Amanda, the Mysterious Tycoon
"So Eva already told you she's moving?" Shirley sighed, not sensing Matthew's little will to speak with her.
"Yes, we're moving after tomorrow," Matthew answered, not correctly hearing her words.
Shirley also didn't quite hear Matthew right as she was still a distance away, but replaying his words again, she caught on to his mistake.
"Wait! You're moving too?! Oh my god! Eva must be so happy!" Shirley excitedly cheered.
Though the two had distanced themselves a little from their conflicting lives, they were still best friends at heart and only wanted the best for each other. So once she heard that her best friend's crush would follow her out of state, Shirley was only happy for her.
Matthew, sensing his slip-up, could only palm his forehead in annoyance.
However, thankfully, before Shirley could annoy Matthew anymore, Eva finished cleaning her room and opened her door.
"Shirley, can I borrow him for a second?" Eva asked, but before the girl could answer, she had already dragged Matthew inside.
Now alone in the hallway, Shirley was questioning herself.
"Those two... when did they get so close? Did I miss something?" Shirley muttered. But without anyone to answer her questions, she would stay confused forever.
Inside Eva's room, Matthew was sitting on her desk chair as Eva took his breaths, trying to catch her breath.
"Why are you so tired? Didn't you just clean a room?" Matthew confusedly asked.
Though Eva was slightly tired when she went into the room, she looked even more exhausted.
"I was cleaning slowly, but when I heard Shirley's voice, I started going as fast as I could because I knew she'd reveal something I didn't want her to," Eva said between patted breaths.
"Oh? Like what? What's so 'confidential' that I, the person you're moving across the country with, can't know?" Matthew asked curiously.
"It's confidential for a reason, Matthew. Now come and help me pack up my stuff." Eva said, dodging the question.
Since Matthew most likely knew what Eva was trying to keep hidden, he didn't bother pushing her and started to help her pack up.
Like Matthew and the twins, Eva didn't have much to her name. Other than her two suitcases of clothes, the rest of Eva's belongings could fit in a carry-on. Once they paced her two pieces of luggage, Eva pulled out a scale to weigh them while Matthew sat back down. It didn't take long, so they were now finished.
Since Matthew had done most of the work, Eva assumed that he was thirsty. So, as a proper host, she gave the man a bottle of water.
Although he wasn't thirsty, Matthew still took a sip from the water bottle.
"Do you want to come with me to Amanda's? I am going to order the tickets at her house." Matthew spoke after downing half the bottle.
"I'm not against it. But just tell me about this, Amanda, first." Eva answered after a moment of thought.
Since Amanda was going to come with them cross-country, she might as well get to know her before the fact.
"You'll like her, don't worry. She's a great real estate agent and a good person. If it weren't for her, my properties would be in a horrible condition right now." Matthew said.
Hearing such praising words from Matthew, Eva eventually agreed, and if worse came to worse, she could always leave. Going with Matthew wouldn't hurt.
"Fine, I'll come over." Eva agreed.
After Eva had agreed, the two would stay in the dorm and talk for a while until it was almost time for Matthew to pick up Amanda.
So now, with an extra guest, Matthew drove back home to pick up the twins before going to Amanda's agency.
"Mat, you know you're late, right? I said for you to pick me up at 3, not leave your house at 3." Amanda complained as she walked over to the passenger seat.
But as she got to it, she noticed a person sitting in it.
"Um. Hello, are you Amanda?" Eva asked as she looked at the bombshell of a woman outside the glass window.
"That would be me. But Mat. Who's the girl in my seat?" Amanda asked as she looked at Matthew for answers.
"Her name is Eva. She also got the same internship offer as me and is coming with us to Colorado. So I invited her over to help you pack up. I thought it would be good if you two got close before we left so it wouldn't be awkward." Matthew explained.
Finding his words believable, Amanda got in the backseat with the twins.
"Amanda, can you give me your address?" Matthew asked. He had no clue where the woman lived.
"What, you don't remember it from last night?" Amanda teased as a joke.
But Eva immediately became defensive, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Matthew, what is she talking about?" Eva shouted as she looked over at Matthew, her eyes begging for answers.
