Chapter 22 The Unexpected First Date
Finished
Shane ended the call, an apologetic expression crossing his face. “Naomi, there’s an urgent school meeting. I need to go now, but we’ll talk about this later. I’ll explain everything about Shirley”
Then, he turned and dashed down the rooftop stairs, disappearing like the wind.
Naomi took a deep breath. Then another. And another
Calm down
At this point, it wasn’t about him explaining Shirley’s situation to her. It was about her figuring out how to explain her ‘confession.
Should I just send him a message? No, something this important had to be said face–to–face. Next time I see Shane, I must clear everything up.
That night, Naomi sat in her apartment, restless. She had never been in a situation like this before. Her mind ran in circles, carefully piecing together the right words, rehearsing how to start the conversation.
Then, a message notification startled her. It was a video from Shane.
She hesitated for a second before tapping on it.
The screen lit up with a beautifully designed Al girl, who spoke in a sweet, cheerful voice: “Naomi, I’m Professor Shane’s assistant, Sheena! Professor Shane says. Thank you for liking him! He also wants to apologize for the trouble you went through because of Shirley.”
The Al girl continued, her virtual eyes sparkling. “Professor Shane said he’s admired you ever since you chased down that robber. Your fearless determination was truly inspiring! Naomi, you’re incredibly talented, meticulous, and brilliant. Being with you would be his greatest honor!”
Then, with a playful wink. Sheena pulled out a bouquet of roses and held them up to the screen.
Naomi stared. And then she burst out laughing. She clutched her stomach, shaking with laughter on the
couch.
This guy! Of all the ridiculous, unexpected things he could do, this was out of this world.
Her amusement had barely settled when Sheena’s voice chimed again, “Naomi, open the door!”
Vait. Did that mean..
Open the door? Wait.
Naomi quickly checked the video doorbell.
And there he was. Standing outside her apartment, bouquet in hand, Sharie smiled up at the camera.
“Shane! Naomi gasped as she swung the door open. “You actually…”
She trailed off, too shocked to finish.
Shane’s eyes curved into a warm, boyish grin. “Ms. Naomi, happy first day of our relationship.”
Then, in one smooth motion, he pulled out a bouquet of roses from behind his back and held them out to
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U/ID SUN, Apr 20
Chapter 22 The Unexpected First Date
Naomi’s mind blanked. “What this… Her gaze locked onto the bouquet, heart pounding
Nestled in the center of the flowers was a small, red velvet box.
Shane chuckled. “Go ahead, open it. It’s a little keepsake for youL”
Fmished
With trembling fingers, she lifted the lid. Inside was a gleaming silver luxury brand necklace. Beside it lay a delicate, dried red rose, accompanied by its flower language, “A passionate love!
“I also ordered dinner,” Shane added, his voice gentle. should be arriving soon.”
Then, meeting her eyes, he murmured, “Naomi, I did all of this because I just want you to be happy. Don’t dwell on what happened before.”
His gaze was warm and sincere, filled with an emotion that made Naomi’s throat tighten.
She had never, neither in her past life nor in this one, had anyone care for her like this. Only her mother. And now… Shane?
Looking at his eager expression, at the soft curve of his smiling lips, the words she had carefully rehearsed suddenly became impossible to say.
He had clearly put so much effort into this.
If she told him now that her ‘confession was just a spur–of–the–moment bluff to spite Shirley, wouldn’t that be too cruel?
“Shane, actually, II… She hesitated.
If she thought about it, Shane was undoubtedly accomplished. Compared to the shallow, selfish people in the Judd family, he was leagues ahead.
If she told the truth now, it would only ruin the moment, making everything awkward and difficult to recover from.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just go along with it?
Besides, with how much effort he had put into this, rejecting him seemed almost unreasonable. And taking
a step back, Shane’s family was an industry giant in AI. Being with him certainly would not be a disadvantage
“Naomi!” His voice was laced with curiosity, as if sensing her hesitation.
She quickly turned away, hiding her flustered expression. “It’s nothing,” she said, cars burning. “I’m just so surprised; I don’t know what to say.”
She busied herself pouring tea to cover her emotions.
Shane chuckled. “Silly, you don’t need to say anything. Just sit here and enjoy dinner with me.”
His voice was light, filled with an easy confidence, without a hint of doubt.
Not long after, the food he had ordered arrived.
They set
y set un the table together, the warm glow of candlelight flickering between them. The roses in the
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07:15 Sun, Apr 20
Chapter 22 The Unexpected First Date
center of the table seemed even more vibrant, the scent of delicious dishes filling the air.
