Very soon, Sabrina's focus shifted far away from a mere bowl of udon noodles.
She and Cedric left the convenience store together-him in front, her following closely behind-her steps landing right in the shadow he cast on the ground, just like ages ago, that same mix of admiration and silent obsession filling her.
There had been something burning on her mind for a while now, but it wasn't until Cedric gave her a lift back to her apartment complex and she stepped out of the car that she finally found the nerve to speak up.
The second she noticed him about to drive off, she quickly called out, "Hold on a sec!"
She darted around the front of the car and stopped by the driver's window.
Cedric rolled it down slowly and just looked at her quietly.
"You seriously don't want Twinkle?" she asked, standing by the car door, staring down at her toes, her tone uncertain.
Before he could even answer, she rushed on, "If you don't want it, I'll probably have to take it to Pama instead... I mean, I can't just give up. I still have a whole lab to support..."
Cedric rested his left arm casually on the edge of the window, fingers tapping lightly. His tone stayed flat and unreadable as usual. "From any perspective, Pama's offer is pretty attractive. So why not just work with them?"
"Because they kidnapped me, okay?" Sabrina looked up at him, blurting out the excuse she'd rehearsed a thousand times in her head.
So yeah, why would she work with them after that?
"Sabrina," Cedric met her eyes, his tone cool but direct, "you can't throw that out as an excuse."
His stare hit like being caught red-handed at school-and she caved instantly. "Because..."
He didn't rush her, just let the silence hang, waiting for her to say it.
"Because I want to help you..." Her voice dropped even lower. "I know Gracewell's been hitting a rough patch, grand..."
She suddenly remembered what Lynne had said about Cedric's grandmother being seriously ill, and how his family didn't like bringing that up. So she shifted gears. "Gracewell hasn't had a major hit in years. I've gone through all your past product launches but..."
"To be honest, none of them compare to Luméra." Talking business made her more confident. Her earlier hesitation faded, replaced by a steadier tone.
Cedric said nothing.
He might not be an expert on skincare formulas, but he knew numbers, and Luméra, the anti-aging line under Gracewell's premium category, had been a bestseller from the get-go.
It had been five years since Luméra's launch.
Sure, Pama needed Twinkle to fix up their image, but didn't Gracewell also need something powerful to push their next big hit?
"You know better than anyone how competitive the skincare world is now. Tons of brands, endless product lines, and consumers are all over the place. It's not like the old days-ads don't win people over anymore. Even loyal Gracewell users might jump ship if their fave celeb promotes another label. These days, if your product doesn't speak for itself, you're toast, right?"
Sabrina's hands were sweating by the end.
She wasn't some high-level exec. Just a nerdy R&D girl who spent her days buried in test tubes and formulas.
But the idea of him rejecting her again, that thought scared her more than anything. So she forced herself to spit out something that, at least on the surface, kind of made sense-though the more she thought about it, the more flaws she could hear.
Now that she'd finished tearing Gracewell down, it was time to start lifting them up again.
Sabrina cleared her throat lightly and went on, "Sure, Gracewell and Pama are both stuck in a rut right now, but let's be real-Gracewell's still ahead. It's just been too long since you had a fresh hit. Pama? They're losing people's trust. Their base formulas were weak, all hype and celeb endorsements. Now that stuff's getting exposed, and if someone really wants to dig, it'll just spiral."
"Not that I think you keep up with the skincare news, but Twinkle? Pama would fork over shares to get it. But I'm offering it to Gracewell. So, Cedric, what's there to still think about?"
She sat up straighter, trying to look like a serious dealmaker. Honestly though, with the R&D team behind her all banking on this, she had to hold herself together.
Cedric, who'd been silent the whole time she talked-well, rambled, if he were being honest-finally opened his mouth. "So, let's hear it-what do you want for it?"
He knew her logic had holes, but the core truth? He knew that part better than she did. When he'd seen her in the private room, it wasn't about business-he'd just lost it.
"Not much," Sabrina replied casually, holding up five fingers.
Cedric frowned, clearly unimpressed. "Five million?"
Honestly, if it came down to real negotiations, even five million could turn a profit...
Sabrina's lips twitched. God, talking to rich people seriously hurt your pride. "Fifty."
Now it was Cedric's turn to be speechless again.
"Well?" She pulled her hand back and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Why?" he asked, voice low.
Sabrina looked down with a soft giggle, and just like that, she didn't feel like a grown-up anymore. She looked seventeen again-hands behind her back, toe circling on the ground.
"Because I want to get back together with you. So, fifty bucks is more like a little sign, not the real price."
Her voice was light and playful, each word like a little flicker in this quiet, starless night.
*****
Half an hour later.
