Ella could hardly believe what had just happened. Not only had she held hands with Sidney, but he had also kissed her on the cheek! And to top it all off, he had invited her out for a second date. Sure, he wanted to meet Serena and had asked her to bring her along under some excuse, but still! This was another chance to see him again, and she felt giddy just thinking about it. He had even given her his personal phone number, one different from the one her father had provided. He told her to reach out if she needed anything.
This was perfect. They could meet more often, and she was sure that if they spent more time together, he would eventually fall for her. She felt confident about it.
Should she message him about something random, just to keep the conversation going? That would be a good idea until she could arrange the next date, right? Throughout the evening, she had barely managed to say more than a few words to him. If she practiced chatting with him now, she might feel more relaxed next time they met.
With that thought in mind, Ella pulled out her phone and quickly opened the chat interface, but then she paused. What should she write to him? Maybe she could send a picture of something interesting. He had asked her what she liked to do, after all.
Deciding to go for it, she walked over to a blooming flower nearby. Its vibrant colors caught her eye, and she couldn’t resist taking a picture. She snapped a quick photo and sent it to him, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. If he didn’t reply, she could always pretend she sent it by mistake, and that would be the end of it.
As she straightened up, another idea popped into her head. Looking around to ensure that no one was watching, she discreetly pulled out the folded tissue from her pocket where she’d written their names together. With a sense of purpose, she quickly buried it near the root of the flower. This seemed like the perfect spot for her wish to become one with Sidney.
She felt a rush of relief as she remembered how she had managed to sneak that tissue from under his glass when another man had approached him. If Sidney had discovered what she had written, she would have been completely mortified. Ella took a step back to admire her secret wish, her heart racing with hope. This was just the beginning; she could feel it in her bones.
She knew, of course, that Aiden would probably not like what she was doing. But she knew that she could handle that. In fact, once Sidney had fallen for her, she would do her best to mend the rift between Aiden and Sidney.
She looked down at her phone as it buzzed, eagerly wondering if he had replied. But seeing that it was one of her university friends, she quickly pushed the phone back into her pocket and walked away, her fingers crossed with hope that he would reply to her message.
***
Sidney stepped into the house, his mood as dark as a stormy sky.
Without a word, he thrust his phone into the butler’s waiting hands, along with a small, folded piece of paper napkin. The butler, accustomed to his master’s sudden shifts in demeanor, quickly took the coat from Sidney’s shoulders and hung it neatly in the entryway.
As he turned to follow Sidney deeper into the house, the butler braced himself for the inevitable flurry of commands. He knew from experience that when Sidney was in this kind of mood, it usually meant he was ready to start barking orders without a moment’s hesitation. So, he dared not to even question him and simply followed behind.
Sidney was not just in a foul mood. He was so angry that even now, he could smash the entire house down in his rage! He’d confirmed his doubts and found Serena! Of all the people she could have been with, it had to be Aiden! And they were already so close! He could feel that even from the pictures that girl had shown him!
Dam* it! He’d thought that Serena must have recently come to Aiden when she’d probably discovered Owen’s betrayal. But according to that Ella girl, Serena had been with Aiden for months already! Months! Apparently, the only reason he had not revealed her was because she’d fallen sick!
He had to see for himself to believe it. He had to ask her why she had done this! Had he not even been an option to her, let alone her first choice.
He turned to the butler and ordered, "Make sure you preserve this tissue well. It’s important."
The butler, sensing the tension radiating from Sidney, nodded obediently. He carefully unfolded the tissue, his curiosity piqued. As he looked down at the delicate paper, he noticed the heart shape drawn on it, with the words "Ella + Sidney = Ellanay" scrawled across it in youthful handwriting. His brow furrowed in confusion.
"Uh, sir, is this a confession from some young lady?" he asked tentatively, hoping to lighten the mood even slightly. Maybe his master had been confessed to? But that should have put him in a better mood.
Sidney scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. "Confession? Hardly. This is nothing but something to hold over a pawn in the game."
Seeing that the master had no intention of saying anything further, the butler quietly pushed the note in his pocket and was about to place the phoen on the desk when Sidney continued," There is an image on my phone from someone called Ella. Just click a picture of something and reply to her appropriately. Understand?"
The butler nodded," Of course, Sir. I’ll do it right away."
The butler looked down at the image of a pretty pink flower on the phone and frowned. How was he supposed to reply to a flower. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around the library and chose a book written in a foreign language, with the picture of a similar flower on it and sent it...