Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

"Faris, what the hell are you doing?" I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to cover up.

Faris grabbed my collar with one hand, his blood-red eyes locked on my neck before slowly moving up to my face.

"Wanna fuck." He bit his lip, holding back the last word, and stared at me with a stubborn, unwilling look.

Just then, Dakato burst in from the doorway, shouting, "Faris, let go."

Faris didn't even turn his head, just said coldly, "None of your business."

Dakato seemed momentarily speechless, her gaze at Faris becoming very complicated.

After a moment, she calmly said, "It's not my business, and I don't care about you. But I have a responsibility to protect Ms. Russell." Faris snorted. "If Ethan's got the guts, he can fly back right now."

Dakato stood her ground.

Faris suddenly turned his head and yelled at her, "What do you think I am? I won't do that. Can you just leave?"

"Dakato, you go out first," I said.

Dakato glanced at me, then at Faris's profile for a moment before turning and leaving the office.

I lowered my eyes, not wanting to meet his intense and complicated gaze.

"Move aside. I need to check on the kids."

Faris didn't move, but the hand holding my collar loosened. He placed both hands on either side of my body, pressing closer.

"Before you check on them, look at me first." His tone was noticeably calmer than before.

Maybe after biting down that word, he had forced himself to calm down.

"Look at me. How do I look?" he suddenly asked me.

I was speechless for a few seconds, then lowered my head and said, "Handsome!"

He suddenly grabbed my chin with one hand, turning my face towards him, and said rather gloomily, "You didn't even look at me."

I couldn't tell if he was pretending to be drunk. Sometimes, he acted like an angry lion, and other times like a hurt child.

I tried to smile sincerely. "Honestly."

Faris asked, "Then why don't you like me? What's wrong with me? I'll fix it. There are plenty of people who like me. If I wanted, I could have women lining up for me. Do you believe that?" When Faris said this, he curled one side of his lip, full of arrogance.

I remembered reading somewhere that the more arrogant someone appeared on the surface, the more insecure they were inside.

Faris actually had reasons to be arrogant. But feelings were sometimes irrational. The person who could enter one's heart might not be perfect, and someone perfect might not be able to enter one's heart. "I believe you!" I nodded firmly.

Faris snorted, looking displeased. "Only you refuse to look at me properly."

I didn't dare to look up at his hurt expression and awkwardly said, "I'm a divorced woman with two kids. Even if I looked at you properly, it wouldn't matter."

Faris nodded, irritably tugging at his collar.

"So, you're saying I'm being pathetic, right?"

The strong smell of alcohol in his breath made me instinctively lean back a bit.

Maybe he noticed this small movement, and he stepped back a bit, straightening me up.

"Are you afraid of me?"

When Faris asked this, he seemed a bit dazed, like he had just woken from a dream, completely different from the furious lion he had been earlier.

I lowered my eyes and gently shook my head, not saying anything.

He suddenly slapped himself. "What am I doing?"

When he was about to slap himself a second time, I grabbed his hand.

I said, "Stop."

"Don't be afraid; I won't hurt you, never in my life."

Faris helped me straighten my clothes, looking quite serious as he spoke with his eyes downcast.

After speaking, he shook his head, like all drunk people, seeming a bit uncomfortable. He lay down on a nearby sofa, patting his head.

"Make me a cup of tea to sober up. I drank too much last night. My head hurts."

I sighed and went to make him a strong cup of tea.

Placing the tea on the coffee table, I asked, "How much did you drink?"

Faris had one hand on his forehead, eyes closed, and replied.

"I don't know. I just know I drank all night, right next door to you guys. You were having a romantic time, and I was wasting a big room all by myself."

I was slightly stunned.

So, Faris was at the hotel last night too, right next door?

Lying on the sofa, Faris let out a bitter laugh. "When I was a kid, and when our dads were drinking and talking about arranging a marriage for us, I actually believed it. I really thought you'd be my wife someday. I was so naive, not knowing how much a decade could change things."

If Faris hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have remembered at all. Back then, I thought it was just a joke between adults.

Faris kept talking until he eventually fell asleep, not even touching the tea. I found a blanket and covered him up.

When he woke up, I was behind my desk, nursing the baby. I knew he was awake from the noise, but the baby was feeding eagerly, and pulling away would make him suck harder.

Seeing him sit up, holding his head, I nervously said, "I'm feeding the baby."

He grunted in response, didn't get up, and didn't look this way again.

After feeding, I handed the baby to the Postpartum Doula, asking her to take the baby out.

Faris drank the now-cold tea in one gulp, lit a cigarette, and asked me, "Am I going crazy?" I responded nonchalantly.

Faris let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Just think of it as a mental breakdown."

I shifted my gaze from the computer screen to him. "You... don't give up on treatment."

Faris, holding the cigarette, walked towards me.

"A heartache needs a heart cure, but heart cures are hard to find. So, it can't be treated. Not giving up is useless; it's already in the late stages. Let it spread."

As he spoke, he pulled a small toy rabbit from his pocket, about the size of a baby's fist.

He placed the rabbit on the desk and pressed a switch. The rabbit immediately started moving its feet and walking on the desk, singing as it moved.

"For the baby." After saying that, he put one hand in his pocket and left.

The rabbit sang a cheerful song and almost fell. I caught it, turned it off, and made an internal call.

The HR manager soon brought me Dakato's resume. I had already decided to hire her without looking at it. Now, I saw it was very simple, with many blank spaces except for basic information. On the way home, I casually asked, "Dakato, what did you do before?"

Dakato calmly drove and answered, "I used to fight in underground boxing and worked as a security guard."

"What's your relationship with Faris?"

She paused for a few seconds and said, "Friends!"

My gut told me her relationship with Faris was not that simple. But she wasn't being upfront, and I didn't want to push her.

Still, I believed she was a friend, not a foe. Ethan trusted her, and she fought to protect me. She reminded me of Bella.

At home, I put on the necklace I had retrieved and wondered about Zachary's case. Bella had changed her number, was always offline on Facebook, and hadn't replied to my messages. I was really worried about her. A few days later, I went to the studio to pick out photos and sent them to Ethan, setting the family portrait as my screensaver.

To avoid longing, I threw myself into expanding my business. Emberlyn Beauty Retreat was now a nationwide chain backed by the Russell Group.

I occasionally saw Faye on TV, often playing villains and trending because of scandals. She had clearly undergone plastic surgery, losing her initial innocence and purity, drawing a lot of criticism.

Connie, on the other hand, remained popular since winning "Youth Sings Loudly," constantly getting endorsements and performing at major events. It seemed like hard work was paying off for her.

By December, Seabreeze Harbor was decked out in Christmas decorations. Christmas always brought a sense of longing. During the day, work masked my turmoil. But at night, the longing crept in like water weeds.

On Christmas Eve, the company held its annual party. Everyone had a great time. But I sat in a corner, feeling a faint sense of loss. Stepping out of the hotel, I hugged myself and looked up at the night sky. Seabreeze Harbor and Starlight City were probably no different, both filled with fireworks.

"Remember? This time last year, I asked you to have a reunion dinner with my Grandma," Faris said, walking up to me.

I looked at him and said guiltily, "I'm sorry."

Faris looked at the night sky, shaking his head with a bitter smile.

If everything was fate and predestined, could there be fewer regrets?

The next morning, I bought the earliest flight.

I had to go back to Starlight City to see him.

Not a moment could wait!