Sydnee came face to face with her mother Janice when she went downstairs. Janice said with a gloomy expression on her face, "He said he has something to tell you. Your father and I have locked him out, but he doesn't want to leave."
Sydnee nodded, "I know. I'll go take a look."
"Don't do anything stupid, my child." Janice warned Sydnee because she was afraid that her silly daughter would really say yes to that bastard.
"I know." Sydnee knew she wouldn't.
When Sydnee walked out of the living room, she recalled what Emily had said to her for no reason.
"You will meet a better man in the future."
"Don't rush into marriage. There are good men ahead, and you just have to wait."
She had gathered her courage and finally curled her lips into a smile.
To think about seeing Marquise again, Sydnee was calm and without compunction. Marquise was standing by the iron railing in the distance, and behind him was his long shadow in the street light. He was overjoyed to see Sydnee come out.
Marquise had the good look of a playboy. Putting aside his dissolute private life, he could actually be seen as a talented young man in City Y. After all, his family was rich. He had the capital to indulge in feasting and revelry every night, and he also had the capital to choose any woman he wanted.
However, that woman would never be Sydnee.
Sydnee knew it was impossible for her to be with him for the rest of her life. The moment she saw him, her heart was as calm as the smooth surface of a lake. Even when she was standing there at the door, she was just thinking about what expression she should put on when Eliot arrived.
Although the two of them were standing face to face, what they were thinking were different.
They remained silent until Marquise spoke, "I know you're not with Eliot." He stepped forward and smiled unconsciously, "He hasn't come to see you, and you haven't met him alone or gone on a date with him."
Sydnee wondered if Marquise would never give up if she didn't get married with Eliot.
Sydnee frowned as she looked at him. She had never known that she was being watched. And to think of what would happen if Marquise found out what she had been doing for Emily ...
"I know. You guys are trying to deceive me together." Marquise continued to indulge himself in his own fantasy, and his tone was incredibly serious and sincere, "I did something wrong before. I know it. But I hope you can give me a second chance."
Sydnee interrupted him, "Eliot and I keep in touch by phone." She unlocked her phone and turned to the contact records. The last phone calls she had made were all to Eliot. She pointed to the records and said, "I was chatting with him before you came here."
Marquise froze, "That's impossible." He smiled, but his smile was a bit bleak. "You don't even like him, how could you be with him?"
Sydnee asked back in confusion, "Why wouldn't I like him?" She took a few steps back from Marquise and continued, "Eliot has a good personality and good family background. Most importantly, he is good-natured and we have shared topics. His speech and his manners are elegant. My parents also like him very much."
"He has met your parents?" The expression on Marquise's face changed.
"Yes, long ago." Sydnee saw the headlights of a car, and she knew that Eliot was there. She immediately felt reassured, and she began to speak without hesitation, "My parents are very satisfied with him, and so am I. He is very nice with me, and I like him very much."
"He is nice with you?" Marquise didn't believe it, "How?"
"He's busy at work, so he doesn't have time to meet me during the day. He always comes to see me at night." Sydnee lied without blushing, "Do you still want to hear more about how nice he is with me?"
Actually, she couldn't made up more stories, but she didn't know Marquise had completely mistaken the way she put it.
If Eliot always went to see Sydnee at night and was nice with her ... What else could it mean other than that?
Marquise looked at her furiously, "You ... You did it with him?"
Sydnee was dumbfounded, "What?"
Marquise angrily grabbed her shoulders with her hands, "Did you sleep with him?"
Sydnee felt pain in her shoulders because he was clenching her shoulders too tightly. She intuitively talked back as she heard his words, "Yes, I did!"
Marquise was so angry that he wanted to trump the wall. As his fist was in the air, Sydnee thought that he was going to hit her, so she flinched and shouted, "Eliot!"
Eliot, who had just gotten out of his car, immediately rushed over. He separated Marquise and Sydnee with one arm and held Sydnee in his other arm. All of that happened in the blink of an eye.
Just as Eliot was about to let go of Sydnee, he saw Marquise rushing towards them in fury. Eliot intuitively turned around to protect Sydnee in his arms. When he was punched in the back, Sydnee could hear a muffled thud.
