Seven Years for One Regret

"It's okay. You keep doing your thing. I just wanted to let you know," I said, calmly sitting down in a chair across from him.Lorenzo Townsend finally looked up at me, staring for a long while.Once, he used to look at me like that, but now, the warmth in his gaze was gone.We were college classmates.Today marked the seven years since we met and fell in love.We'd been through four years of college and three years since graduation. He'd probably forgotten what today was.The fiery passion we shared at the beginning was reduced to cold distance.After being his girlfriend for seven years, I still hadn't heard him say he wanted to marry me.I wasn't stupid or blind to what was happening.When a man dragged things out for seven years, there must be something deeper.Lorenzo paused for a moment, then spoke with a hint of impatience. "I've told you. When the company goes public, I'll marry you. Don't keep bringing this up."He shot me a cold look. "Are you that desperate? Afrai

Lynn paused at the sight of me, then stuck out her tongue at Lorenzo playfully."Sorry, I forgot to knock again," she said.Lorenzo smiled fondly, patting her head. "It's fine, but what's up this time?""It's lunchtime," she replied. "I heard of a good French restaurant. Will you take me there?"He agreed without hesitation, forgetting I still had unsaid words.Before leaving, he suddenly turned back. "Stella, it's noon. Wanna join us for lunch?"I paused, dazed, trying to recall when we had lunch together the last time.Ever since Lynn showed up, it felt like his world revolved around her.I snapped out of it and declined, "It's fine. You two go ahead."It was time to end things with him.After leaving the company, I walked straight to the parking lot.Once I got in the car, I checked my phone and realized I had been crying without noticing.Wiping my tears away quickly, I took a deep breath and called home."Sweetie, what's up? Why are you calling me out of the blue?" as

Jasper Koch gently pushed Lorenzo aside and carefully helped me up."I didn't know about your bad temper, Mr. Townsend," he said. "Looks like I'll need to reconsider our cooperation."I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, but when he helped me up, I saw a fleeting cold look in his eyes. It almost seemed like he was standing up for me.Before I could say anything, Lorenzo's expression shifted.I had heard of Jasper. He was the CEO of the Koch Group, and right now, the company's priority was to secure a major deal that could take them public.Lorenzo had been working hard to connect with the Koch Group for a while, hoping to land a big deal. But today, things went wrong."Mr. Koch, you misunderstood. There's just some tension between employees. I'm just mediating the situation," Lorenzo stammered, trying to butter up Jasper.Lynn chimed in, "Mr. Koch, please don't blame Mr. Townsend. It's my fault. I made Stella angry, and things got out of hand. I hope you won't hold it ag

When the plane landed, I stepped out and saw Jasper, whom I had just met yesterday.He was dressed in a black cashmere coat, tall and lean, standing there with an unreadable expression on his face.But when he saw me walking out, the cold air around him seemed to dissipate, and there was a subtle warmth to it.Before I could react, he was already walking toward me. He took my suitcase, slipped off his coat, and draped it over my shoulders."The weather is colder here. You should wear more," he said gently.I nodded, a little dumbfounded. I wasn't sure what to say.I just lowered my head, glancing at this aloof man out of the corner of my eye. But inside, I felt a warm sensation. It was the kind of warmth I'd always wanted.After Jasper dropped me off at my place, I hesitated, thinking it over again and again.I couldn't bring myself to invite him in. When I looked at him, he didn't seem to care at all.He just softly reassured me, "Rest well. I'll come back tomorrow to ask for

In the days that followed, Lorenzo didn't show up again.It wasn't until my wedding day that he appeared in a groom's suit.Through the crowd, he staggered toward me, holding the diamond ring he had promised to buy years ago."Stella, look! I bought the ring! We can get married. We can," he said, breathless.I snorted, glancing at the ring in his hand.I raised my hand and showed him the one already sparkling on my finger—bigger and more dazzling than his."Why would I ever give up this ring for you?" I scoffed.He crumpled, like all the life had drained out of him.He sank to the ground, mumbling to himself, "How could this happen? You gave up on me?"Lynn burst in, looking frantic.She grabbed Lorenzo by the arm, her face twisted with anger, and screamed at the top of her lungs. "You still like this woman, don't you? Didn't you say it was just a fling? You told me I was your one true love. You promised me you'd marry me the night we slept together."The room went silent. E