Decluttering

After Aqua returned to the hotel, she turned on her laptop and started filling out a registration form.

Aqua had intended to finish her master’s and pass the bar exam. However, her plan was ruined when John and Will arrived.

Even though three years had passed since then, it was still not too late for her.

After she finished registering for the master’s and sent a screenshot to Lily, she immediately sent a list of books to her.

“Come on. Let’s study together.”

She studied until midnight and felt tired. After lying down on the bed, she checked her phone, only to find that she had a few missed calls.

All of them were from Samara.

She did not call her back. Instead, she went to Instagram.

Someone had tagged her.

Three hours ago, Samara uploaded a post with some text and nine pictures. [Have you had coffee today?]

At the center of the nine pictures was her, smiling. John’s jacket was on her shoulders, and she was surrounded by a group of actors.

A multitude of people liked her post.

Among them was an ID called Cloud Corporation CEO John Frank. His comment attracted a load of attention.

[You bagged a one-billion-dollar deal! You’re amazing, Samara <3]

Underneath was a bunch of comments.

[He’s so sweet! Is this a CEO’s love?]

[I’m shipping this.]

Not to be outdone, Will uploaded a picture of himself with Samara and posted it. [My Goddess.]

The people went wild online.

[What’s going on? Are they going official?]

[Samara is so lucky! I’m so jealous…]

There were plenty of other similar comments.

The people who tagged Aqua all said that she sucked and was even throwing a hissy fit.

[Aqua didn’t manage to seal the deal even after so long, but the moment Samara became the person-in-charge, the client agreed to sign the contract the next day.]

[Samara is amazing!]

So, many people thought that she was jealous of Samara because she had been replaced for the project.

But Aqua was the one who had been in charge of the project for three years. The client had finally relented and was going to sign the contract. After she typed the contract out, John then called her and told her that she was being replaced.

Right then, Samara sent a message to her.

[Sorry, Aqua. Don’t take their words to heart.]

Aqua did not reply.

The next day, she went to the Franks’ house and organized her stuff.

Even though she felt reluctant to part with them, things in life always changed, and there would always come a time when she had to part with everything.

The awards and trophies she won at work were on display in a glass cabinet.

The clothes and shoes she wore had been organized neatly by the season.

On the table was a Lego model she built together with John.

She had even bought an acrylic box to cover it from dust.

John had custom-ordered the set from another country. It was a 10:1 model of how she looked when she turned eighteen.

She took out her phone to take a few pictures before logging into a social media platform.

Since John was trending heavily on the news, his fans jumped on the bandwagon for everything related to him.

She livestreamed a sale and tagged him, so her view count skyrocketed.

[You’re selling the Lego model?]

[Are you crazy? You’re selling the trophies as well?]

Aqua remained calm. “I’m selling everything.”

Someone then asked whether she was going to sell the pictures behind her.

Aqua turned around and noticed the pictures of her with John and Will on the wall.

That was a picture of the three of them during the Outstanding Young Business People Award.

She said without hesitation, “I’m selling them too. I’ll be donating all of the money I get from the things I sell today to charity.”

She did not want to keep a single item.

John’s fans went crazy, and all the items were soon sold.

She worked for an entire night, and she only managed to pack up all the things she had to deliver when the sun rose again.

While she was waiting for the delivery men, she scrolled through her phone in boredom.

Some time ago, during dawn, John and Will had posted pictures of themselves with Samara.

They uploaded it one after another. It was a blatant show of their competition.

Will was a flamboyant person and always wanted to boast whenever he got something.

But that was not John’s style. However, after some thinking, she figured that this was how men acted when they were in love.

Even though she no longer cared, her heart still stung for a bit.

The delivery truck and 911 arrived just then.

“Aqua, how could you sell the presents we gave you?!”

Will had been chasing after the delivery truck all along the way and rushed through several red lights, which ended up with him getting stopped by the traffic police.

He felt his heart ache. Aqua’s room was empty. Even the crystal shoes he had gifted her were gone.

Those were made of true crystals, and there were only two of them in the world.

One pair was in a museum, and the other was with Aqua.

Aqua gave him a bland look. “Upset that your money is gone? I can pay you back.”

