To have hope!

Diego's apology accepted, and the two close friends returned to their typical chattering. Lillian talked about her travels and amusing moments from the chain of interviews she had over the week. Diego listened to it with enthusiasm.

Ever since returning to being rational, Lillian avoided dropping names such as Giselle or Lucy, along with anything related to them. Diego could clearly see through her settlement. Initially, he exerted a risky effort in at least imploring on Lucy, but Lillian's standard answer struck him with the assurance. Later that night, he obeyed her command, ignoring the names that could irate him potentially.

Both shared a handful of complaints of their work lives and following which Lillian Grey updated Diego about Jenna's grandmother passing away.

"I'm sorry for her loss," he mourned briefly after learning the sad news.

Diego knew of Jenna being Lillian's editor and that she lives alone with her grandmother. Unlike Anna, he wasn't friendlier with Jenna, and they rarely meet or talk. Diego met her once, and that was it. However, he expressed sorrow upon hearing her loss.

"I hope she is doing alright. You better leave her alone from dumping your work," Diego warned.

Lillian choked on his cruel commands.

"How dare, Diego! For your information, I took her in, and she is staying with me," Lillian shared.

"You took her in- like forever?" he shouted.

"For a few days, for god sakes!" Lillian hushed him before replying.

"Why are people directly jumping into conclusion? Jenna is nowhere near the potential of becoming my love interest, and you guys are misunderstanding." Lillian quotes from connecting to Lucy's suspicion last night, "I see her as a family. Like a younger sister or so, despite not being related by blood. Jesus!" Lillian cried aloud.

"Alright! Calm down! I never said anything. I only asked if you adopted her," Diego appealed.

Finally, she calmed down, and they both joined for laughter.

"But you still live like a teenager. You better make sure to take care of your guest carefully. Let her cook. You're hopeless."

"Excuse me," Lillian felt offended brutally.

"You're bringing shame to Edwin's name, seriously! You don't have to cook but at least get the things she asks for-"

"For the record, I did cook her a meal, you know!" Lillian bickered.

"And what did you cook for her?"

Seeing to his cheeky cross-examination, Lillian hesitated.

"O- Oatmeal!"

Diego sighed heavily and finished his drink in one gulp.

"You are hopeless, Lilly," he commented.

Lillian grinned to his teasing. She appeared much relaxed, and conversation like this was what she expected in the beginning. However, learning his disinterest in the topic, she politely avoided it. Meanwhile, Diego felt the same as well. He feared if the discussion went on to turn to a dispute, resulting in a rift between the two. Diego appeared glad for no longer paying any attention to his anxiety.

The night ended with Lillian watching Diego leave. As she stood to send him off, she got reminded of how it always gets self-conscious to talk about romance with Diego. Let alone, Lillian finds it strange to her knowledge of never recalling a moment where Diego supported her with Giselle.

Back when she got depressed and destroyed herself, it was always Anna who ran towards Lillian, saving her, giving her hope that everything will be alright, and encouraging her to move on. Meanwhile, Diego was also there, but he never entertained supporting Lillian with Giselle. He only advised her to focus on her passion and take care of her health. Now standing out on a cold night, Lillian wondered how foreign she feels from considering Diego's lack of involvement concerning Giselle.

'How weird! It is the first time I think I caught him glaring slightly without me noticing. I wonder if he is angry at her for anything.' - Lillian thought.

She then retired from the bar to return home.

***

Reaching a little late than usual, Jenna welcomed Lillian with a harsh, concerning stare.

"I get it! I'm sorry!" Lillian said as she entered.

"Ms. Grey, I keep telling you to control yourself."

Jenna commented from watching Lillian stagger in her steps. She reached the couch to settle down finally.

"Ms. Grey," Jenna called.

Lillian squirmed to her inebriated state.

"I was waiting to tell you-"

"Tell me what?"

"I'm leaving, Ms. Grey," Jenna said.

All of a sudden, her clouded, unclear head evacuated at once to her alarm.

"You going home! Where?" Lillian remembered Jenna and Jade's home, "Oh, why- I- Are you sure?" she stuttered to ask.

"Yes! I can't keep loading off of here, disrupting your life," Jenna explained.

"You are not disrupting my life!" Lillian said.

"Ms. Grey, our work will interrupt if I keep living here. Plus, I appreciate you worrying about me, but I don't think grandma would be happy to see me dependant on other-" Jenna stopped from making a mistake, "even with family, she wanted me to live freely."

"I understand."

"I was hoping to return home today- I was anticipating that you would be back soon so I could leave," Jenna said.

Lillian looked at the time to see how dead late she came home. The clock ticked past midnight.

"But I'm not sending you out this late. You can sleep here tonight and then leave early morning," Lillian informed to stand to leave.

"Ms. Grey?"

She paused to Jenna's call.

"How did it go with Ms. Lucy?"

