The Day I Kissed An Older Man

"You're much more of a gentleman compared to that night," Rita remarked with a smile.

In response, Sherman cocked an eyebrow and quipped, "And you're much more amiable now than you were then."

Their shared laughter drew Sadie's gaze and fueled her resentment.

She wanted to know when Rita started to have eyes on Sherman and felt that Rita was utterly shameless for trying to charm the man that Sadie had been eyeing first.

That being said, a public display of frustration was hardly appropriate, so Sadie forced a smile and approached Sherman.

"Where have you been, Mister Sherman? I looked everywhere for you earlier but couldn't find you," she said, disregarding Rita's presence.

he instinctively took a

smile stiffened in response to

was trying to do. It was natural to feel drawn to such an exceptional man, and there was indeed no one else quite like him in the entire banquet. However, Sadie seemed to think too highly of herself rather than looking at herself in the mirror to see if she was fit to even approach him. Plenty of young women in the banquet were dying to get close to him but did not dare to do so. Sadie had to ask herself if she

with a strained smile. "I'm Sadie, the second daughter of the Russells. We crossed paths upstairs earlier, but I suppose you couldn't get a good look at

indifferent expression. Still, the faint smile at Rita's lips seemed to mock her. Sadie gritted her teeth and yearned to lash out, but she kept her emotions in check for the

I'm only acquainted with the Russells' eldest daughter, Rita. I wasn't aware there was a second daughter Sherman replied matter-of-factly, which came as a huge surprise to Rita. After all, they had only met each other once,

expression soured and teetered on the brink of tears.

knew that it could not have been easy for a nineteen-year-old to mask their

remarrying my father. Sadie later changed her surname to our

as Sadie could not endure any longer. She gripped her wine glass so tightly that