?


    Unsurprisingly, the guy remained unresponsive.


    Grace simply zipped her down jacket tighter around her and sat next to him on the wooden bench outside the school, braving the biting cold wind and watching as dusk turned to darkness.


    It wasn''t until the night had fully set in, the streetlights flickering on one by one, and the neon signs of the downtown businesses began to sparkle in the distance, that the man finally stirred from his stillness.


    Grace was taken aback and called out, "Hey-"


    Murray ignored her, got into his car, started the engine, and drove away.


    In that moment, Grace felt a twinge of envy for Roseanne.


    How did she manage to have such a proud man dancing to her tune willingly?


    And how did she resist the allure of luxury cars and designer watches without being swayed?


    Yes, Grace had seen it all clearly when Murray had dropped Roseanne off earlier.


    Despite the distance, she couldn''t hear what was said between them, but the man''s dejected demeanor was a clear indicator that Roseanne had rejected him.


    And it wasn''t a gentle rejection either.


    Grace shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket, feeling the warmth slowly returning to her palms.


    But sitting out here in the cold for so long, even with long boots on, her feet were freezing.


    Still, Grace felt it was worth it.


    The nce Murray had given her, at least showed he recognized her.


    A smile crept onto her lips as she watched his car disappear into the distance, her envy slowly morphing into determination.


    The first time Grace had bumped into Murray, she was merely curious about him.


    But after several unexpected encounters, she realized he belonged to a world she might never reach in her lifetime.


    And such an opportunity, if missed, might nevere again.


    So why hesitate?


    Only...


    He seemed harder to win over than she had anticipated.


    At this thought, Grace couldn''t help but frown.


    But quickly, her expression shifted to one of eagerness.


    A high challenge meant high rewards, high returns. Wasn''t that worth fighting for?


    ...


    Murray returned to his mansion, disheartened.


    By this time, Sadie had already cleaned up and left.


    The vast space was empty except for him.


    Cliff, knowing his n, guessed there would be some oue by now and called to ask, "How did it go? Was Roseanne deeply moved and agreed to get back together?"


    Murray felt a pang in his heart but didn''t answer, just said, "...Come out, keep mepany for a drink."


    Cliff had a sinking feeling, guessing the result.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Arriving at the bar, he saw Murray sitting on a sofa, drowning his sorrows.


    It was hard to tell if it was the lighting or if he had drunk too much, but his eyes were somewhat red.


    Two empty bottles were already on the table in front of him, and yet he kept drinking, as if he had a death wish.


    Cliff quickly sat down next to him, pleading earnestly, "Murray, stop drinking..."


    "I know you''re hurting, but there are


    SO


    just


    it go? You could have any


    woman you want." Content Belongs to


    Murray remained silent, the


    thumping music in his ears,ughter and flirtatious voices of men and women seeping in through the door cracks, his consciousness starting to fade.


    "Remember this bar?" Suddenly, he spoke.


    Cliff paused, looked around, and then it hit him, making him gasp.


    This bar was where they had celebrated his birthday, where Murray, holding Millie, had asked Roseanne for a breakup!


    And it was the same private room!