After finishing her shift at the office, Mary returned to the hotel, exhausted and slightly unsettled. The evening sky had darkened to a bluish hue, and a hush hung in the hotel corridors. She quickly changed out of her formal work attire into her painting smock, but her mind was anything but calm. The entire walk from the hotel to the workshop, her thoughts were tangled in one question—was her doubt about Nicholas justified, or was it just her own fear speaking?
As she reached the workshop door, she heard a muffled laugh from inside. When she opened it, the first thing she saw was Diana, standing beside Yong, focused on sketching something on her canvas.
Mary hesitated for a moment but then forced a smile and stepped inside.
— "Hey guys..."
Nicholas peeked down from the upper level and gave her a warm smile.
— "Hey... you made it. I told you to let me know so I could come get you."
Mary walked in and replied,
— "Thanks. Work took longer today... I figured I'd come on my own."
Diana, seemingly less than thrilled to see her, offered a smile laced with sarcasm.
— "Hi. Do you always show up this late? We've been here for almost an hour."
Mary answered politely,
— "After the office, I stopped by the hotel to change, so I got delayed. Looks like you all missed painting a lot too."
Diana frowned slightly.
— "Should I have informed you we were coming to paint?"
A heavy silence fell over the room. Yong, Helen, and even Mary were surprised by the comment. Mary, maintaining her composure, smiled.
— "Oh, no sweetie. I didn't mean anything by it."
Diana softened her tone a bit.
— "I was kidding... come sit next to me. Yong, go upstairs and let us girls have some space."
Yong chuckled and headed up to Nicholas. Nicholas noticed Mary sitting beside Diana and looked slightly uneasy, though he didn't say anything.
Helen smiled and asked,
— "So, Diana, what made you miss us?"
Diana didn't hesitate.
— "If I don't see Yong for two days, I miss him like crazy."
Nicholas let out a laugh, but when he caught Yong's serious look, he murmured,
— "Sorry."
Mary smiled and said,
— "You must be happy painting again with your college friends."
Diana, with a thoughtful tone,
— "Yeah... I'd love to go back in time and fix a few things."
She stole a glance at Nicholas, one that didn't go unnoticed.
Nicholas saw it but acted like he hadn't.
Diana continued,
— "Back then, I was too focused on launching my business, didn't spend enough time with everyone... I regret that."
Helen smiled.
— "Even though you weren't around much, Yong always helped you sneak through classes."
Yong laughed.
— "Ugh, don't remind me... how many times I had to use a girly voice to mark Diana present!"
Nicholas chuckled.
— "Helen, remember how the professor called Diana's name multiple times, and Yong answered with that sweet voice? But when the professor walked over and stood beside him, he just shook his head and said, 'Out!'"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Mary, genuinely amused, said,
— "Wow... you guys had such a good time."
Helen nodded warmly.
— "Yeah... poor Yong always took the fall for Diana."
Diana, with a fake pout,
— "Here I am, and you're all ganging up on me. He shouldn't have fallen for me then!"
Mary chuckled softly.
— "Poor Yong..."
Diana suddenly turned serious.
— "Excuse me? So just because he fell for me, he's 'poor'?"
Helen tried to ease the tension.
— "Sweetie, Mary didn't mean anything like that..."
Diana, sharply,
— "Really? Because it sure sounded like she was about to."
The mood tensed. Nicholas, noticing the growing friction, quickly changed the subject.
— "Forget poor Yong... poor me! I haven't eaten all day."
Mary blinked.
— "You didn't have lunch?"
Nicholas, with a playful tone,
— "Nope! Come on, let's grab something to eat and then come back."
Before anyone could respond, he hopped down from the scaffolding, grabbed Mary's hand, and said,
— "Let's go!"
Mary looked back at Helen, who gave her an encouraging nod. She took off her smock and followed Nicholas out of the workshop.
Once they were gone, silence returned.
