Lillian's peer pressure

Giselle had finished helping out Jayce. Their emergency meeting was now over, and he invited her to stay over for lunch. He wanted to thank her for her timely aid. But, remembering how Giselle had left her daughter with a babysitter, he agreed to let her go.

"I will treat you some other time. Your daughter must be expecting you, Giselle."

Giselle agreed to the deal and then finally left the place. The first thing she did was to call Ms. Hazel and inform her that she is starting her way home. Ms. Hazel reported back that Lia is awake and active. She had eaten a full breakfast, and now they are doing puzzles together.

Giselle breathed in relief from hearing Lia doing well.

"Alright, see you soon, Ms. Hazel," she replied to end the call and walked to the nearest subway to catch her ride back home.

The morning sun finally showed up to light the day. It became busier now on the streets as people rushed in high spirits. Since tomorrow's New Year's Eve, it is natural for everyone to feel the arrival of a new beginning.

Bright lights lined the city even during the day, and the big billboards advertised the countdown to midnight.

Nevertheless, there were also people who ignored the occasion, simply carrying on to their daily routine.

Giselle reached the subway and boarded the train. Compared to her early morning ride, the train was now full, and she had no empty seats to occupy. Leaning against the bar, Giselle let out a sigh in defeat. The trip shortly started, and more people boarded to form a tight crowd near the exit. Giselle was glad to have picked a comfortable spot where people didn't cluster together. And finally, under such circumstance did she think about calling Lillian Grey. She remembered promising her last time and thus picked her phone to dial her number.

Lillian answered right away as usual. She never waited and always answered her call within two or three rings. Giselle noticed.

"Wow, I thought you would forget about me," Lillian greeted in awe.

Giselle remained in mad silence. Sensing her distress by her absence of speech, Lillian knew she had to apologize first.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that-" Lillian confessed right away.

"You're only sorry for that?" Giselle called out.

"No. I'm sorry for disturbing you today. It was not my intention to bother you, but I just wanted to know-"

Giselle shushed her from giving justifications for her behavior today.

"I just want to know if you admit to your mistakes?" she pressed.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good."

Giselle was too intimidating for Lillian to act playful at the moment. She had never seen this side of her when they were young, which made her miss that young Giselle, who did not act so terrifying.

Both continued to remain quiet for a while. Especially seeing Lillian go mute, Giselle's heart quickly weakened. She sighed in defeat again.

"I don't want to see you do this again, Lillian!" she warned before changing her tone to easygoing.

"What did you think that I would get impressed if you reach me through my author?"

"I was hoping to!"

"I don't care!" Giselle outright criticized.

"Dang! Now, I know."

Having cleared out the confusion, Lillian wondered if she should bring up the matter. She contemplated quickly to risk again, hoping that Giselle is now in a good mood.

"You know the reason I kept bugging you was about Shane's party-" Lillian gently approached.

"Yes, I heard it!" Giselle helped her finish the sentence.

The intimidating tone returned to tease Lillian, and she worried in cold sweats.

"Good. So, you're coming, right?" Lillian stuttered to ask.

Giselle waited before expressing her lack of desire to join the party. Lillian quickly retorted, showing her objection while desperately pleading. She wouldn't take no for an answer and was determined to convince Giselle this time.

**

When Shane had called to invite Giselle, she reacted in surprise. Giselle wondering why would a superior at work invite an employee to his party. However, Shane announced himself as Lillian's friend and not as her boss at work. It's a tradition of a simple gathering of a close group of people and celebrate in welcoming the New Year. Shane revealed that the party starts late at night and goes all night if desired. Giselle showed a red flag through her silence. Shane added that it is only a joke and that his group of friends only relax and usually stay a little late after midnight before leaving.

Shane did his best to invite Giselle sincerely.

Giselle wondered what went through Shane's head for him to invite her to his party. She was aware of the connection between him and Lillian Grey, assuming that Lillian might have influenced him to do so. Still, Shane's invitation sounded genuine and not forced, which expressed that he did approach her as Lillian's friend and not as her boss.

Now hearing Lillian's desperation, Giselle stood in confusion. She had a hard time trying to overcome Lillian's argument.

"Lillian, I don't know people in the first place!" Giselle revealed.

"You know me. You know Shane. You know Anna. And you know Jake. You know-"

Lillian wanted to include Diego but weirdly hesitated her way before slurring his name with the flow.

"You know Diego. I'll stick with you the whole time. Plus, there's Anna too. Giselle, please, please…"

Lillian's endless begging became inconvenient to ignore, and soon, Giselle's heart seemed to waver. She did hear Diego's name, but getting feared again and again only made her look lame. Giselle chose not to care about the guy who couldn't even express his love for someone; Part of her almost wished to attend the party, just to brag her time with Lillian against Diego. She wanted to let him know that he would never get that chance. The rising adrenaline nearly drove her to agree to Lillian's call. Nonetheless, she was also still hesitating underneath.

"What if people at Keyline heard about this? They will think that I'm having some special connection with the boss," Giselle pointed out.

"Who cares?"

"I do."

"Giselle! You will meet someone from Keyline too. There are few who are close friends with Shane."

Lillian argued to remind. She added how the head of marketing is a junior of Shane's. He had hired him to work at Keyline a few years ago.

"You will meet people like that at the party. Giselle, this is how you socialize," Lillian pleaded.

Their call lasted throughout the ride and even until Giselle came out of the subway and was walking to her building. She had enough of Lillian's peer pressure and finally surrendered. She agreed to attend the party for Lillian's sake, but there were few conditions to satisfy.

"What is it? Tell me."

Lillian Grey welcomed anything to have Giselle at the party, and that mattered the most. Therefore, she was eagerly waiting to have Giselle list her requirements.

"I won't stay late."

Lillian happily agreed.

"I won't stay any longer, so don't you dare ask me to," Giselle stressed enough for Lillian to understand.

"Accepted.

I promise.

I will have you back home soon."

"That's good then."

Lillian was still dazed from going back and forth that she needed to hear it out from Giselle's mouth.

"So, you're coming, right?" she asked.

"Hmm."

"R- Really? Y- You're not- joking, ri- right?"

"Yes."

Lillian's exaggeration couldn't contain to herself, and she exploded, almost slipping out an accidental love confession to Giselle on the phone.

Startled, Giselle coughed, ignoring and blushing at the same time.

Lillian realized it as well to calm down her racing heart and tried to act casual. She agreed to pass on the news to Shane about the party and shyly rushed her goodbye.

Both of them appeared flustered as soon as the call ended. Lillian threw her phone to walk away while Giselle silently paced back home.

Reaching her building, Giselle knew now she had to come up with a new plan for Lia. She can't leave the child alone again. Plus, she can't have Ms. Hazel stay late after midnight. The only choice left for her is to reach out to her parents. Giselle planned to leave Lia with her aunt Gigi and her grandparents. That way, she can attend the party and not worry about Lia.

Regardless, all this can only happen if Lia gives her consent, which is another condition Giselle mentioned to Lillian. Only if the child agrees to it will Giselle follow through to join the party. If not, there is no way but to decline Shane's invitation. She can't disappoint her daughter's expectations to join a late-night party.

Lillian didn't know where she got the confidence, but she prayed to believe that Lia wouldn't say no to her mother.

Giselle recalled Lillian's confidence and now became intrigued to know her daughter's response. With that, she walked into the building as if she's walking to a job interview.