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
Sentiments and indifference were both sides of the same coin. Colin and I used to feel gratitude toward Jasmine for her sacrifice. Yet, she continuously took advantage of this sentiment until not an ounce of gratitude was left.She pulled many dirty tricks to steal Colin from me and hurt me. Now that I had a chance to fight back, why couldn't I return the favor? She tried to hurt me, so I hurt her back. "What do you mean, Jasmine? A loving couple can have intercourse, and can't we be verbal about our love?"Perhaps you've never been loved, so you don't know how intense it can be. Must I justify myself for moaning? Do you want me to tell you every detail? Who do you think you are that I must tell you everything?" My words silenced her. It felt great to see her twitching facial expression.The talk we had was going nowhere. I blinked my eyes and waited innocuously for Jasmine's answer. She must have never met a stubborn woman like me before. She intercepted me for two days consecutive
"You're a gem, Luna. No wonder Colin loves you so much. I'd keep you to myself too."Huh? I was confused."Don't be mistaken. I'm just saying that you have multiple facets. You're meek, bubbly, and stubborn at the same time. Last night and today, you showed me the cunning side of you. It's amusing."I still wasn't quite sure what was so amusing about me. I gave up looking for an answer and focused on pulverizing the stones instead. Silence filled the laboratory except for the sounds of our breathing and the metal clang produced by the collision between the tools and the stones.Nico was quiet, and I couldn't find a conversational topic either, so we focused on our work. However, in my mind, I felt that I forgot to ask Nico an important question. The talk with Jasmine ended on a sour note. On the surface, it seemed like she had lost, but in fact, she never had the upper hand in the talk.I won simply because I was in the right. But at night, when stillness consumed my life and I
"Luna, I used to think that you were an unpolished gem and Colin was the sculptor. I thought he would shape you until you become the brightest gem in the world."But I was wrong. You polish yourself. You know how to project your own radiance."I chuckled out loud. While I was very confident in my painting techniques, I wasn't as good as he said. "You flatter me, Nico." I performed a curtsy, and that made Nico laugh.He held the painting, his tall frame bent slightly forward as his brows danced with delight and approval. "I'm serious. Don't doubt my words."Fine. I should accept his compliment. As we chatted, an unknown number suddenly called Nico. Nico picked it up. I heard some static noise for about 30 seconds until I heard the villager's voice. He told us that he was visiting his relatives tomorrow at the address he had given us.He would be staying there for a few days and asked if we wanted to come with him. If yes, he could be our guide in the mountains. Thanks to our mutu