Helen, cautiously,
— "Diana, is everything okay?"
Diana, coldly,
— "Yeah... we're just painting, aren't we?"
Yong, slightly uneasy,
— "You seemed a little upset when Mary arrived."
Helen agreed.
— "Yeah, I felt it too. Did something bother you?"
Diana defensively,
— "I don't care about Mary. I just don't get how she's gotten so close to you all in just two months."
Helen grew serious.
— "Mary's a good person. Please be a little nicer to her."
Diana scoffed.
— "Nice? She's practically stealing Nicholas from under your nose."
Yong's voice tightened.
— "Diana, stop it."
Diana, bitterly,
— "I'm just saying the truth. She took his hand and walked out with him. Tomorrow, she might go after you, Yong!"
Helen, raising her voice,
— "Like I ever had a chance with Nicholas? He made his choice. This time, it's different."
Diana was caught off guard and said nothing.
Yong, trying to keep the peace,
— "Enough. Helen, take a walk, get some air."
Helen took off her smock and stepped outside, clearly upset.
Yong turned to Diana with frustration.
— "What's wrong with you? Why are you picking fights like this?"
Diana shouted,
— "Because I care! Because I feel bad for Helen... because Mary—"
Yong interrupted her.
— "No. You're angry because of Nicholas, not Helen."
Diana, on the verge of tears,
— "You've exhausted me, Yong..."
And with that, she stormed out of the workshop. Yong, furious, hurled his paintbrush to the floor with a deep breath.
Outside, Diana marched away from the building, her brows furrowed, her steps quick. The soft breeze rustled her hair, but she ignored the beauty around her. She reached for her purse, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number with cold determination.
— "They just left for a restaurant. Find them and do what you have to do."
Her voice trembled slightly, like someone on the edge.
She paused. A voice on the other end seemed to ask a question.
— "How should I know which restaurant? Probably one of the ones near the workshop. Check them all!"
She ended the call and threw the phone back into her bag. Under her breath, she muttered:
— "This ends now. Ever since she arrived, everything's been unraveling. Time to rewrite the game."
---
Meanwhile...
In a cozy restaurant near the workshop, Mary and Nicholas sat by the window as soft sunset light spilled through. The air was filled with the comforting scent of warm bread and spices.
Nicholas flipped through the menu.
— "So... what are you having? I'm thinking seafood."
Mary smiled faintly and shook her head.
— "Thanks, I already had lunch. Just a glass of water, please."
She turned to the waiter.
— "Just water, thank you."
Nicholas frowned slightly.
— "You have to eat something. I'm ordering you a salad."
Mary offered a small smile and said nothing. The waiter nodded and left.
A moment passed in silence before Nicholas looked into his glass and said,
— "Sorry about Diana... I don't even know what she's mad about this time, but I hate that she took it out on you."
Mary shrugged.
— "It's okay. It didn't bother me much."
Nicholas smiled faintly.
— "I'm glad I met you, Mary. Honestly, any other girl would've made a huge scene by now, demanding to know what went on between me and Diana."
Mary smiled back.
— "Wasn't your fault... (pauses) But, Nicholas... is Diana acting like this because of you?"
Nicholas opened his mouth to respond—
But just then, a familiar and unwelcome voice interrupted them.
— "Oh wow, you're here too? What a coincidence!"
Mary turned, startled. Rachel was standing beside their table, her smile too sweet to be sincere.
Nicholas reacted quickly, as if to shut down the conversation before it went any further.
— "Hey... we just came for a bite. You're welcome to join us if you want."
Mary said nothing. Although she didn't welcome Rachel's presence, Deniz's advice echoed in her mind. Maybe this was a good chance to see for herself if there was something between Rachel and Nicholas.
Rachel, without missing a beat, sat down beside them.
— "Absolutely, I'd love to. Let me just order my food!"
Nicholas glanced at Mary. She smiled on the surface, but inside, a storm of questions had already begun to brew.