Chapter 8
Shawn assumed she was angling for a proposal, and Kate was busy bragging about getting Cindy’s seal of approval. But honestly, Havenbrook and the Reynolds family weren’t all that impressive–Allison’s dad wouldn’t even bother with them.
“Oh, okay,” Allison replied, staying as cool as a cucumber.
Kate and Shawn exchanged confused looks. Why wasn’t she fazed at all?
Kate gave Allison a good look, trying to spot any signs of envy or frustration. But Allison’s face was a perfect poker face–absolutely nothing to read there.
Kate was left scratching her head. Was Allison just putting on a brave front, or did she really not
care?
Shawn’s frustration was written all over his face. “Allison, what’s your deal? Did you know Kate and I were here to check out rings and decided to show up just to mess with us?
“Let me be straight with you. We’re going nowhere. Even if you try to push for marriage today, it’s not happening!
“Marriage is about being a good match, and with your situation, how do you expect to marry me?”
Shawn pressed on, “Just look at yourself. It’s embarrassing!”
He was genuinely ticked off, throwing a bunch of accusations her way. But Allison didn’t bat an
eye.
She smiled warmly. “Am I the one being embarrassing?
“As far as I know, we haven’t broken up, which makes Kate the side piece and you the cheater. So, who’s really being embarrassing?”
Shawn was livid, his chest puffing with anger. He snapped, “Are you taking it off or not?”
Allison replied, as cool as a breeze, “Nope.”
“Fine! Keep it on if you want, but I’m not buying you a ring or marrying you!”
Allison just nodded, “Alright.”
Shawn was at a loss. He shot her a furious glare before storming out.
Kate chased after him. “Shawn, wait up!”
After they left, the store clerk looked puzzled. “Ms. Allison, who were those two?”
‘Just some irrelevant people. Don’t worry about them.”
In the three years they dated, Shawn never thought about marrying her. Little did he know, he
didn’t make the cut to marry her, and she never planned to marry him anyway.
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00:44
Chapter 8
Allison snapped a few photos of the ring on her finger and sent them to Joshua.
Allison: [Do you like it?]
At that moment, back at Oak Lake, in the CEO’s office at Fisher Corporation, Joshua read the message from “Allie” on his phone, a smile creeping across his face. He set aside his papers and typed back.
Joshua: [It’s beautiful. Do you like it?]
Allison: [I do.]
Joshua’s grin widened.
Joshua: [Glad to hear it.]
Allison: [Joshua, this ring must’ve cost a fortune, right?]
Joshua: [Not at all. You deserve the best.]
Seth, the assistant, stood by, waiting for Joshua to sign some documents. He’d been sneaking glances at his boss.
Was he seeing things? Was their usually stoic CEO actually smiling–and not just any smile–a genuinely sweet one? It was like the air around him was filled with pink, fluffy bubbles.
“Done. What are you looking at?” Joshua asked, slipping back into his usual cool demeanor.
Seth snapped out of it and quickly grabbed the signed papers. “Nothing at all, sir. I’ll just head
out.”
Meanwhile, Allison had picked up the ring and wandered into a men’s watch boutique next door. She planned to buy Joshua a watch as a gift for when she headed back to Oak Lake. Her dad had shown her some recent photos of Joshua. He looked just like she remembered–cool as ever, with sharp features and striking eyes.
Allison carefully picked out a sleek black watch that seemed just right for Joshua. Just as she wrapped up the purchase, a familiar face popped up.
“Allison, what are you up to?“
