The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

It was an international call.

It was Nathaniel Cole.

"President Cole." The moment Leila Jennings spoke, all eyes turned to her, especially Cherry Cole’s, who immediately leaned in closer.

Nathaniel Cole’s disgruntled voice came through the phone. "Jennings, what kind of itinerary did you arrange? There’s absolutely no time scheduled for rest."

Leila Jennings replied, "President Cole, you told me to make it a quick trip."

Nathaniel Cole was speechless. "..."

"Don’t let this happen again."

"Understood, President Cole." ’There probably won’t be a next time, anyway,’ she thought. ’Before I resign, this is Nathaniel Cole’s only business trip. The main focus is on the bidding project.’

Leila Jennings thought Nathaniel Cole was done scolding her and would hang up. She had just pulled the phone away from her ear when the man’s voice sounded again.

"You’re still in the mood to be feeding people, Jennings. It seems you’re not busy enough."

Cherry Cole whispered, "He’s just trying to pick a fight."

Leila Jennings had figured that out, too.

"Who’s with you?" Nathaniel Cole asked.

Leila Jennings glanced at Cherry Cole, who was making a funny face, and smiled. "A friend of mine."

"Cherry Cole ran over to your place to freeload and take stuff home?" Nathaniel Cole scoffed. "She’s a complete disgrace to the Cole family." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Cherry Cole was furious. "Talk about sour grapes! You wish you could freeload, but you can’t!"

"Cherry Cole." The man’s voice was tinged with menace as he spat out two words: "Research funding."

"I was wrong, big brother!" Cherry Cole immediately groveled. "Leila gave me a little bit of everything. I can save some for you."

"No need." Nathaniel Cole sounded as if he wouldn’t be bribed. He then turned his attention back to Leila Jennings. "Jennings, there are several people in the office. Are you playing favorites?"

Leila Jennings had seen Caine’s post on his social media feed. Both Zachary and Gwen had commented that they were jealous.

"Thank you for the reminder, President Cole. I’ll prepare portions for Zachary and Gwen as well."

The person on the other end hung up abruptly.

Leila Jennings: "?"

"Cherry, is President Cole always this moody?" she asked, puzzled.

Cherry Cole shook her head. "Not really. Most of the time he doesn’t talk at all. When he does, it’s to lecture someone. Anyway, he’s super annoying. My mom says he’s perfect in every way, except for the fact that he isn’t mute."

Leila Jennings blinked.

’That’s true,’ she thought.

Seeing how well the two young women got along, Rhea Warren smiled warmly and invited Cherry Cole to stay for dinner.

They had just sat down when Leila Jennings’s phone rang again.

This time, it was Sean Sinclair.

Rhea Warren nodded, gesturing for her to take the call.

"Hello."

"You’re not off work yet?" Sean Sinclair was in front of Cole Tower, leaning against his car and looking up at the top of the skyscraper.

Leila Jennings replied, "I’m at my mentor’s place."

Sean Sinclair frowned. "Why didn’t you tell me? I’m downstairs at Cole Tower."

Now it was Leila Jennings’s turn to be stunned. In four years, this was the first time Sean Sinclair had ever come to pick her up from work.

’Isn’t picking someone up from work reserved exclusively for Sarah Lynch?’

"Why did you go to The Cole Group?"

Sean Sinclair didn’t know either. He had just been driving, and somehow he ended up there.

He said, "To pick you up from work."

Leila Jennings was silent for a moment. "I’ve been staying at my mentor’s house lately. You know that."

"I know, but..." Sean Sinclair didn’t know what to say himself.

Just then, Rhea Warren gestured for Leila Jennings to hand her the phone.

"Sean," she said.

"Professor Warren." Sean Sinclair’s voice immediately became respectful.

"Here’s the situation. Leila will probably be staying with me for the rest of the month. As you know, I’m getting on in years, and my husband has passed away. I was just hoping to have a younger person around to ease the loneliness. Besides, Leila will be resigning and coming home soon enough. You two have plenty of time ahead of you."

"That’s perfectly fine, Professor Warren. It’s good for Leila to keep you company."

"Good, thank you."

Rhea Warren handed the phone back.

Leila Jennings took it and said "Hello" into the phone again.

Sean Sinclair said, "Don’t forget to come home."

