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.

like a

was how Dustin had spent those

hire anyone to maintain such a big house, all on his own. Besides his nature of doing things himself, it was probably also because he was lonely in a

his way of

garden was also Dustin's own design," Conrad's words surprised

picks things up fast-way better than me, as you know," Conrad added with a self-deprecating

undeniable. Thinking about Dustin's ambitions, it seemed Conrad was still

said something but

smart

as academically gifted as Dustin, his business acumen was unmatched. Having thrived in the

to turn a blind eye for the sake of brotherhood, to keep peace by not digging

quiet," Conrad asked, noticing my

the villa, "it seems Dustin did quite well for

assets extend far beyond this house. He has other investments," Conrad said

and education, he had no reason to

used to be fiercely competitive, unwilling