44. Lost Handled Rumour

Arleena decided to no longer join in with her coworkers' conversations. Without finishing the rest of her meal, Arleena simply walked out of the restaurant because she was so fed up with all of them. Arleena didn't think she could stand the things her coworkers were saying. Who knows what they would say if she insisted on staying. Now Arleena's steps were in the area outside the restaurant. Arleena zipped up her jacket because the winter was making her shiver. Arleena walked to the long wooden bench on the right side outside the restaurant and sat down. "Ah, damn. They're making my appetite bad. I came so I could maintain a good friendship with them. But they're so annoying," Arleena muttered before letting out a long sigh. Arleena leaned her head with a stunned look ahead. She did not realize that from her right side, Katherine came walking towards her. Katherine was holding a glass-it was the drink Arleena had ordered that she didn't have time to drink. "Arleena," Katherine called, reprimanding Arleena rather gently while giving a smile. "Are you feeling okay?" Arleena looked up at Katherine with a somewhat surprised expression. She automatically straightened her sitting position as Katherine approached to sit beside her. "Hey, you forgot to bring this drink of yours," Katherine said with a chuckle and handed Arleena her drink order. Seeing that her drink was brought by Katherine, Arleena was instantly awkward. Arleena accepted with a clumsy gesture while nodding briefly. A sign of gratitude. "Why did you bring my drink, Katherine?" asked Arleena with a joking laugh. Katherine then shook her head, still maintaining the smile on her face. "I know it's annoying and irritating to all of them. But at least don't leave this delicious drink out," she said in a joking tone. After Arleena heard Katherine's words, she couldn't help but laugh. Relieved that there was still one coworker who cared about her, Arleena took a sip of the drink in her hand. "Ah, you must be really sick of those humans, right?" Katherine sighed heavily as she leaned her back against the back of the bench. Her hands were folded in front of her chest. Her gaze was straight ahead as if she was thinking about something. "I don't know why they have to talk about private matters about other people's lives like that." Arleena finished her drink, then looked at Katherine with a serious gaze. "Hey. Are you sick of all of them too?" Arleena asked, looking at Katherine curiously. Katherine nodded her head. "Of course. You know how the people who work in our office are. They can't tell the difference between private matters that can be discussed and those that can't." Katherine's words received a nodding response from Arleena. Arleena curled both corners of her lips downward, joining in the sneer at all of them that Katherine was talking about. "That's right. I didn't expect them to stop being childish," Arleena replied with an exasperated expression. "I'm with you on walking away from them, Arleena." Katherine looked at Arleena with an expression on her face that was both serious and annoyed. "They really need to be told that their words are annoying." Arleena shook her head while chuckling at Katherine's words. "They should have trusted me more. Why would they listen to Justin, my ex-fiancé, who cheated on me more than three times and had an affair a week before the wedding?" Arleena grumbled in annoyance. Her tone sounded as if she couldn't understand the attitude of her coworkers. Katherine looked at Arleena with a compassionate gaze. As someone who was already very familiar with Arleena, Katherine knew very well that Arleena hated the attitude of their coworkers. It wasn't just Arleena actually. Katherine also felt that their coworkers were terrible. "That's right. I know how hurt you feel about Justin cheating on you, Arleena. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably stab that guy in the back without further ado," Katherine retorted in a furious tone. She clenched her fist and punched her own left palm. Arleena laughed amusedly at Katherine's behavior. At the time, Arleena didn't really expect her coworkers to understand how she felt. But Arleena was a little worried because Justin had mentioned the child she and Hugo were caring for. What if Justin took another action that could further disrupt Arleena's business? What if Justin is desperate to cross the line? Arleena couldn't shake the worry that Justin would do something that would affect the baby in her care. "Actually, I do take care of the baby, Katherine. But it's not my child," Arleena revealed to Katherine. Katherine was a bit surprised, but her surprise didn't show too much. Katherine changed her sitting position to face Arleena and looked at her with a serious gaze. "Are you serious?" asked Katherine. Arleena nodded her head. "Would you be embarrassed if you had a friend who took care of babies like me?" "Of course not!" Katherine replied firmly, but kept her tone low. In fact, it almost sounded soft. "What I'm wondering is how did you get that baby?" "Someone suddenly placed the baby in front of Hugo's apartment. Hugo and I actually live in different apartments. You already know that I'm not really married to Hugo," Arleena replied. Katherine was somewhat dumbfounded for a few seconds. She had watched Arleena all that time without saying anything. Katherine tried to think of everything Arleena had just said. "I don't understand why someone would put their baby in front of someone else's apartment," Katherine replied with a long sigh as she leaned back against the back of the bench. The expression on her face seemed unable to understand why someone would act like that. "Hugo and I were also very surprised, Katherine. At that time... we actually found it by accident. There was a box all of a sudden, and Hugo and I hadn't ordered anything at all," Arleena replied. "I have no idea how to find the child's parents. And if I didn't take care of the baby, I wouldn't have the heart either." After hearing Arleena's explanation, Katherine nodded her head in understanding. Katherine reached out to one of Arleena's shoulders and patted it repeatedly. Katherine was trying to calm down Arleena who seemed uneasy with the situation at hand. Katherine gave Arleena a small smile. She secretly felt proud to have a friend who held such great responsibility. "Did you report it to the police?" Katherine asked. Arleena nodded her head. "I did, but no specific identification was found. So the police asked me and Hugo to wait for someone to claim to be the child's parents." "That won't be easy," Katherine replied. "If the child's biological parents have given their child to someone else, there's a big problem that makes them unable to take care of the child. So, they most likely won't come back that easily." Arleena's worries were even greater considering the condition of the baby she was caring for. Arleena couldn't bear for the baby to continue to be without its original parents. "The problem is..." Arleena stopped her words for a few seconds. A grimace crossed her face and she bit her lower lip. "I don't know how to breastfeed..." Katherine raised her eyebrows in astonishment at Arleena. She was also somewhat surprised. Instantly her facial expression turned into a grimace as her eyes moved to Arleena's chest. It was only a split second before she shook her head. "Oh my, Arleena. I was surprised to hear your question. For that, you could use another woman, a nanny, perhaps?" Katherine replied with an unsure expression. "Actually, I already found a solution for that. I'm just telling you," Arleena replied while giving a grinning smile at the end of her sentence. Katherine growled in exasperation as she rolled her eyes in disgust. "Arleena! You don't forget to act like a bitch!" Katherine tapped Arleena lightly on the shoulder with an exasperated expression. But soon Katherine seemed to remember something. "Wait, Arleena. Aren't you worried that Justin might do something to the baby you're taking care of?" Arleena faded the grin on her face. Katherine's question made her pause for a moment. "Actually, I've been worried about that too. Because I know Justin can do anything with his character that we know. But... I'm trying not to think too much about it," Arleena replied giving a faint smile that tried to calm Katherine down. Katherine looked at Arleena worriedly. "Are you really going to be okay?" Arleena nodded her head. "Of course." No, she wasn't. Actually, Arleena was not that calm. Arleena was almost caught up in her own feelings of worry. But when answering Katherine's words, Arleena was just trying to calm herself down.