Seeing Amanda laughing in the back and Eva, who looked like she was about to cry, Matthew just palmed his forehead in annoyance.
'I've been reborn for a day and a half, and I've been annoyed more times than in the past 100 years. Why are women so complicated?' Matthew sighed inwardly.
"Eva, look at her. She is obviously joking. Why did you fall for it so badly?" Matthew sighed as he pointed to Amanda.
Currently, she had laughed so hard that she was on the verge of tears from seeing Eva's distressed face.
Turning around, Eva saw what Matthew was speaking about and flushed from embarrassment. Ducking her head into her sweater, she became silent.
"Amanda, can you give me your address now?" Matthew spoke blankly.
He already knew he wouldn't like this trip with these two pieces of work.
Not wanting to deny his request a second time, Amanda gave him the address, and after putting it into the GPS, the group drove off.
Amanda didn't leave far from her office, and after a very quick drive, the group arrived.
"Amanda, you live really close to us!" Joanne cheerfully said as she got out of the car.
"Yes, I do, Joanne. I was actually the one who helped Mat find the apartment you guys live in. I know your landlord, and I got him to give you guys a good price." Amanda sweetly spoke as she rubbed Joanne's head.
Although Amanda liked John and Joanne, she and Joanne got along better than she and John. So she liked the girl much better than her twin.
After some more small talk outside, Amanda eventually guided the group to her apartment, which, for her age, was extremely impressive. She lived on the second-highest floor of her ten-story apartment building and even owned the entire floor to herself.
This was a huge surprise to both Matthew and the rest of the group, as in New York City, housing is always extremely expensive. So Amanda's owning a penthouse in such a high-value area made the group wonder how rich this real estate agent really was.
Matthew was tempted to ask, but knowing how Amanda liked to be slightly mysterious, he stopped. He knew that she would either dodge the question or give an exaggerated number as a joke, so it wasn't worth asking.
The group followed Amanda into her apartment building, and after she put a code into the elevator, the group made it to her floor.
"Now I know you all are wondering how a beautiful young girl like me could afford this beautiful penthouse. But the answer is simple. My dad owns this building, so I don't have to pay rent on it." Amanda explained as she threw her hands around like a ballerina.
"You never mentioned your father before. Is he also a real estate agent like you?" Matthew asked.
Over the three years he knew Amanda, she never once mentioned her familial situation, so he guessed that she must've been estranged from them. But Matthew had second thoughts after hearing her father was not only a tycoon but also gave her such a nice penthouse to live in.
"My dad doesn't live in New York, and neither does any of my family. They are all oil magnates in Texas." Amanda crisply spoke as she opened the door to her apartment, showing its luxurious interior.
Though Matthew, who had seen beautiful houses on the universal standard, wasn't impressed, he had to admit that this penthouse was definitely top-tier by Earth's standards.
However, the twins and Eva were floored by the house they were in. As soon as they were allowed in, they started exploring like children in a candy store.
"Why don't you live with them in Texas, then? And how did you decide to come to New York and become a real estate agent, of all things?" Matthew amusedly asked as he sat down on a loveseat.
"My family was super old-fashioned, so if I stayed, I would only become a kitchen decoration. I, the genius real estate agent, was obviously unwilling, so I did what anyone in my situation would do. I stole a bunch of money from my dad, changed my name, and moved out to the East Coast." Amanda responded as she sat on the loveseat as well. Crossing her legs, she leaned back and rested them on Matthew's lap.
"So you're not even named Amanda?" Matthew asked with some shock, ignoring the woman's moves. She was just teasing him anyway. This wasn't even in the top ten on the list of things she had teased him about over the years.
However, her words were still shocking. With all the sudden revelations that Amanda had just made, Matthew didn't know what to think at this point. If anything, he thought that she was playing another joke to mess with him.
"Nope! My name isn't even close to Amanda either." Amanda spoke with a wide smile.
"Is this some random practical joke you've planned out?" Matthew couldn't help but ask. If it was, he was really falling for it.
"You can only wait and find out!" Amanda smirked. Seeing his shock, the woman then got up casually from the couch, swaying her hips as she went to follow the kids, leaving Matthew to his thoughts on the couch.
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