Alice Davis checked her raised hand and looked towards the door. Her expression made her look like a frog.
A lady came to the sink next to Kylie. She turned the tap and spoke to Alice: "You dare to bully the weak."
Kylie lifted her head. From her reflection in the mirror, she recognized the lady from before: she was wearing a white princess dress.
This lady had baby-soft skin. Her fine hair was swept back in a ponytail. She looked so beautiful, like a doll.
Alice Davis tried to show her enthusiasm the moment she noticed the lady. She said: "Dear Miss Bass, it's an honor to have you at my daughter's engagement party."
Miss Bass?
Kylie remembered that when she had pretended to be close to Ethan, that lady had appeared angry. She had assumed Miss Bass must be Ethan's ex-girlfriend.
And this assumption turned out to be correct.
Kylie smiled and pointed at Khloe, then at herself. "Miss Bass, I don't know if you're talking about her or me..." Kylie said.
Before Kylie could finish her sentence, the lady splashed water all over Kylie's face. Drops fell from her chin.
"You bitch! How dare you try to seduce Lord Ethan!" Fannie Bass stared at Kylie with anger, one hand on her hip.
Alice Davis laughed happily. She knew of Lady Fannie Bass—she was the youngest sister in the Bass family, and loved her three older brothers. And she was raised obstinate because of her distinguished background.
Fannie was offended, but she did an unexpected thing:
She pushed back her hair and gestured towards her face. "I splashed you, so now it's your turn to splash me. I'll never bully the weak."
Kylie was shocked by this suggestion. She had fought with Khloe every day, and this was the first time someone had ever suggested fair play.
After the initial moment of shock, she splashed Fannie in the face with water.
"Well done! Now tell me which postures you do when you make love to Lord Ethan."
Kylie was completely shocked to hear this, and so were Khloe and Alice.
Facing such a great lady, Kylie wiped her brow and said: "How about we make up first?"
"Correct! I need to make up too!"
Then, Fannie ignored Khloe, who still stood by, looking shocked. She simply led Kylie out of the washroom, hand in hand.
In a private box on the second floor, they sat down face to face.
"Now, can you tell me how you caught Lord Ethan?"
Watching her curious face, Kylie couldn't help but laugh.
"Why do you laugh?" asked Miss Bass.
Kylie lay down on the sofa. "Miss Bass, you must be the most special girl I've ever met. Have you ever fallen in love?"
"Nope, what about you?" Fannie asked, taking a large gulp of her sweet wine.
"This is my ex-boyfriend's party," Kylie replied.
"Does Lord Ethan enjoy having a secondhand girlfriend?"
Kylie took off her heels and rubbed her sore feet. She had to admit that she liked this cute, honest girl.
"Miss Bass, I have no idea how to explain the relationship between Lord Ethan and me. But it's not what you think."
Fannie was silent for a while. She stared at Kylie with a questioning look. Then she took another sip of her wine, and said: "Do you know how many ladies want to kill you since Lord Ethan announced that you're his wife?"
Kylie lifted her eyebrows. She really liked Fannie's personality: brutally honest.
She shrugged, and said, smiling: "It's not the first time I'm somebody's imaginary enemy. But honestly, I'm just Lord Ethan today...I helped him out, so he owes me."
Maybe it was Kylie's peaceful tone, or perhaps it was her honest gaze, but Fannie immediately believed her.
After a moment of silence, Fannie responded: "Don't ever call me Miss Bass; just call me Fannie. The splashing was just a thing I learned from ebooks. I hope it didn't bother you too much."
After a while of chatting like this, they both felt comfortable and familiar. Fannie suddenly took Kylie's hand and said: "I'm gonna tell you a secret about Lord Ethan..."
***
Later on, Fannie was a little drunk, and she was driven home. Kylie accompanied her partway but got out to buy some crayfish and beer before going home. She had eaten nothing at the party and had been starving for a long time.
She peeled the crayfish and drank the beer, which made all her unhappiness disappear. But as she was peacefully eating, she suddenly heard somebody knock at her door.
Only the Finches knew where she lived. There's no way I'm going to argue with them now, she thought.
While considering this, Kylie opened the door. She was surprised to see the man standing outside. In the shadow cast by the streetlamp, there stood a tall figure, smoking a cigarette, with a chocolate lab at his feet. One of his hands was hidden in his pocket.
He simply stood there and smoked. I was so weird.
"Lord Ethan?" Kylie said, a bit nervous. "How did you get my address? And what do you want with me at such an hour?"
"Our deal," he replied.
What the hell? Had he come all this way with his dog for that?
"Well...Lord Ethan..." Kylie didn't want him coming into her room. But he stepped past her, after extinguishing his cigarette.
The lab followed its master into the room, wagging its tail.
Kylie had no choice but to follow them both inside. "Have a seat, please. I only have a beer...I don't know if you like it."
"Alright." Ethan glanced at the table and nodded.
Kylie opened a bottle of beer for Ethan. The little sofa didn't seem suitable for such a tall man. The dog sat down and stayed quiet.
"What about him?" Kylie indicated the lab, asking Ethan for direction. Both guests simply stared at her. She looked from man to dog but eventually started staring at the crayfish on the table. It was so awkward, and nobody spoke.
Kylie sat on the stool and felt like crying. What the fuck...did he want to do?
There was no sound in the room, besides the evaporation of the beer, and the wind, and a small sound coming from someone's stomach.
Kylie took a deep breath and raised her head. "Lord Ethan, have you eaten already, or would you like to try some of the spicy crayfish?"
Ethan nodded and said: "Please peel." And the dog yelped.
Come on, she thought. Who did Ethan think she was, ordering her about like this? And the dog! Damn it—it can't eat the crayfish!
Wearing her disposable gloves, Kylie begins to peel, and asks again: "Are you sure you wanna eat the crayfish I peel for you? Are you okay with the lack of cleanliness?"
"In fact, I would prefer it if you were unclothed," Ethan responded. The dog yelped once more.
This dog must be here to threaten me, Kylie thought.
Ethan ate gracefully. He ate the crayfish as though it were lobster. And his dog, after having a taste, couldn't stop eating.
Kylie was a little worried. "Is it okay for your dog to eat this spicy food?"
But honestly, she didn't want to take the crayfish away, and risk offending this lab.
Let alone offend Ethan...