Third person's POV
Tabitha closed the car door and through the rearview mirror, she saw Gloria standing quietly by the roadside, her gaze following the car with a complex array of emotions—reluctance, helplessness, and something else that Tabitha couldn't quite put her finger on.
Seeing Gloria like that caused a pang of pain in Tabitha's heart.
She suddenly understood the look of heartache and helplessness that Gloria had given her when she was going through her own emotional turmoil.
'The world of adults is like that. When misfortune strikes, they often have to keep it hidden inside, unable to express their emotions as freely as children, who can cry or laugh at will.'
'As an onlooker, even if one's heart aches, there's nothing that can be done but to watch, which is both helpless and heart-wrenching.'
It wasn't until the car had driven so far away that Gloria was out of sight that Tabitha withdrew her gaze.
She was silent for a while, then instructed Forrest, "Turn back."
"Huh?" Forrest was taken aback and turned to look at Tabitha with confusion.
"Do as I say, but drive slower," Tabitha said with emphasis, leaving no room for argument.
"Okay." Forrest quickly responded, slowing down and turning the car around.
Before long, the car returned to the building where Gloria lived.
Through the car window, Tabitha saw another car parked downstairs— a silver Spyker, striking against the backdrop of the snowstorm.
At that moment, a tall man stepped out of the car. He had an upright posture and moved with grace, a modest smile on his face, and an extraordinary aura.
Tabitha's pupils contracted, and she was shocked, thinking to herself.
'How could it be him? It was Alpha Leopold, whom she had met only once, Gloria's boss.'
If it was him, something clicked in Tabitha's mind.
The relationship between an assistant and a boss was indeed a taboo in the workplace, not something to be spoken of openly.
Of course, if they truly loved each other, there shouldn't be so many obstacles on the path of love.
As Tabitha pondered, she saw Alpha Leopold say something to Gloria, causing her emotions to become extremely agitated.
Her face flushed with anger and grievance. She ran towards a nearby flower bed, picked up a brick, and seemed ready to fight to the death.
Seeing this, Alpha Leopold quickly stepped forward, took the brick from Gloria's hand, pulled her into his arms, pressed her against the car, and kissed her without any preamble.
Snowflakes fell around them, landing on their shoulders and hair. The brick in Gloria's hand clattered to the ground.
Her face was streaked with tears that flowed down her cheeks, but she didn't push the man away.
Her body trembled, immersed in the complex and intense emotions.
Tabitha quietly withdrew her gaze and said in a low voice, "Let's go."
She knew that Gloria had fallen genuinely in love with this man.
But in the world of emotions, the one who fell in love first was often destined to be the one more likely to get hurt. She wondered what kind of situation Gloria would face in the future.
Tabitha was silent all the way back, not uttering a word, her mind constantly filled with scenes from her and Gloria's school days—laughing, playing, and dreaming about the future together, like a movie on a loop.
She fell into deep thought, wondering if they could have known the twists and turns of fate that lay ahead, would they have laughed more unrestrainedly, making those beautiful moments even more brilliant?
The car slowly pulled up to her home, and Forrest was very tactful.
He carefully took Ayla out of the car first.
Tabitha, however, did not immediately follow, instead standing quietly under the streetlight, her gaze somewhat vacant as she watched the snowflakes dance in the air, lost in thought.
"I know you're there, Wilmot," Tabitha said.
Derek slowly emerged from behind the streetlight, standing at a distance, gazing at her with a hint of complex emotion in his eyes.
He said, "I promised I wouldn't disturb your life."
At that moment, they just looked at each other in silence.
Tabitha stared intently into his eyes, trying to discern something from his pupils.
However, she found his gaze profound and mysterious. A single glance was not enough to see through to his true thoughts.
"Thank you for that night," Tabitha said with her head lowered, her words sincere.