“Why are you here?”
Adalind almost jumped out of her seat when she heard Lily’s voice. She turned towards Lily who was already standing next to her. She was too engrossed in her own thinking that she did not even notice Lily approached her.
“Oh!” Adalind smiled as she rose from her seat. She looked at Lily. “I am here to apologize for what happened the other day. My cousin gave me a good scolding. I now understand how inappropriate it was.”
“Apology accepted. ” Lily walked towards the other seat, leaving Adalind standing like a statue. “Is this for me?” Lily eyed the pink box wrapped in red ribbons. If her guess was right, it should be some sort of cake or cookies.
Adalind nodded. Lily’s straightforward behavior surprised her. She sat opposite to Lily. She was expecting to see Zhou Jingren just before he left for work. “I baked it myself.”
“Good.” Lily eyed the small maid earlier as she handed the box. She then shifted her gaze to Adalind, the same smile still plastered on her face. Adalind responded with an awkward smile.
She stared at Lily’s smiling face, wondering what to say. For some reason, Lily’s actions made her feel awkward. “Also… I am here to… I heard that you own one house here? The other one with the flowers? I am wondering if you are selling it?”
“No.”
“Oh… maybe we can negotiate? I mean… I really needed a place to stay. I am currently staying at my cousin’s house right now. It’s been a few days and I am loving Hong Kong. So I thought… I should buy something in this place. In case I want to take a break.”
“I agree. Well… just in case… how much are you willing to pay for that three-bedroom house?” Lily asked, interest apparent in her eyes.
“If you want my parent’s lawyers will reach out to your secretary for the offer.”
Lily smiled. “Your parent’s lawyers… are they going to buy the property for you?”
“Yes. My father asked me what I want for my next birthday and I already told him I want a property here. You see… I am very interested in that house. I love the flowers and the view is spectacular.”
“Hmm…” Lily nodded. “Too bad. It’s not for sale.”
“Why not? You already have a mansion. The lady that I talked to said that you never really stayed in that house, anyway. It would be a waste if you… let it rot just like that.”
“Miss Brooke…” Lily made a deliberate pause. “Are you familiar with… emotional attachments?” she asked. “You know… when you get too attached to something very important to you?”
Adalind’s lips lifted into a smirk as she fought the urge to laugh at Lily’s question. “Are you saying that you are… emotionally attached to…. a house?” Mockery laced her tone.
“Oh. You haven’t heard of it?” Lily responded with another question. She lifted her chin a little as she looked at Adalind. Slowly, Lily’s eyebrow raised. “Is that an unfamiliar concept for you?”
As expected, her words erased the smile on Adalind’s face. Why does it seem that Adalind was the one who needs to feel as if she was ignorant? Adalind’s question was supposed to make Lily feel as if she was being too emotional over the house.
Her question was supposed to make Lily feel as if she was overreacting. Adalind thought that her words could easily pressure Lily into selling the old house. She was wrong.
“Well… I am not the type that gets emotionally attached easily.” Adalind retorted. “Things are things. They are easily replaceable.” She smiled. “Just like people.”
Lily snorted, amusement apparent in her eyes. In today’s standards, this woman was very beautiful. She’s tall and slim, her hair was long and silky. And her eyes… well… looking at her eyes reminds Lily of the boundless ocean. Who would have thought that she would be as shallow as the water in a small bucket? Isn’t that… ironic?
“Don’t you agree with me?” Adalind asked. Growing up, Adalind saw how people in her life always come and go. They are just like things… temporary. So why attached yourself to something that will soon disappear from your life?
Isn’t that a waste of your emotions? A waste of your tears?
“I think you are right. People are indeed replaceable. You can easily replace a husband or a lover. But I don’t think you can replace someone that you really love. I mean… if you lose someone that you love. You don’t just replace them. You don’t just forget them.” Lily smiled. “One way or the other… you will get used to their absence. But… I don’t think you can ever replace them.”
“For someone who is at the pinnacle of the business industry, your views are unique. I’d say… it is much weaker compared to the other businessmen that I met before.” Adalind’s father had been in the industry for years. He too believed that he can easily replace people every time that he wanted to. Just like how he replaced her mother with someone younger. Or how he replaced Adalind with his stepdaughter. To Adalind and her father… everything is just… replaceable.
“The business world is… not a place for the weak, Miss Brooke and… believing that you cannot replace someone that you truly love is not being weak.” Lily said. One can easily replace an employee or a director and manager. You can replace your maid or your butler. But… you can never replace a mother who died saving you. You can never replace a grandmother who trained you. Or the man who treated you as his daughter.
The thing is… you can never replace a person who you really love.
“Well, I think it is unique. But this might be because of the fact that you are a woman. I mean… we all know how men think about women in the business world. They generally see us as someone more emotional than them.” Adalind shrugged. This happens not only in the business world but in the whole other industry.
…
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