Chapter 462 Do Not Cry In Front Of Us
Wrenna managed to know about Damian’s flight back from his secretary, Johannes. Thus, she was well prepared to fetch him from the airport. She had even applied for a leave of absence with a valid reason.
All this while, Wrenna used to skip classes right away without getting permission from her tutor. Therefore, when she made an application formally, her tutor thought that something was going on and granted her permission right away.
On the day itself, Wrenna was already at the airport half an hour before Damian’s flight touched down. She took a seat in one of the cafes there, racking her brain on how she could give him a surprise.
Should I jump onto him and embrace him or welcome him with a gentle smile? Is it better if I appear to be more lively or try to be more demure and dignified at the same time?
After contemplating for quite a while, Wrenna finally made up her mind to react spontaneously.
Ah! If Damian is with his staff later, I will choose to behave like a dignified Mrs. Quigley. On the other hand, if there isn’t anyone by his side later, I will choose to be a lively Mrs. Quigley!
Outside the arrival hall, Wrenna was waiting for Damian with anticipation. She was in a short skirt that barely reached her knee, matching a short-sleeved knitted top. With her long hair tied up into a ponytail, her dainty face was glowing with enchanting youth. Passers-by were drawn to her by her eye-catching liveliness.
She fixed her gaze on the exit of the arrival hall, hoping that she would be able to catch Damian’s eye the moment he stepped out.
The flight touched down on time. A while later, Damian headed off the plane with Johannes and Stella, making their way to the arrival hall. As they were advancing toward the exit point, Stella was alongside Damian.
Johannes felt a prickle of anxiousness, fearing that Wrenna would be displeased if she happened to see Stella by Damian’s side.
At the same time, he was in a dilemma. If he chose to hint at Damian about Wrenna’s presence, he would surely rain on her parade. After all, she was there specially to surprise him.
Sensing Johannes’ hesitation, Damian glanced at him quizzically.
“Mr. Quigley, actually…” Johannes was about to say something, yet Stella cut him off. “Damian, I have a few questions about the collaboration this round…”
At the moment, Damian was treating Stella in a typical businesslike way. She was not only the representative from the other company but was also the person in charge of their collaborative project. Unavoidably, he had to liaise with her from time to time.
Wrenna was unaware of that as Damian did not mention anything to her. Not to mention, he foresaw that he might stir up trouble unintentionally if he brought up the topic all of a sudden.
Before Johannes could utter any words to make an explanation, Wrenna’s eyes widened when Damian and Stella, who seemed to be engaged in a pleasant conversation, came into view.
In the meantime, Stella seemed to be telling Damian something, with jubilance written all over her face. Even though Damian was not smiling at all, he was listening attentively to her. Right that instant, the duo appeared to look like a matching couple.
At the sight of the duo, Wrenna recalled how she first saw Damian bring Stella home many years ago.
At that moment, Damian saw only Stella in his eyes. His eyes were gleaming with gentle sparkles as he gazed at Stella, soothing her awkwardness. They looked as though they were a match made in heaven.
Even now, they still look like a pair of stunning love birds!
The moment their figures came into sight, Wrenna moved swiftly and hid behind a man instinctively. She never shifted her gaze from them till their figures were out of sight.
Wrenna only dragged herself out of the airport after quite a while. She received a message from Johannes, asking why she did not go to the airport to fetch Damian.
Wrenna lied to him by replying: I’m sorry. I can’t make it as I’m troubled by something in the last minutes. You can go back straight by yourselves then.
Johannes heaved a sigh of relief the moment he received her reply.
“Johannes, what’s wrong? What did you want to say just now?” Damian sensed something amiss and asked with great concern.
“Mr. Quigley, I was thinking of asking whether you are heading to the office or going home right away,” Johannes replied courteously.
Damian pondered for a while and replied, “Head to the office now.”
At night, Wrenna prepared a scrumptious dinner for Damian.
When he reached home, Wrenna welcomed him with her usual bright smile. “Damian, welcome home.”
Damian smiled at her and hugged her lightly before striding upstairs.
Even though he did not eat much at dinner, he kept complimenting Wrenna for the delicious meal.
After dinner, Damian went to bed earlier than usual. Lying next to him in darkness, Wrenna gazed at him silently with a self-deprecating smile.
Anyway, regardless of anything, he is still lying beside me now!
The following morning, Wrenna prepared breakfast for Damian as usual. After sending him off to work, she headed straight for the campus. The moment she reached there, she gave Johannes a call right away. “Johannes, I need to ask you a few questions. But please don’t let Damian find out about this. Is Stella currently working in his company?”
To be secured, Johannes only replied when he was back to his own office. “Mrs. Quigley, Ms. Lane is not our staff. She is actually CFO for H Corporation. At the moment, we are collaborating with her company in many areas. Thus, Ms. Lane will have to liaise with him frequently on work matters. Anyway, Mrs. Quigley, you don’t have to overthink. All this while, Mr. Quigley only meets her formally for work purposes. Apart from that, they have never met alone. You should trust Mr. Quigley.”
