Chapter 128: The Second Time
Chapter 128: The Second Time
Eric curiously turned his head to look behind them for a moment. "There are only two cars. That silver Honda, and then a black one—that's a Chrysler, right?"
"Ha, so you see? If I had let you drive my car out just now, you guys could have looked forward to making the newspapers tomorrow. Look a bit closer."
"You mean..." Eric peered out for a while longer, finally spotting another black sedan that was appearing and disappearing from view. "That black Mercedes? Paparazzi driving a Mercedes—isn't that a bit too extravagant?"
"That's the one," Kapoor replied with a smile, then asked curiously, "Is a Mercedes considered extravagant? I think that car is worth thirty thousand dollars at most."
"Uh, I misremembered." Eric felt a bit embarrassed. The moment he saw a Mercedes, he had subconsciously thought of those luxury cars that easily cost upwards of a million; in his past life, he could only afford a baseline Volkswagen.
Kapoor didn't press further. He smoothly turned off Sunset Boulevard and navigated through the streets of Los Angeles, which were still bustling late at night. He took so many twists and turns that Eric was nearly left dizzy. By the time Eric oriented himself, the car had reappeared back on Sunset Boulevard.
"All taken care of. Now let's just hope there aren't paparazzi blocking the entrance to your house."
"Kapoor, my house has a back door."
Through the rearview mirror, Kapoor gave Eric an undisguised look of disdain. Amidst Virginia's soft laughter, Eric raised his hands. "Alright, I'll shut up."
The sedan pulled up at the entrance of Eric's luxury mansion. Neither Eric nor Virginia showed their faces throughout the arrival. Kapoor took Eric's keys to open the main gate and drove the car straight into the courtyard.
"There's a paparazzi car parked about ten meters away on both the east and west sides of the gate. Eric, it's best if Virginia is careful when she leaves tomorrow; don't let them snap any photos."
"Don't worry, I know what to do," Eric held Virginia's delicate little hand. "Kapoor, want to come in and sit for a bit?"
Kapoor shrugged. "As much as I don't want to be a third wheel, I have to stay here for at least ten minutes before leaving, otherwise I shouldn't have driven the car inside just now."
"Understood, then come on in for a cup of coffee." The three of them walked toward the villa together. Seeing the lights on in the living room, Eric explained, "Drew is staying home these past couple of days."
The girl had requested time off from school and rushed back specifically because of the Oscars. She had originally thought Eric would take her down the red carpet, but it ended up being Virginia instead, so the little lady had been throwing occasional tantrums these past two days.
Pushing open the door and stepping into the living room, they found the television volume turned very low, with a petite body curled up on the sofa. Eric walked over and gently nudged Drew, who was clutching a throw pillow. "Drew, wake up. Go upstairs to sleep."
After a few nudges, the girl finally reacted, murmuring groggy grunts, "Mmh... Eric, don't mess with me, I'm so sleepy!"
Uh...
Eric looked back guiltily at the two people behind him, who had instantly turned to stone. "Look, I swear I have absolutely never done anything out of line!"
The explanation was pale and weak. Kapoor and Virginia clearly didn't believe him.
"A bit too impatient, aren't we...?" Virginia muttered.
"Whatever you do, don't forget safety precautions..." Kapoor truly lived up to his reputation as a professional agent who looked out for his client.
Facing two glares that didn't believe a single word of his defense, Eric slumped his shoulders in self-defeat. "Fine, I won't explain. Why should I even explain to you guys? Vicky, the coffee is in the kitchen; please look after Kapoor for me. I'll take the girl to her bedroom."
With that, Eric pulled the throw pillow out from Drew's embrace, picked the girl up, and walked toward the stairs. Arriving at Drew's bedroom, he placed the girl onto the large bed, carefully tucked her under the blanket, and only then closed the door and left.
The moment the bedroom door clicked shut, Drew opened her eyes wide on the large bed. Looking brightly at the door, she let out a silent cheer, kicked her legs to send the thin blanket flying high up, and rolled around frantically on the bed. "Haha! That'll teach you not to take me to the Oscars!"
Click—
The bedroom door was suddenly pushed open again. Eric leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "I knew you did that on purpose, you little brat. Aren't you afraid I'll get sent to prison and leave you sleeping on the streets from then on?"
Caught red-handed in her prank, the girl froze for a second. She immediately scrambled to the edge of the bed to pull back the blanket that had fallen to the floor, quickly wrapping herself up completely. She said in a muffled voice, "I'm really sleeping this time."
