No longer together? James must have been really angry.
Pearl gave a long sigh. She knew Esther was going through a rough patch, so she didn't bring this up. Instead, she tried to comfort her. "I know it's hard to handle right now, but from what I've seen, James truly cares about you. It's not something that fades away easily..." Esther shook her head, cutting her off. "He went on a blind date with someone else, so I'm guessing it won't be long before he gets engaged and then married." Pearl wasn't expecting that, sensing there must be more to the situation.
James's feelings for Esther seemed genuine. If they weren't, he'd be quite the actor. But if his feelings were real, then what could be the reason behind his actions? Seeing the anxiety in Pearl's eyes broke Esther's resolve. She collapsed into Pearl's embrace, tears streaming down her face. "He doesn't want to be withanymore. The other day, he brought that woman to his firm and treated her so kindly, just like he used to treat me..." Pearl frowned, but all she could do was pat Esther's back. "Don't cry. We can talk about this. Don't be too upset about it." Esther's sobs attracted the attention of the media. One reporter recognized her immediately. "Isn't that Esther Sanders, the A- lister? Wasn't she engaged to Mobius? Now she's here at the funeral, crying so sadly. Is she still in love with him? What loyalty!" The reporter wasted no tsnapping pictures of Pearl and Esther in their vulnerable state. Pearl shot him a glare that almost made him drop his camera. Before she could reprimand him, he scurried off with his photos.
"I'm fine, Pearl." After crying for a long time, Esther finally calmed down enough to speak. "I think he doesn't loveanymore. I'm not going to keep chasing after him." With James getting cozy with that other woman, Esther felt she'd be demeaning herself by continuing to pursue him. She refused to stoop to the level of becoming the other woman. "He ignored you when you went to see him a few days ago, right?" Pearl asked. Esther remembered how stupid she was, and her tears started falling again. "Yes." "And then he brought the woman to the firm, knowing you'd see them?" Esther nodded through her tears.
Pearl felt something was off. "Do you think he did that intentionally?" "Why would he wantto see that?" Esther sobbed, looking utterly dejected.
"So you would know when to quit.
You kept bugging him, so he wanted you to leave." Pearl suggewanie matter-of-factly, but it only seemed to deepen Esther's sorrow. S "Stop crying. I'm not saying he doesn't love you anymore. I'm saying he's trying to push you away." Seeing how Esther was still crying her heart out, Pearl slapped he forehead. "Did anything else happen after that?" "No... Wait, I went to the bar alone and had a great conversation with someone..."