NovelStartChapter 17
Allison woke up naturally, blinking her eyes open to find it was already ten in the morning.
"Ah—" she sighed, stretching lazily, "It's so nice not having to work."
After getting up and freshening up, she headed downstairs for breakfast. Marian had set the table for two. Allison
glanced at the empty seat across from her but didn't comment.
As Allison cdown, Marian asked, "Ms. Allison, is Mr. Shawn not joining you for breakfast today?"
Allison took a sip of her coffee and replied, "He didn't chlast night, so | doubt it."
"Oh." Marian, realizing she might have overstepped, quietly returned to the kitchen.
Once she'd finished her breakfast, Allison noticed a text from Joshua.
Joshua: [Allie, do you want to go for a custom engagement dress or pick something from a brand's new season
collection?]
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‘Is there still tfor a custom dress?’ she wondered. She didn't even know the engagement date yet. She
replied: [When's our engagement?]
Joshua: [Not set yet. How about we decide once you finish up there and head back to Oak Lake?]
Allison: [Sure, I'll be done in nine days.]
Joshua: [Great.]
Worried that a custom dress might not arrive in time, Allison decided: [Let's go with something from a new
season collection. I'll choose one.]
Joshua: [Okay, letknow once you've picked one.]
As she was about to close her messages, she noticed a notification from Shawn. Curious, she clicked on it and
found a video.
In the dimly lit room, a very drunk Shawn was leaning against Kate, mumbling, "Kate, you're finally back. | knew
you'd return... I've waited for you for five years..."
The background was filled with rowdy cheers, and Allison could barely make out the familiar voices of Shawn's
friends and Pearl.
In the video, Kate cradled Shawn and smiled softly. "Shawn, you're drunk."
Shawn, slurring his words, insisted, "I'm... I'm not drunk... I'm completely sober... You're Kate, the love of my life.
I'm not wrong, am I... See, I'm totally sober..."
Someone in the background chimed in, "Shawn, if Kate's the love of your life, what about Allison?"
Shawn responded, "Allison? Who's Allison? I... | only love Kate..."
"Shawn's really into you, love," Pearl's voice joined in. "Look at him! He's drunk and all over you, so he only has
eyes for you."
Hearing this, Allison felt a flicker of sarcasm in her eyes. In the three years she'd been with Shawn, nobody had
ever called her "love."
It wasn't surprising; that group never saw her as Shawn's girlfriend.
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"Allison's so shameless. Kate's back and she's still hanging around, acting totally clueless," said Pearl's friend,
the sgirl who had mocked the necklace Allison gifted Pearl, calling it fake. She'd never been kind to Allison.
Pearl's voice followed, "How could an ordinary girl like her let go of a rich guy like Shawn?"
Allison dropped her gaze, her lips curling into a cold smile. These were things Pearl would never dare say to her
face.
Now Allison was sure the disdain she saw in Pearl's eyes on her birthday wasn't just her imagination.
Pearl might have pretended to be friendly, but deep down, she was just like the rest and looked down on her.
"Kate, don't worry, we're all on your side."
"Yeah, we don't like Allison, at all. She should know her place and stop trying to fit into our circle."
"I bet Allison's read too many romance about CEOs falling for ordinary girls and dreams of marrying into
wealth. It's laughable. She probably doesn't even realize she's a joke to us."
"Exactly, she's not in our league at all. Shawn was just playing with her, and now that you're back, Kate, Allison
should just leave."
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