"Beauty, darling," her mother said, clasping her hands together in delight. "This young man asked to see you."
Beauty's heart raced faster; she could feel her pulse in her ears. She had asked back then, and he had confirmed the gifts were from him.
Maybe it was just a coincidence, she convinced herself as her stomach knotted uncomfortably.
Eric, still smiling warmly, stepped forward, holding the flowers out toward Beauty.
"Hey," he said softly, his eyes locking with hers.
"Hey," Beauty replied dryly.
"I thought it was about time I stopped hiding behind the gifts. I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but... I wasn't sure how. I didn't want to make things awkward at work, you know? But I just couldn't keep it a secret any longer."
Beauty's eyes darted between the bouquet and Eric's face. Her mind flashed back to what she had heard from the beauticians concerning the confrontation between him and Bruno.
Suddenly, anger welled up inside her.
Beauty wasn't happy to see Eric at all. The thought of him being the person behind those flowers, chocolates, and gifts that she'd secretly hoped were from Bruno made her blood boil.
She didn't want to deal with him right now. She had to give him a piece of her mind.
She stepped forward, grabbed him by the wrist, and pulled him toward her room. Eric followed, allowing her to lead him smoothly.
Beauty's mother watched them go upstairs with a proud smile, already gathering the information for gossip she would love to share with her husband.
Jessie followed closely and quietly.
Being the last person to enter the room, Jessie shut the door behind her. Then she sat down on a chair and watched the two curiously.
"What the hell are you doing here, Eric?" Beauty demanded, her voice tight with frustration. "I heard everything you said to Bruno about me. And you think you can come here holding those... What am I? A joke?!"
Jessie was surprised to hear Beauty talk like that. She crossed her legs and smirked like a proud mother.
Eric's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't expected this kind of confrontation, especially from Beauty, who had always been soft-spoken around everyone. It was interesting to him-he admitted he liked that side of her. It was weird, but he loved it.
"Look, Beauty," he began calmly, "I was just trying to act cool in front of him. I thought Bruno was one of those bully types, you know? I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just... being stupid."
Beauty folded her arms in anger.
"So, what was I? A toy for you to play with and flaunt your ego? How could you even think that was okay? That you were doing me a favor?"
She scoffed.
"I'm in a relationship with Bruno Hathaway, Eric! Don't worry, you don't have to do me any favors... I would never date a man like you anyway!"
Eric was still shocked by her sharp tone. He had never seen Beauty stand up for herself like this. In fact, it excited him to see her speak with such boldness, but he tried to stay composed.
Jessie's mouth fell open when Beauty declared her relationship with Bruno.
"No way she said that," Jessie gasped quietly.
Eric gulped hard.
"I... I called Bruno before coming here, just to check, you know? To make sure it was okay for me to... to make a move."
Beauty stared at him, dumbfounded. She felt a deep pang in her heart at that statement.
"Bruno wouldn't dare..." Jessie thought sadly.
"When?" Beauty finally found her voice.
"Earlier this evening," Eric answered, his voice now a little shaky under her intense glare.
Beauty swallowed hard, feeling tight with shame, sadness, and disbelief. She blinked back her tears.
How could Bruno move on so easily? Was she really that forgettable to him?
Regaining her composure, she asked sharply, "And what, you thought it was okay to try your luck on the same day I broke up with Bruno?"
Eric was fumbling now, realizing how ridiculous it sounded.
"I didn't know you two broke up today," he said defensively, holding his hands up as if surrendering. "I swear I didn't know. I've been sending you those gifts for months, Beauty. I didn't mean to cause trouble. I just thought maybe... I don't know, maybe you'd give me a chance."
Beauty's eyes welled up with tears, but they weren't just for Bruno anymore. It was the exhaustion of everything-the lies, the mixed signals, the constant battle between her head and heart.
Jessie watched quietly, hoping her friend would handle the situation well.
"Eric," Beauty said, her voice trembling, "you need to leave."
Eric hesitated, his eyes focused on her face. He could see the pain in her eyes, the kind of pain he hadn't expected to cause.
"I'm sorry, Beauty. I really am," he said softly.
Without waiting for a response, Eric turned and left the room, the door closing quietly behind him.
Beauty stood there for a moment, her body stiff, holding herself together as best as she could. But as soon as she heard the sound of his footsteps fade away, the floodgates opened.
Tears streamed down her face.
Jessie moved quickly to her side, wrapping her arms around Beauty in a tight hug.
"You did the right thing," Jessie whispered.
Beauty leaned into her friend, the sobs coming loudly now as her mind went back to Bruno's cold silence on the phone. She had poured her heart out to apologize, and he didn't said a single word to her in return.
"It's like Bruno doesn't even care anymore. How could he tell Eric to go ahead like that?"
Jessie sighed, pulling back to look at her. "Maybe he's hurting too. Maybe he just didn't know how to handle it."
"I don't know, Jess," Beauty muttered. "I thought he loved me."
Jessie gave her a sad smile.
"Love's complicated. But what's important now is that you start loving yourself, Beauty. I think Bruno wants you to see yourself differently."
"By hurting me? Asking another man to take his chance with me?"
She straightened up and wiped her tears.
"Jessie... can you... I need to be alone," she said without looking at her friend.
Jessie sighed.
"Alright... I'll go now. See you at the company tomorrow. Take care of yourself, honey. Put yourself first."
She pecked Beauty's forehead and left the room afterward, leaving Beauty sitting on her bed, her phone lying by her side where she had dropped it.
She stared at it, wondering if Bruno would ever call her back.
Outside the house, Eric had entered his car. He took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello... I did as you asked."