When Eudora George woke up the next morning, the person who was lying beside her was nowhere to be seen.
The bathroom door opened and Amos Granger strode out.
A bath towel was wrapped around his waist, revealing his upper body.
Eudora scrutinised the man's figure. Broad shoulders, toned waist with eight packs to boot. Eudora blushed. Even though they had been in close proximity before, but this was the first time Eudora saw his well-built body in broad daylight.
Eudora couldn't take her eyes off him.
"Like what you see?" Amos smirked at Eudora's reaction.
Only then Eudora realised that she had been staring at the man's body and she immediately turned her head away in embarrassment. "I... What do you want to eat in the morning? I'll make breakfast for you."
"There's no need to trouble you, Clint will arrange it."
"Oh!" Eudora paused for a moment. "Then I'll see you off!"
Eudora sat up from the bed but the blanket covering her body slipped down, revealing her shoulders. She just remembered that she wasn't wearing any clothes.
She quickly pulled the blanket up and wrapped it around her body. Her face was flushed red.
Amos smiled cheekily. "Weren't you going to see me off?"
"I..." Eudora covered herself tighter. "Maybe you could go downstairs first. I'll quickly put on my clothes."
It was a rare sight for him to see her all shy and adorable. Amos couldn't help but tease her. "Which part of your body have I not seen yet huh?"
"No..." Eudora cried out in embarrassment. She covered her face with the blanket, revealing only her flickering eyes.
"Okay! I don't want to tease you anymore. I still have errands to run in the company. I'm leaving first." Amos pushed the door open and left the room.
Eudora could hear the sound of engine revving outside.
She stood by the window, still wrapped in the blanket. When she saw Amos' car had driven away into the distance, she let out a sigh of relief.
Amos was a beast last night. Eudora's legs were still weak from all the action. After freshening up, Eudora decided to get herself some after-morning pills just in case.
She popped a pill into her mouth and stuffed the rest into her bag. The deal was supposed to last for just one year. It wouldn't be good if accidents happen in between.
When she was just about to drive back to the house, her phone rang.
Eudora took her phone and saw that it was a call from her mother-in-law. It was most likely to be about her son. Eudora knew that she couldn't avoid it forever anyway, so she picked up the phone.
Before she could even utter a hello, she heard screams and shouts from the other side of the line.
"Eudora, you evil and heartless woman. What did the Meyer family ever do to you? You viciously sent my son into jail! Go to hell!"
Eudora sneered. "If you're calling me to curse at me, then forget about it!"
She had thought that Laura Westin had called her to apologize. But instead she got berated and cursed by her. Eudora shook her head at her own naivety.
After hanging up the phone, Eudora took a few deep breaths and cooled down.
When she got home, Eudora found out that there were more than a dozen missed calls on her phone. All of them were from Laura. What a mad lady!
Eudora registered Laura's number into her blacklist.
She put her phone away and felt emotionally drained. Even though Amos said that he would deal with it for her, at the end of the day it was her problem and it had been bugging her the whole time.
Eudora picked up the broom and started cleaning the living room. At least doing something productive would keep her mind off things.
Her phone started ringing again. It was an unknown number this time. Eudora was worried that Amos was looking for her, so she picked it up.
Eudora could hear a familiar voice from the other end. It was her stepmother, Felicia Maurice. "Eudora, come back home quickly and see your father. Your father is ill."
Eudora was stunned. "If he's ill, bring him to the hospital. I'm not a doctor. Why do you want me to see him?"
"Eudora, how could you say that. No matter what he is still your father. Are you really that heartless?"
Eudora could hear her father's faint coughing through the call. No matter how reluctant she was, Eudora's heart softened and she eventually gave in. She hung up the phone and left the house.
...
When Eudora reached the George family's residence, Kesha George was already standing by the entrance. She immediately walked towards Eudora and gave her a slap.
Eudora was caught off-guard by the sudden slap. She stumbled backwards.
When she snapped back to her senses and realised that the person who slapped her was her half-sister, she didn't hesitate to slap her back.
Kesha raised her hand, wanting to hit Eudora again, but Eudora grabbed her wrist firmly, "Kesha, you dare to slap me again?"
Kesha had never seen Eudora like this before. Even though Eudora had always been very firm, she always gave in for the sake of her father.
But things were different now.
Kesha knew Eudora was not joking about the threat. She cried in fear.
"Dad, Mom..."
"How dare you!" Gordon George stood up with his trembling hands. "This is your family home. As soon as you come back, you shout and hit your family members? What's wrong with you?"
When Eudora heard this, she pushed Kesha away. She scoffed, "Shout and hit my family members? You were sitting there since I got in. Didn't you see that it was Kesha who slapped me first? Do I even belong in this house?"
The sarcasm in her words made Gordon's blood boil.
"You... "
Felicia quickly moved over to support her husband. "Gordon, don't be too angry. Eudora finally came back. Didn't you have something to tell her?"
Gordon paused and looked at Eudora, his anger subsiding. "Your mother-in-law called just now, saying that you sent Felix to the police station. What's going on?"
It turned out to be just one of Laura's many tricks. Eudora's heart sank. "Laura, what else did she say? Did she ask you to persuade me to go back?"
Gordon's expression darkened. "She is your mother-in-law. You should respect her, Eudora!"
Felicia spoke with a tint of sarcasm in her voice. "We're all overwhelmed with emotions right now. Let's talk about it slowly."
Eudora sneered, "Don't pretend to be a good person. Your daughter knew exactly what Felix has done to me. I don't believe that the both of you are so ignorant of what actually happened!"
Felicia's face turned pale and she silently lowered her head, feigning ignorance.
Gordon was furious. "No matter what Felix had done to you, he is still your husband. It is wrong for you to send your own husband to the police station. And how can you talk to your mother like this? I want you to apologize to your mother immediately!
Eudora looked at Gordon in disappointment. She really couldn't believe the words that her father had just uttered. She felt angry and shouted, "My mother died a long time ago!"
"You scum!" Gordon picked up the jewelry box on the table and threw it towards Eudora. Kesha's eyes lit up in excitement. Felicia tried to stop Gordon but to no avail.
Eudora moved aside and slapped the jewelry box away. Unfortunately, instead of landing on her face, it smashed right into her arm.
The jewelry box broke and one of its sharp edges cut Eudora's arm deep. Blood started oozing from her wound.
Gordon was stunned. "Eudora, you..."
"Don't you dare call my name!" Eudora clenched her teeth and glared at Gordon. This man was her hero ever since she was a child. He was the one who would always accompany her to school events, carrying her on his shoulders when she was little.
He also used to say to her, "My princess, as long as I am around, no one in this world will dare to bully you!"
Eudora laughed bitterly at the irony. She never once thought her father would end up treating her like this.