Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Chapter 402

What was sharing a deep emotional connection?

At that moment, Rose and Edward were a perfect example.

After finishing their meal, Rose sat in her consultation room, preparing to rest. It had always been the

three of them chatting together after meals in Natalie’s, Sherri’s, or her rooms.

They talked about anything and everything.

However, now that Natalie and Sherri had both been pregnant, they needed to take short naps during

lunchtime due to fatigue. As a single person, Rose hadn’t wanted to disturb the two pregnant women,

so she had returned to her own room.

She played with her phone in boredom. Recalling her conversation with her brother from the night

before and what Sherri had said, she had decided to cut ties and delete Edward’s contact. It was better

to end it quickly than to prolong the pain.

It had to be a clean break.

As she opened Edward’s contact, she noticed that the chat log was still on their last conversation.

After that, they had not messaged each other. Just as she was about to block him, she noticed a

continuous cycle of “typing” and then stopping at the top corner of the screen.

What was going up?

She couldn’t help but wonder what Edward wanted to do.

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For the next hour, it was a cycle of “typing” and then nothing. This situation had driven her to the brink

of madness, and she could not help but feel puzzled. Her eyes had darted up and down, and she had

become increasingly frustrated.

Rose had never felt so speechless before.

Did Edward have a language barrier?

She had found herself helplessly trying to go along with this odd situation for an hour, nearly driving

herself crazy. Finally, she quickly typed into the chat interface, [Bro, just tell me what you’re preparing

to say. If you can’t, at least give me a general idea, and I’ll help you organize it.]

It was exhausting for her, as people with direct personalities often tend to be. Whenever they saw

something that could be resolved quickly, but others struggled with it, they had the urge to step in and

help directly.

Similarly, individuals with obsessive-compulsive tendencies were like this too. If something wasn’t

arranged properly or was out of place, they felt an instinctive need to correct it.

As long as the matter was not corrected and handled properly, discomfort would spread throughout

their bodies. To put it bluntly, it was an illness.

Edward’s actions made it clear that he was typing a message, but those unaware might have thought

his phone had a virus.

Finally, after much effort, Edward managed to send his message in his native language that said, I

want to talk to you about something. Are you available now?]

Rose couldn’t help but wonder what took him so long to compose just these simple sentences. If

Edward’s language teacher knew about it, they wouldn’t be able to contain their frustration.

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Rose did not know her brother had spoken to Edward. After all, they were communicating through

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screens, and he had no way of knowing her emotions. She replied in her usual tone and mood, [Go

ahead and tell me. We’re friends, so there’s nothing we can’t discuss.]

She was only on the verge of deleting him.

Edward replied straightforwardly. I don’t want to be friends anymore.]

Rose responded immediately. [So you want to end our friendship? Does your girlfriend care about the

existence of a female. friend like me?]

If he wanted to end things, so be it. She had been considering deleting him a few minutes ago anyway,

but she couldn’t help feeling a slight pang in her chest.

Edward replied in puzzlement, [What girlfriend?]

Why was the topic suddenly shifting? Edward was confused after sending the message.

Rose explained truthfully, with a hint of unhappiness, [Sherri said you have a girlfriend. She also said

you had planned to pursue that girl. It’s been a long time since then. So, you’re dating her now, right!]

At the Landor Group, Edward sent the messages while sitting in his chair. He was confused after

reading Rose’s message. He dialed Sherri’s number directly. But at that moment, Sherri was sound

asleep. She was almost in the realm of dreams when the abrupt ringing of her phone disrupted her

slumber.

She answered the call with closed eyes, still in a half-asleep state, sounding neither fully awake nor

fully asleep. “Who is it?”

She had an unmistakable tone that said. “You’re disturbing my sleep.

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“Did you tell Rose that I have a girlfriend?” Edward was puzzled. When had he mentioned having a

girlfriend?

Sherri, still drowsy, replied, “Yeah, didn’t you say it yourself that night?”

Edward pressed his temples in frustration. Now he understood how distorted messages could become

when passed through someone who couldn’t relay them properly. “Think carefully. Did I say it like that?

Did you ever pass your comprehension test in school?”

With a clearer understanding. Edward hung up the phone, leaving a baffled Sherri in her messy office.

Wasn’t that what he had said? He had mentioned having someone he liked and wanted to pursue.

Didn’t that automatically make her his girlfriend?

Her interpretation wasn’t entirely wrong. Something must be wrong with Edward. Time to go back to

sleep. After all, she was pregnant.

Edward reorganized his words and sent a message to Rose, saying, [Sherri was talking nonsense. I

don’t have a girlfriend. I just have someone I like and want to pursue. I haven’t pursued her yet, and I

don’t even know if I’ll succeed.]

Out of politeness, Rose gave some naive advice. [If you like her, just pursue her. Don’t be like you were

in the past. I don’t mean anything negative, but if you genuinely like someone, you should go for it. If

you can’t win her over, at least you won’t regret not trying. But you can’t be a scumbag. You can’t like

someone and then chase after someone else.]

Rose continued with her advice, [Although my words might be harsh, they’re true. You’re not a bad

person. I just wanted to remind you. Whatever you do, don’t be a scumbag ]

Having been hurt once, she was forever wary of betrayals. Even though Edward’s affections were

directed elsewhere, she still felt the need to offer advice. Saving a life carned merit, and she was

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hoping to accumulate some good karma for herself to ensure she wouldn’t encounter any jerks in this

lifetime.

After sending the message, Rose thought that she should be considered a very kind person. She was

helping someone she liked by providing guidance and thoughtful reminders not to act irrationally.

