Chapter 150: Chapter 137: No Good

The next day, Annabelle Leighton slept in until nine-thirty.

As soon as she opened her eyes, it felt like a bomb was buried in her temples.

She had a meeting at the studio that morning. She struggled up from the sofa, and as she did, the blanket draped over her waist slid to the floor.

’Who covered me with a blanket?’

She vaguely remembered Shane Sterling picking her up from the bar last night. They seemed to have chatted a little on the way, but Annabelle had absolutely no memory of what they’d talked about.

’It must have been Shane Sterling who covered me.’

’That guy Shane Sterling has gotten so much more considerate since marrying Isla Prescott. I’ll have to thank him next time I visit her.’

“You’re awake.”

A man’s voice suddenly came from behind her.

Annabelle jumped in fright. She whipped her head around to see Morgan Hayes walking out of her kitchen.

“You… What are you doing here?”

Morgan Hayes’s eyes darkened. “You don’t remember?”

Annabelle truly didn’t remember Morgan Hayes being there last night.

’Did I remember wrong? Was it Morgan Hayes who brought me home, not Shane Sterling?’

“Sorry, I kind of blacked out. Was it you who brought me home?”

“No, it was Mr. Sterling.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Mr. Sterling called me. He asked me to come take care of you.”

Annabelle thought for a moment. ’This must have been Isla Prescott’s idea. But what Isla doesn’t know is that Morgan Hayes already has a girlfriend.’

“Sorry for the trouble last night. Thank you.” Annabelle scratched her head. “A situation like this won’t happen again.”

“What situation?”

“The situation where my friend calls you to come take care of me.”

“That’s it?”

“What else? What other situation would there be?”

Morgan Hayes took a slow breath. It seemed she really had blacked out.

’She didn’t remember a single thing about how she’d pushed him down on the sofa like a madwoman last night, kissing him and clinging to him.’

“Last night, you…”

Just as Morgan Hayes was about to remind her, Annabelle’s phone suddenly rang. It was her assistant from the studio. Seeing that the meeting was about to start and Annabelle hadn’t arrived, the assistant was calling to ask if the meeting could still start on time.

“Push it back fifteen minutes. I’m on my way.” Annabelle hung up and looked at Morgan Hayes. “Sorry, I have to go wash up for a meeting.”

The implication was clear: he could leave.

Morgan Hayes had a feeling that something about Annabelle was different now that she was sober, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

“Alright, I’ll be going then.”

“Okay. Goodbye.”

’Goodbye…’

’Right. The difference today was her politeness.’

’Before, they either avoided each other, or Annabelle would start flirting with him the moment they met. Today, he had basically served himself up on a silver platter, yet all he got was a stream of “sorry,” “thank you,” and “goodbye.” She couldn’t have been more polite, or more distant.’

’How did I offend her?’

’Could it be because I pushed her away last night and didn’t let her have her fill of kissing?’

’But didn’t she say she blacked out?’

—

Annabelle went straight into the meeting as soon as she arrived at her studio. By the time it was over, lunchtime had already passed.

She ordered takeout for her staff but couldn’t bring herself to eat anything.

Her head was still throbbing, and her stomach was churning.

She was about to try and get some rest when her stepmother, Jennifer Carter, called.

Annabelle’s mother had passed away from an illness not long after she was born. With her father busy with his business, she had grown up with her grandmother. It wasn’t until she was twelve, when she returned to Meritopia for middle school, that she discovered her father had secretly remarried. The woman he had married was Jennifer Carter.

Jennifer had since had a son and a daughter of her own. Despite this, she treated Annabelle decently enough. At the very least, they never had any major conflicts and managed to maintain a cordial relationship on the surface.

“Auntie,” Annabelle answered the phone.

Jennifer Carter was calling to set Annabelle up on a blind date.

The man was the son of one of Jennifer’s close friends. He was a wealthy heir who had studied abroad and was also launching his own social media startup. To hear Jennifer tell it, the young man was handsome, exceptional, and a catch she would absolutely regret missing.

Annabelle had no desire to go on a blind date, but Jennifer’s last words struck a chord. “Your grandmother once told me,” Jennifer said, “that her greatest wish was to see you happily settled before she passed away.”

It was true. Her grandmother had told her the very same thing on more than one occasion.

Annabelle thought it over. ’Well, chasing Morgan Hayes is a lost cause anyway. I might as well meet this guy.’