Sean Sinclair had said things like this a few times recently. Leila Jennings lowered her gaze slightly.

’A day late and a dollar short,’ she thought.

Sean Sinclair continued, "Also, don’t forget about your class this weekend. The location isn’t far from home, so you can stop by."

"Mhm," Leila Jennings said, responding only to his first point. "I’m having dinner with my mentor right now. I’m hanging up."

"Okay." Sean Sinclair wanted to say more, but she had already hung up.

’When did Leila stop wanting to talk to me?’

Sean Sinclair stared at his phone, another wave of inexplicable irritation washing over him.

「At the dinner table.」

Rhea Warren asked, "All you’re waiting for is the certificate, right?"

Cherry Cole ate her food obediently, her ears perked up to listen in.

"Yes, just the divorce certificate. There’s still a little over half a month to go."

"Will you be able to get it?" Rhea Warren was a little worried about this.

Leila Jennings was also slightly concerned. "Sean Sinclair’s father is handling it. He has some connections. The year before last, he took us to pay an early New Year’s visit to someone influential."

"Sean Sinclair’s father won’t interfere with the divorce certificate, will he?"

"They can’t wait for Sean Sinclair to divorce me so he can marry Sarah Lynch, who comes from a so-called family of scholars."

Rhea Warren sneered, "If Sarah Lynch’s family were truly one of great literary renown, that claim might hold water. But as a Lynch, she doesn’t quite reach that status."

"Leila, I know it’s not easy to let go of a relationship of over four years. But don’t let your heart soften just because of a few concerned words from Sean Sinclair. And more importantly, don’t feel like you can’t just walk away because you’ve invested so much in him and the Sinclair family."

"I understand. Sunk costs shouldn’t factor into major decisions." Leila Jennings’s lips curved into a smile that looked bitter to the others. "All I’ve ever wanted was someone completely devoted to me. I once thought Sean Sinclair was that person."

"Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to correct them." Rhea Warren gestured for the two young women to hurry up and eat.

After dinner, Leila Jennings walked Cherry Cole to the door.

"Text me when you get home."

"Okay." Cherry Cole placed the local specialty foods Leila had given her on the leather seat. Leila watched for a long moment.

’The Sinclair family used to complain that my things took up too much space even in the trunk of the car.’

A small smile touched her lips.

"Bye."

"Bye!"

Cherry Cole drove her signature cherry-blossom-pink car back to the family estate, humming a little tune as she carried her things in one hand.

"What’s got you so happy?" Ms. Neville was leaning back on the sofa with a face mask on.

Cherry Cole said, "Yep! I had dinner with Leila and Professor Warren today! And Leila shared some of the specialty foods her family sent her. Do you get it, Mom? Only good friends share things their family sends them!"

"Is that so? Let me see." Ms. Neville held out her hand.

Cherry Cole looked wary. "Leila’s family are the people from her orphanage. Mom, you don’t think..."

’...that the things they sent aren’t clean, do you?’

"What are you thinking? Don’t you know that the things people like them prepare for their own family are always the real deal? Sometimes when we spend money to eat out, we just end up with imitations."

Hearing her mother say that, Cherry Cole relaxed and immediately began to introduce the items.

She opened a jar of chili crisp.

"This seems to be Leila’s favorite. Her cooking is amazing, so the things she likes to eat must be the best, too."

The mother and daughter each tried a bite.

It was a little spicy.

But it was a manageable heat.

They ended up getting more and more addicted the more they ate.

When Mr. Cole returned, he saw his wife and daughter with red mouths, still relentlessly poking at the plate with toothpicks.

"What’s so delicious?"

Mr. Cole: "..."

Cherry Cole picked up her phone and sent a message to Leila Jennings, telling her they had finished the entire jar of chili crisp.

Leila Jennings was silent for a moment, then sent back a voice message: "Are your stomachs not hurting? If they’re not hurting, somewhere else might be hurting tomorrow. Seek medical attention promptly."

However, looking at the photo of the empty jar that Cherry Cole had sent, she forwarded it to the orphanage director, her adoptive mother, telling her that her colleagues and friends loved it.

Just then, another message came from Sean Sinclair.

You came back?

If you could come back, why wouldn’t you stay the night?

Honey, you’re avoiding me.