"Vespera!" Gerard called out, blocking Vespera''s path.
His expression caught her off guard. She asked, "What''s wrong?"
Gerard cleared his throat and stammered, "I... I wanted to ask a favor."
Vespera asked, "What is it?"
Gerard answered, "I''m kind of hungry. The pasta you made earlier smelled amazing. Could you make me a te too?"
Vespera let out a softugh. "That''s all? Sure, I''ll whip something up."
Gerard responded, "Awesome! Could you maybe throw in a little extra meat?" Vespera replied, "Of course, I can."
Gerard stood there a moment longer, not moving. Upon seeing that, Vespera asked, "Is there anything else?"
Gerard shook his head and answered, "Nope, that''s all. I''ll wait outside."
And with that, Gerard turned and walked off.
Vespera watched him go, suspicion flickering in her eyes. Had he been eavesdropping earlier?
Vespera headed back to the kitchen and made another te of pasta. When it was ready, she brought it into the living hall only to find Gerard fast asleep on the couch again.
She looked down at the steaming te in her hands and sighed. Then, she carried it back to the kitchen and put it away before heading upstairs. As she passed the dining area, she caught sight of Nancy still sitting there.
Outside, the sky was already beginning to lighten, but the rain hadn''t let up. It continued falling in a steady drizzle.
Upstairs, Vespera paused briefly outside the master bedroom. She stared at the door for a moment before moving on to her own room, which was the guest room.
The thick carpet muffled her footsteps. The entire ce was silent.
Vespera copsed onto the bed, full. Raindrops trickled slowly down the window. Shey there, staring at them, her mind wandering back to the things she had said to Nancy. Had she meant those words? Or were they tinted with resentment and maybe even a hint of revenge? Even she couldn''t tell anymore.
Humans were emotional creatures. No one lived entirely by reason.
Vespera rolled onto her side, hugging a pillow tightly to her chest, as if trying to hold her heart together in the quiet chill of the rainy morning. Eventually, her thoughts scattered, and she drifted into sleep.
...
At 2:00 pm, Vespera finally stirred from her nap. Her head was heavy, and her chest was tight. It was like she was recovering from a night of cheap liquor. She looked at the unfamiliar room for a moment before remembering where she was.
There hadn''t been anything scheduled for the day, so she didn''t set an rm. After a few minutes of lying there, she slowly sat up and got out of bed. She changed clothes, then made her way downstairs.<fn75a2> Newest update provided by find~novel</fn75a2>
The first thing Vespera saw was Calvert curled up on the couch, ying a game on his phone. When he noticed her, his head popped up and his face lit up with a grin.
He said, "Vespera, you''re finally awake! We already ate. I was going to wake you, but Mr. Reid wouldn''t let me."
Vespera nodded and asked, "Is everyone up already? Where are they?"
Calvert answered, "Gerard went upstairs to help Mr. Reid pack. I think Mr. Reid is walking around outside in the courtyard. He hasn''t adjusted to the time difference yet. He barely ate anything at lunch."
Vespera muttered under her breath, "He rarely has an appetite anyway."
She then asked, "What about Ms. Acosta? Have you seen her?"
"Do you mean Nancy? She followed us again?" Calvert shouted as he sprang up from the couch. "She''s like a ghost that keeps haunting Mr. Reid. I have to tell Mr. Reid."
It seemed that Nancy had left. For now, anyway.
Still, Vespera found it strange that Gerard hadn''t mentioned Nancy showing up. Maybe he didn''t want to bring it up in front of Calvert?
Just then, a familiar and calm voice sounded from behind Vespera. "Ms. Gildon, did you sleep well?"
Vespera turned and saw Dominic walking in from outside. He was wearing a simple white dress shirt and ck cks. His hair and shoulders were damp. He must have been caught in the rain while walking in the courtyard.