Chapter 9 Come Home With Me Tonight

Noel was wearing a black casual suit with a brown crew-neck T-shirt underneath. His simple attire still made him stand out as noble and elegant in the crowd. It seemed he noticed her gaze, as he turned to look in Whitney's direction. Whitney was quick to react. She grabbed the menu on the table to hide her face. Had it not been for that night, she would've greeted him confidently. But now, it was just too awkward to do so. "What are you looking at?" Thomas York, who was standing next to Noel, asked as he followed Noel's gaze. There were customers ordering and restaurant staff passing by—nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Noel retracted his gaze and answered, "The environment." "What? Didn't you design this restaurant? It shouldn't be new to you," Thomas remarked. He then glanced around with some regret. "The design's good, but it's a bit hard to relax in this setting. A place with such class doesn't really suit a playboy like me." Thomas was always surrounded by beautiful women when attending events. "It's good for your health," Noel replied indifferently. Thomas gasped. "Well, thank you for that." As they talked, the group was led upstairs. Whitney, peeking from behind the menu, let out a breath of relief. She didn't expect to run into Noel here. To avoid further awkwardness, she'd have to finish her dinner quickly. "Whitney?" Suddenly, Damian's voice came from above her. She looked up and saw him staring at her in surprise. "Sorry to keep you waiting. There was some traffic on the way." Damian had left in the afternoon, saying he was heading to the company's branch office. "I just got here." Her tone was cold, hiding any emotion. Damian gave the waiter instructions to serve the dishes and then took out a small black velvet box. "Here's a gift for you. See if you like it." Whitney lowered her gaze. She didn't need to guess to know that it was definitely a pair of earrings. He had a habit of rotating between gifts—from necklaces, earrings, to rings. He gave her a diamond necklace on her last birthday, so it was probably earrings this time. "I bought this from an auction in Moslea last time. I thought it would suit you." Since she didn't take the box from him, he opened it himself. Inside were finely cut, teardrop-shaped diamond earrings. They were clearly worth a lot. "I'll help you put them on." Damian moved to stand up. "Let's eat first. I'm hungry." All the dishes had been served. Whitney picked up her cutlery and began focusing on the food. No matter how bad her mood was, she shouldn't take it out on the food or her stomach. Damian was silent for a couple of seconds before smiling and encouraging her to eat more. He even constantly helped her with her food. "You've always wanted to join the architecture department," he said as he put food on her plate. "There's an opening for a position there now." Whitney paused and looked up from her food. She had always regretted giving up on the major she once loved. She had also told Damian before that she wanted to transfer to the architecture department, even if it meant applying internally. Damian noticed the surprised look on her face. "I've remembered it all along. I was just waiting for the right opening. Now that it's here, I'll transfer you in a few days. "Also, I had dinner with a friend yesterday. He knows a famous neurologist. I've arranged for your mom to have another check-up in a couple of days. I know you really hope she'll wake up in time to attend our wedding." Whitney automatically ignored the last part of his sentence. She couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement when she heard that there might be a way to help her mother wake up. Her mother, Margaret Colin, had been in a coma since the car accident when Whitney was four years old. It had been 20 years. Despite seeing countless specialists, Margaret still wouldn't wake up. In order to take better care of Whitney, Westley had no choice but to divorce Margaret and marry Rebecca. "Can this neurologist really make my mom wake up?" Whitney stared at Damian intently. "I've sent her medical records to him, and he said the chances are high." Whitney's eyes instantly filled with tears. For countless nights, she had wished for Margaret to wake up. And she had been disappointed for the same amount of time. Eventually, she stopped expecting. Damian handed her a tissue to wipe her tears. "Whitney, when your mom wakes up and sees us married, she'll be so happy. Let's leave the past behind. Come home with me tonight, will you?"