Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Noel felt an odd twist in his gut upon hearing the words. It was as if the universe was mocking him. Here he was, trying to keep things casual with any
woman that crossed his path, not looking to tie himself down. Yet when Phoebe spoke with such disdain, it rubbed him the wrong way.
He knew he wasn’t lacking in the looks or charm department. Women tended to swoon over him, so why wasn’t she affected at all? “Look, Ms.
Phoebe, let’s get one thing straight. I’m the one who’s not into you because you’re just not my type, not the other way around.”
“Fine by me,” she retorted with a nonchalant shrug. “Why don’t you have your parents call my mom and tell her you’re not interested? That way, I can
draw a line under this whole affair and stop making excuses to her.”
At that moment, a man swaggered into the cafe, the epitome of a rich playboy, with car keys flipping through his fingers. He seemed to notice
someone at his reserved table and marched right in, only to backpedal with visible irritation. “Table five? I had this spot reserved. Why are you sitting
here?”
Phoebe knew this family black sheep all too well, although he clearly had no clue who she was, nor did he recognize the CEO of Yates International.
A playful glint passed through her eyes as she apologized with exaggerated politeness, “You must be Mr. Morgan, right? I’m Phoebe, terribly sorry
about the confusion. I have no idea why this gentleman decided to join me uninvited, let alone start a conversation about you.”
Morgan paused, “What were you saying about me?”
“Oh, Mr. Noel here was just calling you Mr. Fake - fake degree, fake experience, fake height, and with a lousy character to boot. He claimed to
represent the government to bust frauds and even volunteered to date me, saying a lovely lady like me shouldn’t be sitting across from someone who
is...” Phoebe trailed off deliberately, casting a troubled glance at Morgan as if she was seriously assessing his height.

Morgan’s forehead throbbed with irritation. “Why’d you stop? What else did he say?”
With an awkward giggle, Phoebe hedged, “I really shouldn’t repeat it.”
“Spit it out. What did he say about me?” Morgan demanded, pointing at Noel with rising anger.
“He said that a beautiful, well-bred lady like me shouldn’t be sitting across from a wannabe short guy,” Phoebe stuttered out. Her voice was quivering
slightly.
Morgan felt his face go red with rage. Nothing got under his skin more than someone poking fun at his height. In a fit of fury, he slammed his hand on
the table, causing their coffee to splash out of the cups. “Who the hell do you think you are? Accusing me of faking my height?”
Phoebe’s heart skipped a beat at the volume of his voice. She almost felt pain on his behalf.

Unruffled, Noel simply looked at Phoebe, who sent a challenging glare back at him. “Noel, Mr. Morgan is speaking to you. The least you could do is to
show some manners and look at the man when he’s talking. It’s basic courtesy, or you will just be plain rude,” Phoebe chuckled. Her voice was tinged
with the sweetest of provocations. She was clearly eager for the drama to unfold.
Noel remained unmoved. His gaze on Phoebe was full of warning. But Phoebe didn’t back down. “Noel, my date’s here, so you can leave. Don’t try to
sweet-talk me. I don’t buy your act. Mr. Morgan here looks downright dashing and distinguished.”
Never before had Morgan felt so disregarded. His eyes practically shot flames at Noel. “Noel.”
Noel spared a glance at the man before him, noting his puffy, disheveled appearance, which was the hallmark of someone who spent too much time
among women. Being compared to him as a potential suitor for Phoebe felt like an insult. Noel gestured to his head sarcastically, “Mr. Morgan, right?
Where’s your brain? You actually believe what she’s saying?”
Morgan’s anger flared. Not only did Noel call him short, but now he was implying he was brainless. And what’s with that look? That guy thought he’s

better than him?
“Look, Mr. Morgan, are you out of your mind? Since when can’t people speak the truth?” Noel fired back, dodging Morgan’s attempt to grab his collar.
As the two men’s argument heated up, Phoebe laughed, and stood up, but Noel tried to grab her hand. She jerked it away, glaring at Noel. “Let go of
me, Noel.”
Noel caught a whiff of her subtle perfume and noticed a small mole on her earlobe. His heart skipped a beat, and he gritted his teeth. “Ms. Phoebe,
you really have a way with words.”
Morgan, watching them, prompted Phoebe to wink innocently and give Noel a thumbs-up. “I can’t compare to you. Mr. Fake is quite a succinct
summary. Impressive.”
Morgan, fuming, lunged at Noel again, who had no choice but to let go of Phoebe. She seized the chance to escape.
Stepping out of the cafe, she heard a scream like a pig being slaughtered, but she knew for sure it wasn’t Noel’s voice — it was Morgan’s. With a
smirk, Phoebe decided that it was all none of her business and that their paths might never cross again.
She had planned to meet up with her best friend, but her friend’s newlywed husband had a stomach ailment and was in the hospital. Not wanting to
disturb them, Phoebe drove her BMW back to her apartment. After a shower, she lounged on the couch with a face mask, flipping through a
magazine. Before long, her phone buzzed. It was her mom, Meg. Phoebe sighed, and peeled off the mask. Without waiting for Meg to speak, she
preemptively played the victim, repurposing Noel’s harsh words about the previous lady and relaying them to Meg as if they were about herself.

“Mom, I don’t want to blame anyone. Can you please set me up with someone decent if you’re going to play matchmaker for me? I am absolutely livid
today. I’ve never come across someone so vile. Who asks those kinds of questions? You can tell right off the bat he’s trash.”
There was a pause on the phone before Meg spoke, with a touch of guilt in her voice, “Alright, I get it. You were very shabbily treated. These dates
were set up by another agency. It was our first time collaborating, so I had no clue they’d throw me under the bus like that. I just heard about the
character of that so-called elite Morgan, and now it turns out Noel is a total washout too.”
Phoebe felt like she couldn’t go on like this. “Mom, I’m coming home tomorrow night. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
“Just hold on for a bit longer. I’m already on my way. I’ll be there in no time,” her mom reassured her.
“Alright, we’ll talk when I see you.”