Cecelia suddenly held Blair's hand and said with much emphasis, "Just be yourself. Don't hold back."
"What?" Blair was confused.
"I heard from your uncle that you used to be upbeat, outgoing. Cheerful, even. You're a lot quieter now, maybe because your parents died. Blair, you're like my own daughter. Do what you want to do. Be who you want to be. Okay?"
The kind mother's warm words touched Blair's heart. Tears sprang to her eyes and they flowed down her cheek. "Okay..." she sobbed.
'Cecelia is so great. I wonder if she really could be my mother-in-law.' Blair felt a little sentimental, uncertain about her future. 'If Wesley and I can make it work.'
The night grew deeper. The two women didn't stop chatting until the small hours. At that point, Cecelia had to give it up and close her eyes to sleep.
Listening to Cecelia's steady breathing, Blair stared at the ceiling, pondering what had happened earlier that night.
She wondered if Wesley also had feelings for her. Otherwise, why would he keep snatching every chance he had to kiss her? Or was it just how men act around women?
Before she closed her eyes to take some sleep, she checked the time on her phone. It was already 4:10 in the morning. No wonder she was tired! She lay back, closed her eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Not even three hours later, Wesley opened the door to the apartment. It was quiet inside. It seemed like the two women weren't awake yet.
He put the breakfast he'd bought in the kitchen and then walked back to the living room, dialing a number.
A sleepy voice mumbled, "Hello... Who is it?"
"It's me." Wesley's voice jarred Blair awake. She abruptly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Cecelia's sleeping face.
"I'm in the living room," Wesley said.
Blair checked the time. Way too early. 'Why is he so eager to go shopping with us?' she wondered.
She quickly got out of bed, put on her slippers and quietly opened the door. Then she made sure to close the door behind her after walking out.
Seeing her come out, Wesley hung up. He was curious of her careful movements.
Meeting Wesley's eyes, Blair suddenly realized that she hadn't freshened up yet, nor had she combed her messy hair. She hadn't even changed out of her nightgown.
But it was too late to go back—what's done is done. Wesley was already looking her up and down. Blair discreetly lowered her head to take a look at herself. She was dressed in a slip night dress. It wasn't that revealing anyway. Embarrassed, she smoothed her hair and asked, "Why are you here so early?"
For a moment, Wesley couldn't take his eyes off her. This was the first time he saw her like this. Her long hair fell on her creamy-white shoulders. Although she had a cute, sleepy look on her face, it couldn't mask her natural beauty. On the contrary, it added to her allure.
Expressionless, he tore his eyes away and took out his phone to distract himself. "Freshen up and get some breakfast," he said curtly.
Blair nodded and asked, "Should I wake up your mom?"
"Sure."
She nodded again and returned to her bedroom. Wesley's curious voice rang behind her. "Mom's in your room? You shared a bed last night?"
"Yes." She turned her head and nodded.
'No wonder she tiptoed out. She didn't want to wake up my mom, ' he realized.
A few minutes later, Cecelia emerged from Blair's bedroom, yawning. Seeing her son on the sofa, she rolled her eyes and told him off, "I told you not to come so early. Nothing's open now."
Generally, shopping malls opened around ten. It was only twenty past seven now.
Wesley replied nonchalantly, "You take so long to do everything. By the time we're ready to go, it will be ten o'clock."
Cecelia let out a cold humph. "We'll see. I'll be quick today."
Provoked by her son, Cecelia did finish her morning routine in a much shorter time. However, much to their surprise, Blair was even slower than Cecelia.
When Cecelia sat down to eat breakfast, Blair was still in her bedroom, doing her makeup. It was eight now but she still hadn't come out.
Cecelia told Wesley in a triumphant voice, "Yay, I'm not the slowest one in the family anymore!"
Ignoring her joke, Wesley walked straight to Blair's bedroom. He knocked lightly on the half-open door. "Come in," Blair said.
Getting her permission, Wesley pushed it open.
Blair sat at the dressing table, massaging her face with a cosmetic instrument to help absorb the intensive essence.
Wesley fixed his deep eyes at the woman's reflection in the mirror. "You can do this later. It's breakfast time."
"I'm almost done. Wait a minute, okay? I want to look nice for your mom," Blair said. In fact, she almost never wore makeup, but to show her sincerity and respect to Cecelia, she decided to make herself look better.
Wesley leaned against the closet, silently watching her.
Blair met his gaze in the mirror, feeling bashful. "Why are you looking at me? Out! Get some breakfast."
"I already ate." He had breakfast before he even came over.
Blair held up a bottle of sunscreen. "It's sunny outside. Need some?"
"Need what?"
"Sunscreen. It's spray-on."
Wesley instinctively looked down at his tanned arms. He never used anything like that. "No, I don't need it."
Cecelia, holding a deep-fried dough stick in her hands, quietly made her way to the doorway of Blair's bedroom. She peeked inside.
She sighed with relief when she saw that Wesley had kept his distance from Blair. She'd been worried that they would do something improper, being alone in the room. Niles would be pretty upset if that happened.
Finally, Blair finished freshening up and was seated at the dinning table. She texted Joslyn as she had breakfast. "You still in bed, girl?"
"No. Playing on my phone. What's up?" Joslyn replied.
Blair quickly typed the message with one hand. "I need some money. I'll pay you back when I get my paycheck."
"No problem. How much?"
Blair paused for a while. "How much can your afford?"
Joslyn rolled her eyes. "Your cousin has given me quite a lot. What are you going to do? Twenty large enough?"
"Um... probably not. Maybe fifty thousand? Can you?" Blair stole a glance at Cecelia. Every item on the noble lady's body was luxurious.
"Don't tell me you owe someone money."
Blair's lip twitched. "No. Wesley's mom is with me. We'll go shopping soon and I think I should buy her a gift. What if she want something expensive?"
"So are you and Wesley in a relationship now?" Joslyn asked outright.
Blair replied, "No. It has nothing to do with him. His mom is awesome. I simply want to get her something."
"Okay, okay. I'll wire fifty thousand to you in a minute. But what if she picks out something word five hundred grand? Will you buy that too?"
"No. I can't afford anything like that. I've got limits, and I won't overspend." Blair had a monthly wage of more than ten thousand dollars. She could return fifty thousand to Joslyn within half a year.
Joslyn wired the money to her and added a message. "Okay, as long as you know what you're doing."
Wesley's eyes had been glued to her the whole time. But oblivious to his intense gaze, Blair texted her friend, drinking soybean milk. "Thanks, my friend. Oh, right. Don't tell my cousin."