"Sure," said Nico with a muffled voice as he, too, was chewing on a chunk of meat. "I'll buy something sweet, then. It'll give us energy. Do you want chocolate? It'll keep you full for a while.""I want a lollipop so that I can suck on it and work at the same time.""Let's get some snack bars too. Didn't the ads say that those could keep you full for a long time? I've never had them before. Have you?"As we talked, someone decided to sit next to me without asking for my permission. I was startled and looked up. Then, I saw Jasmine glaring at me. The meat inside my mouth lost its flavor almost immediately.Couldn't she give me a break? Why did she have to appear wherever I went? She should be a policewoman instead because of her exceptional ability to apprehend somebody. My eyes met Nico's teasing eyes. He was enjoying the unfolding drama.What happened to the Nico I looked up to so much? Right now, when he was looking between Jasmine and me, I wanted to punch him in the eyes so ba
An idea came into my mind. Did she just start crushing on Nico? Oh, no. Nico was a decent guy, but he did not owe Jasmine any favor. He had no reason to get involved with her. Dating someone like her would take a few years off his life."What's your name, cutie? You look familiar."I was flabbergasted. Wasn't she supposed to confront me here? Why was she trying to flirt with Nico now? And what a cliché pick-up line. People still used that? Was she going to say "You look like my future boyfriend" next?Nico took another sip of the soup and replied seriously, "We don't need to get acquainted."In other words, he wasn't willing to give her his name. Jasmine gasped, and I chortled out loud. My rudeness was not intentional. The whole situation was just way too funny. A six-foot man just rejected a woman. It was hilarious to me.Jasmine was mortified. Nico did not take her flirtation well, and she wasn't quite sure what he had just said. Wanting to vent all her frustrations, she lashed
I turned in another direction and began jogging while Nico followed behind me with a sly grin. As I ran, I saw Jasmine trying to chase after me too. However, she was far too ambitious for her leg and fell to the floor.Gavin saw the incident and immediately stopped. He looked at me and at Jasmine, who was sitting on the floor with a pale face. He gave up on me and rushed toward Jasmine. Then, he carried her in his arms and left.I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, the nuisance was behind me. But things took another twist. Gavin, worried that Jasmine was injured, left quickly. But Jasmine, like a madwoman, slapped him hard on the face. The smack was so loud that I could hear it clearly from afar.How much force did that slap pack that the sound it produced could be heard by everyone in the restaurant? For a second, my cheek ached. Gavin's cheek must be in a world of pain. A palm print slowly emerged on his face, and he was shocked.Carrying Jasmine, his tall, muscular frame was ste
Then, I went to sleep. I woke up the next day at dawn. Nico told me that he had found a laboratory. Since we had also found the relevant stones, we decided to conduct our experience at the lab. Upon meeting up in the corridor, Nico and I went to have a breakfast buffet at the hotel.We had all the ingredients we needed, and we had made huge progress. Therefore, we were in a good mood. Since it was still early, there weren't a lot of people at the buffet.I got myself a glass of milk, two slices of toast, and a fried egg. To make sure that I wouldn't starve myself like yesterday, I added another egg under the intense gaze of the chef frying the eggs. Meanwhile, Nico went wild. He ordered a burger, two hard-boiled eggs, a plate of bacon, and half a glass of milk."You're eating a lot today. What about the concerns of putting on weight?"I looked at the plate in front and rubbed my tummy, which had been rumbling a lot lately. Then, I picked up my fork and said, "I need to eat a lot to
"Oopsie, I'm so sorry, Madam. Perhaps you should go to a hospital? I would hate to be the reason why you're injured. Did I give you a concussion? Madam? Madam?"I turned around and chuckled. Nico sure had a flair for insulting someone without vulgarity. Jasmine was annoyed. In the south, "Madam" was a respectful term of address one used when meeting a female stranger.But in the north, "Madam" might have another meaning. It could be used to denote female pimps. I stayed at Denville for several years, so I was aware of the cultural differences. Jasmine came from the north, so she knew the implication behind that appellation.Naturally, she knew that Nico was insulting her. As one of the Taylors, it was rude to be called a pimp. Furthermore, Nico was with me yesterday too. He had already insulted her yesterday. Perhaps he intentionally hit her with the bag today.However, even if Nico did it on purpose, Jasmine could not yell back or demand a justification even though she was annoyed
Jasmine was so mad that her expression was as dark as the night sky. It was scary. Her scowling face looked so incongruous against her thick makeup and expensive clothes."Yes, we're having this talk." She gritted her teeth and ordered coldly, "Follow me."I shook my head and refused to cooperate. "Tell me where we're going. Otherwise, I won't come with you."Jasmine seethed as she replied, "I own a restaurant nearby. We'll go there.""That's your territory. It might be dangerous for me to go there alone. What if you drug me? I'm not taking the risk."Then let's go to the coffee shop in front."I shook my head again. "It only opens at ten. There's no one there now.""Can we talk in my car, then? Surely, there's nothing wrong with that!" Jasmine leaned in and bellowed impatiently. She probably had not anticipated that I'd be this obstructive. I did not make a huge fuss, but neither was I cooperating with her, rendering all her tactics useless.However, her patience was running t
While Jasmine pulled dirty tricks to make others' lives difficult, I preferred to do it openly. Even though we were aiming for the same outcome, at least I was brave enough to do it in front of others."I'll cut to the chase, then. You know about the agreement between Colin and me. He promised not to contact you or see you for two years. But that night, you two spent a night together in a room. I can't and don't want to say what you did. I'm just disappointed that he broke his promise."How shameless of her and what the heck? She never mentioned what she did. Instead, she blamed others. How despicable. "Jasmine, why do you think he spent a night with me? Also, is there a section on the agreement that gives you the right to drug him so that you can take advantage of him?" I questioned her in a sarcastically modest way and leaned forward slightly.Jasmine choked on her words for five seconds. She glared at me with contempt and hatred. "Your reaction shows that there's no such sectio
"As for meeting privately, my parents did tell me that he came to stay over during Mardi Gras. But it isn't unreasonable for Colin to stay with his future in-laws during the festive holidays. Besides, I had trouble sleeping back then, so I took sleeping pills and fell asleep quickly."I didn't know that he came over, and I didn't meet him. How sure are you that he stayed in my room for more than 40 minutes? Do you have proof? If not, you can't accuse him of meeting me privately."So tell me, Jasmine. How come you think we're the guilty ones? You've tried to seduce Colin many times, even going so far as to drug him and put him in a vulnerable situation. Is that not a crime in itself? Do you think you're powerful enough to overrule the law?"I stared at Jasmine coldly, my eyes fixated on her. We were fighting a metaphorical battle. Jasmine's expression turned scary in a matter of seconds. Her features were all twisted and twitching, as if she had tons of insults to hurl at me but she