All Chapters of The Rebirth of the Author: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Realizing that she might have offended Sea Finley with her words, Ayleen Hazel immediately forced an apologetic smile."I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," she said, stumbling over her words a little.Sea raised one eyebrow as if expecting a more complete explanation."And?"Biting her lower lip, Ayleen hurried to explain."Well ... this is a mall. Everyone has the right to be here, including you. I'm sorry. What I said earlier ...."Sea let out a quiet sigh before cutting her off."Forget it."Ayleen grimaced, feeling even guiltier. Sea had forgiven her so easily, as though what she'd said wasn't a big deal at all."Then ... why do you seem so uncomfortable around them? Aren't they your friends?" Sea asked flatly.Ayleen sighed softly and answered honestly."No, it's not my friends who make me uncomfortable. It's ...."She trailed off, her gaze drifting toward the man who, in her previous life, had been both her husband and the father of her daughter."Isn't that the guy who star

At that moment, Ayleen Hazel almost forgot how to breathe after hearing Felicity's incredibly blunt question.Fortunately, she recovered quickly and hurried to cut in before Sea could answer."You ... why would you ask something like that? We're just friends. In fact, we've only met a few times. How could you possibly think that Sea is ....""She is the first," Sea interrupted casually, as though admitting it carried no weight at all.Ayleen froze, her mouth hanging open, too stunned to react.Elizabeth was no different. She could only stare in shock after hearing Sea make such a straightforward confession.Felicity, however, managed to keep her composure."Wow! So she really is the first. Then what made you decide to pursue ....""Stop it, Feli!" Ayleen interrupted impatiently.She had completely regained her spirit and silently vowed that she would not let her two best friends dig any deeper with their bizarre questions."Why?" Felicity asked, wearing the most innocent expression sh

Elizabeth waved a hand through the air as if to show Ayleen that what she was worried about wasn't such a big deal.She even flashed a crooked smile. "Dear, you're not alone. You still have me and Felicity. And then there's ...."Felicity immediately shook her head vigorously and cut in, "Jasper definitely doesn't count. He fell in love with Natasha at first sight."Knowing that was true and having witnessed Jasper's first meeting with Natasha, Ayleen merely shrugged.Her friend was right. Jasper had clearly been captivated by Natasha."But you don't need to worry. We'll figure something out. Besides, we're only dealing with a crazy girl who'll do anything to get what she wants. She's not a criminal who's willing to kill just to make her wishes come true," Elizabeth said calmly.She gave Ayleen's shoulder a reassuring pat before adding, "So what exactly are you afraid of?"Ayleen let out a quiet sigh. Truthfully, she had no idea what Natasha might do next.She had once believed she kn

Natasha shook her head."What's wrong with you, Leen? Why do you dislike me so much?"It's not that I dislike you, Nat. I hate you. I don't want to be anywhere near you, Ayleen thought.The affair between Natasha Mylan and her husband hadn't happened this year.It hadn't even happened at this point in time.Yet Ayleen still couldn't forget it.She might be willing to give Liam Sloan another chance and start everything over from the beginning.But she could never do the same for Natasha.Their friendship was beyond repair.In truth, Natasha's betrayal had hurt her even more than Liam's.Ayleen had considered Natasha a sister and someone she trusted with all her heart.She had confided in Natasha more than she ever had in her other three best friends.That was why Natasha's betrayal had cut so deeply.As for Liam, it wasn't that she hadn't been hurt by him.But remembering that he had once genuinely loved her, she found herself capable of forgiving him.Yes, Liam had said many things th

There was no way Ayleen Hazel could tell Liam that this had once been one of her favorite restaurants after she graduated from college.She had come here many times, and it was also where she often worked on her writing.There had been many places where Ayleen liked to create her stories. This restaurant just happened to be one of them because, in the future, it was usually quiet and rarely crowded.That peaceful atmosphere allowed her to write down countless ideas as they flowed through her mind.However, she had never expected the restaurant to close down a few years later.It wasn't because the food was bad. On the contrary, Ayleen believed the dishes served here were incredibly delicious, enough to satisfy anyone who loved exploring good food.Even someone like her, who wasn't particularly a foodie, had fallen in love with both the place and its cuisine.Sadly, in the future, the restaurant failed to compete with the newer establishments nearby.Those restaurants embraced modern i