CHAPTER 400: CHAPTER 400: IS SHE PRETTY?

Audrey Sutton pouted indifferently and said, "He’s not wanted by anyone; he’s already so old and has a bad temper."

Hazel Yates: "Shane’s coming over for dinner tonight. You can say that in front of him."

"Don’t invite him over for dinner."

"He’s coming from far away, you won’t let him stay, and he can’t even have a meal?"

"Mom, he’s the one who did wrong, you should educate him, you can’t keep pampering him like this."

Hazel Yates took Audrey Sutton’s empty soup bowl, glanced at her, and said, "I think it’s you who shouldn’t be pampered."

Audrey Sutton snorted, "I want another bowl of soup."

"Mom will get it for you. It looks like your appetite’s been good lately, your face is getting chubby."

Audrey Sutton paused her chopsticks with the vegetables, pinched her cheeks with her hand, "Mom, bring the electronic scale so I can weigh myself."

"Why weigh? A little chubbiness is good, what’s most important now is nourishing your body."

Audrey Sutton put down her chopsticks, walked to the mirror and looked at herself, and asked Hazel Yates, "Does the weight gain really show?"

Hazel Yates chuckled, "You’re not chubby, just right. You’re worried Shane will dislike you?"

Audrey Sutton hesitated for a moment, returned to the table, and murmured dismissively, "I’m the one who might dislike him."

In the evening, Shane didn’t come over for dinner nor did he send her any messages.

Audrey Sutton unintentionally learned from Hazel Yates that she had called Shane over for dinner, but Shane said he wouldn’t come; he was having dinner with friends outside.

Where would he get friends around here? Could he have hooked up with some pretty girl?

Most people on the island are tourists, from everywhere, naturally there are beautiful women, all dressed like movie stars.

Shane might not initiate flirting, but he certainly has the charisma to attract girls.

In the past, when she accompanied him, other women could only look from afar.

Now that he’s alone, there must be plenty of girls willing to approach him, and they’ve been apart for over a month. When they were together, he would mess with her several times a week; it’s likely he’s been thinking about those things.

He’s even mentioned before, sometimes men think with their lower body.

During such times of temptation, it should be easy for other women to approach him?

Audrey Sutton sat at the edge of the bed, looking at the time on her phone, almost ten o’clock.

At this hour, he usually sends a message reminding her to sleep.

She stared at the phone without blinking, not a single movement.

Could it be that he’s having so much fun with other girls that he completely forgot about her?

She watched helplessly as the time passed ten, minute by minute slipping by. After five minutes, Audrey Sutton sighed, put down her phone, and got up to wash.

"Ding dong—" Her nightgown was half off when she heard her phone ring. She quickly put the gown back on and rushed to the bedside to grab the charging phone.

Seeing Shane’s message, a faint smile immediately lit up her gloomy face.

Y: You should go to sleep now.

Audrey Sutton couldn’t help but ask him: Where are you?

Y: Just got back to the guesthouse.

Audrey Sutton typed another line "Where did you go tonight?" but hesitated before sending it, then deleted it.

She directly asked him: Is she pretty?

Y: Who?

Audrey Sutton: You don’t know who you’re with tonight?

She asked this to probe his response, thinking this approach might get the truth.

If he were really out chasing women, hearing her ask this would probably make him think someone saw him fooling around and would explain himself honestly.

His answer was: Julian Bishop, do you think he’s pretty?

Audrey Sutton paused, relieved her doubts, and then asked: What’s Mr. Bishop doing over here?

Y: Looking for design inspiration.

Before Audrey Sutton replied, he quickly sent another message: So you’ve been jealous all night?

Audrey Sutton: Jealous of what? Like I’d care?

Y: Yeah, you’re not jealous. You just spent the whole night inventing stories.

Y: Stop overthinking and sleep, goodnight.

Audrey Sutton was just waiting for those "goodnight" words. Seeing him say "goodnight" each day seems to be the only way she can sleep soundly; otherwise, she feels something’s missing.

Only then did she contentedly put down her phone, quickly shower, and lie comfortably in bed.

Counting the days and enduring the last four, Audrey Sutton felt almost as excited as being released from prison.

She got up early in the morning, ran downstairs excitedly.

Hazel Yates, preparing breakfast, was amused at her behavior, knowing she couldn’t bear being cooped up any longer, smiled and said, "The sun’s not burning now, go sunbathe in the yard."

"Mom, can I eat spicy now?"

"I’ll give you a little."

Audrey Sutton giggled, standing at the front door gazing at the scenery outside.

Seeing it directly and through the window are two entirely different feelings.

Hazel Yates kept herself busy, asked her, "Want me to call Shane to accompany you?"

"Why call him? Would ruin the mood," Audrey Sutton said, stepping out of the door, walking towards an old wooden swing on the lawn.

Sitting on it, swinging in the sun, feeling the breeze on her cheeks seemed like a distant memory.

Shane hasn’t seen her these days, or to be precise, hasn’t come upstairs to see her. He’s had a few meals at the house, but Audrey Sutton stayed upstairs, and they hadn’t met.

Yet he chats with her daily; she’s started responding more, thoughtfully choosing her words, trying to appear aloof.

He knows she’s "released" today; he should come to see her later, right?

A leaf floated by, Audrey Sutton looked down at the piled up leaves on the lawn, and suddenly realized these look just like the leaf-shaped pendant Shane gifted her.

Audrey Sutton looked up at the tall, lush sycamore tree behind her.

Previously, she only knew the yard had a big tree, never really cared what type.

Sycamores don’t hold any special memories for her.

It was after Shane gifted her the pendant that she started to care about this tree type.

"Breakfast is ready! Come inside and eat first!" Hazel Yates called to Audrey Sutton from the doorway.

Audrey Sutton set her thoughts aside, hopped off the swing, and hurried into the house, seeing Norman Sutton with a messy hairdo, evidently just woken by their mom.

Seeing Audrey Sutton downstairs, he paused for a moment, "How’d you get down here? Finished your month?"

Realizing this, Norman Sutton groaned, "Half my summer’s gone!"