Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett didn\u2019t feel like arguing with him. She turned away and started walking toward the exit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But as she turned, her eyes landed on Vincent and Sabrina.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina was examining the lanterns, while Vincent watched her, a soft smile on his face. They stood close, wrapped up in their own world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The way Vincent looked at Sabrina was filled with a gentle fondness that was impossible to\u00a0<\/p>\n
miss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing it, a cold, humorless laugh escaped Scarlett before she could stop it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was about to walk away when Sabrina looked up at Vincent. \u201cVincent, let\u2019s make a wish with the lanterns too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent smiled and nodded. \u201cOf course.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina\u2019s face lit up, her eyes crinkling. \u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s smile lingered on her before he addressed the vendor. \u201cWe\u2019ll take two of your largest lanterns, please.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRight away!\u201d the vendor said, clearly pleased.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing Vincent\u2019s words didn\u2019t stir any particular emotion in Scarlett\u2019s heart. But thinking of Vanessa, a sharp pang went through her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the middle of the night, and Vincent had taken their young daughter out to see someone unrelated, and now here he was, casually strolling with Sabrina.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After overhearing their exchange, Scarlett finally moved to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind her, the sound of Sabrina and Vincent\u2019s playful banter followed her out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVincent, no peeking at my wish!\u201d Sabrina said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s voice held mock curiosity. \u201cI just want one little look.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVincent!\u201d Sabrina pretended to scold, covering her note. \u201cI\u2019m serious!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent seemed to relent. \u201cAlright, alright. It\u2019s your secret.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d Sabrina said, her tone sweetly victorious. \u201cNow, no pouting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:01 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 266 An Unwelcome Encounter\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I look like I pout?\u201d Vincent replied, amusement in his voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0b2e\u0b41\u0b33\u0b4d\u0b15 66\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as you\u2019re not upset,\u201d Sabrina said, and Scarlett could almost hear the grin in her voice. \u201cNow let me finish writing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian lingered in the shop a moment longer. Once he saw Scarlett was a good distance away, he went after her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing Damian hurry out, Sabrina\u2019s smile grew even more satisfied. He just wanted an excuse to stay and look at me a little longer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She thought, the idea bringing a secret pleasure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time Damian caught up, he heard Sabrina\u2019s voice drifting over. \u201cVincent, I\u2019ve finished writing my wish. What about you? Aren\u2019t you going to pen yours?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s reply was quiet, matter\u2013of\u2013fact. \u201cNah, I don\u2019t have any wishes worth writing down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t that he had no desires at all\u2013he simply never believed in such trivialities as wishes coming true just because you jotted them on a piece of paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian tuned out the rest of their chatter after that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Damian caught up to Scarlett outside, he found her oddly composed. Shouldn\u2019t she be upset after seeing Vincent and Sabrina like that? But she seemed completely unaffected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His gaze sharpened, scanning her face for any hidden crack in her calm exterior. He found none. She was steady, unreadable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He desperately wanted to ask if she was okay, but he was afraid that mentioning Vincent would only hurt her more. So he stayed quiet for a beat before suggesting, \u201cThere\u2019s a food market up ahead, with street performers. Want to check it out?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett nodded. \u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The district was even livelier at night. Even past midnight, a steady flow of people moved through the cobblestone streets. A little further on, a crowd had gathered around some street performers doing acrobatics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett stopped to watch, captivated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian took the opportunity to quietly pull out his phone and send another quick text to his assistant, \u201cIntercept another one. Match the photo.\u201d The photo was of Sabrina\u2019s distinctively decorated lantern. He was morbidly curious what she would wish for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett was so engrossed in the performance she didn\u2019t notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:01 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 266 An Unwelcome Encounter\u00a0<\/p>\n
66\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soon, Damian\u2019s phone buzzed with a reply. His assistant had sent two photos\u2013one of Scarlett\u2019s retrieved wish note, and one of Sabrina\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian opened Sabrina\u2019s first. It read, \u201cI wish for all men to adore me, to be willing to go to great lengths for me, and to spend generously on me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking at the note, Damian let out a soft, derisive snort. \u201cTalk about ambition,\u201d he muttered under his breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing him, Scarlett glanced over. \u201cWhat was that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian, not wanting her to know he\u2019d intercepted the lanterns, shook his head. \u201cNothing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett turned her attention back to the performers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian stared at the thumbnail of the second photo\u2013Scarlett\u2019s wish. For a long moment, he couldn\u2019t bring himself to open it. He was afraid of what he might see. In her heart, she probably still longed for Vincent. Her wish would surely be about him, wouldn\u2019t it?\u00a0<\/p>\n
He took a deep, steadying breath. Finally, gritting his teeth, he tapped the image to open it fully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Worried she might glance over, he gently touched her shoulder. \u201cI\u2019m just going to find a restroom. Don\u2019t wander off. Call me if you need anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Distracted by the acrobats, Scarlett simply nodded without looking away. \u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 266 Finished\u00a0 Scarlett didn\u2019t feel like arguing with him. She turned away […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27630\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}