Chapter 13
Sabrina saw Shannon blinking at her. It seemed that Shannon wanted to elicit jealousy from Nelson by bringing up Gerald.
But that was wholly unnecessary.
Sabrina gave it some thought before confessing, "I don't know because we're not close with each other. He's pretty funny, though. I had a fun time chatting with him."
Hearing that, Shannon realized that there was no hope of saving Nelson's marriage. Thus, she agreed to their decision to get a divorce at the courthouse on Monday.
After dinner, Shannon insisted that Sabrina stay the night at the Tucker manor, despite Sabrina's attempts to turn down the invitation.
Before sleeping, she heated up a glass of milk and delivered it to Shannon's bedroom. At the door, she overheard Shannon speaking to Nelson. "We agree to the divorce. Putting aside the Wyatt family's help, how about Brina, who married you out of love? Had she wronged you in any way?
"When you were out of the country, and when Noah wasn't in Slitton, Sabrina was the one who took care of me whenever I was sick. Can't you at least treat her nicer?"
Sabrina teared up when she heard Shannon's words. She knocked on the door and entered the room. Bare-faced, she wore a pair of white flared pants and a knitted oversized sweater in light grey. She did not cover up the mole on the tip of her nose, giving her a relaxed and cheeky look.
Nelson glanced at her before leaving. She did not stay on to chat with Shannon. When she exited Shannon's room, she saw him smoking while leaning against the wall. Closing the door, she asked, "Why did you look for me?"
"My mom was right. I treated you poorly for years. I'll be nicer to you in the future."
That did not raise her anticipation. She smiled, saying, "Sure."
…
Luxury cars entered the busy Tucker manor on Saturday night. Gerald was the most ostentatious of all. Carrying a massive bouquet of Rouge Royale roses, he searched high and low for Sabrina. "Nelson, where's Sabrina?"
Nelson hadn't seen Sabrina since the afternoon. He thought she went for styling. Surprisingly, she did not show up after the party started, despite being the star of the show.
"Nelson, come look for her with me." Gerald dragged Nelson with him as he didn't want to appear like a pervert, scouring the Tuckers' garden for a woman.
Nelson was at a loss for words. He had no idea where to find Sabrina.
After looking around the backyard, he saw Sabrina and Noah's daughter, Xyla Tucker, making desserts in the side hall through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Oh, I'm so in love with Sabrina. Could she be any more perfect?" Gerald immediately abandoned Nelson and entered the side hall.
Nelson had wanted to return to the party, but he decided to follow Gerald upon second thought,
The side hall wafted with the scent of tangerines. There, Sabrina smiled while holding the bouquet from Gerald. "Thank you. I love it."
Gerald, who had always been a playboy, looked at her bashfully. He was taken aback when he discovered the mole on the tip of her nose. "You're breathtaking. That mole makes you even more charming."
Sabrina struggled to come up with an appropriate reply. She put the flowers away.
Gerald, noticing his bluntness, switched the topic of conversation. Staring at the dried tangerines and tangerine cake on the table, he asked Sabrina, "Did you make all these?"
Xyla was annoyed by the intruder. "Who exactly are you? Why are you flirting with my aunt-in-law?"
Gerald looked confused by Xyla's remark.
Sabrina hurriedly corrected Xyla, "Xyla, I'm your aunt."
Nelson furrowed his brows. He always found it jarring when Xyla referred to Sabrina as aunt-in-law. Today, it sounded even more vexing.
The glutinous rice she prepared to make tangerine wine was nearly done. She said to Gerald, "Grab something to eat. Wait for me."
She entered the kitchen to pour some cold water on the glutinous rice and spread it out, but her hairband came loose at that moment.
"Xyla, can you help me tie my hair?"
She crouched by the door when Xyla jogged over to her. "Please fasten it."
When the warmth of fingertips brushed against her nape, she felt a jolt of electricity across her body. She tried to dodge the touch, thinking it was Gerald when a male hand grabbed her wrist.
Nelson whispered, "Don't move."