Chapter 7 Old Memories

• Third-Person's POV:
• Dean watched in silence as Rachel walked away, his mind drifting in thought.
• Magnus cleared his throat and shifted the conversation. "I ran into Alvin earlier by the door."
• Dean asked casually, "Who's Alvin?"
• "He's the Chief editor at Etienne Jewelry."
• "Sounds familiar."
• The Murray Corporation had previously worked with Etienne, so Dean had crossed paths with their editor a few times.
• Magnus continued, "Alvin mentioned he's located Lyrae. If all goes well, she'll be signing on as a designer for their magazine. Do you remember Lyrae?"
• "Not really."
• Dean wasn't interested in people who didn't impact his life.
• Magnus added, "You might recall that Lyrae won first place in the Seventh Emerging Designers Contest three years ago. She was supposed to receive funding from Murray Corporation to study at Emberwyn, but she turned it down for reasons unknown.
• "I heard she even asked the contest organizer for cash instead of the scholarship. You were consulted about it, and you refused. After that, she vanished. It's a shame—she was genuinely talented."
• Dean's gaze shifted, lost in his own thoughts, and it was unclear if he had absorbed what Magnus had just shared.
• "I see.
• "I still have no memory of her."
• As they drove back, Alvin could clearly sense that Rachel's mood had significantly worsened since their meal.
• Not sure how to address it, he glanced at Jane, raising an eyebrow in question.
• Jane subtly shook her head, indicating that the situation was complex.
• When they reached their destination, Alvin said, "Ms. Gray, I'm looking forward to seeing your work and collaborating with you."
• By then, Rachel had managed to compose herself. She nodded and replied, "Thank you, Mr. Ferreira. I'll do my best."
• Alvin smiled. "I won't keep you any longer. Go on up. See you next week."
• Once home, Jane asked, "Rachel, are you still upset about those two?"
• Rachel, lost in thought, responded with a distracted, "Huh?" After a moment, she added, "No, I was just thinking about the project."
• Alvin's proposed theme was "First Love", which Jane mentioned was also the magazine's flagship series for new designers, targeting the youthful market.
• This project was quite important for them.
• But "First Love" felt like a distant memory to Rachel, overshadowed by the three years of marriage to Dean.
• The excitement of early romance had long since faded.
• Jane then asked, "By the way, have you still not contacted Jack?"
• Rachel gave a slight shake of her head.
• Three years prior, she had clinched first place in the Emerging Designers Contest and been offered a scholarship to study abroad at Emberwyn. However, she chose to decline the opportunity.
• Jack Hicks had visited her several times, puzzled and disheartened, questioning her decision.
• His face had reflected a blend of confusion, sadness, and disappointment.
• Yet, she lacked the courage to tell him the truth and ended up deleting all his contact details.
• What could she have said?
• How could she explain that on the very night she was supposed to be celebrating her triumph, she had received distressing news about Barclay Gray's substantial loan shark debt?
• The revelation had struck her like a frigid shock, leaving her numb and disoriented.
• Jane sighed as she sank into the sofa. "It's such a shame about you and Jack. You two were the perfect couple back in school—everyone could see how much you cared for each other. You were so close to making things official. I thought that once you went to Emberwyn, everything would work out, but then that happened … Fate can be really cruel."
• Rachel stayed silent for a while before finally responding, "That's all in the past."
• "Let's not dwell on sad memories. Oh, I just remembered a funny bit of gossip about Cynthia. You won't believe this—when she first started out, she was so inexperienced with magazine shoots that she didn't even know what a fill light was. She actually … "
• Jane shared several humorous stories, which managed to bring a smile to Rachel's face. The evening was spent with Jane enthusiastically criticizing the cheating couple.
• However, as Rachel lay in bed, her thoughts wandered back to Cynthia's harsh remarks from the restroom.
• Even though Dean would never use such crude language, the underlying meaning was crystal clear.
• Rachel was aware that she had been a burden to Dean. That was why, throughout their three years of marriage, she had strived to be the perfect wife. Despite his harsh words and the cold disdain from the Murrays, she had never complained.
• She was also acutely aware of how much he despised her.
• Still, the sting of harsh realities hit her like venomous daggers, causing a deep ache that twisted with each breath.
• Rachel buried her head under the covers. As she drifted toward sleep, her mind replayed old memories ...