Finished
Naomi lifted her glass, her eyes reflecting the soft golden light of the candles. “Professor Shane, she said softly, “thank you for all of this.”
#Frished
“I can’t take your money.” A faint, mocking smile played on Naomi’s lips. “Because I like Shane too. I’m going to pursue him.”
“What?” Shirley looked up, meeting Naomi’s amused gare, and was completely dumbfounded.
Naomi, of course, did not actually like Shane. Their relationship was purely a business partnership, just as she had said. She was probably saying this but of spite, wanting to provoke Shirley and get back at her for the unnecessary trouble she had been dealing with these past few days.
But behind the rooftop door, Shane, who had been secretly eavesdropping, suddenly froze in place.
What? A girl as outstanding as Naomi liked me?
His heartbeat thundered in his chest, his ears buzzed, and a deep flush crept up his face, reaching the tips
of his cars.
Shane had to admit he felt a certain fondness for Naomi before today, but it was never at the level of true affection. Still, Naomi was undeniably brilliant. She was talented, attractive, and sharp. It was only natural to develop some feelings when you spend time together with her..
And if Naomi liked me, then I couldn’t possibly let her down, could I
The thought sent a strange warmth through him. Maybe, just maybe, he did like her too. With that realization, Shane pushed open the rooftop door and stepped out.
The sound immediately drew the attention of both Naomi and Shirley, who turned to stare at him, equally shocked.
Naomi felt an overwhelming urge to disappear on the spot.
Did he hear everything just now?
This was bad. A massive misunderstanding was about to unfold.
“Shirley, can you stop making trouble?” Shane’s voice cried a rare edge of irritation as he fixed her with a cold stare. “You bribed classmates to give Naomi a hard time; that alone warrants punishment.
“I’m making trouble? I’m making trouble?!” Shirley’s voice cracked with emotion. Tears welled up instantly as she trembled with rage. “Shane, who is your childhood sweetheart here? How can you keep defending that slut!”
“Shirley.” Shane’s expression darkened as he heard the insult, his voice dropping into an icy warning. “Til say this one last time. I will never like you. Stop deluding yourself, and stop clinging to me. This ‘childhood sweetheart‘ nonsense is nothing more than your own fantasy,”
His tone softened slightly as he turned toward Naomi. But Naomi is a good person. I like her, too. And if she wants to be with me, I’d be willing to accept it.”
Naomi nearly choked on air. A full–body cringe overtook her as she fought the overwhelming urge to slap her past self for speaking without thinking-
This misunderstanding was spiraling out of control. How was she supposed to explain to Shane that she
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Chapter 21 An Eavesdropped Confession
Finished
“Shane, actually, I… Before she could get the words out Shirley’s sharp, trembling voice cut through the
air.
“Enough!” Tears streamed down her face as her entire body shook. “Shane, I get it now. Everything, all of it, was just my own wishful thinking. Even coming to Renia with you, I was just fooling myself.”
She let out a choked, bitter laugh. “I’ve been making a fool of myself for so long. From now on, no matter what I do, don’t interfere in my life anymore!”
Then, she turned and bolted down the stairs, her sobs echoing in the empty rooftop.
“Shirley!” Shane called after her, his voice sharp with urgency, but she was already disappearing from view.
Naomi let out a silent sigh and tried again. “Shane, what I was trying to say…”
“I know,” he interrupted, sighing heavily. “You want to ask about Shirley, don’t you? Shirley’s so–called childhood sweetheart nonsense, the supposed engagement, none of it was real. It was just my father and hers being close friends and them hoping for a marriage alliance. Shirley clung to that idea all on her
own.”
He continued. “To be honest, I’ve never liked the way she acts. If she wants something, she has to have it. If she sets her sights on something, she must come out on top, by any means necessary. Being ambitious. isn’t a bad thing. But she’ll go to any lengths to hurt others. If she can’t have something, she makes sure no one else can either.”
Naomi listened quietly, finally understanding why Shane had always kept his distance from Shirley. After years of seeing her hurt others in his name, he had probably long since grown tired of her games.
But what was more important was that she still had not managed to explain the biggest misunderstanding yet! The fact was that she did not actually like him!
“Shane, actually, I…”
For the third time, she was cut off.
Shane’s phone rang.
“What? An important meeting? Damn, check my messages! Alright, alright, I’ll be there right away!”
20
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After Betrayal, I Chose Myself
Chapter 22 The Unexpected First Date
Finished
Shane ended the call, an apologetic expression crossing his face. “Naomi, there’s an urgent school meeting. I need to go now, but we’ll talk about this later. I’ll explain everything about Shirley”
Then, he turned and dashed down the rooftop stairs, disappearing like the wind.
