Yumi sighed as she read Lawrence's message. "Okay. Now I don't have to act histrionic because the meeting wasn't pushed through."
Their meeting was canceled because Luke rehired Lawrence to Fiery Corp. Her concern about Lawrence's employment status subsided. As of now, no one will be impacted solely by Luke's decisions.
She has no plans for the day. She will simply act easy going, despite the fact that she needs to finish writing an essay for an online writing contest. Maybe Luke was right; she should have been a cook instead of a writer. But, after all, it was only a small part of her play.
Despite the fact that the sun was about to set, she closed the window and decided to take a nap first. She is still trying to forget about Luke. With the hurtful words he uttered to her without regard for her feelings and the fact that he nearly killed her with a knife, she knew the young man was capable of more.
Luke may have gone too far for Yumi because of his childhood traumas. She is not a fool to believe that his entire past harassment experiences had no effect on his behavior. Luke is likely to reach a point where he can kill people with his wrath. Yumi is unsure what to call someone who becomes violent when their mental state is abnormal.
Yumi's phone abruptly rang. The caller's name was Lawrence. Maybe he needed to get something across quickly, so she responded right away.
"Is there a problem, Sir Lawrence?" she asked, perplexed.
"Excellent news, Yumi. My boss informed me that your story had been selected. That will be used in the music video that Fiery will produce. Lawrence's voice reflects his excitement.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm no longer interested in joining your team," she lied." Even with Lawrence, she had to act frail. Her plans to get to know this young man are included as well.
"Ms. Mayumi, we don't have a choice but to select your work. My boss appreciated your work as well. Please disregard the previous texts I sent you. It's just a misunderstanding."
"Me too, do not wish to speak with your boss. Please do not call me again, sir." Yumi quickly hung up the phone. All she could hear right now was her heart thumping incessantly. She feels as if she's suffocating. But she finally felt relieved after she told her lies.
"I'm sorry, Lawrence. I just want Luke to find me, try to convince me that I should come to an agreement to be the company's writer. You're not a scapegoat in this plan," she said as she returned her phone to the desk.
However, several minutes after Lawrence's call, she received another call on her phone. She smiled, assuming Lawrence will persuade her to accept his offer. Her mood changes abruptly when she realizes it's none other than her female boss, Agent Roberta.
"H-hello?" she said, her voice trembling.
"Agent Perez, did you just forget that you still have a boss to whom you have to report?" Agent Roberta chastised her at the time.
"Apologies, I've been so busy fixing my rejected manuscript; you know that Luke Laurel hasn't allowed me to work in his company up to this point," Yumi clarified, apologizing for her error.
"Do your job well, Yumi. You know we have to close this case and move forward. Don't forget there's a meeting on Saturday. Come to our headquarters earlier than the meeting time." Agent Roberta became calm before hanging up the phone.
Yumi quickly felt the pressure of being a state agent whose main job is to apprehend criminals and fugitives.
****
"Mother Lingling. Finally you are here, "Luke said kindly to Mother Lingling. He also picked up the lady at the airport.
"I'm sorry Luke, if my niece didn't treat you well," Mother Lingling apologized.
"Actually, I have something to ask about her." Luke didn't know how to convey what he wanted to ask Mother Lingling. It seems like his brain will explode and he won't be able to sleep for a few days because of that.
"Didn't Yumi have a boyfriend after we broke up?"
Mother Lingling was surprised by Luke's question. He suspected that he might still have feelings for her niece.
"I have not heard anything from her. If you notice, Yumi has also changed. Probably because she was away from me for a long time and from the different people she met. Maybe she had boyfriends and she's not open for telling that. She's secretive sometimes."
"It's like I'm talking to someone else when we talked last time," Luke remarked.
"Well, as I have said, Yumi may have been changed by the new people she meets. It's all over with you so I hope you won't be affected by her presence. And she also said that she would never come back here. She realized that you really don't want her with you and she doesn't want to affect my work with you," Mother Lingling explained apologetically.
"Just bring her back, please."
"Sir?"
Luke nodded repeatedly. "I'm not joking. Just send her back here. "
"Oh, thank you so much. This was a big help to my niece. She said that she needs to move because she only lives at her friend's house and she can't afford to rent an apartment." She was thankful enough for Luke to be considerate for Yumi even if they didn't get along well.
"I have no choice, and I also don't want her to struggle with her new career as a writer, which is a better job than being a courtesan," Luke explained.
"Well, thank you; even though you have prejudice against Yumi because of her previous job, you are still willing to give her another chance," Mother Lingling smiled, despite her discomfort with Luke's remarks about her niece.
"I'm only doing this for your sake; I don't want her to get in trouble because of her career, and you told me she's your only relative, so I don't want to appear selfish in your eyes," he clarified, shaking his head.
"I promise you I'll supervise Yumi; she won't do anything wrong; she's kind and she's not that obnoxious despite having worked in clubs before," Mother Lingling assured.