No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

I froze. "What the heck was that all about?"

How come he'd been on the phone with Ernest all this time?

Conrad, having just ended the call, looked at me and said, "Ernest called me just now. I thought he had hung up, but it seems he didn't because he was worried."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" I retorted sarcastically.

It was clear as day that Conrad had intentionally not ended the call, and deliberately asked me if I still wanted Ernest in my life.

Caught out, Conrad didn't try to deny it. Instead, he admitted, "Call it my selfishness, if you will. It just so happened to let Ernest know where you stand, to show him... that Felicia isn't someone who comes and goes at someone else's beck and call." Honestly, I wasn't afraid of Ernest knowing how I feel. In fact, it was better this way; it saved me the effort of explaining myself.

"Thanks for your thoughtfulness'," I said mockingly before getting out of the car.

Conrad followed, starting to fill me in on Dustin's living situation, "This place, Dustin bought it with his own money. He's lived here all four years he's been abroad. You see these flowers and plants? He's been taking care of them all by himself, never once hired a maid or a gardener."

This was all news to me. Dustin had never mentioned it, and even when I was living with the Wagner family, they barely talked about Dustin. On the rare occasions they did, it was just to say that he'd called and was doing fine over here.

the Wagners, Dustin was less like a son and more like a

was how Dustin had

didn't hire anyone to maintain such a big house, all on his own. Besides his nature of doing things himself, it was probably also because

way of

was also Dustin's own

smart and picks things up fast-way better than me, as you know,"

was undeniable. Thinking about Dustin's ambitions,

almost said something but then held

smart guy. Even if

as Dustin, his business acumen was unmatched. Having thrived in the business world for years, he

he chose to turn a blind eye for the sake of brotherhood, to keep peace by

quiet," Conrad asked, noticing my

villa, "it seems

this house. He has other investments," Conrad

education, he had

the past. Conrad used to be fiercely competitive, unwilling to accept anyone being better than him, even his own