What a good person she was.

Rose was impressed with herself. How could she be so generous and kind-hearted, given she was

planning to delete Edward as a friend a moment ago?

She didn’t expect him to reply, but she still felt a strange twinge of pain. She propped her feet up on the

chair and prepared to meditate.

She set her phone to silent and adjusted the volume to hear the guided meditation. She purified her

mind and began to visualize herself as a tall tree rooted in the earth, surrounded by serene foliage. It

was a safe and tranquil space….

Rose’s brain tried its best to conjure this imagery as she immersed herself in the guided meditation.

About half an hour later, Sherri quietly entered Rose’s consultation room. After receiving an

inexplicable phone call from her brother that disturbed her sleep, she couldn’t fall back asleep. She had

checked on Natalie and found her still sleeping, so she hadn’t gone in

Pushing the door open, Sherri stood still, her eyes widening. “What on earth are you doing?

Meditation?”

Rose was on the verge of drifting off. While meditation was beneficial, it could also lead to sleep. If

Sherri had arrived one minute later, she might have actually fallen asleep. Yawning. Rose rubbed her

eyes. “I was meditating. Why are you here? Couldn’t sleep?”

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Sherri was puzzled. Rose had been so happy all day and did not seem bothered by anything. “My

brother called and woke me up. Why are you meditating? Got some troubles bothering you?”

“Oh, it’s just grown-up stuff. Like a delayed period or constipation today. Trivial things, really.”

Rose rambled with a string of lies.

Sherri was at a loss for words.

What kind of nonsense was this? She must be out of her mind.

‘What my brother said was that he told you he has a girlfriend. No, wait, I think my brother said he has

a girlfriend. No, that’s not it. Let me think. My brother’s exact words were a bit fuzzy at the time, and I

heard something about him having a girlfriend. Did he tell you?”

After a moment’s pause, Sherri tried to recall her previous statement, nodding with certainty. “Yes,

that’s right. I’m pretty sure that’s what he said. There’s no mistake. Did my brother mention it to you?”

the girl

Rose avoided Sherri’s gaze and coughed awkwardly. “He did, he did. I even gave him some advice on

how to pursue

he likes”

Deep down, she felt uncomfortable, as if she were being pricked by needles one after another.

Sherri touched her neck, feeling embarrassed as she replied, “Well, I initially wanted to matchmake you

two. It’s just that my brother lacks vision. You deserve someone better”

Rose waved her hand generously. “Oh, come on, it’s not that big of a deal. Can’t I be free to make my

own choices? Besides, your brother isn’t my type. We’re practically like buddies now”

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Sherri didn’t stay in Rose’s consultation room for long. She left after a short while. In fact, she had

come to explain to Rose about her brother’s girlfriend and how he felt about it.

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To be honest, Sherri was a bit disappointed. She had gone to great lengths, even buying a plane ticket,

hoping that something would spark between her brother and Rose. But her efforts had gone in vain,

and now her brother liked someone else. It almost made her feel awkward in her own skin.

Rose slumped on the chair with a sigh “Oh, this situation has become quite complicated, and it’s

bothering me. I need to get over it. Never mind, I’ll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for

you, too”

Lost in her thoughts, Rose started to sing softly. The setting was particularly fitting for singing that song,

perfectly appropriate.

However, her contemplation was interrupted by a message from Edward which said. The girl I like

knows that I used to like someone else. How can I explain to her that my heart is now empty?

Rose thought to herself, “Is he seriously treating me as a love guru or a relationship expert? Am I that

capable?”

Despite her frustration, she took a deep breath and replied, [You need to prove it. Use sincerity. There’s

nothing more important than being genuine.]

Edward quickly replied, [Like what? You’re a girl. You should know a thing or two.

His response was cautious and had no flaws as if he had genuinely developed feelings for someone

else and was seeking advice from her.

For the first time, Rose lost her temper. While replying politely she couldn’t help but scold Edward in

her mind, “Are you out of your mind? Do you think I’m an idiot? Are you intentionally messing with me,

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watching me fall for you, and then changing your mind as someone new comes along? You’re the type

who’s easily swayed by appearances and doesn’t care about someone’s true character.”

In her polite message, she wrote, [It depends on you. How do you want to prove it? I don’t even know

what type of girl you like.]

She was certain that it wouldn’t be someone like her. At least, she and Natalie were polar opposites,

completely different. Edward’s response came quickly, [Just like your personality. Easygoing, cheerful,

and infectious, like sunshine.]

Rose stared at the message in disbelief.

What was this nonsense? Did Edward like someone like her? Yet the person he liked wasn’t her? Was

he toying with her? Irritated, Rose decided not to reply any further. She typed with frustration, [I’m at

work. Look it up online yourself] Edward looked at her message, furrowing his brow slightly. Across

from him, Kyle was eating his meal seriously. He saw Edward holding his phone and replying between

bites. He asked. “You’re eating at this hour. Aren’t you hungry?”

They had a meeting earlier and only having their meal now- Kyle was starving.

Edward replied, “Go ahead and eat. What are you looking at me for? Is there something on my face?

Eat your food.”

“I just feel like you’ve been acting strange these past few days. Is everything okay? If something is

going on at the company, let me know. I’ll handle it for you. After all, I’m being paid with your salary,

and I was brought in by you.” Kyle expressed his loyalty and concern. Apart from their professional

relationship, they were good friends as well.

Edward had no intention of discussing his current complicated issue. ‘I don’t need your help this time.

Enjoy your meal.

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