You Want Me Back? Sorry, Request Rejected Chapter 18

You Want Me Back? Sorry, Request Rejected Chapter 18

Rowan stared at the disconnected call on the screen, his eyes clouded with confusion. “Did Mommy… just end the call on me?”

As far back as he remembered, Elise had never once done that to him.

“That can’t be.” Regina noticed his frown and muttered, “Mommy wouldn’t dare. She probably just did it by accident. Anyway, Sabrina can’t wait any longer. Hurry up and call Mommy again, Rowan.”

Rowan was doubtful, but he called again anyway. This time, all he got was a busy tone. His face turned dark in an instant.

Elise was doing this on purpose! How childish could she be? She was a grown woman, so why was she playing games that only kids did? Sabrina only had that allergic reaction because she’d worn Elise’s clothes. And if she hadn’t accidentally spilled the milk on him, he might’ve had an allergic reaction, too!

The more Rowan thought about it, the angrier he got. He ran out of the hospital room, clutching the phone tightly.

“Rowan!” Regina panicked. She stomped and shouted, “Sabrina hasn’t eaten yet!”

“I’ll figure something out!”

…

After ending the call with Rowan and leaving the hospital, Elise got a text from Shannon, so she called her.

“This client is unbelievably picky. My company’s designers have already submitted at least a hundred drafts, and they didn’t like a single one,” Shannon said, sounding utterly helpless. “Liss, I’ve thought about this long and hard. You’re the only one who can help me now. Would you be willing to give it a shot?”

Elise paused for a moment. “What’s the client going for?”

Shannon immediately felt there was hope when Elise didn’t reject her outright. “The client wants a sportswear collection built around the theme of spiritual revival—think renewed energy. I’ll email you the rest of the requirements in a bit.

“I know you haven’t done any design work in a long time, so you can look everything over first. If you’re willing, then I’ll talk to the client.”

Elise listened quietly until Shannon finished. “Okay. I’m in.”

“Wait, you’ve already decided?” The surprise and excitement in Shannon’s voice were as clear as day.

Elise’s tone was firm. “Yeah. I’ve thought things through over the past couple of days. I still want to be a designer, and just once, I want to live for myself. I’ll take this job. It can be my assessment piece for returning to Primero.”

If some gifts went unused for a long time, the heavens would take them back. This sportswear design job was a good opportunity for Elise to pick hers back up.

She sat on a bench outside the hospital. The March wind was still chilly, but a few fresh buds had already appeared on the bare branches overhead. Her eyes gradually cleared.

Shannon wanted to say that even without any assessment, no one would dare say a word if Elise wanted to return to Primero. But this was the path Elise had chosen for herself. Since she’d reached this step, she was never going to turn back.

Shannon sounded genuinely pleased. “I’m looking forward to your return, Smile.”

Elise’s smile bloomed just as a ray of sunlight slipped through the branches and fell across her face, bathing her in light and making her look especially radiant.

On the tenth floor, a man stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, lighting a cigarette with one hand. He murmured to himself, “Who are you talking to, to be smiling like that?”

Watching her like that made him… jealous.

“Pretty lady!” Isabel hopped out of a car and ran toward Elise, her voice soft and sweet.

“Shannon, let’s talk later.” Elise looked up at the sound, ended the call, and waved at the child barreling toward her. “Izzy, what are you doing here? Did they transfer you to this hospital?”

Isabel bounced into her arms. Elise smiled and brushed her hand over her smooth forehead.

Isabel bared a row of tiny baby teeth, then instinctively glanced up toward the tenth floor. “Nope. I’m here to see my Uncle Jordan. He’s sick.”

Elise gently pinched her chubby cheeks and softened her voice. “Oh, you mean the uncle who refuses to get married, right?”

Isabel nodded vigorously, then said in distress, “Yeah, that’s him. Pretty lady, now that you’re getting a divorce, can you go on a blind date with Uncle Jordan? He’s really handsome. He’s the most handsome man in all of Halston!”

She worked hard to sell her uncle.

Elise crouched down a bit and drew Isabel into her arms. “And how do you know that I’m getting a divorce?”

“Because your husband is so mean to you! If that’s the case, why would you stay with him?” Isabel asked, tapping her head as she tested the waters.