“I wouldn’t forgive my sister if she’d done something like that to me. Thank God, I don’t have one!” she remarked.

Beth scowled at her. “Don’t listen to her, Em. You do whatever your heart says.” She wiggled in her seat. “Uh, now that you forgave Tess, will you consider doing the same to Achi—”

“I don’t want to talk about him right now. Let me just enjoy my dinner with you guys, will you?” There was nothing to forgive Ace in the first place, but trying to get my relationship good with him meant sacrificing my heart again. And I knew better. Just some days more, and then I will be gone. Far away from him.

“Well, I see your wish didn’t get granted at all,” Cassie commented, looking at her right.

“What’re you talking about?” My eyes widened when I followed her gaze to the furthest corner of the diner.

Beth gasped. “What’s he doing here?”

Three suited men and a woman in her late twenties sat around the table. She sat right beside him, too close to just be a business associate. With fiery red hair, porcelain skin and soft features, she was gorgeous.

At something one of those men said, she laughed, delicately placing a hand on his shoulder. And he, too, reciprocated with a soft smile he only displayed on rare occasions.

A pang felt in my chest. Turning around, I gulped the lump down my throat.

“Oohoo, I thought he didn’t have any barbies in his life.” Cassie whistled.

“Cassie!” Beth hissed, throwing me a concerned glance.

Cassie straightened. “I’m sorry, Em. I didn’t mean to… We can leave if you want.”

I waved my hand in dismissal. “No need. I don’t care if he is here or not, or who he brought here. We’re here to enjoy our dinner, and we will just do that.” I cast another glance back at them. She was now whispering something in his ear; the grip on my fork tightened.

“You sure?” Beth whispered.

I nodded, putting a forkful of spaghetti in my mouth, not wanting to give them any attention. But it was difficult when her high-pitched laughter burned my ears.

Beth and Cassie sent daggers at them with their hostile looks.

“Look at him! Getting so comfortable with that leech, and here I thought his sending you messages and flowers meant something.”

“Will you shut up, Cass?” Beth glared and then looked at me. “She could be just a friend. And after what he did and said at the racetrack, it proves that he likes you. I don’t think he is that shallow that he’d try to pursue one and roam around with another.”

“I don’t think so, look at them. They look too cozy to be just friends,” Cassie remarked.