"Huh?" Dorothy was bewildered. She couldn"t believe that Sophia was smiling at her and proposing a private talk. Moreover, she could not think of anything she"d like to talk to her about. So she arrogantly replied, "I don"t think that"s necessary. I have nothing to say to you." She then took Colin"s arm with the intention of going away. "Come on, Colin, let"s go."
Before Colin and Dorothy could leave, Sophia said, "I am sorry I"ve done things that offended you before, Miss Lien. I owe you an apology. Today I just want to talk things out with you, privately. Just the two of us."
The rest of the group was shocked.
Leila didn"t know all the stories between Dorothy and Sophia, but she knew enough to know that they were not friends to each other. Why would Sophia suddenly want to apologize to Dorothy? What was going on?
Dorothy, on the other hand, was satisfied as well as shocked at Sophia"s words. Hardly trying to veil her smug satisfaction, she raised her head a little higher, unaware of Colin"s darkened face.
Colin was indeed angry with Sophia. He"d already promised Sophia that he would always stand by her side no matter what she did. Now her offer of an apology to Dorothy was a total betrayal of his trust.
Dorothy loosened her arm from Colin"s and turned to face Sophia with a condescending look. "Well, if you insist, I guess I can spare a few minutes to hear you out."
Sophia nodded and then followed Dorothy out of the living room. Before she was gone, she looked back and gave Colin a glance. A glance with a spark of... wickedness.
Colin caught the glance and realized that it wasn"t truly a call for truce. Instantly, his mood lightened and a smile appeared on his face.
Leila picked up a gla.s.s of champagne from a tray near her and approached Colin. "Hi, Colin. Long time no see. How are you these days?"
It had been a long time since they last met. She had stopped contacting him ever since she knew that he was in love with her cousin Sophia.
Colin took a sip of the red wine before looking away from the direction where Sophia had just went. "Now that Sophia"s back, I"ve never been better." His tone was affectionate and tender, showing no attempt to hide his feelings for Sophia. Colin felt happy to have Sophia around. Even quarreling with her made him feel alive.
However, the more he talked about his love for Sophia, the more painful it became for Leila to hear about it. A moment of silence pa.s.sed before Leila could regain her composure and ask, "If you love Sophia so much, why are you still with Dorothy?"
"Dorothy, " Colin paused, his eyes fixed on the red wine as the smile on his face slowly disappeared. "I want nothing left for her in the end."
Leila was a smart woman. She immediately understood that there was more to that seemingly flourishing relationship between Colin and Dorothy.
She also knew that it was time to get this man out of her head and move on. So she raised her
Jean Wen sacrificed herself for family interests. Before her husband divorced her, she made every effort to please him.
"You are inexperienced in bed," he said coldly.
"You! Give that land to my family, or I won"t agree to divorce," Jean replied furiously.
"Fine. It is exactly what I am thinking about," he sneered.
ook so beautiful, Miss Lien! No wonder both Mr. Li and Payne were swept off their feet." Sophia struggled to suppress her real feelings while she paid the compliment.
Dorothy put away the lipstick with a self-satisfied smile. "Oh, really? I didn"t know that! Come on, let"s get out of here. I want my dear Colin to see me with my new lip color!" She was expecting Colin to kiss her on those rose lips, or maybe even spend the night with her...
Unable to wait another minute, Dorothy opened the door and walked out. Seeing that she was gone, Sophia hurriedly covered her nose and mouth with her hands to stop inhaling any more of the smell of the lipstick. She wanted to wash her face with cold water, but she didn"t want to miss the show she had planned for Dorothy. So she tagged along out of the room.
When they entered the living room, Dorothy saw that Colin and Leila were having a good time laughing and talking. Feeling jealous, she quickened her pace. As she slipped her arms into Colin"s, she said, "Hi, Colin! What were you two talking about?"
Colin noticed that Dorothy was wearing a new lipstick. He figured that Sophia might have something to do with it.
Standing right next to him, Dorothy was thrilled to see that the new lipstick did work. Colin seemed unable to take his eyes off her lips.
Flushing with pleasure, she raised her chin a little higher. "I am wearing a new lipstick. Do you like it, Colin?" she asked.
Behind Dorothy, Sophia was nodding her head wildly to give Colin a signal. Colin understood. He placed a hand under Dorothy"s chin to have a better look at her lips, "Yes, I do." As he said this, he leaned forward and whispered in Dorothy"s ear, "I like it so much I want to kiss you right now!"
Dorothy"s face turned red. She whispered back, "Wait until later, Colin! My mom has prepared a room for us, we should stay there tonight, okay?"
"Okay, as long as it makes you happy." Colin released her chin with a smile.