Though she avoided saying the word “old” directly, the implication hung heavily in the air.
Klein’s gaze fixated on her flushed lips, and he spoke quietly, “It’s fine. You’ll discover soon enough whether I’m old or not.”
*Why does this conversation keep getting worse?* Whitney thought, her heart sinking.
Klein shifted the topic, “By the way, Lena must’ve told you that Carter and Milly’s wedding is coming up soon, right?”
Caught off guard, Whitney responded, “Yeah, she mentioned it.”
It wasn’t just Lena; Emily had rushed to share the news as well. “Yeah, I know.”
Klein’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, a flicker of intensity crossing his features. “I was the one who suggested it to Dad. After what happened between those two that day, it’s better they get married quickly. Otherwise, it’ll affect Harris Group’s stock price.”
Suddenly, Whitney recalled Lena’s earlier comment, connecting the dots. So Klein was the one who had proposed the marriage.
A soft smile crept onto her face. “You’re right. Thank you.”
Klein was taken aback by her gratitude, surprise flickering in his eyes.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, half-expecting her to react negatively, but he preferred to tell her himself rather than have her hear it from someone else later.
Klein was determined to eliminate any chance for misunderstanding between them.
The car fell into a comfortable silence, and when they finally arrived in front of Whitney’s apartment building, she unbuckled her seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride. I’m here.”
Klein’s finger twitched slightly on the steering wheel as he recalled something. “Didn’t I leave my glasses at your place last time?”
“Uh, yeah, you did,” Whitney replied, a hint of confusion in her voice.
Klein turned off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt with an air of finality. “Then I’ll come up with you to get them.”
Whitney was taken aback by the speed of Klein’s “next time.” She had anticipated a longer wait, yet here they were, standing at her door. With a hint of reluctance, she finally nodded. “Okay.”
Klein, perceptive as ever, caught the flicker of hesitation in her eyes, but he chose to ignore it, maintaining a facade of calm. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket, his expression remaining neutral. “Let’s go.”
“Okay,” Whitney replied, her voice slightly more subdued than usual.
As they walked side by side toward her door, Whitney pressed her finger against the biometric scanner. The soft beep signaled that she was about to unlock her sanctuary. Yet, an unsettling feeling crept over her; she could sense Klein’s gaze boring into her from behind, scrutinizing her every movement with an intensity that made her heart race.
Klein’s attention shifted to her slender fingers as they pressed against the scanner. ‘I’ve already shared my door code with her,’ he mused internally. ‘When is she going to trust me enough to share hers?’
The mechanical voice chimed in, announcing the successful unlocking of the door, and Whitney flicked on the hallway light. “Wait here for a sec. I’ll grab it for you.”
The implication was clear; she wasn’t inviting him inside.
Klein, however, wasn’t perturbed by her decision. He remained by the door, watching her dart away with an urgency that made him smile involuntarily.
Today, Whitney had tied her hair back into a ponytail, and it bounced playfully with each step she took. There was something utterly charming about her, and the more he observed her, the more she reminded him of a little bunny, full of energy and innocence.
His gaze drifted to the shoe cabinet, where a pair of men’s slippers still wrapped in clear plastic caught his eye. ‘Did she get these for me?’ he wondered, a flicker of warmth igniting in his chest.
Whitney, eager not to keep him waiting, hurried back with quick, light steps. Her cheeks were flushed from the exertion. “Here, look. I put it away after you left that day.”
Klein accepted the item from her hands, and in that brief moment, his cool fingertips accidentally brushed against her palm. A half-smile crept onto his lips. “Thanks.”
Then, his attention shifted to the new slippers beside the cabinet, and he lowered his voice, curiosity lacing his tone. “You got these for me?”
Whitney hadn’t expected him to notice the slippers. “Yeah, I passed by the supermarket and picked them up,” she admitted. She couldn’t let him walk around barefoot again during his next visit; that would be unacceptable.
Klein nodded, his expression brightening with evident pleasure. “Mm. I didn’t get a chance to try them on today. Next time, then.”
Whitney was momentarily speechless, her mind racing.
She hadn’t meant that as an invitation. ‘And seriously, who needs to “try on” a pair of house slippers?’ she thought, bemused.
Klein didn’t linger. He adjusted his glasses, the silver frames catching the light and gleaming with an almost ethereal glow. “I’m heading out. Good night. See you this weekend.”
“Good night. See you this weekend,” Whitney echoed, her voice slightly more cheerful than before.
Though the weekend was merely two days away, it felt as if they had to say “see you this weekend” to each other every single day, as if the universe conspired to keep them in a perpetual state of anticipation.
Meanwhile, Dustin had just finished a business dinner when a message from Klein buzzed on his phone.
Klein sent a photo.
Dustin stared at his screen, utterly perplexed.
The image displayed the most mundane pair of slippers one could imagine.
‘What’s this about?’ he thought, eyebrows furrowing. ‘Are those slippers encrusted with diamonds or something? Why would Mr. Harris, a man so busy running the world, take the time to photograph them and send them to me?’
Dustin: [What is that?]
Klein: [Slippers my girlfriend bought me. Has your girlfriend ever bought you any?]
Klein: [Oh wait, sorry. I forgot. You don’t have a girlfriend.]
Dustin: [What?]
‘Damn it. Is Klein even human? What kind of person says stuff like that?’ Dustin thought, his anger flaring up once more, clenching his teeth in frustration.
Emily had faced a harsh rejection from Whitney, but she was unwilling to accept that Whitney truly didn’t care.
No, Whitney was merely pretending not to care; that was all.
“Tina, I’m getting married,” Emily declared to her friend Tina, bubbling with excitement.
Tina’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Really? Milly, you’re marrying Carter already? That’s incredibly fast!”
The rush was primarily due to Whitney’s meddling, having gone to Samuel and filled his head with lies, making it seem as if she wanted to rekindle her romance with Carter.
If it weren’t for Whitney’s scheming, Samuel would never have sided with her.
“Of course it’s real. Uncle Klein arranged the whole thing for us,” Emily affirmed, her voice brimming with confidence.
At the mention of Klein’s name, a flicker of something dark crossed Tina’s face. He seemed so unattainable. If only she could marry into the Harris family as well. But given the current circumstances, it felt like her chances had slipped away.
Yet, Tina wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. “Milly, have you picked your bridesmaids yet? We’re so close, so you’ll choose me as one of your bridesmaids, right?”
Emily smiled brightly, “Of course. Tina, you’re definitely going to be in my bridal party.”
Tina had to be part of the wedding; it was the only way Emily could use her to humiliate Whitney properly.
The entire reason Emily had bonded with Tina in the first place was that Tina and Whitney didn’t get along. In this case, the enemy of her enemy became her ally.
Tina hung up the phone and rushed to find Samuel. “Dad, didn’t you say Whitney might get back together with Carter? But do you even know that Carter’s getting married to Milly next month?”
Samuel froze for a moment, taken aback. “What? Where did you hear that? Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” Tina beamed smugly. “Milly just called me herself to share the good news, and she even invited me to be her bridesmaid.”
She continued, “Dad, I’m telling you, you’re betting on the wrong horse. Whitney’s a lost cause. If you’re counting on her to land you some rich husband, that’s never going to happen.”
“Enough,” Samuel snapped, his tone cutting through the air like a knife.
Tina’s crude manner of speaking grated on his nerves, and he could hardly stand to listen to her any longer.
When it came to his two daughters, neither Whitney nor Tina gave him a moment’s peace, and he was growing weary of their constant bickering.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.