"Are you for real? You are the one who asked us out and now you're saying that you will dump us here? This is not fair. We had been waiting for you here for almost an hour before you showed up!" Rain's voice went higher when he saw Edward leaving. This unfortunately caught Melissa's attention and made her realize that Rain was just inside the booth next to them. Heck! He was even sitting just behind her chair! She also noticed that Edward was there as well. The thought hit her hard. Her heart literally skipped a beat as her face went back to being colorless.
"Hey, leave him alone, alright? Can't you see that he is absent-minded all this time? I think he had a fight with his wife! You should just let him go. Let's hang out without him. He is just a party-pooper." Tom was a more cautious man than Rain. He had noticed Edward's odd behavior since the moment he sat with them. Edward was constantly checking on his wrist watch and fiddling his phone whenever he got a break between the dialogues. Tom could tell he was not at ease and his mind was apparently somewhere else!
"I have nothing else to talk about with you guys. My advice to you would be to just go home and rest! I think it is high time for you to find a nice lady to join your sad life! Being single is not fun!" On hearing his mocking words, Rain gave Edward a bitter smile. It sort of made sense that they should all just leave this place. There was no reason for him to hang out with Tom and stay there as he just came to accompany Edward. He should really take his advice, call it a day, and just go home. Besides, he had seen enough for today.
"I agree. Let's go. I need to head home and study some patient case before it is too late. We can walk out together." Tom nodded as he stood up. It would be pointless for him to stay here on his own.
Upon seeing the two stood up, Edward nodded to them swiftly and walked straight out. He didn't persuade them to stay there as it was obvious that they were no longer in a party mood. He paused for a while as he passed Shaun's booth. Then, as if nothing happened, he continued his steps and disappeared by the gate. Melissa was utterly shocked by his pause. Her heart was in her throat as the last thing she wanted was for him to turn around and speak to her. That would be her nightmare! She felt kind of relieved when he didn't even cast a glance in her direction. That meant she was successful in her disguise. Things were going well according to her plan, and Edward didn't spot her out.
"Hey, I know this man! He was just here a few minutes ago!" Shaun caught Rain's tall figure when he walked past their booth. He pointed to Rain's back and said to Melissa, "I think I heard his high pitched voice. He was sitting right behind us, in the next booth!" It never occurred to Shaun that Rain was so close to him. He tried so hard to locate his whereabouts, but it turned out he was right under his nose!
Shaun gazed at the gate where they disappeared and wondered who was the first man that walked out. He felt cold sweat ran down his back as he pondered on the man's identity. Who was he? The words he said to him earlier seemed like a deliberate provocation. The more he thought about what had happened, the more suspicious he felt about the whole thing. 'Why would he sit at their table and "mistake" Melissa for someone else?' he thought. He was also concerned about his talk with Melissa. They might have overheard their discussion about destroying the FX International Group. That thought petrified him.
"You are right. That is the man." On the other hand, Melissa was not bothered at all. She was back to her normal mood as soon as the three left. She no longer had to be concerned about being recognized. As for the talk she had with Shaun, she was confident that no one had overheard it as the booth shield was high enough and she had paid extra attention on lowering her voice. She felt safe that Edward wasn't around anymore. However, she was slightly upset about the fact that Edward didn't recognize her. Had he already forgotten who she was? But if so, why would Rain show up before her and say those words to her? Melissa shook her head slowly in an attempt to wag the crazy thoughts away. Then, her face turned darker gradually as she was unable to avoid succumbing to the thoughts even more.
It was merely nine o'clock in the evening when Edward reached home. He was greatly surprised to find that Daisy had already gone to bed. It was strangely too early. Daisy was a night owl and tended to stay up late at night. Apparently, his behaviour earlier had caused her distress. He cast a glance to the bed and said nothing. He wanted her to experience what he had before. He wanted her to know how it felt like being neglected by the beloved one. He controlled himself from wanting to hug his wife and kiss her hair. He found himself walking straight to the bathroom instead. He turned on the shower tap and soon, the slashing sound of hot water woke Daisy up.
Daisy opened her eyes and angrily thought to herself 'What is his problem? Shouldn't I be the one who is mad now? How come he didn't even say hi to me when he returned home? Didn't he even notice me on the bed?'
Daisy's eyes brimmed with tears as she bit her lip. She felt sorry for herself. Things were not going smoothly between her and her husband lately. The fight they had earlier was simply stupid and unnecessary. It did happen anyway and caused great pain on both sides. Life hurt. That was her reflection on the whole situation. She didn't mean to hurt him but she was also at a loss of what to tell him to make him better. She was so occupied by her work and even lost track of time when things got busier. She didn't mean to neglect her beloved husband on purpose. Sometimes, it was just hard to balance between work and life. She knew that family should always come first but in some cases, it was easier said than done. It was obvious that Edward couldn't take it anymore thus, he lost his temper. It was just fair for him to be outright upset. Daisy closed her eyes and swallowed the painful lump in her throat to keep her from crying.
She gave what happened earlier a good thought while she was on her way home. Deep down, She agreed with Edward's thought completely. She understood his point of view as she would hate to be treated coldly by him as well. If she was in his shoe, she would also go mad upon consistently being ignored by her partner. It was really important to give one's partner enough attention and care after all.
Her heart ached hard as she realised her wrongs. She felt like an idiot who had failed to run her marriage carefully. She should have given him more attention and made him feel loved and wanted. Her carelessness ruined the tender foundation of their love. Daisy couldn't believe what she did to him. 'I'm such a loser!' she thought.
She rubbed her sore nose and closed her eyes before he stepped out of the bathroom. She didn't know how to face him. She had nothing suitable to tell him for the time being. The cold war between them seemed necessary until she found a better solution. She would have a busy day tomorrow. She literally couldn't spend any effort on anything else. She felt sorry for Edward but she really had no energy to deal with him for now. With her eyes tightly closed, she bitterly thought to herself 'Tomorrow is another day. I will have a good talk with him. He might calm down by then and it will be easier for me to discuss our issue.