Chapter 256
Back at the villa, Vivian’s online clothing order had arrived. The two of them spent the next two hours trying on all the new outfits.
“Not bad at all,” Vivian said, striking a pose in front of the full–length mirror in her new coat. “I knew picking this one was the right call, my fashion sense is just impeccable.”
She began striking poses before the mirror.
Maxine sighed, scratched her head, and grabbed the tablet from the table, placing it in front of herself. “You don’t have anything you need to take care of here, right? If you’re free, I can show you some must–see spots around here tomorrow. They’re absolutely breathtaking.”
Vivian glanced at her and teased, “You’re just trying to trick me into pushing your wheelchair, don’t you?”
As she spoke, Vivian playfully pinched Maxine’s cheek. “Were you super bored before I showed up? Looks like you’ve got this whole place to yourself, huh?”
Maxine glanced at the tickets and explained, “This place is rented by my friend. Since I had nowhere to stay after returning to Hatholand, I moved in with her. You know, Cleo, the girl who visited me before.”
Vivian mumbled the name over and over, and then suddenly it clicked. She remembered how, every so often, a friend from Hatholand would come all the way to visit Maxine.
“You mean Cleo?” Vivian asked tentatively.
Maxine nodded as Vivian smiled and said, “Glad you’ve got company.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than the doorbell rang. Both of them turned toward the door. “Are you expecting anyone else today?” Vivian asked.
Maxine shook her head. Vivian narrowed her eyes, glanced around cautiously, then grabbed a nearby broom and strode to the door, reaching out to open it.
“Maxine!” Sebastian burst through the door urgently, but before he could finish speaking, Vivian brought the broom down on him.
He barely had time to react, managing to tilt his head aside at the last second, but the broom handle still came down squarely on his shoulder.
“Who are you?” Startled, Sebastian looked up to find a strange foreign woman standing beside him.
Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Sebastian quickly scanned the living room. Only when he spotted Maxine approaching the doorway did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
He stood up, rolled his shoulders, and explained in Vastelian, “I’m Maxine’s hus… friend.”
Maxine walked over, subtly shooting a glare at Sebastian before turning to Vivian and explaining, “This is my friend. He must have something to talk to
me about.”
Vivian eyed the two of them with suspicion for a long moment before finally turning to Sebastian and saying, “Hi, I’m Vivian Bernard.”
Her Hatholandian was halting at best. She’d only crammed some basics the night she arrived in Hatholand. Sebastian greeted her wi… polite smile, but
he couldn’t shake the feeling: He thought, ‘There’s/definitely a special connection between this woman and Maxine.‘
Vivian turned to Maxine with a knowing wink. “You two catch up, I’m heading upstairs for some rest.”
Before Maxine could respond, Vivian turned and headed upstairs.
Maxine hesitated for a moment, words left unspoken, then finally turned to Sebastian and asked, “What brings you here?”
C
Sebastian visibly relaxed and said, “I texted you but got no reply. I was afraid something might have happened again, so I rushed right over.”
1/2
Chapter 256
Hearing this, Maxine suddenly remembered the message she’d seen during dinner and sighed. She explained, “My friend Vivian came all the way from overseas to visit me. She’s always been there for ine when I was abroad.”
What she didn’t say out loud was that it wasn’t just today, she wouldn’t have much time for Sebastian in the coming days.
Sebastian didn’t press the issue. He simply nodded and said, “That’s understandable. Just stay safe, and message me if anything comes up. With all the online backlash against Gabriel lately, he’s probably too preoccupied to bother you.”
AD
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