Chapter 725: A GIFT
After learning that Ivan was already near this apartment, Apple finally agreed to meet him at the cafe in front of this apartment.
Somehow he knew that Apple lived here, but it seemed that knowing where Jayden Tordoff was currently living wasn't a difficult thing to do. Especially after the press conference.
Luckily, Apple didn't have to leave the apartment except during routine check-ups and mostly her dad and Jack or Ramon and Hailee would come over to visit her and see how she was. She was very grateful for the support they showed her.
Meanwhile, her mother was constantly trying to find out her whereabouts, but of course Nadia didn't have strong access to even find out her personal number.
And now that her lies had been exposed in the media and she was being condemned for her lies especially when the news about her leaving Jack was leaked to the public, she was increasingly facing the public discrimination and unable to do anything.
Jack's guardian rights were no longer a big problem, because of Jayden's intervention, the adoption matter became much simpler and easier to handle. Pyro just took care of a few files and was waiting for approval.
To be honest, Apple didn't really want to meet Ivan, but after all they had been friends and from his voice, she could tell that the man was going through the toughest time of his life.
Of course, after Apple told him about the affair, she didn't pay attention to what happened to Ivan and didn't really care about someone cheating her friend like that.
And only this time, Ivan contacted her again.
Apple came down from the apartment to meet Ivan accompanied by Adrian and Danny, the two of them would not be left behind because the requirement for her to leave the apartment was that they both tagged along.
Actually, it did matter, because now Apple understood the importance of security. She realized that it was not just herself that needed to be protected after all.
"Ivan," called Apple, she found the man sitting in the corner of the cafe with his head down, he didn't even look at herself who had just arrived.
Apple then walked over to him while Adrian and Danny sat two tables away from them, giving them some privacy, but also not so far from Apple if they had to act quickly.
Hearing his name being called, Ivan then raised his head and looked at Apple with his seemingly empty eyes.
Messy was an understatement to describe Ivan's current state. He, who usually looked neat and smelled good, was now like someone who hadn't showered for a week. His hair was a mess and his clothes were rumpled, his beard and mustache had grown too long and it looked like he hadn't shaved in days.
But, in the midst of all this chaos, he tried to appear as neat as possible when meeting Apple, but still, this wasn't what he used to look like.
"I almost didn't recognize you," said Apple. She then sat across from Ivan and called the waiter to order drinks, because she was going to have dinner with Hailee, Candice and Gladys later. "What is it?"
Apple gave a menu book to Ivan and let him choose his food. Really, this man in front of him was like someone who was homeless. How bad was his life now?
For some reason, Apple actually felt sorry for him and instantly the hatred and resentment she felt disappeared, but of course she would not forget what he had done to her.
Apple could forgive him, but their relationship would never be the way it used to be, in fact, there would never be a relationship between them again, because Apple didn't want that.
"Yeah… I forgot to cut my hair," Ivan muttered, touching his hair which was already quite long.
"You better eat something, your face is so ugly to look at," said Apple, which made Ivan chuckle, then she ordered dessert and a drink.
While waiting for their food to arrive, they chatted lightly, as if the previous incident had never happened, but it couldn't be said that they were chatting away merrily either.
It wasn't until after the food arrived that they could chat about the essence of the matter and why Ivan had summoned Apple here to meet with him, because they wouldn't be interrupted.
"So, what's your reason for coming to see me?" Apple asked as she sipped on her lemon tea.
Ivan's face immediately changed, he looked sad and hurt. Again, there were many emotions flashing past his eyes and this made Apple a little worried about her friend.
Because after all, the two of them had been close.
It seemed that what Rachel did left such a strong impression on Ivan and it messed up his life as well as his career. It seemed that by seeing him like this and regretting his actions, Apple felt very cruel that she had to torture him again.
"Perhaps, it's too cliché for me to say this, but this is the main reason I came to see you," Ivan said carefully. "I want to apologize to you for what I have done."
Apple had expected this to be what he was going to say, but she thought he had something more important to say.
"I have forgiven you, but of course our relationship will not be like it used to be. I hope this is our last meeting," Apple said calmly.
Ivan nodded. They have been friends for a long time, therefore Ivan understood the nature of Apple more or less, if she didn't want to be acquainted with him anymore, then he couldn't do anything to force her will.
"I understand," said Ivan.
"Then, is there anything else you want to talk to me about?" asked Apple, taking another sip of her drink. She didn't want to dwell on the past, because she didn't want to waste time being here.
"I want to tell you that I am leaving this city tomorrow and probably won't be back for a long time," Ivan said in a low voice.
"Was Rachel so good as to be able to kick you out of this town?" asked Apple in a light tone and this made Ivan smile a little.
"Not really, I just need a new atmosphere and moving places seems fun too," Ivan replied, then he added. "And besides, Rachel didn't kick me out, I kicked her out of my life."
Ivan tried to show his arrogant expression, but he couldn't pull it off when his eyes flashed with sadness and pain just at the mention of the woman's name.
Meanwhile, Apple appreciated his efforts to be tough. "Yeah, whatever makes you sleep better at night." She laughed softly followed by Ivan.
"You didn't even ask which city I was moving to," Ivan clicked his tongue at that.
"Let's just say it's because I don't want to know." Apple shrugged in response. "This is our last meeting after all, at least for a long time."
Ivan laughed, but his laughter sounded like a sob. "Yeah, if we meet again, I hope we can be friends again."
"Still I have to be careful of you, I don't want to be sold a second time."
Ivan could only shake his head at Apple's stubbornness and they ended up chatting for a while until Ivan finished his dessert and then took something out of the backpack he was carrying.
"Maybe it's too early and maybe it won't fit, but at least I want to give this," Ivan said in a low voice, taking out a dark blue box and placing it on the table. "Congratulations on your pregnancy and marriage, I can only give this as a gift."
Apple raised an eyebrow and stared at the box. "May I open it?"
"Of course," Ivan answered quickly. "I brought it for you to open, it's a gift."
Apple then took the box and opened it and found inside was a pair of little shoes, cute baby blue shoes with a cute white bunny head on top of each one. The color and model of these shoes suited both baby girls and boys.
Looking at the tiny shoes, Apple couldn't help but smile, realizing how small a baby is.
But then she lifted the shoes and glared at Ivan. "You gifted me a pair of baby shoes after receiving huge money from selling information and also getting me almost kidnapped, you think this is worth it?" asked Apple in her usual sarcastic tone. "And what did you say? This is a present for my unborn child and a wedding present? You really are stingy, Ivan." Apple clicked her tongue and shook her head in disbelief.
How could he give one gift for two big events, especially when he had already made such a huge profit for nearly harming Apple?
This man was truly shameless…
"I am going to live in a new city, so I need more money as well," Ivan answered and took a sip of his drink.
"You stingy bastard," Apple said, but she laughed. She liked this kind of chat with Ivan and the two talked and chatted about unimportant things for a while before Apple finally said she had to go back.
She didn't help make dinner, so the least she could do was not to miss dinner or make them wait for her.
"Then you pay for this," said Apple, pointing to her glass of lemon tea and this made Ivan shake his head.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
This chapter is updat𝓮d by fre(e)webnov(l).com