She raised her head and looked at Eliot. Since Eliot was standing with his back to the light, Sydnee couldn't see his expression clearly. She could only hear his voice. It was neither too low nor too high, but it was especially reassuring. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Sydnee suddenly remembered that Eliot had never been in a fight in school. He was well acknowledged as a gentleman. Because he was gentle, courteous, humble, and friendly, he was Prince Charming of many girl students in all grades.
His eyes were tender and his smile was as bright as the sunlight. When the wind brushed off the hair on his forehead, he would narrow his eyes slightly. That was a beautiful scene that many girls could never forget.
Sydnee did not know why she suddenly remembered that scene at that moment, but she knew clearly that what was happening now was just a matter between her and Marquise, and Eliot shouldn't have been involved in it. But Eliot had got himself involved in it deliberately to stand up for Elsie. After fighting with Marquise last time, he got tightly tied to Sydnee.
She did not know Eliot well. But since he had never had a girlfriend or a woman around him when he was still in college and after he graduated for so many years, Sydnee knew that he must have had either a special reason or a dream girl in his heart, and she would never be so narcissistic to think that he was into her.
Because of what had happened between Marquise and herself, Sydnee no longer believed in love.
She didn't want to be tied to Eliot.
However, she had used Eliot as an excuse to reject Marquise repeatedly.
She found herself despicable.
Very despicable.
Eliot took Sydnee to the door in his arms and then unbuttoned his suit jacket quietly, as if he was about to fight with Marquise.
Sydnee held onto his hands. In Eliot's puzzled gaze, she walked towards Marquise slowly.
Eliot was worried about her. He took a step forward, wanting to shield her with his body, but Sydnee pulled his sleeve and shook her head to indicate that she would be fine. Not feeling reassured, Eliot still stood beside her, in case Marquise would dash towards her and hurt her.
Marquise originally did not believe Sydnee's words which had zero credibility, but he really began to believe them after he saw Eliot's attitude.
"Marquise, go home." Sydnee walked up to Marquise and said calmly.
Marquise clenched his fists and the look on his face was pained and sad as he felt betrayed, "Sydnee, it's not easy for me to have a chance to get out, and I just wanted to ..." He couldn't finish the sentence and finally let out a furious roar, "How could you do this to me?"
"What makes you qualified to say something like that?" Sydnee asked back.
Her expression was calm, and there was even a faint smile on her face. But what she said was merciless, "Who are you to me?"
"You're not even a virgin yourself. Why should I be a virgin?" Sydnee didn't give him a chance to talk back and even said something that she normally didn't dare to say, "And why should I wait for you? I don't even like you. If I want to give myself to someone I like, then that's my own business. It has nothing to do with you."
"If it wasn't Eliot, then it would be someone else. It would not be you. It would never be you."
It was suddenly quiet.
"Why?" Marquise asked awkwardly, "Why did you suddenly hate me this much?"
"I don't hate you," Sydnee thought for a moment before saying seriously, "On the contrary, I'm very grateful to you."
Marquise did not think that was a compliment and asked, "What?"
Just as he had expected, what Sydnee said next destroyed his last glimmer of hope.
"You showed me the true nature of men and completely shatter my fantasies about love. I sincerely want to thank you for that."
Marquise was lost for words.
That was a heavy blow for Marquise, and he left, dejected and despondent.
After Marquise drove his car away, Eliot smiled and said to Sydnee, "You don't look talkative. I have never thought that you could be so eloquent."
Sydnee was dumbfounded.
Only after she heard his words did she realize what she had said in front of him.
"You're not even a virgin yourself. Why should I be a virgin?"
"If I want to give myself to someone I like, then that's my own business. It has nothing to do with you."
"If it wasn't Eliot, then it would be someone else. It would not be you. It would never be you."
Sydnee covered her face with her hands. Good heavens! What on earth did she just say!
"Goodbye." After saying that in a hurry, she rushed into the house.
Eliot was left alone outside the door. He stared after her in surprise. He suddenly thought of something and shook his head with a wry smile.
He thought of the scene of Sydnee standing between him and Marquise when he almost got himself involved in a fight. Even though she was clearly solitary and a girl with few words and few friends, she still said so many bold and explicit things to stop them from fighting.
She probably exhausted all her courage to do that.
A good girl like her was worthy of a good man who was nice with her.