After finishing her meal, Nanci heard Jenny’s voice from downstairs. “Ms. Ross, someone is here to see you.”
Edward looked at her and asked, “Who’s here to see you?”
“Oh, when you went downstairs to get my meal, Amelia messaged me asking me out. I told her I wasn’t feeling well and declined, but she insisted on visiting me. I forgot to mention it to you when I saw the food…”
Edward gently wiped the corner of her mouth and said, “It’s okay. Having someone keep you company at home is a good thing. It seems kissing you like this today was the right choice. Otherwise, you’d leave me alone and hang out with her. Then I’d worry about men hitting on you.”
Nanci was exasperated and said fiercely, “Right choice, my foot! How am I supposed to explain it to Amelia? You’re really causing me trouble. Go, go, go, hurry to work. I don’t want to see you!”
Edward laughed, ruffling her hair as he said, “Be good and stay home. I’ll go to work and earn money to support you. You just stay home and eat well, drink well, get chubby, and then give me a cute child so we can live happily as a family of three.”
Nanci threw a pillow at Edward and grumbled, “Go quickly! And tell Amelia to come straight up. Also, ask Jenny to bring some fruit or something!”
Edward wasn’t angry. He just picked up the pillow from the floor before he went downstairs. Seeing Amelia waiting on the sofa, he said, “Nanci is waiting for you upstairs. Keep her company. There’s something I need to attend to at the office, so I’m off.”
Amelia didn’t expect Edward to be home. She quickly stood up and said, “Okay, Mr. Clarkson. Goodbye.”
Amelia hurried upstairs, patting her chest and taking deep breaths of fresh air.
Seeing her state, Nanci joked, “What’s wrong? Did you see a ghost?”
“It’s scarier than seeing a ghost. Why didn’t you tell me Edward was home? You know I’m most afraid of him!”
“Why? He’s just an ordinary person who earns much more than us. Why are you so scared?”
“You don’t understand. You’re his woman. Of course, you don’t feel it. He has this aura that makes people unconsciously fear him!”
Nanci thought for a moment and said, “He does have that kind of aura, but he hasn’t done anything to you. Why are you so scared of him?”
“Because I’ve heard about the fates of those who offended him. Just hearing about it scared me to death! I don’t want to get myself killed.”
Nanci laughed, “Come sit down. With me here, he won’t dare do anything to you. I’ll protect you. Rest assured.”
Amelia noticed the marks on Nanci’s lips and teased, “Don’t tell me your ‘not feeling well’ is because…” She hinted with her eyes.
Nanci blushed and smiled awkwardly. “Don’t overthink it! I was just stung by a bee while walking in the garden. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
Amelia continued teasing, “Oh! So, how do you know what I’m thinking? Come on, we’re both girls. No need to be shy about these things. It’s normal… although your man seems a bit…”
Nanci pouted and said, “Enough! If you keep this up, I won’t talk to you anymore.”
“Okay, Nanci, I’m sorry. But judging by your injured lips… did he plan to eat you alive?”
“Amelia!”
“Alright then, let’s talk about something else.”
Nanci asked, “Why aren’t you with Adam at school today? You used to be inseparable.”
Amelia sighed helplessly, “Men are all pigs! We had a fight again. If I go find him first, it means I’ve lost!”
Nanci understood immediately and asked, “What was it about this time? Tell me.”
“He added a colleague from school with a male name as contact info. At first, I didn’t notice anything unusual until one day we were out for dinner together. He went to the restroom midway through dinner when his phone kept buzzing with messages. Out of curiosity, I took a look-and that one glance made me furious!”
“A woman sent those messages?”
“Yes! The contact had a male name and profile picture too-so at first I didn’t care-but my intuition told me those messages were definitely not from a man. Who would invite him out to dinner in such an ambiguous tone?”
Nanci hesitated and said, “Maybe you’re overthinking things.”
“Ha! But that person sent Adam a photo-a girl in a mini-skirt and black stockings! What guy dresses like that?”
Hearing this made Nanci silently pray for Adam. If she were in Amelia’s shoes, she would be angry too. So she tried her best to comfort her. “Don’t be too upset. He probably did it because he was afraid you’d get mad. Think about it-if you found out he added a female colleague, how would you react?”
