When I woke up, I initially thought I would be in an abandoned factory, but to my surprise, I was in a room that was tidy and looked as if someone stayed in here before.
I got up from the bed and went to the living room. No one was there, but I heard a woman reciting her prayers in another room.
Heading toward the room, I halted when I was at the entrance. A few statues and books in Sanskrit characters were placed in the smoke-filled room, whereas Tessa was kneeling and putting her hands together as she recited her prayers.
When I saw her, I knew running away was impossible, so I went to the living room and sat on the ground. The apartment was comprised of three rooms and a living room. She stayed in a room, and the other room was used for her prayers and worship, while the third room was for storage.
There was nothing in the living room except for a coffee table, and it didn’t even feel like home. Laurel once told me Tessa was in her forties, but she wasn’t married and lived alone.
Seeing that the apartment was rather empty, I figured she didn’t have a boyfriend and was staying by herself.
After a while, she came out from the worshipping room with prayer beads in her hand and looked at me. “Would you like some tea?” As she spoke, she sat at the coffee table and started boiling a pot of water.
I pursed my lips and asked, “What do you want?”
“Call Ashton and tell him to withdraw his lawsuit against Armond. Then, let Armond return from Moranta.” She cut to the chase and took out some tea leaves to brew me some tea.
I pursed my lips and looked at her. “You’re doing this for Armond? How surprising! When did you guys get so close?”
She shrugged and wore an indifferent expression. “As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. Mrs. Fuller, you’re used to living comfortably, so you won’t understand our lives.”
I asked, “So, how much did Armond give you?”
The woman looked at me and laughed out suddenly. “Why? Are you going to say that you’ll give me double the amount he gave? How great it is to be rich! You guys take care of everything using money.”
I pursed my lips and waited to see what she wanted to say next.
After a while, the woman continued, “Forget it. Now that I’ve done all of this, I have no intention of backing out now. If you don’t wish to trouble Ashton, you don’t need to call him. However, you’ll have to stay here for a few days. Let’s see what Ashton will do to find his missing wife.”
I was puzzled at how calm and poised she was. Something was odd about how she brought me here directly without leaving any traces.
Hence, I was reluctant to do as she said and was just waiting for the time to pass. The sky was getting dark, and throughout this period of time, she drank some tea and recited her prayers. Meanwhile, I got more and more suspicious of how she remained that calm all the time.
If she just wanted me to call Ashton, she could’ve resorted to violence or used some extreme measures to force me into doing it. However, she did nothing to me and was just waiting calmly.
“Eat some noodles. Who knows what Ashton would do to me if he heard that you were starved.” The woman cooked some instant noodles and added some vegetables. I didn’t have an appetite, so I looked at her indifferently. “When will you let me go?”
She raised a brow at me and asked, “Are you going to call him now?”
I frowned. “I won’t do that since Armond deserves to be punished. Ashton can give you the money you want, so there’s no need to waste my time like this.”
Despite my offer, she continued eating her noodles calmly and smiled faintly before looking at me in the eyes. “As expected of Mrs. Fuller. You’re so generous. I’m sorry, but have you heard of being in the same boat? I believe in karma, so even though I dislike Armond for being two-faced, I’ll have to help since I have promised him. So, Mrs. Fuller, you only have one choice here.”
I pursed my lips as she continued eating her noodles slowly. Annoyance settled itself in my heart as I figured I couldn’t negotiate with her.
After hesitating for a moment, I asked, “I’m curious. When did you guys get so close?”
The woman raised her brow and told the truth. “We got to an agreement after returning from Epea.”
“Why?” I pressed on the matter while Tessa grew impatient. “I said it before. Money makes the world go round.”
I asked, “If that’s the case, why won’t you take Ashton’s money? Is there any difference between getting money from Ashton or Armond?”
The woman raised her eyebrows and said, “There is!”
The sky was getting dark, so I decided to call Ashton. Taking out my phone, I dialed his number, but the call was left unanswered.
I looked at Tessa, but she was just minding her own business. Left without a choice, I continued calling Ashton, yet no one answered.
