After Areli’s words fell, Darnell’s smile faded slightly.
“That thing is indeed a Mangerian amulet, but it’s not a good one. It’s an evil one. It seems that Emily offended someone.”
Darnell explained to Areli, “The Mangerian amulets that bring good fortune are blessed by monks in the temples of Mangeria and sold to raise funds for building Mangerian temples.”
“Genuine amulets have no backlash effect. They are designed under the guidance of monks for good purposes to benefit believers.”
“Evil amulets, on the other hand, are made by sorcerers and involve elements like ghosts, demons, and spirits in their creation.”
“Evil amulets are also divided into two types. According to Westergold, it’s the difference between good luck and bad luck.”
“Emily’s amulet is an evil one, the most vicious kind, made from a corpse, specifically used to curse people.”
“It leads to self-destruction. Or in a worst-case scenario, it spells doom for the entire family.”
At this point, Darnell could feel Areli in the bathroom visibly shuddering, clearly apprehensive about these things.
“Of course, from our perspective, this is superstition. If you believe in it, it exists. If you don’t, it doesn’t. But it’s always something inauspicious.”
Darnell quickly finished his explanation. “The point is that someone hates Emily and gave her this evil amulet.”
“Besides, Master Tyrone wouldn’t bless it.”
“You should find a chance to remind Emily through Judith.”
Emily was a nice person. Darnell had a good impression of her.
Areli responded with a hum and then curiously asked, “Why wouldn’t Master Tyrone bless it?”
“Because he’s my junior. I’ve told him countless times to be upright and honest and not harm others for personal gain.”
Darnell looked proud. “And besides me, all his other clients are beautiful women from around the world. Otherwise, he wouldn’t do it.”
“So he won’t bless this evil amulet. That’s also why he performs rituals only seven times a year. There aren’t many beauties who catch his eye.”
Areli snorted, “You’re just bragging.”
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you to Mangeria someday. You’ll see I’m telling the truth. Alright, go take your shower.”
Darnell stretched lazily. “I came here just to hide for a bit. Judith should be showering and sleeping now. I should take this chance to go back.”
“Otherwise, if she catches me, she’ll break my leg at least.”
He wanted to hurry back to change clothes. Anyone who saw him wrapped in a white sheet from head to toe would think he was a pervert.
As Darnell was about to turn around, Areli whispered softly, “Don’t go yet…”
The matter of the amulet made her uneasy. “You can sleep on the sofa tonight. It’s pouring outside…”
Darnell was stunned but then delighted. “Can I sleep with you… in this house?”
Ding dong!
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
“Areli! Areli!”
After the doorbell rang again, there was knocking at the door followed by Judith’s voice.
“Huh? Why isn’t the door locked?”
Both Darnell and Areli were startled. They hadn’t expected Judith to come up.
Areli shouted softly, “Hide quickly.”
Although nothing had happened between her and Darnell, it would still be hard to explain. She regretted not kicking Darnell out earlier.
Darnell responded with an “Oh” and turned to run but soon stopped.
The room wasn’t big enough. Judith’s professional investigative skills would easily find him. He heard the sound of the door opening clearly.
“Areli?”
Darnell shivered and dashed into the bathroom with his eyes closed…
“What are you doing here?!”
Areli exclaimed in surprise and instinctively covered herself but quickly fell silent as she heard Judith’s movements.
Seeing Darnell with his eyes closed made her feel slightly relieved, but then she trembled as Darnell touched her hip.
“Areli? Where are you? Why didn’t you lock the door?”
Just as Darnell leaned against the bathroom wall, Judith pushed the door open and walked in, her tone initially filled with confusion as she scanned the room.
When her eyes landed on the smashed watermelon on the floor, they instantly sharpened, and she grabbed the fruit knife from the coffee table, exclaiming, “Areli, where are you?”
Judith stepped into the bedroom, calling out, “Areli?”
The door remained open, and after several calls with no response, Judith felt her nerves tighten further at the sight of the smashed watermelon.
“Judith, I’m in the shower!”
