Lahat ng Kabanata ng Opening My Eyes to Reality: Kabanata 621 - Kabanata 630

Benjamin smacked Hank in the back of his head, then shot to his feet. "Tried your luck with her? Go screw yourself and get the hell out of here, man."Benjamin stormed out after cursing at Hank.…Elias was actually a charming conversationalist.He had a great time talking to Cheryl, and it was the first time he wasn't bored out of his mind by a woman. He didn't find it torturous, as he so often did in the presence of heiresses, whose topics never strayed from makeup, jewelry, and designer brands.The driver steadily maneuvered through the streets while Elias and Cheryl kept up a repartee in the backseat. Before they knew it, the car slowed down.Cheryl got out of the car, and Elias followed suit. "Would you mind if we exchanged numbers, Ms. Shaw?"Cheryl stopped in her tracks. She didn't mind at all. Fishing out her phone, she pulled up her WhatsApp QR code. Elias scanned it and added her as a contact, saving it under her name.He then shoved his phone into his pocket and face

The main lights in the living room remained off, leaving only the downlights to cast Benjamin's long shadow on the wall. His eyes were half-lidded, and he caught Cheryl's silhouette in his peripheral vision.She stood in place. Her expression finally shifted, though it turned into one of annoyance.Benjamin couldn't care less. His smile deepened but did not reach his eyes. If anything, it looked a little exasperated. "You may not be my employee anymore, but we've known each other for 11 years. That makes us friends. I don't think it's completely unreasonable for you to make me soup."From the looks of it, he was intent on staying.Cheryl heaved a sigh, and only then did she close the door. She slipped out of her stilettos and gave her ankles some much-needed, blissful relief. Slinging her bag on the rack by the door, she turned on all the lights in the living room.Bright light flooded the room at once, hurting Benjamin's eyes. He frowned and gave her a dazed look. "You did that o

There was barely any warmth in Cheryl's tone as she said, "If Mr. Mansfield is willing to go out with me, I think I'd give dating him a shot."The lights in the living room played over her and Benjamin, wrapping around them tightly. She stared at Benjamin's face, which was a hand's breadth away from hers, and felt the warmth of his palms. The emotions she'd bottled up for a while began to surface in her mind.When had she decided to give up on him? Was it when she saw him bringing Jasmine to a banquet and being a gentleman to her, or when he showed how much Jasmine meant to him by introducing her to his friends, or whenever he stepped up and defended Jasmine?Cheryl didn't know, either. Giving up on Benjamin wasn't a decision born out of a moment's devastation.She parted her lips, only to find that her throat had tightened to the point where she couldn't even squeeze out a word. She gave up on speaking, too. It was better to let the moment pass in silence.Benjamin's chest tighte

Benjamin's heart skipped a beat when he heard Cheryl's name pass through Jasmine's lips. He couldn't believe Jasmine would bring up Cheryl voluntarily. He opened his mouth to deny the accusation, but for some reason, the words refused to roll off the tip of his tongue.At that moment, it was as if the air in the car went still, leaving only his heavy breathing and the muffled noise of cars driving past outside to be heard.Benjamin swallowed as his fingertips worried at the steering wheel, the sound deafening in the pregnant silence of the car. Guilt overcame him, but still he denied, "You're jumping to conclusions."Outside the car window, a cool night breeze picked up and swept the fallen leaves off the streets. They twirled and scattered across the window, only to be whisked away by another gust of wind.Benjamin stared at the fallen leaf and felt a fresh surge of annoyance. Rubbing the space between his brows, he muttered, "Let's call it a night. You should go to bed."He hung

Natalie replied to the picture with a question mark.Bella explained in her text, "Little guy's having love troubles."Natalie was still awake, so she turned away from Rowan and adjusted the brightness of her phone screen to avoid waking him. He'd been exhausted for days, and sleep had found him easily. She didn't want to bother him.However, the screen was still bright despite the adjustment, and the blue light was right in Rowan's face. Natalie finally decided to lift the blanket, put on her bedroom slippers, and padded into the living room.Velmont was chilly at night. It was the end of March, and given that the heating had stopped, the house felt a little drafty.Natalie casually grabbed a cardigan and draped it over herself, curling up on the couch as she texted Bella, "The heartbreaker ran into love troubles? Surely that can't be true."Bella replied, "Cheryl told him she was in love with him."The news was so bombastic that Natalie thought it warranted a faster response t