Chapter 109 - 107: An Outrageous Reversal
Half an hour later, the Hangover Tea and lunch Cecilia ordered arrived.
The three of them sat around the dining table. Aside from Cecilia, who was in decent shape, Estelle and Jonah Goodman both looked exhausted from their hangovers. Jonah, in particular, was pale with an empty stomach, having thrown up twice that morning.
Estelle Goodman cupped a bowl of porridge and took a few sips, feeling a bit better. She looked up at Jonah and said, "Finish eating and get out."
Jonah pretended not to hear her and turned to Cecilia with a grin. "Cecilia, thanks for letting me crash here last night."
Cecilia smirked. "Well, I couldn’t just leave you on the street."
"Hmph." Estelle scoffed at that. "You should have left him on the street. I saw a news story on my feed the other day about a guy who passed out drunk on the street late at night and got molested by a homeless man."
Jonah frowned. "Can’t you wish me well for once?"
"I’m giving you a warning. A fair-skinned pretty boy like you is exactly their type." As Estelle spoke, she picked up her phone. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she called out to Cecilia, "Honey, I’ve got news about those shoes you wanted!"
"The ones I told you about? How much are they?" Cecilia asked quickly.
After checking with her contact, Estelle explained, "He said the price depends on the size. Popular sizes are more expensive. Do you know what size shoes Yannick wears?"
Cecilia paused. "I forgot to ask. I’ll ask now."
But she didn’t have Yannick’s WhatsApp. After a moment’s thought, she opened Tiktok and found Sean’s account by looking through her gift records from when she’d sent him a ’Carnival’.
"Hi Sean, it’s Cecilia. Do you know what Yannick’s shoe size is?"
Listening to their conversation, Jonah couldn’t help but ask, "Who’s Yannick?"
"He’s the guy our Cecilia is after," Estelle said bluntly. "I already told you, the line of guys chasing her could circle our school’s track twice."
Jonah frowned. "Stop trying to fool me. If he’s chasing Cecilia, shouldn’t he be the one giving her gifts? Why is Cecilia buying something for him? And shoes, of all things!"
Jonah then looked at Cecilia. "Do you know what it means to buy a guy shoes?"
Cecilia blinked. "That I bought a pair of shoes?"
"It means a confession! Shoes are one of the most meaningful gifts for a guy. Be careful or you’ll end up giving yourself away along with the shoes!"
"Cecilia, don’t listen to his nonsense." Estelle shot Jonah a glare. "Besides, I think Yannick is great. Much better than *some* people!"
Cecilia just smiled, unbothered by their bickering.
Sean quickly replied: "Cecilia!!!!"
"You’re buying shoes for Yannick!!!"
"It’s not *those* shoes, is it!!!"
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!"
"That lucky bastard must have saved the planet in his past life!!!"
Sean’s reaction was intense. He sent a flurry of messages without getting to the point. Cecilia quickly cut him off: "Calm down. So, what’s Yannick’s shoe size?"
Sean: "Hahahaha, I’m just so excited. Excited for my boy."
"He’s a size 10.5!"
"I’m not gonna tell him. I want to see his reaction when he gets the shoes!"
Cecilia said thanks and passed Yannick’s shoe size to Estelle.
Estelle immediately contacted her seller.
"Size 10.5 is a popular size. A pair is two grand!"
Even Estelle was shocked by the markup. Her eyes went wide. "Weren’t they only around two hundred retail? That’s ten times the price!"
Jonah snorted. "That’s why sneakers mean something different to guys. They’re expensive and hard to get. If a girl goes through all that trouble to buy you a pair of limited-edition sneakers, it’s a killer move. Not many guys can resist that."
He actually had connections with resellers himself and could probably get them for a bit cheaper, but he wasn’t about to volunteer to help Cecilia buy a gift for another guy.
"Fine, I’ll take them."
Cecilia didn’t hesitate over the price. Two grand was certainly not cheap by current standards, but since they were a global limited edition that people were queuing up and going crazy for, the markup was to be expected.
After eating and drinking the Hangover Tea, everyone felt a bit more human. Jonah didn’t overstay his welcome, either. He told Cecilia he was heading home.
Cecilia walked him to the front door of the villa. Estelle, worried Jonah might say or do something out of line, pressed her face against the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window to watch.
"Cecilia, can I ask you out again sometime?"
Before leaving, Jonah stopped and looked at Cecilia.
Cecilia smiled and nodded. "Sure, as long as you don’t stop me from ordering male models."
Jonah’s face darkened at her words. He said competitively, "I’m not any worse than those models, am I? I have abs, too. You can touch mine!"
Cecilia’s expression immediately turned serious. "See? I was joking, but you took it seriously. Jonah, there’s no chance for us. Don’t waste your energy on me."
Seemingly caught off guard by her sudden and decisive words, Jonah’s expression froze. It took him a moment to process what she’d said.
He had never been rejected by a girl so seriously and firmly before. From Cecilia’s tone, it was as if she’d left no room for negotiation.
Cecilia pressed her lips together and continued, "You’re a pretty good guy... as a friend."
"Is it because of something Estelle told you? Is that why you won’t give me a chance?" Jonah grew anxious, explaining with a rare seriousness, "I admit my dating history might be a bit... extensive. But you’re different from them in my eyes. I genuinely think you’re special, and I’m really drawn to you."
Hearing this, Cecilia just smiled and shook her head. "I don’t care if I’m different from other girls in your eyes, because in my eyes, all men are the same. I won’t develop real feelings for you. Even if I agreed to be with you, it would just be for fun."
Cecilia delivered these shocking words with such nonchalance that it completely threw Jonah for a loop.
He, a classic player who flitted from one girl to the next without getting attached, still had to put on an act and whisper insincere sweet nothings to win them over.
But here was Cecilia, telling him flat-out, ’Even if I were with you, it would just be for fun. I wouldn’t get serious.’
’Is that even fair?’
As he stood there stunned, Cecilia added, "I wouldn’t have been against just having some fun with you, but you’re Estelle’s brother, so I don’t want to hurt you."
Jonah blinked, still dazed.
’I don’t want to hurt you.’
Wasn’t that his go-to line for all the other girls? He never imagined that one day, someone would use it to brush him off.
’The world’s been turned completely upside down!’