The scene had taken place in Misurton. Emily entered the bedroom with a bowl of freshly cooked rice porridge. Azalea was lying on the bed while looking at the ceiling in a daze. Her posture remained the same when Emily entered her room.
“Azalea, I have made some porridge for you. Do have a few spoonfuls of it,” Emily sat down on the bed and persuaded in a gentle tone.
Azalea remained silent and continued staring at the ceiling with a blank face. “You have yet to consume anything for the past two days. Your health would be jeopardized if you continue on like this. Listen to me and do have something to fill up your stomach,” Emily persuaded her once again.
She sighed upon seeing Azalea remain the same as before. She then placed the porridge on the bedside table before reaching out to help Azalea up.
Azalea finally stared at Emily and said, “Emily, I’d rather die than not be able to be with Michael!”
She was an excellent actress by portraying an impeccable performance on how miserable she was. Emily’s heart ached for her and said, “Azalea, he is just a man who treats you poorly. Why would you give up your life for such a person? Have a think about your mother, your family, and your beloved friends. Don’t you think that they are worth living for rather than Michael, that jerk?”
“Michael is my soulmate! I don’t have the will to live if I can’t be with him!”
“He doesn’t even love you. What difference would it make even if you manage to marry him as your husband? His love and attention would be on others instead of you. Why would you want to make such an unreasonable decision?”
“I just want him to myself and I don’t care! I can’t live without him!” Azalea closed her eyes and continued to remain silent.
Emily had continued to persuade Azalea in hopes to change her mind. Her plan was a failure and she then exited the bedroom while sighing. She gave Thomas a call, “Thomas, she still refuses to eat and it’s already been two days. She has lost a tremendous amount of weight and is in bad shape. What should I do now?”
Thomas sighed and replied, “Emily, there are no happy endings for forceful relationships. Michael is obviously not interested in her at all. What difference would it make even if she continues to be so stubborn? She can’t force Michael to become her boyfriend, can she? Even if you were to talk things out with Michael, would he even listen to you? Don’t you think that it’s time for her to wake up and face the reality?”
“I can’t leave her alone like this, can I? Do you think that it’s a good move to have a word with Michael then?”
“Emily, it’s best to not meddle into their relationship matters. His words can be as sharp as a knife. Will you be able to keep your cool should he say something unpleasant to you? Besides, you are just her aunt. What rights do you have in demanding Michael give an explanation when you are not even Azalea’s mother?”
Emily was dumbfounded upon being bombarded by the series of questions. Thomas knew that he was being rather harsh and tried to ease the tension, “Emily, do calm down for a bit. Make a call to Azalea’s mother and tell her to pay a visit to her daughter. You can always send Azalea to the hospital for treatment if things go out of hand. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself as you have tried your best!”
Emily was depressed upon hearing about his reply and asked, “Thomas, do you hate Azalea that much? Well… don’t you think that she is actually a kind-hearted person?”
“Well, I just don’t admire one who has clingy behavior. She kept pestering Michael knowing that he does not have feelings for her. Why is she giving you a hard time instead? I reckon that she just wants to use you. Emily, I shall remind you to not meddle in her personal relationship. After all, the only person you can seek help with is Rammos. The Floyd family are currently in the country and it would be easy for them to know about it. I have no idea what would happen should they find out that you contacted Rammos to lend you a helping hand.”
Emily eventually ended the call in a sulky mood. She sat on the sofa and pondered on her thoughts. On the other hand, Azalea was in the room eavesdropping on her long ago. She had come prepared to seek Emily’s help.
She bought hardtacks and hid them in her pocket and would consume it secretly when Emily was not paying attention to her. Meadow reminded her that it was a must to make Emily take pity on her. No one could mend the relationship between Michael and her apart from Emily.
Azalea was left with no other choice and decided to place her bet on Emily. She was not feeling malnourished at all since she had brought something to eat with her. She was anticipating the actions that Emily would soon do.
Emily sat there and was lost in her thoughts for a while. She decided to disregard Thomas’ advice as she did not have the heart to see Azalea suffer. She then got up and headed to the bedroom before speaking, “Azalea, how about this? You shall get up and have some porridge first. How about I have a word with Abbie soon?”
Azalea nodded weakly and said, “Don’t get your hopes up too high. How could she take you seriously judging by her shameless and arrogant personality?”
“Well, I shall meet with her and see how it turns out. We can always come up with other ways if it doesn’t work.”
The following scene took place at Mosco Restaurant. Valeria glanced at Abbie, who was sitting opposite to her, and asked, “You and Michael went strolling at the night market that day, right?”
Abbie was a little embarrassed and questioned, “How did you know?”
“Well, I was there too. I have received news from Bobby that you were hanging out with Michael. I wanted to get ahold of you but was halted by my husband. He had advised me not to ruin your alone time with Michael.”
Valeria glanced at Abbie’s neck and realized that she was wearing a high-collared shirt. She smiled mischievously and asked, “You must have something to hide on your neck, right?”
“Shh! Why are you stating the obvious?” Abbie glared at her with a face that was blushed. She quickly took a sip of the fruit juice to calm herself down.
“I used to hate Michael for flirting around with you. However, I decided to forgive him since he had drawn a clear line with Azalea. By the way, what is your next move? Did he say anything about proposing to you and making the relationship official?”
Abbie put the cup down and said, “How could we possibly be so high-profile about our dating life? You have no idea what happened next as soon as Michael published the statement. His mother has been pretending to be ill and is currently still in the hospital.”
Valeria scoffed and said, “Pfft! What a drama queen! Abbie, you ought to just ignore her.”
“Of course, but for Michael… blood is always thicker than water.” Abbie sighed and continued, “Hayden was extremely against you and William to be a couple. I felt that he was being unreasonable at that time but his behavior is relatively mild compared to my current situation. You would have fumed with anger if you were able to witness the ridiculous look on Meadow’s face.”
“Has she gone mad? Why does she favor Azalea so much and what does she see in her? Azalea is a hypocrite and a cunning person. Is Meadow out of her mind to be so into Azalea?”
Valeria was very upset upon mentioning Meadow. She struggled to understand Meadow for being so unreasonable and ridiculous.
Abbie was way more excellent compared to Azalea. She was inherently the eldest daughter of the Clark family. What was so great about Azalea? Valeria questioned further, “What about Azalea? What is she up to nowadays? Is she willing to give up just like this?”
Abbie replied, “She is currently at Misurton. She had been laying low ever since Michael had published the official statement. I am not in the mood to stalk her exact whereabouts.”
“Really? I had assumed that she would not leave Meadow alone as they are both a team. What on earth is she doing at Misurton?” Valeria asked.
“I heard that she has an aunt currently residing in Misurton and treats her very well. I have no idea about the further details.” Abbie’s phone rang as soon as she finished speaking. She took a glance and felt confused, “I have received a call from the Misurton area. Who could it be?”