As Judith approached with the knife held firmly, Areli finally acknowledged her presence, coughing lightly. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to borrow a hairdryer,” Judith replied, visibly relieved upon hearing Areli’s voice. She lowered the fruit knife slightly as she approached.
“Why didn’t you respond when I called? I thought something might have happened to you. Things haven’t been safe in Whiteville lately.”
Darnell pressed himself against the wall, not daring to move, even holding his breath.
“I’m in the shower. The water is loud, and I was thinking about something for work, so I didn’t hear you calling.” Areli’s voice came through, tinged with a hint of unease. “The hairdryer is in the dressing room; there are two of them, just grab one.”
Areli covered Darnell’s head with a towel, worried that he might peek.
“Okay,” Judith said curiously. “Why is there a smashed melon in your living room?”
“I wanted to eat it but got startled by lightning and dropped it,” Areli sighed. “I thought I’d clean up after my shower.”
“Aren’t you the one who usually cleans up before showering?” Judith pouted slightly. “That way, you won’t have to wash up again.”
“People’s habits can change. Besides, I’m a bit tired today; I wouldn’t have the energy to work if I didn’t shower to wake myself up.”
Areli cracked the glass door open a bit, tossing her wet hair out. “Judith, you seem a bit off today.”
Areli laughed playfully. “Are you feeling too excited because you found a boyfriend?”
Seeing Areli peek out halfway, Judith finally relaxed and gently pushed her back inside to prevent her from catching a chill.
Areli turned the faucet up higher to make the sound of the water even louder. “Darnell isn’t bad. You should try getting to know him.”
“What boyfriend? I just used him to deal with Emily,” Judith replied, her head beginning to ache at the mention of Darnell.
“He’s such a jerk. If he hadn’t run off so quickly, I would have really stabbed him.”
“But I thought about it. It’s not the right time.”
“Emily seems to like him a lot, so I’m going to let him continue being my fake boyfriend, but with some ground rules.”
Judith grinned proudly. “This way, I can temporarily put a stop to Emily and my parents pressuring me about marriage. Areli, don’t you think I’m brilliant?”
Areli sighed softly. “No matter what, I support you.”
“Oh, I just remembered!”
Judith suddenly slapped her forehead. “You told me last time that you pretended to be a couple with Darnell at the golf course to distract David. It was after that you started to value him more.”
“Areli, are you starting to like him? Am I stealing your man?”
“If you had told me you were interested, I wouldn’t have lied he was my boyfriend tonight. No worries. I don’t like him. I’ll give him back to you.”
Judith looked apologetic. “Areli, I’m sorry.”
Areli paused for a moment before calling out, “Judith, you don’t have anything to be sorry for! I was just pretending to date him out of necessity.”
“I made it clear afterward that we have nothing between him and I. If I really liked him, I wouldn’t let him stay in the sales department.”
“Why would I give him a chance to flirt with a bunch of young girls?”
Even though Darnell was covered by a towel, he could still feel Areli’s sharp gaze on him, wondering if she actually cared about him.
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll send him to the suburbs tomorrow to do menial and heavy work. I’ve been tired of him for a while now.”
Judith let out a long sigh. “Then I can relax; otherwise, I’d feel guilty.”
Judith breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. Otherwise, I feel guilty.”
She then managed a smile, adding, Areli, don’t make it too hard on him. I hope you two can get along well.”
“One is my best friend, and the other is my temporary boyfriend. If you two don’t get along, it’s going to be tough for me in the middle,” Judith said, tilting her head with a hint of mischief in her voice, her soft lips curling into a smile. “So we three must be harmonious.”
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from the bathroom. Judith sprang into action, yanking open the glass door. “Areli, what happened?”
She was left speechless.
Areli was showering, completely naked, and a towel was perched on Darnell’s head. Judith didn’t need to see his face. Just looking at the bedspread made it clear…
Darnell?!
He lay on the floor, clutching Areli’s leg.
This time, it was Areli who looked like she wanted to cry. “Judith, it’s not what you think…”