Whispers Turn to Whimpers: Could He Ever Change?

She casually slipped her hair tie around her wrist, its simplicity a stark contrast against her fair skin. Gilbert watched, an amused smile playing on his lips.

“I should get going.”

Sherilyn gestured towards Rebecca, “My friend's waiting for me.”

Gilbert nodded slightly, “Sure, go ahead.”

“Yeah.”

Without a formal goodbye, Sherilyn turned and ran towards Rebecca. “Rebecca!”

“All set?” NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

“Yeah!”

“Let’s go!”

The two girls linked arms.

Gilbert watched them disappear into the crowd, then suddenly snapped back to reality and headed to his car. Silently, he followed behind them.

The girls boarded a bus, eventually disappearing into an old neighborhood known as Emerald Estates.

Gilbert parked his car at the entrance, murmuring to himself, “Emerald Estates.”

He made a mental note of the place, turned the steering wheel, and drove off to the Platinum Pearl Club.

The club was buzzing with activity today, the sounds of laughter and mahjong tiles clicking filled the air. Yates was at one of the tables, dominating the game.

Derek, who had organized the game, came over to greet Gilbert.

“You made it? Thought you weren’t going to show.”

“Yeah.” Gilbert leaned back on the sofa, obviously not bothered by the lack of attention.

“Wow.” Derek noticed Gilbert's good mood, nudged him with his elbow, and winked mischievously, “Spill it, did things between Sherilyn and Edgar finally fall through?”

“Cough!” Gilbert, who had just taken a sip of water, choked.

He glared at him. “What are you talking about?”

"You can deny it all you want, but your face says it all."

Derek didn’t press further, knowing when to stop, “If you’re really into her, now's your chance. Just saying, as a friend, I’ve got your back.”

With that, he walked away.

Left alone, Gilbert felt his heartbeat quicken.

A good opportunity, perhaps? Maybe... should he give it a try?

...

The next morning.

Sherilyn was brushing her hair when Rebecca, passing by, paused and came back.

“Sherilyn?”

“Yeah?” Sherilyn looked puzzled, “What’s up?”

“This…”

Rebecca bent down to pick up a pearl hairband from beside Sherilyn, uncertain, “Is this yours?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Sherilyn didn’t see the problem.

“This…”

Rebecca was just curious, “Sherilyn, no offense, but this doesn’t seem like something you’d buy.”

“Why?” Sherilyn was still confused, “Is there something wrong with this hairband?”

“There’s nothing wrong with the hairband.”

Rebecca was honest, “I just noticed you’re usually quite frugal.”

From her everyday attire and habits, it was evident, prompting Rebecca to speak her mind, though she regretted it immediately, “But, treating yourself to something nice every now and then is perfectly fine.”

“It’s not that…”

Sherilyn began to sense the issue, clutching the hairband. “You mean, this is expensive?”

“Yeah.”

Rebecca nodded, “Absolutely. You didn’t know?”

“How could I?”

Sherilyn inspected the hairband closely. Though it wasn’t her usual style, it looked similar, adorned with a few white pearls.

Wait, the pearls...

“This…”

Sherilyn looked up abruptly, “These are real?”

“Yep.” Rebecca nodded vigorously, “I deal with the real stuff for a living, so I can easily spot the difference between cheap knock-offs and genuine products. What do you think?”

As a fashion designer deeply embedded in the fashion world, Rebecca certainly knew her pearls from her fakes.