The Woman From Hell

He was right. I wanted to explain but he turned his computer off and said, "You’ve not had your dinner yet. You must be hungry, right? Let's get you some food downstairs."

He did not wait for me to reply to him before he got up, took me with him, and went downstairs.

Miss Woods was not home, so after scouring the entire kitchen, he looked at me and said, "What do you feel like eating? I'll cook for you."

Despite not having eaten much, I did not have an appetite since I had been sleeping a lot. I replied without much consideration, "I'm fine with anything."

Theo entered the kitchen once again while I let my thoughts wander elsewhere. Grant Corporation had a strong defense system, and there were only a few local experts who could easily break into the system.

The first person who came to my mind was Tyler Schuman. This would be a piece of cake for him. However, since he had transformed into a successful businessman these past few years, his identity as a hacker should still be relatively hidden.

If it was really him, what was his purpose?

As I was lost in my thoughts, Theo’s voice rang beside

my ear. "What are you daydreaming about? Come, eat."

It was my favorite spaghetti bolognese, but since I was occupied with thoughts, I did not have much of an appetite. I held my cutleries for a long time without digging in.

"You don't feel like eating it?" Theo looked at me and asked.

"Ah...? No, it's just a little hot." I lowered my head and started eating.

"This is it just for tonight. I'll get Miss Woods to make more yummy food for you tomorrow, then we’ll go to the graveyard."

Oh, right, we had made plans to visit Grandmother tomorrow. I was instantly awake and my appetite increased. I finished the small plate of pasta.

Right after I was done, I regretted it since my stomach was extremely bloated now. It was too late to take a walk outside, so I could only pace around the room until Theo was done washing up. I was not in bed yet when he got out of the shower.

He looked at the time and it was almost one in the morning. He frowned and said, "Next time, don’t nap too long during the day. Having inconsistent sleep and meal times isn’t good for you."

"You're the one who made me eat," I replied bluntly while I made my way to the bed.

"Heartless girl, I was worried that you'd be hungry since you didn't eat anything all day,” he replied exasperatedly.

"Oh yeah, your phone was ringing just now. It was probably Miss Reed. For her to call you at such an hour, it must be something urgent," I closed my eyes and stated nonchalantly.

He ignored me as he wiped himself dry. Then, he crouched by the bed and placed his head on my belly, trying to listen to the movements of the baby.

This was something that he had started doing every night. He would not leave until he heard the baby move.

I felt slightly uncomfortable. I pulled the blanket to cover myself. "It’s getting late, let's sleep."

Theo lay down on his side beside me and pulled me into his arms. "This baby is most likely going to be born in Whaldorf, so let's do our next check-up there." Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

I nodded and said after a long while, "I think you should call Miss Reed back. What if it’s something urgent?" 1

He looked at me intently and after a long pause, he said, "You're very contradicting."

I...

"It’s up to you if you want to call her back or not. I'm going to sleep.” I did not want to banter with him anymore, so I turned to the other side, ignoring him.

I had to admit that he was right. I was contradicting myself. If he called her back right away, I would feel uncomfortable about it. Now that he did not, I could not help but remind him.

Sigh, me and my busybody ways! 2

Theo did not answer me but hugged me tighter, and in a while, a consistent breathing sound can be heard beside me.

He had gotten up early today and was swamped with work during the day. It was not easy for him to be able to last till now.

I could not sleep, but I was afraid that I would disturb him if I moved, so I lay there without moving and allowed my thoughts to wander.

As I was thinking, I was reminded of my childhood when I was poor. Even so, I was happy.

My mother did not have money to buy me fruits, so she would plant fruit trees in all the land surrounding our house. She would also plant some corn, tomatoes, pumpkin, and many other

seasonal vegetables for me t 0 eat and fulfill my cravings.

My favorite thing to eat was roasted sweet potatoes, and I would pester my mother to make them for me every time they were in season. She was patient and would make the most tender, sweet- smelling roasted sweet potatoes for me every time.

They tasted so good I could still remember the taste vividly.

After we moved to Salt City, I would roast my own sweet potatoes too, but it was not the same as the ones my mother roasted.