Chapter 620 - 616: "Feeling

Cecilia Sterling, who was in the stall, heard every word of their conversation.

And that wasn’t all...

"Huh? But Emeric Grant isn’t stupid. He wouldn’t be that easy to fool, would he?"

Fiona Sanders scoffed contemptuously. "He’s not stupid, but he’s a late bloomer when it comes to romance. He only understands pregnant women, not women in general."

"Besides, picking such an expensive restaurant for a date... this girl is clearly high-maintenance. It’s not that Emeric can’t afford it, but I know him. He doesn’t care about fancy restaurants like this. She must have been the one who insisted on coming here."

Hearing this, Jackie felt that Fiona Sanders had a point. Emeric Grant’s personality was just so unique that, to his two old friends, many things about his behavior today seemed out of character.

Of course, there was another reason. Deep down, Fiona Sanders was indignant on behalf of her best friend, Cecilia Langley, which was why she harbored a latent hostility toward Cecilia Sterling despite not knowing her at all.

WHOOSH—

The sound of a toilet flushing came from the stall, and Cecilia Sterling opened the door, stepping out with a calm and composed expression.

Fiona Sanders and Jackie were still standing by the sinks. When they saw Cecilia Sterling emerge, they both froze for a moment.

Jackie looked embarrassed. A faint blush crept up her face out of guilt, and she lowered her head, her gaze shifting away.

Fiona Sanders, however, recovered after her brief surprise. A look of contempt filled her eyes, making it clear she wasn’t afraid of Cecilia Sterling having overheard her.

Cecilia Sterling walked over to them. As she reached out to wash her hands, she slowly raised her head to look at them through the mirror. Her eyes held a hint of a smile, but it was a cold one, and her stare made them both uncomfortable.

Jackie quickly pulled out a paper towel to dry her hands. "I’m done."

She wanted to escape the situation as quickly as possible. Clearly, she had a sense of shame and knew that talking badly about someone behind their back was a classless, low thing to do—especially when they get caught.

But Fiona Sanders was different. She met Cecilia Sterling’s gaze without flinching, a provocative smile on her lips.

Her face wasn’t red, her heart wasn’t pounding, and she showed no fear. In her mind, she was simply standing up for her best friend, Cecilia Langley, and getting payback on her behalf.

She unhurriedly dried her hands, only leaving the restroom when Jackie frantically pulled her away.

"What are you doing? She heard everything! Why didn’t you just leave? This is so awkward," Jackie said, displeased.

She felt that no matter what, the girl was Emeric Grant’s girlfriend now. Even if they had their opinions, they shouldn’t be so disrespectful to her face.

But Fiona Sanders was unfazed. "So what if she heard? If I’m brave enough to say it, I’m not afraid of her hearing it."

"Besides, did you see her expression? Who did she think she was scaring? In the end, she didn’t say a single word, did she?"

"I bet I hit a nerve. That’s why she was speechless."

Jackie didn’t want to hear any more of this from Fiona Sanders. She was worried they’d run into Emeric Grant again and have to greet him, so she urged, "Let’s just go back, grab our bags, and head to the spa."

"What’s the rush? Dessert hasn’t even been served yet," Fiona Sanders said. "I heard they have a new French pastry chef. I want to try it."

Meanwhile, Cecilia Sterling returned to the table, looking completely unfazed. She glanced down and saw several shrimp that Emeric Grant had peeled for her on her plate.

She smiled knowingly, then looked up at Emeric Grant and asked abruptly, "Emeric, why do you like me?"

After hearing what Fiona Sanders said behind her back, she suddenly became curious herself. What ’tricks’ had she used to make Emeric Grant develop feelings for her and eventually fall for her?

But Emeric Grant just held his chopsticks, looked at Cecilia Sterling with utmost seriousness, and said, "Liking someone is a feeling. It’s something you can’t really explain."

It was actually a very smooth answer, the kind of thing many guys say when they can’t come up with a real response to that question.

But coming from Emeric Grant, it made you believe that’s what he truly thought, that he wasn’t just giving a generic answer to brush her off.

"Don’t you think so?" Emeric Grant asked when Cecilia Sterling remained silent.

But Cecilia Sterling hesitated.

"Do you like me?" Emeric Grant asked again.

Cecilia Sterling nodded without any shyness or hesitation.

"Then why do you think you like me?"

"I think you’re very handsome. The first time I saw you, I thought you were handsome," Cecilia Sterling said thoughtfully. "But I think the most attractive thing about you is that I love listening to you talk. You have this quality I’ve never seen in any other guy. Everything you say gives me a sense of earnestness and reliability. I can’t describe it precisely, but I’m just drawn to that quality in you."

As Emeric Grant listened to Cecilia Sterling, a gentle smile spread across his eyes. "So did you start liking me the first time you saw me?"

"No, not really," Cecilia Sterling admitted frankly.

"Exactly. Whether it’s looks, personality, or the little details in how someone acts, I think those are all positive traits. These external and internal qualities are bonus points, but they can’t be the complete reason you like someone.

"It’s like when someone sees a celebrity, their first reaction is to think he’s handsome or she’s beautiful, but they don’t immediately say, ’He’s so handsome, I’m in love with him.’"

"Or saying, ’This person has such a great personality, I like him.’ I find such specific answers strange, even less convincing than an attraction born from a resonance of souls. I’ve met many beautiful women and women with great personalities over the years, but I’ve never liked any of them in that way, even though I could recognize their good qualities."

"And then there are people who don’t have any, or at least not as many, good qualities, but people still fall for them. That’s why I say liking someone is a feeling."

Cecilia Sterling listened intently, feeling that Emeric Grant was making a lot of sense.

By the same token, isn’t not liking someone simply because you don’t have that feeling?

So liking someone must be because you do have that feeling for them. And the word ’feeling’ itself is so ethereal; you can’t really describe it.

"Are you very concerned about this?" Emeric Grant asked, a little uncertainly.

Cecilia Sterling was still immersed in the depth of the word ’feeling.’ Hearing his voice, she asked subconsciously, "What?"

"I mean, are you very concerned about what exactly I like about you?"

Cecilia Sterling smiled and shook her head. "No. Because I know your feelings for me are real, and I trust my own feelings too."

It all came back to that ’feeling’ in the end. It really was that important; it determined whether or not you would fall for someone.

Emeric Grant’s words today made Cecilia Sterling re-evaluate the phrase, "Liking someone is a feeling; you can’t explain it."

From this day forward, she would no longer see it as just a dismissive, generic answer men gave. That phrase was simply the truth!

"What?"

Just then, a loud voice suddenly erupted from a window seat on the other side of the restaurant. Fiona Sanders, her pretty face contorted in anger, glared at the restaurant manager and demanded, "What do you mean my membership has been canceled?"