Joan was practically shoved into the mansion, her face blank as she scanned the gleaming walls and glittering chandelier. It was huge, unnecessarily so, and gave off the same energy as someone who wore sunglasses indoors. The last time she had walked into a house like this was when she lived in Lewis's mansion. The memory hit harder than expected. Her mood shifted complicated, heavy. There was a tugging in her chest she couldn't quite name. All she knew was that Lewis was out of her league now, and what happened between them should remain nothing more than a distant dream.
From behind, Amos swaggered in with the confidence of a man who had just bought a castle on sale. "What?" he said with a smirk. "Is the house not to your liking? Do you have any idea how much I spent on this?"
He stared at her, clearly waiting for some kind of reaction a gasp, a tear, maybe applause?
Joan walked right past him like he was a particularly loud air conditioner. She strolled up to one of his guards and asked, "Got food? I'm starving."
The guard blinked, nodded, and returned with a plate full of rice.
She sat and ate like she hadn't seen food in decades.
Amos stood there, deflated like a popped balloon animal. How dare she! Where was the "wow," the "you're so amazing, Amos"? All he got was the sound of her chewing and the occasional satisfied hum between bites.
He folded his arms. "You're seriously not going to comment on the golden ceiling?"
She glanced up mid-bite. "Oh, that? Looks like someone sneezed luxury."
"Honestly, why did you run off this time?" Amos asked his voice low with frustration as he sank into the couch beside her.
Joan didn't even glance at him. She tilted the glass back, drank the last drop of milk, and let out a satisfied sigh.
Leaning back, she gently rubbed her now full, slightly rounded stomach. "You worry too much," she said lazily, eyes half-lidded. "I was hungry, not kidnapped."
Amos blinked, visibly taken aback. "Hungry? Joan, I thought you'd been abducted again!"
She stretched like a cat. "Next time, bring snacks. Maybe I won't feel the need to disappear."
Amos looked like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on stiff, wide-eyed, and completely offended. With a huff, he reached over and gave Joan's head a light knock with his knuckles.
"Ow," she muttered with zero emotion, still rubbing her belly.
He didn't say anything. Just stared at her for a moment, his jaw tightening. The girl sitting beside him had been through more than anyone should. If he hadn't found her in time… maybe…
He shook his head, snapping out of it before the thought could finish forming. No, he wouldn't let himself go there.
In the quiet room, a sudden ringtone broke the silence, jolting both Joan and Amos back to their senses. Joan glanced at the caller ID it was Agatha.
Her lips curved into a smile. She'd missed her best friend.
"Hey—"
"HOW DARE YOU LEAVE TOWN WITHOUT TELLING ME?!" Agatha's voice exploded through the speaker, loud enough to make Amos flinch. Joan quickly pulled the phone an inch from her ear.
Agatha wasn't done. "I would've come with you! You just disappeared like some secret agent on a mission!"
Joan rolled her eyes, unfazed. "What's all the fuss about? Relax. I'm back home now. I'll call you once I'm in my apartment, okay?"
"You better!" Agatha snapped, then hung up with the dramatic energy of a telenovela villain.
Joan shook her head with a grin. "Some things never change."
Like an ungrateful cat, Joan stood and brushed past Alex without even a glance.
"And where do you think you're going?" Alex's voice was laced with frustration.
Joan didn't pause, her footsteps deliberate. "Why don't you follow and find out?"