I stared off into space and didn’t answer her. As a result, she decided to end the conversation there and
walk away to continue working.
The project at Lavelian Village was going to kickstart as soon as it was approved, so I had made plans to
stay there for a while.
Nora called me right after I’d finished packing up my belongings in the office, inviting me to eat dinner
with her tonight.
I had yet to answer her when I realized that Armond was standing at my door, gazing at me. Thinking
that he was here for business matters, I quickly told Nora, “Give me a minute!” before turning around and
asking him, “Have you gotten off work already, Mr. Murphy?”
He nodded. “What are we eating tonight?”
Right. I’d nearly forgotten that I was responsible for managing his daily meals. I hesitated, pondering
over Nora’s dinner invitation.
“I haven’t decided yet. What would you like to eat?” I replied instinctively.
“Anything. Work hours are over. Let’s go.”
“You can head on down first. I’ll come as soon as I get my things sorted out.”
I waited for him to walk a good distance away before whispering into my phone. “Nora?”
“Are you going to reject my invitation?”
I massaged one of my temples, pitying her quick wits a little. “No, you idiot. Are you going to pass up
such an amazing chance to hook up with this highly eligible bachelor?”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll send you Mr. Murphy’s address so you can come over and cook dinner for him tonight. I’ll act as your
assistant, and we can eat together at his place. How does that sound?”
She gasped in excitement. “Really? You are my superhero, Scarlett! I’m going over there right this
second!”
Hanging up the call, I dashed out of the office and searched for Armond’s car in the building parking lot.
He seemed to have smoked a cigarette while waiting for me, the heavy smell causing me to cough a few
times. “Is there something on your mind?”
He started up the car, replying calmly, “No.”
After that, he didn’t speak a word to me at all. I could tell that he was in a bad mood, although I wasn’t
sure why.
Half an hour later, we reached his villa. Armond made a beeline for his study upstairs while I paced
around aimlessly in his kitchen, waiting for Nora.
She eventually showed up at the house with several bags full of groceries. “I already told you not to buy
anything. This is so much!”
“I needed specific ingredients for my recipe, and I wasn’t sure if you had them!” She winked at me. “Oh,
and besides that, I spotted someone next door who looked familiar.”
“Who is it?” I took the groceries from her and set them down on the kitchen counter.
“I think it was the assistant who’s always beside Ashton. He looked like he was moving in.” The kitchen
was entirely made up of smart appliances, but she looked at ease and in her own element as she
instructed me to wash the vegetables.
“Joseph is moving here?” I wondered out loud to myself, dumbfounded.
She nodded, busying herself with creating a homemade sauce.
The housing prices in A City weren’t as expensive as in K City, but they usually went for around several
hundred thousand per unit. Joseph was already married with children, so why was he purchasing a villa
worth hundreds of thousands here of all places?
It wasn’t as if he regularly came to A City either, because he worked in K City. Was it possible that he
was feeling pressured or stressed so he bought a house here as an investment?
I couldn’t figure it out even after wracking my brain, so I decided to throw the idea to the back of my mind
and distracted myself by following Nora’s instructions in the kitchen.
“How are you planning to spend Magpie Festival?” I questioned.
Her movements froze for a brief second as she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “What about
you?”
“Linda and I made plans to meet up and have a meal together.”
“I can guarantee that she’s going to stand you up,” she chuckled.
“Why is that?”
“She’s at the time of life where she’s trying to start another relationship after the failure that was her first
marriage. You should be spending such a lovely holiday with someone you’re interested in, not eating out
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmwith your besties! There’s always another time for that.”
I observed as she skillfully sliced up the fish into thin pieces, admiring her professionalism. “Basically,
what you’re saying is that you don’t want to spend Magpie Festival with me.”
“Obviously.” She rolled her eyes at me humorously. “I can go out and eat with you anytime, just not on
Magpie Festival of all days! I want to spend the day doing romantic things and such, you know?”
She has a point.
Come to think of it, there was no other choice for me but to spend the holiday alone. I pondered over
whether I should make a trip back to K City.
After the completion of this project and the divorce was finalized, I had to consider my plans to settle
down in A City.
As preparations were nearly done, Nora told me, “Go wash your hands and call the neighbor to come
over as well. We’re all acquaintances and I’ve cooked so much today, so this could be like a welcoming
party for him.”
The thought of Joseph had completely escaped my mind. Getting ready to go out, I washed my hands
and called out over my shoulder, “Armond’s in the room to your left on the second floor. Go up and tell
him that dinner is ready.”
She giggled, breaking out into a wide grin. “Can I take this as you create a chance for me?”
“That’s up to your own interpretation.” I waved her off.
Armond’s villa wasn’t that large. Every building was close to one another, and it had a front yard as well
as a water feature in the backyard.