Chapter 3 May All Your Days Ahead Go Smoothly. Love Me Forever

Rex had just decided on the watch when he suddenly remembered that the regional manager had only said half of what he intended to. He turned to him and asked, "Does this watch already have an owner?"

He was only planning to wear it as a temporary replacement. If it belonged to someone else, he wasn't interested in taking what wasn't his.

"Not at the moment." The regional manager couldn't lie to Rex, but he also couldn't be completely transparent. He carefully phrased his response, "It was a custom order from one of our clients. They waited in line for over seven months, but unfortunately, just before the watch arrived, something happened on their end, and they had to give it up. Looks like this watch was meant to be yours."

As for what exactly had happened to the client, the regional manager deliberately left it vague. Naturally, Rex assumed it was a financial issue-otherwise, after waiting so long and ordering a custom strap, they wouldn't have given it up so easily.

Rex nodded without further questions and picked up the watch to try it on.

Perhaps it really was fate-the strap fit perfectly, without any need for adjustment.

Inside the watch box was a small, rectangular gold card. As Rex fastened the clasp, he casually picked up the card. A line of elegant, neatly written blue-black ink stood out in the center,

"May all your days ahead go smoothly. Love me forever."

-by Linda ,)

Assuming it was a standard message included by the brand, Rex glanced at it briefly before placing it back into the box.

Seeing that Rex was at least somewhat satisfied with the watch, Bernie finally let out a sigh of relief.

The store manager, who had been worried that the unusual strap color would be hard to sell, also felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She glanced at Rex's wrist-some people, with their strong presence and well-proportioned hands, could pull off any watch effortlessly.

As they left the flagship store, Bernie suggested grabbing a late-night snack to calm his nerves. The past few hours, ever since he broke Rex's watch, had been pure torture for him.

"I know a place with great late-night food. Wanna go?" he asked Rex.

Rex fastened his seatbelt without responding.

No clear rejection meant agreement. Bernie glanced at the rearview mirror and said while reversing the car, "My car arrives the day after tomorrow. No need to drive yours anymore. Have someone pick it up from my place then."

Rex let out a quiet "Mm." The Cullinan belonged to him, but since Bernie hadn't bought a car in New York City, he usually borrowed one whenever he was in town for business.

After Rex left, the store manager and regional manager returned to the store. The store manager couldn't contain her excitement and rushed straight to the VIP lounge on the first floor.

"It's sold! It's sold! I'm buying a lottery ticket right now-what insane luck! Thank God Rex came to New York City on business!"

Linda overheard and asked, "Rex?"

"Yeah, Rex. The big shot our regional manager flew in just to personally receive. He's the one who bought your watch." The store manager took a sip of water before continuing her gossip with enthusiasm. "Second son of the Thompson family from London. Unmarried, no girlfriend. Whether he's actually single or not... that's another story."

In their circles, not having a public girlfriend didn't necessarily mean someone was single.

That was the extent of her gossip, all of it gleaned from the regional manager.

Linda wasn't interested in gossip about strangers. She was simply relieved the watch had sold so quickly and thanked the store manager sincerely, "When do you finish work? Let me take you and your boss out for a late-night meal as a thank-you."

The store manager waved a hand dismissively, smiling, "Another time. If you don't, I'll just keep pestering you for it. We have a meeting tonight, though-it'll probably go until midnight."

That was just an excuse. The store manager knew Linda had just gone through a breakup. Who feels like going out for drinks after that?

When Linda wasn't looking, she exchanged glances with Helen.

Helen immediately caught on and grabbed her bag. "Then we'll catch up another time."

Linda suddenly remembered the note in the watch box. "I left a card inside. Will that be a problem?"

The store manager had only noticed the card when Rex picked it up earlier, but she hadn't seen what was written on it. She reassured Linda, "Rex read it and put it back. He probably thought it was just a complimentary message from the brand."

She hesitated before asking, "You didn't sign your name, right?"

Linda, "I did."

After finishing her coffee, Linda and Helen left.

The entire walk from the store to the car, Linda was thinking about what gifts to get for the store manager and the regional manager to properly express her gratitude.

Her phone vibrated repeatedly in her bag, but she didn't notice.

Helen glanced at her a few times before sighing and reminding her, "Your phone."

Linda was momentarily dazed before realizing Helen was telling her to check it.

She hadn't checked her messages all evening. An hour ago, her mother had asked when she'd be home, and she hadn't replied. Now, her mother was calling.

"Mom, I'm still out. Grabbing a late-night meal with Helen."

Diana sounded uncertain. "With Helen?"

"Yeah. She brought me my dress, so we decided to have dinner together."

"That's nice. Take your time and enjoy your meal."

Just as Linda was about to hang up, she heard her mother's car engine start. She instinctively checked the time. "Mom, you're just getting off work now?"

Diana chuckled, explaining why she was so late. "This afternoon, I suddenly got the urge to unify the interior design across all my supermarket branches. I also wanted to tweak the business model. So I spent the evening planning, only to calm down afterward and rethink it all. If only I were ten years younger-I'd still have the energy for all this."

"Linda, you and Helen enjoy your meal. I'm heading home now."

"Okay. Drive safe, Mom. Get some rest when you're home."

Linda's mother managed a chain of community supermarkets. With the recent opening of a new branch, she now had fifteen stores under her belt. The largest one spanned 2,000 square meters, while the smallest was over 200. Even with a management team, she still had plenty to worry about.

The supermarket chain had been around as long as Linda herself-twenty-five years. It even shared her name, Linda Supermarket.

After hanging up, Linda handed her car keys to the valet.

The valet, who had been leaning against the car door reading, tucked his book into his satchel and took the keys.

He wasn't much of a talker. After confirming the destination, he started driving in silence.

Inside the car, Helen suddenly smacked her forehead. "Ah, I forgot!"

Linda, "What is it?"

"My shirt! I left it at Riverside Restaurant."

The expensive white button-up, which Linda had hung in the closet earlier.

Helen called the restaurant to ask them to set the shirt aside-she was coming to pick it up now.

At the next intersection, the driver turned left toward Riverside Restaurant.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the ride.

When they arrived, Helen got out. "I'll go grab it."

Linda, lost in thought, glanced outside-and spotted a deep emerald-green SUV a few meters away.

It was the first time she'd seen this color in real life.

She lowered the window to get a better look at the Cullinan, using it as a distraction from her pain.

Inside the SUV, Rex sat alone. He happened to turn his head and, through the glass, locked eyes with Linda.

He could see her.

She couldn't see him.