Will got worked up. “This isn’t a problem about money! They were my presents for you!”

Aqua nodded nonchalantly. “Since you gave them to me, they’re mine to deal with.”

With a click, the door swung open.

John walked in and looked around. When he saw the Lego model in the corner, he sighed in relief.

While they spoke, the housekeeper knocked on the door and told them that a stranger had come to take the goods.

Aqua smiled and picked up the model to go downstairs.

Realizing what she was about to do, John became anxious and wanted to snatch it, but someone stopped him.

One of his investors had bought it.

“Sorry, Mr. Frank, but it looks like you’ll have to give up on this model.”

After watching the buyer leave, Aqua sighed in relief.

John’s expression was dark, and the mockery on his face was hurtful. “Are you jealous? Angry? If you do this, you’ll only make us hate you more.”

Will’s voice was also icy. “If only you were half as obedient as Samara was.”

She could not be bothered trying to say any soothing words to them, so she shut the door.

She was just clearing out her old stuff, and they got angry for that?

What would they think if they knew that she had already decided to erase them from her life?

You’re Sharing An Apple? What Are You, Poor?

Since the corridor was covered in a thick carpet, even if Aqua stepped on it with shoes, she practically made no sound while she walked.

She did not pull a luggage bag behind her. After all, she was leaving with nothing but the backpack on her back.

“Where are you going?”

John’s deep voice rose behind her, and Aqua paused for a second. But she soon calmed down.

“I’m going out on a walk.”

John spoke up anxiously, “Let’s go together, then. Will has already gone off to pick Samara up.”

When she heard that name, Aqua simply sneered.

She pulled the baseball cap down so that John could not see her face clearly. So, all he could do was throw an arm over her shoulder.

For some reason, when he talked to Aqua, he felt nervous.

He knew that this pampered rose had finally decided to show her thorns.

“Are you angry? Don’t take what happened yesterday to heart. Samara also defended you…”

Aqua said nothing and just quietly tightened her grip on her backpack.

John’s phone rang by then. Will was asking them to go downstairs. He said that Samara had finally earned her leave from the production team and could go with them to the theme park for fun.

Aqua had forgotten that it was Christmas Eve today.

“Go. I have something to do.”

John was puzzled.

During the Christmas Eves in the past, she would eagerly ask him to take her to a theme park, and they would play there until nightfall. They would watch the fireworks and make a wish.

Why was she suddenly saying that she was not going?

John frowned. He was used to being in control of the situation, and he could sense that he was losing control over Aqua.

Just as he was about to ask, he heard a car honking.

Will was urging them to hurry up.

He sighed. “Alright. Go on, then. I’ll have the driver pick you up at night.”

No matter what, they had to eat together during Christmas Eve.

He was sure that Aqua would not be able to change a habit they had nurtured for years overnight.

John hurried downstairs, and Samara opened the door to give him an affectionate hug.

Meanwhile, Will looked at Aqua. He opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he just bit his lip and said nothing.

When Aqua arrived at the door, she saw this, and the light in her eyes faded a little.

She automatically ignored Samara’s smug expression, crossed the garden, and left through the back door.

She still had one more person to meet, and she had to personally bid this person farewell before she left the country.

It was Ms. Wilson, her high school teacher.

She was a retired judge, and her high school had hired her to teach politics. After taking her elective class, Aqua had decided to become a lawyer.

Ms. Wilson could be said to be her mentor.

Ms. Wilson was old. She was almost seventy, but she remained charming.

“Aqua, you’ve grown up so much. I heard that you’ve become a saleswoman, isn’t it? It’s a pity.”

Aqua smiled and said bashfully, “Ms. Wilson, I’m here to say goodbye to you. I’m leaving the country to become a lawyer.”

Ms. Wilson nudged her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Even though she had gone gray, it could not hide the wisdom in her eyes. “Go. You’ve always been an eagle. You should be flying in the sky.

“John and Will were both my students, too.

“While you were still a student, they often came to pick you up. I always thought that you would end up… Oh well, this is fine too. It’s better for people who walk different paths to go their separate ways. You won’t ever get along, even if you try.”

After she departed, Aqua stayed in a hotel.

She turned on her phone to book a plane ticket.