“Alright. You two decide on a time and place. Just send me the details once it’s set.”

“Great, great! It’s a date, then.”

Jennifer Carter hung up happily. A moment later, she texted Annabelle the time and place for the date.

The date was set for Saturday. The man had chosen the restaurant; it wasn’t particularly high-end, but she’d heard the food was excellent.

This was Annabelle’s first blind date, so she had no experience, but out of respect for Jennifer and her date, she made sure to dress up nicely.

On Saturday, she arrived at the restaurant at the appointed time to find that her blind date, Nathan Channing, was already there.

“Hello, Miss Leighton. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Mr. Channing, hello.”

After they were seated, they began to chat. Nathan Channing was very interested in social media startups; it seemed he was more keen on learning the secrets to success in the industry than on getting to know Annabelle herself.

Annabelle didn’t hold back. After all, she had been a newcomer once herself and knew that a little guidance from a veteran could help one avoid many pitfalls when just starting out.

With a ready-made topic, there were no awkward silences during the date.

They got along well.

At one point, Annabelle excused herself to go to the restroom.

On her way out, she ran into Morgan Hayes.

It was Morgan’s first day back at work, and he was out for a meal with his colleagues. He never expected to run into Annabelle here of all places.

Annabelle saw him and offered a small smile as a greeting.

Morgan found it strange. ’Before, whenever she saw me, she’d be chattering away as if she had a million things to say. Now, she won’t even say a single word.’

“Here for dinner?” Morgan initiated.

“On a blind date.”

Morgan Hayes frowned, his tone hardening unconsciously. “A blind date?”

“That’s right. Is there a problem with that? Am I not allowed to?”

Annabelle thought resentfully, ’You’re already living your cozy little life with the police chief’s daughter, and I’m not allowed to go on one blind date?’

Morgan had no idea what this woman was up to. One moment she was kissing him like she wanted to devour him, and the next she was on a blind date with another man.

’Sure enough, a rich girl’s mind works differently from a normal person’s.’

Fuming, he turned and walked away.

Annabelle watched Morgan stalk off with a stony expression but paid him no mind.

She returned to their private room. Nathan wanted to keep chatting, but she was no longer in the mood.

They ate a little more before ending the date. As they were heading downstairs, they ran into Morgan Hayes yet again.

Morgan was just about to leave with a few colleagues when he turned and saw Nathan Channing at Annabelle’s side. His expression darkened even further.

’I don’t know why he’s always walking around with such a sour look on his face,’ Annabelle thought. ’He was all smiles in front of the chief’s daughter the other day.’

’Jerk.’

—

Nathan Channing offered to drive Annabelle home, but she refused.

“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Channing, but I drove myself. I won’t trouble you.”

“Then, can we see each other again?” Nathan asked.

“Of course.”

Annabelle didn’t have any romantic feelings for Nathan, but since starting her own business, she was a firm believer that it was always good to have more friends. Today she had helped him learn about the industry; maybe one day he could help her with a problem.

They exchanged contact information and went their separate ways.

Just as Annabelle got into her car, her phone buzzed.

She assumed it was a message from Nathan, but when she checked, it was from Morgan Hayes.

Morgan Hayes: “That guy is no good.”

It took Annabelle a moment to process who “that guy” was, then she realized he meant Nathan Channing.

’Psycho.’

’What right does he have to judge my date?’

Annabelle sent back a question mark.

Morgan emphasized again, “That guy is really no good.”

Annabelle: “Since when did Officer Hayes get so nosy?”

Morgan didn’t reply.

Annabelle thought he was being ridiculous but didn’t dwell on it. To her surprise, two days later, another message came from him.

“Are you still in touch with that guy?”

“Yes.”

In reality, they weren’t.

Annabelle had been so busy the past two days that she’d completely forgotten about the date. Nathan had sent her “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” and “Good night” texts, but she would just glance at them and then forget to reply.

She just didn’t want to lose ground to Morgan Hayes.

After she replied, Morgan went silent again.

Annabelle was furious. ’Since that jerk already has a girlfriend, what business does he have meddling in my life? And he’s so cryptic about it, too!’

Just as she was in the middle of her silent tirade, the doorbell rang.

’Who could be visiting this late at night?’

Annabelle tiptoed to the door and looked through the peephole, surprised to see Morgan Hayes standing outside.

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