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?”
“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 with 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.
