“Of course,” Abel said while gently scraping the bridge of Emmeline’s nose. “When do you want to prepare the space on the second floor? I’ll be your handyman.”
“We’ll start tomorrow,” Emmeline said. “I’m already tired today.”
“You can take a nap in the lounge,” Abel said. “We’ll go home after you wake up.”
“Okay!” Emmeline stretched her arms and said coyly, “Hubby, I want a hug.”
Abel chuckled, hugged her around the waist, and carried her to the bed in the lounge.
“Be a good girl and sleep tight,” Abel said as he tucked her in.
He was about to leave when Emmeline hugged his neck. “Hubby…”
“Aren’t you tired?” Abel said while pecking her lips. “Don’t seduce me. You know I can’t resist the urges.”
“I wasn’t thinking of that. I want to say… that I’ve misunderstood Benjamin.”
“Benjamin? What happened?” Abel frowned and asked.
“Do you know how Janie was injured?” Emmeline sounded like she was sobbing.
Abel replied. “Didn’t you say Janie attempted to take her own life when she tried to return the things Benjamin gave her, and Benjamin said something nasty to her.”
“That was my guess,” Tears welled up in Emmeline’s eyes. “The truth isn’t like that.”
“What is it then?” Abel frowned. The matter did not seem as straightforward as he imagined.
“Remember that time I was about to get married to Pockmark Face? Benjamin wanted to destroy his own face so he’ll be able to marry me. Janie stopped him from hurting himself…”
“Whew!” Abel gasped. “I didn’t expect that Benjamin would want to destroy his own face!”
“Well, that happened,” Emmeline said. “He knew that if I marry him, there won’t be as much trouble as compared to marrying a stranger.”
“I didn’t expect he would take the risk,” Abel said. “If not for Janie, Benjamin would’ve destroyed his face in vain.”
“That’s right,” Emmeline said. “At the hospital, I told him that I don’t want to talk to him anymore. If Yvonne hadn’t taken the risk to tell me, I would’ve misjudged Benjamin.”
“I’m glad that the misunderstanding has been cleared,” Abel said grimly. “Benjamin is a loyal person, too bad Janie got hurt because of him this time. In any case, this is ultimately our fault, and I should thank and apologize to them.”
“Why don’t you invite them to my birthday party? It sounds like the right occasion,” Emmeline said.
“Sounds good,” Abel said.
Emmeline nodded. She felt a lot more confident.
Abel said, “That’s all that’s been weighing on your mind, right? Close your eyes and take a nap. We’ll go home once you wake up.”
…
The next morning, Emmeline went to Nightfall Café early in the morning.
Sam had just opened the store for the day. She was wiping the tables while humming a tune.
When she raised her head, she saw Emmeline standing outside.
“What brings you here, Ms. Louise? It isn’t a particularly windy day today, isn’t it?” Sam said while checking the weather outside.
“Hey! What do you mean?” Emmeline went behind the counter. “Can’t I visit my own café? Did you become lazy because no one is supervising you?”
“But you’ve always been hands-off, right?” Sam pouted. “This café is nothing but a front anyway.”
“I don’t plan to stay hands-off anymore. I have big plans for this place!” Emmeline said while rubbing her palms.
“What’s gotten into your brain?” Sam said while touching Emmeline’s forehead with the back of her hand.
“Hey! I’m totally fine!” Emmeline pushed her hand away.
“Benjamin, Mr. Abel, and the Wonder Doctor make money for you. You don’t need to work for money. Why do you want to expand the business?” Sam said.
“I’m only doing what I like!” Emmeline said.
