The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 163: Chapter 163

"Mr. Brannon's tied up with something today, so he couldn't make it to pick you two up himself," the driver said politely as he opened the door for Serena and Lana.
Lana nodded in instant approval at the treatment.
Lana said to Serena, "Your boyfriend's a catch. He's rich and thoughtful, too. When you get a chance, you have to introduce us. I need to see who's lucky enough to be with my gorgeous bestie."
Serena felt a little bashful at her words.
Ever since Serena had met Keith, he had been like a blessing in her life. If it hadn't been for him, things probably wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
But that didn't make her feel small. Like she'd told Winnie before, she always thought she deserved what she had.
She'd put in plenty of effort to stand confidently beside Keith.
"I've booked a restaurant," Serena said, smiling. "It's been so long since we saw each other. We definitely need a nice meal together."
For a moment, Lana just stared at her and then murmured, "I think you must be really happy now. When you were with Victor, I never saw you smile this brightly."
Serena paused. "Maybe." It was only a brief pause before she let it go.
She thought, 'If I hadn't been better off than before, what would be the point of all my efforts lately? I'm going to live a better life, a hundred times happier than I'd been with Victor.'
By the time they got to the restaurant, Serena had already caught up on Lana's life over these past few years. Lana'd won quite a few awards abroad, so this time, besides moving back home, she planned to open her own studio.
Lana said, "Anyway, I don't want to work for anyone else. I'd have to put up with their moods all the time. I've built up a lot of connections overseas these past few years. If nothing goes wrong, I should be able to get it going in six months."
Serena glanced through the competitions Lana had attended over the years. Each one was really prestigious, the kind most domestic designers hadn't won.
Internationally, a lot of designers looked down on Zowerin's designers. They thought art and romance started in developed countries, not realizing the charm of Zowerin had been spreading for a long time.
Thinking that, Serena felt a little sorry. Back when she was at Glonia, she hadn't gotten to attend many competitions. Otherwise, she might have run into Lana at one earlier.
"With your resume, you could join a big company and get promoted in no time. But I know your personality. You hate being told what to do," Serena said, pushing the resume back to Lana.
"As a friend, I hope you succeed, and I know you will," Serena added.
Lana smiled and nodded. "I knew you'd support me. When I first said I was moving back from abroad, all those designers said I must be crazy to come back.
"Sure, the design scene here isn't great, and it's looked down upon in global circles. But I refuse to believe those foreigners have a monopoly on our taste."
Seeing how driven Lana was, Serena truly thought she'd make it.
"But there's another reason I'm telling you this," Lana said, dropping her playful look and turning serious. "You're working at your boyfriend's company, right?"
Serena thought that logic was a bit off. She did work at Brannon Creative Group, but not because Keith was her boyfriend.
"I know what you're going to say. But ever since I found out you're at Brannon Creative Group, I've asked around about the company. If I'm not mistaken, Keith doesn't plan to run it as a dedicated design firm, right?" Lana said.
Serena had mentioned this once before when she saw Regina. There was really no need to hide it from her good friend, so she nodded.
Serena said, "Brannon Creative Group is definitely going to become a fully diversified group, but the design department will still be one of its most important parts. My career is secure for now."
Lana reached out, took Serena's hand, and said seriously, "I really think you should leave Brannon Creative Group and come work with me. As long as my studio's around, I'll make sure your talents never go to waste."
"You have to trust my judgment," Lana said, looking earnest.
Serena knew Lana had a point, just like when Regina had tried to persuade her with good reasons before. But just as she hadn't agreed to Regina back then, she couldn't say yes to Lana right away, either.
"I get what you're saying, and I know what would be best for me," Serena said. "But he's helped me a lot, and both of you are close to me."
Serena added earnestly, "I'll think this over carefully, but I can't just jump ship to your studio. It wouldn't be fair to Keith."
Lana thought, 'After all, I rode in Keith's car today. It really wouldn't be right to push so hard to poach Serena like this.'
So Lana just nodded, though she still couldn't help reminding Serena, "You really can't be too love-struck. If there's a better choice, go for the right path.
"Keith might've helped you a lot, but you're already his girlfriend. He should understand about this kind of thing, right?"
If Keith really wouldn't let Serena go, Lana would start to wonder if he actually liked Serena, or if he was just saying it, only after the value Serena could bring him.
Serena wanted to say she knew about Keith, that he wasn't like that. But she also knew Lana was only saying this because she was worried about her.
Both of them had good intentions, so Serena didn't want to let either down.
"Alright, let's not make it so serious. I'll give you time to think and a chance to talk it over with Keith properly," Lana said.
Serena pressed her lips together, then smiled and nodded.
Lana was someone who kept life and work strictly separate. Once they'd agreed not to talk about it anymore, Lana spent the whole time chatting about what had been happening abroad lately, and it really had been quite a wonderful life.
Lana said, "You should go check it out sometime. A lot of foreign designers actually really like your work. Someone even mentioned the name Siren to me before."