Jenna could see Lillian's shoulder sulk down from frustration.

"Did Ms. Lucy take it well?"

A loud sigh escapes from Lillian, and she shook her head solemnly.

"I don't know, Jenna. Obviously, it is going to hurt. I could easily see that she is not one of those people who dated for fun. She was true, and I did fall for her, but- it's not just- we not meant to be together."

Lillian turned to reply and resumed marching to upstairs.

"Ms. Grey, you shouldn't think like that. You should have given it a chance," Jenna expressed herself.

"No, Jenna. You are wrong. If I kept stretching this relationship, then it would only hurt Lucy more in the future. I can't give her hope anymore. I refused all of her calls, messages, and multiple invites to date. I can't keep avoiding her or hurting her unnecessarily when she did nothing wrong," It's better this way!" Lillian said, facing the other side away from Jenna.

"Ms. Grey, you shouldn't lose faith. You broke up with Ms. Lucy for a reason, right?"

'Reason!' Lillian pondered.

Jenna was expecting a response, but noticing that she never got one, she moved on.

'Alright, I'll let you sleep in your room tonight while I take this long lounge."

Jenna said, patted on Lillian's shoulder as she passed across, hopping on to the stairs to get her pillows and blanket. Shortly, she rushed down to let Lillian go and take rest.

"Thanks, Jenna. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ms. Grey."

Lillian watched Jenna arrange the pillows. No longer did she stay and went to her room to sleep for the day.

**

Falling on her bed, Lillian had her mind disturbingly occupied on what Jenna said.

'A reason to break up with Lucy!' - she thought.

Lillian's reasoning to daringly make such a decision was definitely for Giselle. Meeting her, seeing her, kissing her, all made Lillian's stubborn heart melt and race once again. She is not sure if there's a chance with Giselle or not, now that there's a kid involved, but Lillian could no longer be ungrateful to Lucy. She lay on her bed, looking at her phone, staring at it intensely.

"Now that I think, I don't even have her number," she whispered to her reflections.

"Damn it, Why did I went in for a kiss instead of getting her number."

Lillian thought about the kiss again, and she touched her lips still to feel the same sensation lingering on it.

"I wonder if she is thinking of me."

Lillian said until it wore her out sadly.

***

Anna and Jake were getting ready to go to bed. Jake tucked in first and waited for Anna, who is currently brushing. Steady strokes up and down, along the sides and all around the teeth until it got sparkly cleaned. She rinsed with water, followed by mouthwash, and finished with flossing.

Nothing happened to her sight, but Anna's face brightened to her mind from a spark of a brilliant plan. She came out running in her nightdress, hair bundled up with a silk headband and a wet washed face still dripping water droplets.

"Jake. Jake." she came out, rushing towards him.

Jake, who was quickly skimming through his design for the current project, shifted his gaze to his concerned wife.

"I am thinking of hosting a dinner!" she said, pausing at every word.

"Okay. Why? Also, may I also add for who?" Jake asked curiously.

"Remember when I told you that Lillian broke up with Lucy today."

Jake did hear about it from his wife midway through the day, and it did not surprise him, for he too was aware of Lillian's wild dating style.

"Yeah, I heard! Did you talk to her? How is she doing?" he inquired.

Anna shook her head to his careless probes.

"No, she is obviously depressed, but my point is I can't let her be like this forever. She needs to settle down once and for all. So I'm planning to host this dinner."

"A-And how is this going to help her-" Jake stretched his words until it hit him.

"You are setting her up with a blind date?" he guessed.

"If at all, I am thinking of setting her up with the only girl she loves truly."

"Who?"

"Giselle!" Anna revealed.

Jake's dubious face let Anna doubt her decision.

"Do you think it's a bad idea?" she asked.

Jake expressed his second thoughts with the plan. Letting Lillian Grey meet Giselle after years seems fine, but right now, there is a kid involved. It is not going to be an easy task to reunite.

"From what I could perceive, both appear to have lived a struggling life. Who knows what they've been through all these years. It's risky,"

Jake saw his wife's face frown from his opinion.

"But it's worth giving a try. I'm sure you know those two better than me, so I believe in you."

As expected, his words brightened her mood. She smiled and went back to do her nighttime routine. She returned like a doll, sliding next to Jake. He put his file away on the nightstand to join her.

"I mean, the separation made them grew distant even now. Both became awkward to initiate a decent conversation. I am not going to invite anyone else. It's just a small gathering with Lillian, Giselle, and Diego."

Jake had his eyes closed, and he murmured a tease to Anna's ears by commenting on the trio's reunion. Anna glared at Jake's alarm.

"I'm sure your intentions will get through them. My best wishes are always with you, honey-" Jake said, followed by a long yawn, and he slipped to his sweet slumber next to Anna exhaustedly.

'I hope this works.' - Anna prayed before falling asleep next to her husband.