Nathaniel was surprised to receive her call and asked, "Why are you calling so late? Are you okay? You sound… sick."
Kristen avoided the matter, simply replying, "Oh, it's nothing serious. The weather's been bad, and I have a mild sore throat. By the way, I received everything you sent me. You really sent me everything I needed. Thank you, Nate!"
In the background, there was some noise, and her signal was rather bad.
"It's been a while since we last talked, hasn't it? Ever since you left the village, we haven't seen each other in quite a while," Kristen added, her tone carrying a hint of longing.
"Yeah," Nathaniel said, his tone indifferent.
Kristen continued, sounding bashful, "Nate, you always sent a lot of stuff over, and it's like my place is turning into a wholesaler now! I was just simply mentioning the things I lack. You don't need to worry so much about me. You should take better care of yourself too."
"It's nothing. It's just a small gesture to show my gratitude for your help."
"Okay! But I have to get back to work now. I have someone here with me…"
Kristen's voice trailed off as she seemed distracted and exhausted.
Nathaniel could not hear her remaining words clearly, but before he could respond, the call ended abruptly.
Nonetheless, he did not think much of it.
Talking to Kristen had lifted some of the weight off his chest.
Outside the door, Mavis had heard the entire conversation.
She had been holding a cup of coffee, intending to talk to Nathaniel.
However, when she heard the tender tone in his voice, her hand froze mid-air, unable to knock on the door.
He had never been so considerate with her.
Feeling a pang of sadness, Mavis stood there, lost in thought.
It was only when Nathaniel and Kristen's call ended that she slowly recovered.
So, Nathaniel and Kristen had been keeping in touch with each other all this while?
Perhaps, she was the third wheel in this so-called relationship.
…
In the days that followed, Mavis and Nathaniel lived under the same roof but acted like strangers.
Despite being so close, they avoided speaking to each other.
Winter was approaching, and the kids were about to go on winter break.
Mavis went to the school to attend the parent-teacher conference for Asher and Adora.
When she walked out after the meeting, Adora looked up and asked, "Auntie Mae, are you sick? You don't look so well."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Wait, She’s a Billionaire (Sheena Lawson)
The novel is too abusive it spoils the joy of reading it. I hate the punishment part between sheena and Eliot....