Stephen’s tone sounded nervous, and he seemed anxious to hear Mnie’s answer as he stared at her.
Mnie was reminded of Bernard asking her the same question. He had also wondered if she had any rtives in Oskon City. This piqued her interest. “Why would you ask me this question?”
Stephen did not exin and shook his head. “I must have made a mistake. Sorry.”
His mind must have been in a mess from everything that had happened recently. How could he think that Matthew and Mnie were rted?
However, Stephen was reminded about Nicole’s recent condition and felt even more confusion
in his head.
Mnie noticed the change in Stephen and said, “You should go if you’re busy.”
Stephen wanted to say something, but he hesitated. He was silent for a while before saying to Mnie in a low voice, “Mel, why didn’t you break up with Eugene back then?”
Mnie was surprised to hear Stephen ask this question. She looked at him thoughtfully. Stephen had never asked her any questions about her rtionship even when she and Eugene were in the worst situation.
He would only go as far as asking her if she needed help.
At further thought, Stephen must have been struggling with the question because of that woman, Nicole, whom he had mentioned before. Mnie understood this.
She stared at the cup of coffee, which she hardly touched, on the table. She said tly, “That’s what happens when you can’t think things through. You won’t be able to let go no matter how others try to knock some sense into you.”
This was exactly how Mnie was before. She knew very well all the horrible things Eugene did, but she would console herself every single time by convincing herself that he was not serious about those women.
In the end, she was the one who ended up being toyed.
Stephen looked very troubled, and Mnie decided not to bother him any longer. She left not long after.
Before she did, Stephen promised her, “I’ll handle the Vi situation as soon as possible. Don’t worry about it too much,”
Mnie nodded and left to meet a client she had made an appointment with.
It was already night by the time she returned to the vi.
The lights were on, and everyone was in the living room. Mnie did not think much of it. She asked Reny, “Where’s Xander? I need to discuss something with him.”
“He went to the hospital.”
Mnie walked over to Reny after putting her bag down. “What’s wrong with him? Why did
he suddenly go to the hospital?”
Reny shook her head. “He’s fine. It’s someone in his family. He said he has to visit that person.”
“I’ve asked Oliver about it, and he said Xander left without saying anything.”
Nearly everyone in Burning Star knew about Xander and his family. Mnie nodded and turned toward the study.
By the time she was done with work, it was already midnight. She heard someone open the door while she was putting some documents together.
Xander had returned, and he saw Mnie immediately.
His voice sounded scratchy. “Why are you still awake?”
Mnie noticed how exhausted he looked. She paused before asking, “Reny said you went to the hospital. What happened?”
Xander had walked in with the cold air. It was the beginning of autumn, and the temperature had dropped tremendously.
He took off his coat and hung it up before walking in. “It’s my older sister. She met with an ident the moment she returned to the country.”
“Your sister?” Mnie blinked. It was the first time Xander had mentioned his older sister.
Xander sounded tired, and his tone was low. He sighed almost inaudibly. “She has been in North Europe all this time. She came back because something happened at home.”
He headed toward the kitchen while speaking.
Xander suddenly stopped and looked back at Mnie to ask, “Do you want some supper?”
It was only then that Mnie realized that Xander probably had not gotten any dinner because he was at the hospital. She walked up to him. “Let me make you something. You should rest.’ She could still smell disinfectant on Xander. It looked like he was at the hospital for a long time.
Xander did not reject her offer. He said, “Just make something simple. I’ll take a shower first.”