Jeffrey frowned slightly.
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Riley walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “You’ve still got a chance to fix things–don’t let it get too awkward. Talk to Reba instead of bullheadedly doing things your way.”
“Aren’t you doing the exact same thing?” Jeffrey shot back.
Riley fell silent.
Jeffrey watched her for a moment, then swallowed whatever he was about to say. After a pause, he muttered, “Never mind.”
“Just think about it. I’m off to meet Amelia,” Riley said, not picking up on his hidden meaning. She just wanted him to talk things out with Reba.
Jeffrey warned, “Don’t say anything you shouldn’t.”
Riley waved him off as she walked out. “We’ll see.”
When Riley arrived at Amelia’s hospital room, Reba and Jessica were chatting with Amelia about Samuel. Riley knocked lightly on the door, pausing the cheerful atmosphere. “Hope I’m not interrupting,” she said.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Reba was the first to recognize her. “Riley”
Riley smiled, “Mind if Ie in?”
“Of course.” Reba stood up, her eyes soft with warmth. “Come in and have a seat,”
Riley nodded and walked in. She was wearing a simple white tee and ck pants, with a ne around her neck. A few pieces of short hair hung down near her eyes, and she looked sharp andid–back.
She stepped up to the bedside and nced at Amelia, who was sitting there. Riley rubbed her temple, debating how to start–should she just admit who she was, or take it slow and ease into the reunion?
“You’re Riley, aren’t you?” Amelia spoke first, her tone tentative,
Riley raised an eyebrow and walked over, a hint of a smile ying at the corners of her eyes. “This is why you’re my mentor. Even though it’s our first meeting face–to–face, you can recognize me before I say a word.”
Amelia replied, “You sent me your photo when you were little.”
Riley grinned. Though Amelia had told her not to call her mentor anymore after leaving the online scene, saying she’d only been her teacher for those ten years, in Riley’s heart, once a mentor, always a mentor.
Amelia smiled, <b>“</b>Come sit
<b>10:59 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b>Oct <b>2 </b>
“You two…” Reba blinked, her head spinning. ‘Didn’t Riley sayst time that my mom just kinda looked like her mentor? Now suddenly, my mom is straight up her mentor?
Riley owned up without hesitation. “Sorry aboutst time, Reba. Your mentor. But things were kindaplicated on my end, so I didn’t tell you right away.”
Reba caught on quickly, but she didn’t push.
“Amelia,” Riley said, giving her a meaningful look, “you may have retired, but things have changed. Maybe it’s time to bring those tech skills back and use them again?”
Amelia paused, shot a look at Reba, and nodded. “Okay.”
Even after years apart, the decade they’d shared had created an unspoken understanding between them- Amelia knew exactly what Riley meant.
After that, the two started swapping stories, reminiscing, and catching up on what was going on these days.
Reba and Jessica slipped out of the room to give them some space to reconnect.
As soon as they were out the door, Jessica pounced, “When did you make a new friend behind my back? And you didn’t even introduce her to me.”
She stared at Reba, like she’d chew her out if she caught her lying.
Reba exined, “She’s a girl.”
Jessica snorted, “If she were a guy, I wouldn’t even bother.”
When she first saw Riley, she thought she was strikingly handsome with a clean, radiant look. But the moment Riley spoke, Jessica knew she was a girl.
As the CEO of an entertainmentpany, Jessica had developed a pretty sharp eye for these things.
“You’ve seen her before,” Reba said.
Jessica snorted, “No way.”
‘If I’d run into someone with that kind of face, I’d have handed her my business card on the spot–she’s totally born to be a star. No way I’d let that go,‘ Jessica thought.
“She was at my wedding with Jeffrey,” Reba prompted her. “Her hair was a bit longer than it is now.”
Jessica dug through her memories, but nothing came up. Back then, all she had eyes for was Reba.
Normally, Jessica should have been thrilled that her best friend was getting married. But when Reba walked down the aisle in her wedding dress, hand in hand with Jeffrey, Jessica burst into tears.
Now that she thought about it, those tears were probably more about her fear that marriage might not be kind to Reba.
<b>10:59 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>2 </b>
Chapter 186 <fnb40b> Chapters first released on fin?novel</fnb40b>
“Reba.” Jessica called out, her voice suddenly weighed down.
Reba caught her shift in mood. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
81 <b>J </b>
* Ba Vouchere
“Why don’t you just ept Ryan as your dad? With him in your corner, taking on Jeffrey would be way less of a hassle.” Jessica said.
She’d never actually met Ryan, but had heard about him–the head honcho of the Guzman Group.
“No way,” Reba replied without a second’s hesitation.
Knowing Reba was stubborn, Jessica tried to get through to her carefully, “You know Jeffrey way better than I do. He’s got so many tricks up his sleeve.”
Reba was stubborn as ever. “If I ept Ryan as my father, what about all the pain my mom suffered because of him?
“I don’t know exactly what happened between her and Ryan. But the fact that she left Honn to marry Richard in Jsburg suggests Ryan must’ve hurt Mom even more than Jeffrey ever hurt me.”
Reba only wanted to escape Jeffrey, to break free from his control. But Amelia had chosen to leave her hometown and never spoken a word about her past. Reba couldn’t even imagine what Amelia must have gone through.
Knowing exactly how stubborn Reba could be, Jessica said, “You don’t have to get close to him, just use him as leverage against Jeffrey. Honestly, you don’t even have to think of him as a real person.”
Reba stared down at the floor, saying nothing.
Jessica kept going, “He did a number on your mom, and Jeffrey messed you up. Wouldn’t it feel good to sit back and watch those two tear into each other for once?”
Reba knew being stubborn wouldn’t do her any favors. Ryan had always treated her decently in their few interactions. If she admitted he was her dad, he’d probably help her go up against Jeffrey, and maybe she could finally stop worrying about everything.
‘But if I do this, what about all my mom went throughing to Jsburg and giving birth to me?‘ she thought. ‘Ryan gets a child without doing anything? How is that fair?‘
“I know what you’re thinking,” Jessica said, not wanting Reba to be so stubborn. “But sometimes you gotta learn to bend a little. No need to be so dead set all the time.”
Reba just shook her head. “If I admit Ryan is my dad, then everything Jeffrey said when he was fighting for Samuel’s custody would apply to me.
“If I could bend, I would’ve let Jeffrey raise Andrea and maxed out his credit cards from day one.”
She could’ve lived it up as the worry–free “Mrs. Hanson” and never had to think twice about money. But that life wasn’t for her.
Jessica finally gave up, used to Reba never budging from her principles. “Alright, you win. I won’t push it
10:59 <b>Thu</b><b>, </b>Oct 2
anymore. Just promise me you won’t try to tough it all out alone.”
Reba nodded. “Okay”
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The toughest days were already in the past. Whatever came at her next, Reba was certain she could get through it–especially now that her mom was awake.
“Seriously,” Jessica sighed, “I have no idea where you got this bullheaded personality. Amelia doesn’t seem like the type.”
At the same time, Amelia was having an almost identical conversation with Riley<i>. </i>
After Reba and Jessica left, Riley told Amelia that Jeffrey wasn’t about to let Reba walk away, and suggested maybe she could use Ryan <i>to </i>even the odds.
Amelia’s response was the same as Reba’s. “No need.”