Amelia fumed, “That doesn’t justify lying to me! When I found out about it, as soon as he came back from the bathroom, I confronted him. He said he was just worried I’d overthink things if I saw it. He claimed it was just work-related. But come on, what guy would admit to having a connection with another woman? In the end, he called me unreasonable and sent me home! That’s the first time he’s ever said something like that to me.”
Nanci handed her a tissue. “Here, wipe your tears. Girls’ tears are precious. We shouldn’t let them flow easily. By the way, your phone just rang. Go check who it is.”
Amelia glanced at her phone, then hung up, cursing, “That jerk! He finally called me! But I won’t forgive him easily. Calling me unreasonable is just too much!”
Just then, Nanci’s phone rang, and she answered it.
“This is Adam. Just answer yes or no. Is Amelia with you right now?”
“Yes.”
“At your house?”
“Yes.”
Nanci’s response was met with a swift hang-up. Amelia looked at her curiously, asking, “Who called you? Why did you only say one word? Is someone threatening you?”
“Your imagination is running wild! Stop overthinking things, honey. The only one who ends up worried is you. That was just a regular telemarketing call. They asked me two yes-or-no questions and hung up.”
Amelia didn’t seem suspicious, instead saying, “I haven’t eaten lunch, and I’m a bit hungry. Do you have any food to share?”
“You should go downstairs and ask Jenny to heat up some food for you. I just finished eating, but there should still be some left on the table. Go take a look!”
“Come with me! It’s awkward bossing Jenny around as a guest.”
“Fine, you wait here.”
Nanci went downstairs and asked Jenny, “Jenny, is there anything to eat at home? My friend didn’t have lunch and is a bit hungry now.”
“I’ll whip up something and send it up in about ten minutes. Please hold on,” Jenny replied.
“Great, thanks, Jenny! She’s not picky, and everything you make will do!” Nanci said with a smile.
“Okay, just go back to your room and wait,” Jenny chuckled.
When Nanci returned to the room, she said, “It’ll take about ten minutes for the food. I hope you don’t mind.”
Just as Amelia opened her mouth to protest, Nanci quickly added, “If you have a problem with it, you might as well starve!”
Amelia pouted, “But you didn’t ask me for my choice! You just told me! Ugh, it’s so unfair to be hurt by you while I’m already upset!”
Nanci called her out, smirking, “Alright, enough with the drama. It’s just ten minutes. Why don’t you find a show to watch while we wait?”
The two women sat on the bed, browsing for a binge-worthy show on the computer. Suddenly, Nanci suggested, “How about we watch a horror movie? It’s been a while since I’ve seen something thrilling, and watching together might help us build some courage.”
“Uh? Isn’t that a bit much…” Amelia hesitated.
“Scared already? Come on, don’t be such a chicken!” Nanci teased.
Amelia, feeling challenged, replied, “I am not scared! I’m the fiercest woman around. Bring on the ghosts. I’ll take them down and protect you!”
So they decided to go ahead with the horror movie. Nanci found the plot rather dull and even yawned, while Amelia was tucked under the covers, fully engrossed. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Amelia screamed, “Don’t kill me! I haven’t done anything wrong! Stay away from me!”
Nanci burst out laughing, looking at the bundled-up Amelia. “You said you’re not scared.” With that, she opened the door and took the food from Jenny.
“You’re mocking me! This is so scary! Nanci, are you really a girl? How can you be so unfazed by this? It’s impressive!” Amelia exclaimed.
Nanci shrugged. “The plot has too many flaws and is so cliche. It’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen.”
“That’s because you’re not normal. I’m not watching anymore. Let’s eat!” Amelia declared.
Watching her dive into the food, Nanci laughed and asked, “You’re so scared. Are you sure you can go home alone tonight? What if something suddenly appears on the way…”
Amelia shot her a glare. “Don’t be a jinx! I’m a good person. How could anything like that come after me? If anything, it would go after Edward!”
Nanci teased, “He could come back at any moment and hear you. I advise you to mind your words.”
Startled, Amelia glanced around nervously and continued eating, realizing that every time she spoke with Nanci, she ended up being the one getting teased. It was so frustrating that she couldn’t get the better of her!