Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"Murray, let me fix your tie for you."

"Heh... I'm wearing a black shirt today."

Millie paused, a look of confusion crossing her face. "I know."

Forget it.

Murray gave up, thinking to himself that sometimes it's best to leave things unsaid when you're not on the same page.

A black shirt with a mixed-color tie, huh....

Only her kind of aesthetic could come up with such a combination.

Murray brushed off her hands, "If you can't do it right, don't bother doing it at all."

Without waiting for Millie's reaction, he strode away.

...

As night fell, Murray wrapped up his work and left the office.

Settling into his car, he lit a cigarette and lingered without starting the engine.

Once the cigarette had burned down, he stamped out the butt and drove off.

He didn't feel like going back to his mansion, so he ended up driving along the river, making a couple of loops.

Beverley called during the drive, but he didn't pick up.

Driving aimlessly, he found himself back at the familiar alleyway.

And, as usual, he got scolded for his sloppy parking-

"Damn! Think you're something special with your Maserati?"

"Seems like our little alley's getting quite the lineup of fancy cars lately, huh? Wasn't there a Porsche here not too long ago?"

"Yeah, a Porsche!"

"Exactly, what's the deal?"

...

At eight sharp, Roseanne came downstairs to take out the trash.

From behind his windshield, Murray watched her greedily.

She was wearing a blue floral dress today, her hair had grown longer, gently cascading down her back, and she wore flip-flops, looking effortlessly chic and relaxed. Murray got out of the car, ready to follow her, but suddenly, someone stepped in front of him.

Owen: "Mr. Sherwood, fancy seeing you here again."

"Move!"

Seeing Roseanne about to head back upstairs after dumping the trash, Murray grew impatient. Owen stood his ground, watching Roseanne enter the building before turning his gaze back.

"Don't think just because you're one of the Reynolds, I won't take you on!"

Owen's voice was calm, unbothered: "Does Mr. Sherwood have a habit of stalking and peeping?"

"So what if I do?! None of your damn business-"

"Reporting illegal activities is every citizen's duty."

Suddenly, Murray chuckled, looking straight at Owen. "You're doing all this just out of civic duty? You don't have any other motives?" "Whether I do or don't, does it matter?"

Owen's expression remained unchanged, his response straightforward.

"Heh... What right do you have? Who do you think you are? How long have you known her compared to how long I've known her?"

"The length of time means nothing

El.ne

Some people spend a lifetime together and can't make it work, while others just need one look to

know they're meant to bent

"And you—" Owen paused, "might have once had a moment that seemed eternal, but in the end, you're nothing more than strangers."

His words hit Murray right in the heart, leaving him bleeding metaphorically.

"Do you think that by blocking me, she'll be yours? Dream on!"

Owen calmly stated: "The two aren't

necessarily related. I block you because I don't want her to be harassed, that's all. As for who Roseanne belongs to..."

"In my eyes, she belongs to no one. She is her own person."

With those final words, Owen turned and left. Before he did, he dropped one last remark: "No wonder she broke up with you..." Murray thought, "WTF?"

That was a direct hit to his ego! With

his pride wounded and the local elders already marching towards him with clubs, ready to smash his car, Murray had no choice but to leave. , FindNovel

"Cliff, you free?"

Cliff answered the phone immediately, moving to a quieter spot, "What's up, Murray?"

"At the bar?"

"Yeah, York's here too."Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.