Sabrina was in her bedroom attacking a pillow. She clutched it in both arms like she was trying to strangle the life out of it.
Stupid Cedric. Really, just-ugh. She'd laid it all out, and what did he do? Rolled the window up without a word! Never mind that her hand was resting right there-he almost squished her fingers. Then he just started the car and took off, leaving her standing in exhaust fumes.
When she heard the knock on her door, she snapped, "Come in."
It was Lynne.
Lynne walked in with a small pot of soup. Just one look at her daughter and she knew Sabrina was fuming. Without saying anything, Lynne set it down, opened the lid, and started stirring slowly, as if nothing was wrong. "Who ticked you off? That kids from the lab again?"
She called them "kids" because most of them were Sabrina's age-wild and impulsive. Older and more reasonable staff could never last working with Sabrina.
Sabrina had talent, sure. But she let her feelings drive her decisions too often. If not, she'd already be working with Pama, not throwing herself at her ex with a miracle formula and begging for another shot.
She even offered it for fifty bucks-cheaper than dirt-and Cedric still acted like it meant nothing.
Yes, Lynne had caught the whole interaction. She'd been taking out the trash and just happened to see the two of them downstairs.
But what really worried her wasn't how the formula "Twinkle" was being undervalued-it was Sabrina's emotional rollercoaster, and how that might mess with her health.
"Hah, as if they'd dare mess with me," Sabrina huffed, waving that off. She tossed the pillow aside and crawled over to the table, sniffing around dramatically like a puppy.
"God, just a few days without your soups and my skin's already giving up on me."Lynne could tell Sabrina wasn't being fully honest, but she didn't push it. "As long as you know. From now on, don't go making decisions on your own. Talk to me first."
"Got it," Sabrina replied, picking up the stew her mom made. The pot was packed with all kinds of fancy herbs and tonics. She took a spoonful and couldn't help making a few appreciative noises. "Mom, pretty sure the grocery budget's all going into my stomach."
"Glad you're aware. Now hurry and get that formula sold-we're still waiting on your share for the household." Lynne crossed one leg over the other, settling on the edge of the bed. Even dressed in PJs, she carried herself with the elegance of someone who could walk into a pageant and win without trying.
Some people just had class in their bones.
Sabrina gave her mom a secret admiring look. She really did look up to her-respected her, even wanted to be like her one day. But on the outside, all she gave was a lazy, "Yeah, yeah, sure."
Seeing she still wouldn't open up, Lynne sighed quietly. She stood up, unable to sit still anymore. "Eat your food and go to sleep afterward."
"Mm-hmm, night!" Sabrina answered in a burst-she already had plans to mentally roast Cedric again as soon as she finished her bowl.
*****
Just when Sabrina thought the whole thing had tanked, she got a call from Gracewell. They'd already drawn up a contract draft and wanted her and her lawyer to come discuss the details. Said if anything didn't sit right with her, they'd fix it.
Sabrina was over the moon. She told them to print the final version right away and even offered to set the time and place for a meetup.
Her enthusiasm caught them off guard-they triple-checked with her. She got tired of the back-and-forth and just picked a time and restaurant on the spot, ending with, "See you there."
She picked a spot for three days later, just a regular little restaurant. Once the call was done, she rang up her apprentice, telling him to hop on a flight and bring her seal stamp.
The second Simon Morris heard Twinkle got sold, he booked the ticket right away, thrilled out of his mind.
Three days flew by.
Sabrina met up with Simon right outside the restaurant. The moment she saw him, she marched over and tried to grab his ear. "You! Where have you been hiding these past few days? We could've finished this earlier, but no-you had to delay it till now!"
The 5'9''-tall guy easily dodged her without breaking a sweat. At the same time, he smoothly grabbed her hand for just a second, gently enough that she didn't even notice it wasn't an accident-but quick to let go so it didn't get awkward.
His mature-looking suit was a little too formal for his playful vibe, but his build pulled it off, making it look intentional rather than overdone. He shot her a bright grin, showing off a perfect row of teeth-it was the kind of smile that felt like summer breeze. "I'll tell you where I've been after we sign."
"Ugh, fine!" Sabrina rolled her eyes, pulling her hand back and waving it in front of him. "You brought the stamp, right?"
"Relax, I brought it. Even packed your lucky pen," Simon said, patting his black work bag.
"Legend! You're definitely getting an extra drumstick at dinner," Sabrina gave him a thumbs-up and let out a deep breath.
Jeez, even though it was just a fifty-buck contract, she was still super nervous.
Cedric has to show up, right? Wonder what he's wearing today.
She puffed her cheeks out unconsciously and glanced around the restaurant, looking like a prairie dog on alert.
