RedNovel“Let's go in. | ordered,” Nathan said, leadinginto a small private room on the second floor. Outside was a
little balcony with flowers, and not far off was a field, giving it a countryside feel.
“Coffee?” Nathan offered warmly.
“Thanks.” | sipped my coffee slowly, then got up and went to the balcony.
Nathan sat behind me, watching, and then softly said, “You look troubled. What's going on? Can | help?”
| looked back at him. His eyes were clear and full of concern. “You already helped. Now you're treatingto
lunch,” I smiled.
Nathan smiled back. “It’s just a meal. No need for formalities.”
| didn’t say anything about my worries. Nathan didn’t push. We talked more about his field. He spoke freely and
with passion. When he talked about his specialty, his eyes lit up.
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| remembered the future tech industry had a bright outlook. Nathan was sure to do great things. “Mr. Holcomb
has invested in quite a few projects lately,” Nathan said suddenly.
“I don’t know much about his company,” | answered. | knew Jared was a skilled investor, steady and cautious, so
he rarely lost
money.
“Mr. Holcomb'’s impressive. If you want to learn about investment management, you should ask him more,”
Nathan chuckled.
“Maybe later.” | wasn't interested. Although Jared was a good teacher, | didn’t care much. Besides, | didn’t plan
to make much money. When | had enough, I'd live differently. Even if it was just gardening and growing flowers,
I'd be happy all year.
“Your daughter looks just like him,” Nathan said out of the blue.
“Have you seen my daughter?” | asked, surprised.
“Yeah, once at a dinner. | happened to notice her and took a good look. Her eyes and features are like Mr.
Holcomb's, no sign of you,” Nathan said, and looked ateagerly. “If she looked more like you, she'd be
prettier.”
| turned away and avoided his eyes. | gave a small smile and said, “Honestly, it's OK whether she looks like me.
She's part of the Holcomb family, and that’s all that matters to them.”
Nathan heard what | said and already guessed why | was upset. He carefully asked, “Did Mr. Holcomb do
something that hurt you?”
My eyes tightened, and | shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Every family has its problems. Things like this
happen, it’s normal.”
Nathan frowned deeply and said, “Mr. Holcomb had an affair?”
“You're a guy. You probably understand men better than | do. If | say he did, would that surprise you, or would
you think it’s normal?” | asked.
| needed someone to talk to about this. | thought about telling Melissa before, but she was in love, and | didn’t
want to break her spirit.
Nathan was someone | could open up to. He was a man, too. Nathan stared atfor a long moment, and then
said, “If a
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man isn’t married, it’s normal for him to meet different women while looking for the right one.
“But if he’s married, cheating isn’t okay at all.” His answer madefeel a little better. Still, guys can be good
actors and liars. Nathan likedsecretly, so maybe he was just tellingwhat | wanted to hear.
“When one is married, both people are happy at first. But over time, a plain marriage can get boring. If a guy
meets a companion, he might easily fall for her. That's normal,” | said.
I leaned back in my chair, my voice full of insights into human nature and helplessness. “Companion?” Nathan
blinked. “Could that companion be a guy?”
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