Naomi took a deep breath. Then another. And another
Calm down
At this point, it wasn’t about him explaining Shirley’s situation to her. It was about her figuring out how to explain her ‘confession.
Should I just send him a message? No, something this important had to be said face–to–face. Next time I see Shane, I must clear everything up.
That night, Naomi sat in her apartment, restless. She had never been in a situation like this before. Her mind ran in circles, carefully piecing together the right words, rehearsing how to start the conversation.
Then, a message notification startled her. It was a video from Shane.
She hesitated for a second before tapping on it.
The screen lit up with a beautifully designed Al girl, who spoke in a sweet, cheerful voice: “Naomi, I’m Professor Shane’s assistant, Sheena! Professor Shane says. Thank you for liking him! He also wants to apologize for the trouble you went through because of Shirley.”
The Al girl continued, her virtual eyes sparkling. “Professor Shane said he’s admired you ever since you chased down that robber. Your fearless determination was truly inspiring! Naomi, you’re incredibly talented, meticulous, and brilliant. Being with you would be his greatest honor!”
Then, with a playful wink. Sheena pulled out a bouquet of roses and held them up to the screen.
Naomi stared. And then she burst out laughing. She clutched her stomach, shaking with laughter on the
couch.
This guy! Of all the ridiculous, unexpected things he could do, this was out of this world.
Her amusement had barely settled when Sheena’s voice chimed again, “Naomi, open the door!”
Vait. Did that mean..
Open the door? Wait.
Naomi quickly checked the video doorbell.
And there he was. Standing outside her apartment, bouquet in hand, Sharie smiled up at the camera.
“Shane! Naomi gasped as she swung the door open. “You actually…”
She trailed off, too shocked to finish.
Shane’s eyes curved into a warm, boyish grin. “Ms. Naomi, happy first day of our relationship.”
Then, in one smooth motion, he pulled out a bouquet of roses from behind his back and held them out to
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U/ID SUN, Apr 20
Chapter 22 The Unexpected First Date
Naomi’s mind blanked. “What this… Her gaze locked onto the bouquet, heart pounding
Nestled in the center of the flowers was a small, red velvet box.
Shane chuckled. “Go ahead, open it. It’s a little keepsake for youL”
Fmished
With trembling fingers, she lifted the lid. Inside was a gleaming silver luxury brand necklace. Beside it lay a delicate, dried red rose, accompanied by its flower language, “A passionate love!
“I also ordered dinner,” Shane added, his voice gentle. should be arriving soon.”
Then, meeting her eyes, he murmured, “Naomi, I did all of this because I just want you to be happy. Don’t dwell on what happened before.”
His gaze was warm and sincere, filled with an emotion that made Naomi’s throat tighten.
She had never, neither in her past life nor in this one, had anyone care for her like this. Only her mother. And now… Shane?
Looking at his eager expression, at the soft curve of his smiling lips, the words she had carefully rehearsed suddenly became impossible to say.
He had clearly put so much effort into this.
If she told him now that her ‘confession was just a spur–of–the–moment bluff to spite Shirley, wouldn’t that be too cruel?
“Shane, actually, II… She hesitated.
If she thought about it, Shane was undoubtedly accomplished. Compared to the shallow, selfish people in the Judd family, he was leagues ahead.
If she told the truth now, it would only ruin the moment, making everything awkward and difficult to recover from.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just go along with it?
Besides, with how much effort he had put into this, rejecting him seemed almost unreasonable. And taking
a step back, Shane’s family was an industry giant in AI. Being with him certainly would not be a disadvantage
“Naomi!” His voice was laced with curiosity, as if sensing her hesitation.
She quickly turned away, hiding her flustered expression. “It’s nothing,” she said, cars burning. “I’m just so surprised; I don’t know what to say.”
She busied herself pouring tea to cover her emotions.
Shane chuckled. “Silly, you don’t need to say anything. Just sit here and enjoy dinner with me.”
His voice was light, filled with an easy confidence, without a hint of doubt.
Not long after, the food he had ordered arrived.
They set
y set un the table together, the warm glow of candlelight flickering between them. The roses in the
2/3
07:15 Sun, Apr 20
Chapter 22 The Unexpected First Date
center of the table seemed even more vibrant, the scent of delicious dishes filling the air.
Finished
Naomi lifted her glass, her eyes reflecting the soft golden light of the candles. “Professor Shane, she said softly, “thank you for all of this.”