Wrenna remained silent for quite a while before she replied, “Of course, I trust him. It seems Stella is doing well at the moment. Hmm, what does CFO stand for?”
Johannes was speechless with her question. Even so, he explained to her patiently about the job scopes for CFO and emphasized the challenges of the post.
Wrenna asked him abruptly, “If I apply to join your company, what are the posts that you think I can cope with?”
“Hmm…” Johannes chuckled in embarrassment.
Wrenna did not intend to put him in a tight spot. She uttered casually, “Take it easy. I’m just joking and asking out of curiosity. I get what you mean. Anyway, Stella has outstanding achievements at such a young age, doesn’t she?”
Johannes replied warily, “I can only comment that every one of us excels in different fields. Mrs. Quigley, Ms. Lane can’t compete with your drawing skill too.”
Nonetheless, his words did not cheer her up.
She smiled and reminded him again, “Okay, I don’t mean anything. I’m just curious. Bear in mind not to tell Damian about this.”
“Mrs. Quigley, don’t worry. I won’t tell him.” Johannes tried to convince her.
After hanging up, Wrenna searched online for further information on Stella. She gaped at the elaborations on her tremendous achievements while she was overseas. Stella had furthered her studies in a prestigious university. Furthermore, she was the holder of different scholarships with excellent academic results. Later, she even had the opportunity to work for an international corporation before completing her studies. Wrenna could barely breathe as she continued to read about her credentials…
Dora turned to look at her and asked inquisitively, “Wren, why are you searching for her information?”
“Ah! As the saying goes, one should always keep one’s friends close and one’s enemies closer,” Wrenna replied casually.
“But I don’t understand. Since both of you are not in the same majors, does that mean anything? I bet you don’t even have any clues about her other titles! Haha…” Dora teased her, but Wrenna was being serious.
For instance, she was still clueless about CFO, and she had only heard about CEO before.
It looks like I will never get to know about Stella’s world of the elites!
At the sight of the grimness on Wrenna’s face, Dora then realized her bluntness.
She consoled Wrenna sheepishly, “Wren, I actually mean that both of you are different types of women. Thus, you can’t just compare yourself with her.”
“Is it because I’m not comparable to her?” Wrenna asked sarcastically.
“Oh! Don’t get me wrong! You can’t just make such a comparison for different professions. After all, you are performing quite well in your field, aren’t you?” Dora flattered her instantly.
Undoubtedly, Wrenna was one of the worst underachievers in the university. If not because of the donation made by her family, she would not be offered a place there. It was no secret that she did poorly in the exams.
Initially, Wrenna was never bothered with that. Never had she thought that she would be feeling inferior because of that one day!
“Dora, enough of that.” Linda stopped Dora from exacerbating the situation by giving more awkward excuses.
“Wren, why upset yourself by bothering so much about Stella Lane? You should stop brooding on her past with Mr. Quigley. After all, you are the official Mrs. Quigley now. Isn’t it a blessing to be able to embark on a new life with the man you are deeply in love with? Later, your life will be even more meaningful after bearing a child for him. Take my words, stop dwelling on the past and look ahead,” Linda advised Wrenna gently.
“Linda has a point!” the others echoed at once.
Even so, Wrenna remained motionless as though she did not catch any of their words.
Since then, a dejected Wrenna dragged herself to go on in sheer gloominess. She was definitely preoccupied with thoughts and not her usual lively self. Something was seemingly bugging her mind, causing her to be in low spirits for the rest of the days.
Out of the blue, she found something which piqued her interest one day. “Everyone, I have decided to switch program and study economics.”
“What?” All her roommates were shocked the moment she announced that.
“Wren, are you sure you are not pulling our legs?” Xandra asked in bewilderment.
Wrenna replied blissfully, “Xandra, I mean it. I’m sorry that I won’t be able to accompany you to class anymore. But we can still hang out during our free time.”
Xandra’s forehead creased into a scowl upon hearing her words.
“Wrenna Jackson, this is no joke. How can you let your life revolve solely around a man?” There was an unmissable hint of irritation in her tone.
Wrenna was stunned before she stuttered, “I-I just have the feeling that I shouldn’t just continue to waste my life like this anymore. I am trying to put in some effort to work on improving myself!”
“Are you sure you are putting in effort for yourself?” Xandra mocked, emphasizing the last few words.
“There’s no difference since I’m putting in effort for the sake of Damian and me.” Wrenna buoyed up with confidence.
“Xandra, I know you are worried that I won’t be able to take it. Even so, there is no harm for me to give it a try, isn’t it? I wish that I can be better so I won’t be looked down on by anyone. What’s more, I don’t seem to have an interest in anything all this while. Who knows, I might develop an interest in the new field? My dear friends, I really hope that you will show me your support. Just let me give it a try, okay?” Wrenna put on a fawning smile and turned to embrace Xandra coquettishly, but the latter shrugged her off in frustration.
“Wrenna Jackson, since you have made up your mind, there’s nothing more I can say. Bear in mind that there is no turning back halfway. I hope you won’t regret it and shed tears in front of us. By then, it will be too late to cry over spilled milk,” Xandra uttered solemnly.
