CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24: LIFE HAS GAINED WARMTH

Audrey Sutton wasn’t sure if it was the night that was too beautiful, or if it was because of the person beside her; the city before her eyes seemed even more enchanting at this moment.

Someone was playing the cello on the street, the husky sound filling the night. Accompanied by the tune, they strolled along the street, and her heart gradually relaxed.

Audrey noticed a crowd gathered across the street, and she was about to head over and join the excitement when Shane Warner pulled her into a women’s clothing store.

As soon as they entered, without even looking, he said something to the shop assistant in French. Immediately, the assistant brought over a few dresses.

The dresses differed in style, color, and material, but they were all long dresses.

He took a light pink dress and handed it to Audrey, "Go try it on in the fitting room."

"I don’t like this color, it’s too childish."

Shane Warner: "It suits you."

Hearing Shane say that, Audrey was even less willing to wear such a cute dress. She casually glanced around and picked a burgundy dress from the rack behind her: "I want this one."

After saying that, she made her way towards the fitting room.

Shane didn’t say anything further, as long as the length was suitable, it was fine.

The dress was a bodycon dress that outlined Audrey’s figure beautifully.

She wasn’t particularly voluptuous, but her curves were well-defined. At just over 1.6 meters, she was neither tall nor short, with a petite frame. She looked slim but felt a bit fleshy, everything just right.

The dress style was quite sexy and mature, which she could carry effortlessly, adding a touch of sophistication beyond her usual self.

The burgundy color made her already fair complexion look even more radiant.

Shane didn’t nitpick and just went to swipe his card for payment.

There were a lot of people coming and going on the street, and with every couple of steps, Shane would check to see if Audrey was keeping up.

Wearing the dress, Audrey could hardly move her legs, being forced into a ladylike demeanor. With high heels on, walking was quite effortful.

Her phone rang in her bag, and as she lowered her head to retrieve it, the keychain inside fell out. She bent down to pick it up.

When Shane turned around, she was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and looked around, intending to turn back when he saw her not far away.

He let out a sigh of relief but still went back to her side, grabbing her wrist: "So many people around and you’re still looking at your phone while walking?"

Audrey looked down at his hand holding her wrist, and secretly smiled.

After making their way through the crowd, he led her into a jewelry building.

As far as the eye could see were counters of luxury brands from around the world.

"What do you want to buy? A watch?" Audrey asked him.

Because apart from watches, he didn’t really use earrings, bracelets, or necklaces.

Audrey overlooked one thing—a ring.

Shane didn’t answer her question but stopped next to a counter mainly selling rings: "Pick one you like."

Audrey paused, looking down at the sparkling rings in the glass display, deliberately asking: "Why are you buying me a ring?"

"Didn’t you say the ring at the wedding was too big?"

She’d just said it casually, not expecting him to take it to heart.

After thinking it over, Audrey asked again: "But we’re not really married, there’s no need to buy a ring, right?"

Shane: "I don’t want to see a newspaper headline one day about your bare hand suggesting the Warner and Sutton families have secretly divorced or something. Reporters can make up stories from any little clue."

Audrey’s eyes dimmed, so he didn’t genuinely want to give her a ring.

She casually picked a couple’s ring, with only a small diamond as a decorative piece. The design was exquisite and elegant, not too ostentatious.

They each took one and put it on. Audrey couldn’t tell if she was happy or unhappy inside, it felt like completing a task.

But thinking that, even if it was just a task, she was the only one who could complete it with him, made her feel a bit better.

They passed by a small arched bridge, where the view on both ends was quite nice. Audrey handed him her phone: "Help me take a few photos."

Shane took the phone, watching her naturally pose. He clicked the shutter, and the image captured on screen seemed much more beautiful than the scenery.

Audrey changed her poses and expressions a few times, seeing him only staring at the screen without looking at her: "Did you take the picture or not?"

Shane just pocketed the phone and walked over: "That’s enough, two photos are okay."

"Then take a back view of me, just pretend I’m looking at the scenery on the bridge."

With that said, Audrey turned her back to him.

The burgundy dress looked surprisingly harmonious amid the night and scenery.

Shane had done photography at school, so he didn’t have the "straight guy photography" issues.

Audrey looked at the photos on the phone with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Not bad, I thought you’d make me look like I was 150 cm tall. You stand over there, and I’ll take two photos of you."

Shane directly refused: "No way."

"Fine, forget it." Audrey muttered as she opened the "Lucky Nine Treasures" group on WhatsApp and sent the photos over.

Hazel Yates was the first to comment, asking: "Why aren’t there any pictures of Shane?"

Shane held her hand and continued walking, his gaze casually glancing at her phone, curious about what she was chatting about.

Before he could figure out much, Audrey stopped in her tracks, came close, and switched her phone to selfie mode, saying to him: "My mom doesn’t believe we’re together. She wants me to send a picture."

Before Shane could react, she had already snapped a picture, looking at it and saying to herself: "Let’s retake it; my expression was off. You should smile a bit too."

Shane looked at the cat-ear sticker she chose and really couldn’t force a smile. She even asked him: "Could you squat a little? You’re too tall."

His expression darkened a bit more, but he cooperatively spread his long legs slightly.

Watching her fiddle with her phone to find the best angle before finally pressing the shutter button.

Although Shane’s face remained stern, he thought inwardly that she was adorable.

Moreover, he envied the way her family interacted.

When his brother was still around, he felt the house had a homely atmosphere. After his brother left, the pursuit of interests slowly made the house cold and tasteless.

What he never told Audrey was that her intrusion brought warmth into his life.

"My mom wants me to add you to the group, but I don’t have your WhatsApp." She suddenly looked up at him.

Shane collected his thoughts and said lightly: "Just search by my phone number."

Audrey murmured "oh" and began entering his phone number in the search bar, then paused, realizing she had exposed something.

Shane just chuckled without saying anything, surprised she’d memorized his number so quickly.