Since it was Christmas Eve and Christmas the next day, the plane tickets for those two days were fully booked.

After looking around, she booked a plane ticket three days later and sent Lily a message.

[Boo, I booked my plane ticket. I’ll see you in three days.]

Once done, she started studying.

When the sun almost set, Samara gave her a video call.

She rejected it.

But Samara kept calling.

As it just kept repeating, Aqua had no choice but to answer it.

In the video, Samara, John, and Will were drinking and talking. On the table was a feast. The three of them shared an apple as the people cheered them on.

Samara blushed as she gingerly took a bite. John and Will smiled in understanding and took huge bites beside hers.

Aqua was not in the mood to watch this stupid act and wanted to hang up, but Samara suddenly cried out, “Aqua, why aren’t you here for the gathering with us?

“John and Will said that they sent someone to pick you up, but I thought that they weren’t sincere enough, so I thought about calling you to ask you to come!”

Was she really inviting Aqua along?

Aqua remained smiling. “I’m not so poor that I need to share an apple with three other people.”

Her blatant insult put Samara in a spot. Even John’s and Will’s expressions turned dark.

John wiped away the juices on the corners of his mouth, tossed the tissue on the table, and asked, “Should I have the driver pick you up now?”

Aqua rejected it easily, “No need.”

But Will could no longer maintain his composure. He asked, “Aqua, it’s just a game. Why do you have to insult Samara?”

Had she insulted her?

It was not as if she wanted to go. If Samara had not called her to provoke her, she would be studying!

What a waste of time.

“Forget it. Have fun.”

Just as she was going to hang up, Samara started crying again. “I’m sorry, Aqua. I’m so stupid. I’ve already tried my best to make you like me… Are you going to be happy if I’m not around?”

She suddenly picked up the knife on the table and brought it to her arm.

Aqua’s eyes flew wide open.

In The End, She Let Go

The knife was blunt. Even so, John’s and Will’s hearts still hurt for Samara.

They cried out Samara’s name at the same time.

John panicked, even though he was used to not showing his emotions on his face, since he was a leader.

But he had teared up, and his hands started trembling.

Will put a stop to the gathering, sent all of the guests away, and raised his voice. “Aqua, what on earth do you want?! Are you only going to be happy after Samara dies?! Apologize to her!”

Her heart stung.

Through the screen, Aqua felt as if she was right there, and she felt as if the knife had not cut into Samara, but her heart.

Her nose burned, and her eyes turned watery, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. “I didn’t even do anything…”

John looked up. His gaze was distant and cold. “You’re still defending yourself? If it weren’t for you, Samara wouldn’t have hurt herself!

“We’re just asking you for an apology, and you’re refusing to do it?

“Aqua, I’m disappointed in you.”

Aqua did not even realize when she ended the call.

Aqua sat by the bed and let her mind wander for a while, but she could not recover from John’s last sentence.

Soon, Lily logged in.

[Boo, I’m awake! It’s Christmas Eve over here today! Merry Christmas Eve!”

Aqua wanted to cry, but she held her tears back.

She wanted to complain to Lily but found herself unable to say anything in the end.

“Alright, Boo. Merry Christmas Eve to you, too!”

As they continued exchanging voice messages, their conversation was interrupted by rapid knocking.

It was John and Will.

Aqua’s gaze turned dark.

She had not expected them to find her. Just as she thought, so long as she was in the country, her actions would be controlled.

When they saw Aqua’s swollen eyes, John and Will exchanged a glance, and all the things they wanted to say died on their tongues.

Even so, they still had to warn her.

“Aqua, you’re an adult right now. You have to be mindful of your words and actions.”

“That’s right. Samara is mild-mannered and won’t hold this against you, but we don’t want this to happen again.”

So, they came here to denounce her.

But they did not have to worry. This was not going to happen again.

Aqua’s expression turned colder.

In her rage, she gripped her phone so tightly, and she trembled, but she accidentally touched the play button for the voice message Lily just sent her.

“Boo, I’ll have a hot guy pick you up.”

Aqua never thought that Lily would send her such a voice message.

Even so, she did not panic and just replied calmly, “Got it. Thanks.”

