Chapter 519: The Surprise She Couldn’t Wait to Give

Somewhere within the crowd, a street vendor enthusiastically advertised his roasted corn to passing customers, his voice occasionally rising above the surrounding conversations.

Yet, Despite the noise and constant movement, the atmosphere felt lively and familiar, with people going about their business without paying much attention to one another.

Sarah paused beneath the store’s awning and took out her phone to check her messages. She had received a text from a friend asking whether she would be available to meet later, so she quickly replied that she might be free before opening her conversation with Stan. For a few seconds, she simply stared at his name on the screen, wondering whether she should tell him that she had bought something for him. The excitement of making the purchase had left her eager to share the news, but she also wanted to preserve the surprise until she could give him the gift in person.

Her thumb hovered over the keyboard as she considered what to write. I bought you something today, she typed, only to stare at the sentence for a moment before deciding against it. It was far too direct, and Stan would almost certainly ask what she had bought. She could try to avoid answering, but that would only make him more curious, and she wasn’t confident she could keep the secret if he pressed her for details.

After deleting the message, she tried another approach. I hope you aren’t busy later. However, the moment she read the sentence, she frowned. It sounded suspiciously like she was preparing to ask him for a favor rather than planning to surprise him with a gift. She could already imagine him asking what she wanted, and she had no intention of giving him an opportunity to guess what she was planning before she had even arranged to see him.

Sarah deleted the second message as well and glanced down at the shopping bag beside her. The temptation to take a photograph of the presentation box and send it to him was almost unbearable. She could share the picture without revealing what was inside, perhaps adding a vague comment that would leave him wondering about its purpose. For a moment, she seriously considered the idea, but she quickly shook her head and stopped herself before she could act on the impulse.

"No," she muttered under her breath. "You’re not ruining the surprise."

A passerby happened to glance in her direction, apparently having heard her speak, and Sarah immediately straightened as though nothing unusual had happened. She slipped her phone into her handbag and adjusted the shopping bag in her other hand, pretending that she hadn’t just been caught talking to herself in the middle of a busy street. Although the brief encounter was insignificant, it left her feeling slightly embarrassed, and she decided it would be better to stop overthinking the situation and simply get moving.

She would give Stan the gift in person, allowing herself to see his reaction rather than trying to imagine it beforehand. She wanted to watch him open the presentation box, examine the watch, and discover the little message she had written on the card. The thought alone made her feel excited, although she was also curious about whether he would immediately recognize how expensive the watch was. If he complained about the price, she would simply tell him that she had already made up her mind and that he wasn’t allowed to return it. She had spent far too much time choosing the watch to let him dismiss it without at least giving it a chance.

The idea amused her enough to bring another smile to her face. With her decision made, Sarah stepped away from the awning and raised her hand toward the road to hail a taxi. Several vehicles passed before one slowed and pulled toward the curb in front of her. The driver was a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and a faded blue shirt, and he leaned toward the passenger window as he looked in her direction.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Sarah told him her destination, and the driver nodded before gesturing toward the rear door. "Come in, madam. I’ll take you."

She walked around the vehicle, opened the rear door, and climbed inside. After settling into the seat, she placed her handbag on her lap and carefully positioned the shopping bag beside her rather than leaving it on the floor, making sure the gift remained upright and secure. She then adjusted her seat, glanced briefly at the package, and gave the driver her attention as she prepared for the journey, already looking forward to the moment she would finally present Stan with his gift.

The interior of the taxi smelled faintly of air freshener and warm upholstery, creating a familiar atmosphere that contrasted with the noise of the busy street outside. A small devotional ornament hung near the dashboard, swaying gently whenever the vehicle moved, while the radio played a lively song at a moderate volume. As the driver pulled away from the curb and joined the traffic, he reached toward the radio and lowered the volume slightly, making it easier to converse without having to raise his voice.

"Traffic is not too bad today," he remarked, glancing at the road ahead. "If we are lucky, we should get there without wasting too much time."

Sarah settled comfortably against the seat, adjusting her handbag on her lap before ensuring that the shopping bag beside her was positioned securely.

"That would be nice," she replied, hoping the journey would be relatively quick. She was eager to get to her destination, although the anticipation had less to do with arriving somewhere than with the gift she was carrying.

The taxi gradually merged into the stream of vehicles, and the driver navigated through the afternoon traffic with practiced ease. They passed several storefronts, a crowded bus stop where passengers waited impatiently for transportation, and a row of roadside stalls selling everything from phone accessories and bottled drinks to packaged snacks.