who had only recently learned to drive, Pauline didn't understand. Dazzled by the bright light, she crashed into the Maybach. Fortunately, she was wearing her seat belt, so she was not injured.

For a long while, she continued sitting inside the car in a state of shock. The driver of the Maybach, James, however, rushed over and knocked on her window. "Miss, are you okay?"

Pauline smiled apologetically and waved her hand. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"That's good. I suggest you go to the hospital for a check-up." James took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her. "This is my business card. If you have any problem, inform me immediately. I will pay for the medical expenses."

Although Pauline had struggled to pass her driving test, she knew that she was the one responsible for the accident, so she immediately opened the door and ran up to James, who was walking back to the Maybach. "Sir, your car is so expensive. We'd better call the police."

With an embarrassed look on his face, James politely refused her proposal. "No, thanks, miss. My boss is in a hurry."

However, Pauline didn't feel right letting it go just like that, so she walked to the backseat window of the Maybach and knocked on it. "Sir, this accident is mostly my responsibility, and I don't want to escape it. I would feel better if we called the police to clear things up. Do you mind waiting here?"

Edmund rolled down the window and stared at her in a daze for a few seconds. "Are you okay?" he asked, completely ignoring her words.

Pauline was stunned to hear this, but she smiled. "I'm fine. What do you think of my proposal?"

Edmund ignored her once again and turned to James. "Call Tim and send this lady to the hospital first."

James responded quickly. He knew that Edmund didn't care about who had caused the car accident.

"No, no. I'm really fine," Pauline refused in a hurry.

"Go to the hospital first," Edmund insisted, looking at her with his dark eyes.

Finally, Pauline nodded; she couldn't help giving in to this imposing man. Soon, the car that James had arranged arrived. Edmund intently watched Pauline get into the car.

However, Pauline turned around at the last minute and said, "Sir, can you tell me your name and phone number? I'll treat you to a meal some other day." Edmund merely nodded in response,

but James took the hint, walked over to the car, and handed Edmund's business card to Pauline.

Pauline glanced down at the card for a second. Then, through the car window, she flashed a smile at Edmund, revealing two light dimples. "Thank you, Mr. Lu." She saw Edmund smile back at her⁠—not a fake smile, but a genuine one that came from the bottom of his heart.

All of a sudden, Pauline had delusional thoughts in her dream. Could it be that Edmund didn't hate her that much? Or maybe...he even liked her?

But how could that be? If he really liked her, he would have never humiliated her, trampled on her dignity, and even ruthlessly refused to save the only person she thought of as her family member. No, there was no way that Edmund liked her.

Just as she arrived at this conclusion, she heard a voice. "Miss Song, wake up."

She slowly opened her eyes and found herself on the sofa in Edmund's office, somehow covered with a thin blanket. She didn't know how long she had been lying here like this. But right now, James was standing next to her.

"Miss Song, if you want to cry, please go somewhere else. Don't dirty Mr. Lu's office," James said coldly, treating her with as much hatred as his boss did.

At the moment, all Pauline could think was, 'Did I cry?'

She raised her hand and gently touched her cheek. Indeed, there were warm teardrops that had fallen from the corner of her eye.

But why? She didn't like Edmund, so why did she feel upset about him not liking her?

She hastily wiped the tears away and forced a smile onto her face. However, she looked more like she was wincing in pain. "I'm sorry. I'll leave right now." Then, she hurriedly left the office. Although he had been cold to her, James couldn't help thinking that she looked lonely and even a little pitiful.

All the while, Edmund stared at his screen without blinking, intently watching the scene in his office. He didn't even realize that the cigarette between his fingers had burned down to the end until he felt a sharp pain in his fingers. He threw away the cigarette butt and turned off his device.

Then, he went back to his empty office. As he pushed the door open, he found that Pauline's unique scent still lingered in the air, filling him with melancholy. He sank onto the sofa with a sigh. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something gleaming in the light. He picked up the necklace and narrowed his eyes.