"Drew, Virginia is staying the night here tonight. Don't cause any trouble."
The thin blanket was pulled down a fraction, exposing her bright eyes. "Can I watch?"
"It's rated NC-17. Minors under eighteen are prohibited from viewing."
"I can watch secretly."
Eric adopted a heavier tone. "Drew, I'm being serious."
"Mmh... fine, fine, I won't watch then," Drew said, pulling the blanket back up to cover her small head. She intentionally turned her back to Eric, looking just like a little wife brooding at her husband.
Eric stared speechlessly at the girl's antics before finally closing the bedroom door again and walking away.
Kapoor left after finishing a cup of coffee. After the young man and woman shared an embrace and a deep kiss, Eric picked the lady up and walked toward his own bedroom. Placing Virginia onto the bed, Eric—under Virginia's puzzled gaze—meticulously inspected every single corner of the bedroom. Only when he was satisfied did he lock the bedroom door from the inside, turn off the lights, and pounce toward the lady.
In the darkness, the lady gasped intermittently, "Should we... first... take a shower?"
The man panted heavily, the movements of his hands not stopping for a single second. "It's very late. We'll wash up after we're done."
Tossing and turning, tossing and turning. An unknown amount of time passed before Drew's bedroom door was quietly opened once more. Barefoot, the girl took light, nimble steps through the dark hallway, slinking up to Eric's bedroom door and pressing her ear against it.
After eavesdropping for a full five minutes, the girl finally straightened up out of boredom. Pouting her lips in dissatisfaction, she returned to her own bedroom, muttering under her breath, "Moaning that loudly—what a total tramp."
Back on her large bed, she rolled around restlessly for a long time. The girl was a night owl to begin with; the deeper the night got, the more energetic she became, let alone under the current circumstances.
The passionate cries of the woman she had just eavesdropped on kept surfacing in her mind. Unwittingly, the pink nightgown beneath the thin blanket was tossed out. A short while later, a pair of white panties also drifted out from under the covers. An irregular, clumsy rising and falling motion emerged beneath the bulging blanket.
For some unknown reason today, she woke up exceptionally early. Well, actually it wasn't that early anymore—it was already nine o'clock. But compared to Drew, who often managed to sleep until noon, this timestamp was indeed quite early.
After getting dressed, she looked into the mirror while brushing her teeth.
Oh no, dark circles. Ugh... it's all the fault of those two detestable people. Having finished brushing her teeth with resentment, she walked out of the bedroom. The villa was completely silent. The other two people had clearly not gotten out of bed yet; perhaps they really had played too late last night.
Adulterous couple, hmph!
She really wanted to rush to Eric's door and wake the two of them up, but on second thought, she decided against it. He rarely slept in anyway—not sleeping in when he was so young, how could that be fine!
Stepping into her fluffy slippers, she walked downstairs. On her own accord, she cooked a small pot of milk oatmeal porridge, scooped up a small spoonful, blew on it, and took a taste. Mmh, a bit sweet, but it'll do.
Scooping a small bowl for herself, she retrieved the bread from the toaster and walked toward the dining room.
She stuffed a few bites of bread slathered with jam into her mouth, filling her cheeks to the brim, and sipped the oatmeal porridge from her little bowl in small gulps. Suddenly, there seemed to be a sound at the living room door.
Huh, a sound!
The girl almost forgot to put down her oatmeal porridge, walking out of the dining room while cradling the little bowl.
A dust-laden Aniston was dragging a red suitcase, looking around. Spotting Drew appearing at the entrance of the dining room, her originally intrigued expression quickly faded.
"Where's Eric?" the young lady asked as if it were a matter of course. Her tone sounded like a mistress questioning a little maidservant at home. On any other occasion, Drew would have definitely shot back a retort, but right now...
Cradling the little bowl with one hand to block her face, the girl stared at Aniston with bright eyes. She extended her small arm in an exaggerated gesture [1], pointing upstairs, and said with utmost consideration, "Go upstairs, turn left, the second room on the south side."
Aniston keenly sensed that something was amiss. She cast a suspicious glance at Drew but put down her suitcase anyway and walked toward the stairs.
Cradling her bowl, the girl blocked her small mouth which was practically splitting open with a grin. Her eyes followed Aniston's figure until the other party vanished around the corner of the stairs. Only then did she hop up and down a couple of times in malicious glee, spinning a beautiful circle on her tiptoes right where she stood.
"Eric, you can't blame me this time!"