There was no doubt that John and Will heard it too.

John had moved to sit on the sofa and bit down on the cigarette he put in his mouth. The hand he used to hold the lighter started shaking, and he exchanged a glance with Will before he asked, “Where are you going?”

He felt really uneasy.

Since yesterday, Aqua had been acting unusually.

Aqua composed herself and feigned relaxation. “For official business.”

She was not wrong. Settling deals and passing the bar exam were both official business.

In any case, John and Will were treating her worse than a stranger would, so she did not feel the need to reveal too much information about herself.

After all, even if she did say it, their focus would still be on Samara.

Since she had decided to stop working for the company, things would be great for their darling Samara. John and Will might even pop a champagne bottle for it.

John sighed in relief and exhaled slowly. “Don’t be rash. I have a few more projects at hand. After Samara picks one, they’ll all be yours.”

Will scoffed. “Aqua, do you seriously have to compete with Samara for everything?”

Aqua wanted to laugh, but found that she could not.

They had forgotten that they were the ones who had flown abroad to beg her to go back to help them.

Before she chased them away, they cast a glance at their phones and left in a hurry.

While they were walking away, they were still whispering to each other.

“The doctor said that Samara is okay.”

“Thank goodness… She’s really lucky.”

Aqua shut the door coldly.

…

The next morning, the receptionists gave her an exquisitely wrapped package and told her someone had given it to her as a Christmas gift.

It had no name attached to it. After she opened the box, she found chocolates inside.

She looked at the snow outside and suddenly remembered the past.

Since John loved chocolates, she had pestered him into making handmade chocolates with her.

Meanwhile, Will followed them like a shadow.

In the past, when the three of them hung out, no matter what they did, everything had a domestic charm to it.

As she looked at the beautiful box, Aqua sighed.

Honestly, she was allergic to the nuts in the chocolate.

But in order to make John and Will happy, she would only ever go to those gatherings after taking allergy pills.

At that moment, she did not need to enjoy the chocolates anymore.

She called room service, finished her breakfast, and intended to study.

But as time passed, she found herself unable to keep her eyes open. The words on the screen became blurry, and even breathing became a chore.

She rushed into the bathroom to look at the mirror, only to find that her face and neck were swollen, and they itched like crazy.

These were classic signs of an allergic reaction.

But she did not even eat the chocolates!

Since she had left in a hurry, she did not bring loratadine with her. She wanted to ask the receptionist whether they had any, only to find that she could no longer speak.

Aqua put on her cap and pushed it down before hurrying downstairs. But while she was going down, she crashed into someone because she could not see clearly.

“Hiss…”

She fell on the floor.

“Oh God! You’re so ugly!”

The person who ran into her cried out in surprise after seeing her face, leading to the people insulting her.

“You look like a pig, and you have the gall to stay in such a high-class hotel?”

“The hotel really just admits anyone, huh…”

She reached out to grope around for her cap. Once she got it, she wore it. Her actions screamed of panic and urgency.

Without bothering about anything else, she ran to the pharmacy across the road. The wind howled past her ears. Only one thought remained in her mind—get help.

The pharmacist got her the medication and water. Aqua practically had to use all of her strength to swallow it.

While waiting for the ambulance, she grabbed onto the pharmacist’s arm so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

At the moment she opened her eyes in the hospital, she saw a piercing white light and the medical staff moving about.

She knew what it meant. She had survived.

Right then, her tears finally rolled down.

When her attending physician saw her wake up, he finally sighed in relief.

“After you fainted, we looked for your emergency contact on your phone. They’re waiting to see you outside.”

Two men stood at the door, and Will was the first to walk in.

In his hands, he held a box of chocolates. When he saw Aqua lying in bed, he was displeased. “Do you really hate Samara that much? How could you throw the Christmas gift she gave you into the trash bin?!”

Aqua turned to John, who remained quiet and expressionless.

He sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, and he said faintly, “Aqua, you crossed the line this time.”

Faint disdain flashed in his eyes when he looked at her. “Pretending to be sick isn’t a good habit.”

A nurse knocked on the door to change Aqua’s IV drip right then. When she heard what they said, she was surprised, “Don’t you know that the patient has a nut allergy?”