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Chapter 2

Author: South Twig
The welcome party hosted by the research institute was held at the city's largest hotel.

Elias sent me the location and instructed me to arrive punctually.

When my best friend, Gabrielle Carlsen, found out about what happened, she insisted on tagging along at the expense of cancelling one of her meetings.

“Alyssa, you’re a softie! If I don’t go with you, they’re going to eat you alive!”

Since I knew I could not possibly dissuade her, I let her come along.

The atmosphere was very lively when we arrived.

Elias was seated at the head of the table and was exchanging hushed whispers with Jade.

“Elias, look at the statistics! These fluctuating lines are shaped like that kitten we used to feed back when we were in school!”

Elias’ expression was soft as he chuckled.

“You have such a quirky imagination.”

“Oh, come on. It looks just like it, doesn’t it?”

“It does.”

In the five years we’d been together, I had never seen him smiling so genuinely.

Turned out he did have an animated side to him after all.

“Your wife is here!”

Jade was the first to get up. She greeted me with a beaming smile.

“You're so punctual! If it wasn’t for Elias coming to pick me up, I would’ve been late.”

I smiled and made no reply.

Meanwhile, Gabrielle’s face darkened. Just when it looked like she was about to start something, I held her wrist firmly to stop her.

Then, I led her to a seat near the door.

Jade did not seem perturbed by my ignoring her.

She proceeded to take a sip from a thermos that looked oddly familiar.

“Elias says I have a sensitive stomach. I can’t drink the water here, so he insisted I drink from his thermos instead.

“Alyssa, you don’t mind, do you? I’m sure you’re open-minded.”

I noticed a hint of what seemed like a taunt in her eyes before the same innocent smile came over her again.

Gabrielle could not take it anymore and spoke up, “Say, Elias, aren’t you very touchy about your belongings?

“I’m surprised you let Jade touch your thermos when you wouldn’t let Alyssa touch it.

“What happened to your rules?”

A stiff silence fell over the room.

All of the colleagues exchanged awkward glances. It was hard to ignore how awkward the mood had become.

Elias’ expression darkened instantly.

His first instinct was to step forward to defend Jade. He even put a hand over her stiffened shoulders.

Then, he turned toward me with a sharp frown. “Alyssa, if you want to bring someone without telling me, fine.

“But shouldn’t you at least make sure your friend has some basic sense of decency?

“Besides, Jade is an exception. She just returned from overseas and needs some time to adjust.”

Gabrielle let out a laugh from sheer disbelief.

“Decency? You sure are a hypocrite! Who are you to lecture me about decency?!”

Jade’s eyes had reddened by this point. She clutched the hem of Elias’ shirt like a frightened creature.

“Please don’t be angry at Elias, it was my fault. Let me wash this.”

Elias continued to defend her as if she was the dearest thing in the world.

Just as he was about to say something, the waiter arrived with a plate of bone-in steak.

The other colleagues tried to clear the awkwardness.

“Alright everyone, let’s eat before the food gets cold! The rest can wait!”

Elias gave me a look before leading Jade back to her seat.

Based on the look in his eyes, I could see he still had something to say.

I silently observed their interaction throughout the meal.

Elias had always been very particular about his cutlery and personal space when eating.

For the past five years, I had to keep away from him when he was eating. He did not want any obstruction in a half-meter radius around him.

The moment anyone dared to touch his plate at all, he would erupt with rage.

However, Jade was now allowed to sit beside him.

When she complained that the steak was too hard to cut, Elias took her plate without a word.

He hardly frowned when he cut into the steak with his own fork and knife. Then, after he had cut it into uniform pieces, he slid the plate back to her.

Gabrielle was shaking with rage. It looked like she was going to flip the table then and there.

I had to stop her by holding her hands down.

I thought I was over Elias.

When I watched the way he willingly forsook all the tyrannical rules he had established over the years for Jade, I couldn’t help but feel like a clown.

At one point, I got up to go to the restroom.

I had just turned on the tap when Jade entered the restroom as well.

She closed the door behind her, then went up to the mirror to reapply her lipstick.

When she spoke, her voice no longer had the soft cadence, but was sharp and audacious.

“Did you see that, Alyssa?

“The rules Elias set were meant for outsiders. When it comes to someone he loves, he has no need for them.”

Jade’s face was filled with scorn when she turned to me.

“He never cared for you.

“If you knew any better, you would leave him.”

I calmly washed my hands, then reached for a piece of tissue to dry them.

I didn’t react dramatically as she’d hoped. There was hardly any change in my demeanor.

“If you want him so badly, you can have him.”

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