"Mr. Monet, for this first glass of wine, I must thank you for helping me catch the murderer who killed Phil. I heard from Officer Smith that if you hadn't drawn the portrait in time, the culprit would have taken a train and left New York!" Nicole raised her glass in a toast and drank it down generously.
"We're all friends here, and this is something I should do!" Monet replied politely, raising his glass to his lips and taking a sip.
"This second glass of wine is to thank you for lending me money yesterday to bail me out. Otherwise, I would have been homeless!" Nicole's voice caught with emotion for a moment, but then she quickly downed the wine, perhaps to mask her feelings.
"Like I said, we're all friends." Monet managed to drink this time, though it was a bit challenging.
"The third glass of wine is a combination of gratitude and apology. Originally, when I invited you for dinner, it was to thank you for saving me. I never anticipated that it would create so much trouble instead." Nicole expressed her embarrassment and then emptied her glass in a single gulp.
Initially, Monet didn't want to continue drinking, as he wasn't accustomed to this American wine. However, when he saw Nicole's pitiful expression, he thought that a man couldn't back down after a woman had drunk more than him. So, he mustered his courage and drank the wine.
But after finishing this glass, Monet began to feel a bit tipsy. Nicole's words became somewhat unclear, and his memory started to fade. The only memory that remained was that, under her urging, he had consumed two more glasses.
After this point, his recollections became even hazier, as if he had traveled back in time, this time with his girlfriend in bed. But he couldn't tell whether this sudden familiarity was due to the long separation or something else entirely.
At some point later, Monet regained his clarity. To his shock, he realized he was lying in a completely unfamiliar bedroom. This wasn't his rented apartment, nor was it the shared apartment he had with his girlfriend before. More terrifyingly, he found himself without a stitch of clothing, and Nicole was lying next to him in the same state, bearing clear signs of their recent intimacy.
In a somewhat incoherent manner, Monet stammered to Nicole, "Madam, I, I just..."
"Who would have thought that someone who appears so refined would be so wild in bed!" Nicole teased in a playful tone.
Hearing Nicole's words, Monet suddenly understood the reality of the situation. It wasn't a dream, and it wasn't with his girlfriend. It was with the woman in front of him. Well, it seemed like he needed to be careful with his alcohol intake in the future.
Seeing Monet's expression, Nicole's voice turned slightly cold as she asked, "Regretting it now? Don't worry, I won't cling to you. To be honest, today's situation is partly my fault. I shouldn't have had so much to drink with you."
At Nicole's words, Monet felt a pang of guilt and quickly reassured her, "It was my lack of control after drinking. I will take responsibility."
Unexpectedly, Nicole chuckled lightly and asked, "How do you plan to take responsibility? Marry me?"
To be honest, Nicole's question caught Monet off guard. Due to her marital status, he had never considered this before. It was at this moment that Nicole continued, "Even if you were willing to marry me, I wouldn't marry you now!"
"Why... Why is that?" Monet asked with a sense of dissatisfaction. After all, even though he hadn't made up his mind, being rejected was never a pleasant feeling.
"Because Phil just died. I can't immediately remarry, can I? People are already talking about me. If I do that, I won't be able to show my face outside anymore," Nicole shrugged and replied.
Monet understood Nicole's explanation. Not only was Mr. Dodge's death suspicious, even if it had been a natural passing, as the wife of a Dodge, Nicole couldn't remarry immediately. Otherwise, it could easily be misconstrued as her colluding with the adulterer to harm her husband.
What Monet didn't expect was for Nicole to continue, "However, you can move in here."
"Huh?! Did I hear that right? You want me to move in? Aren't you worried about what others will say?" Monet asked incredulously.
"I can say that I'm renting the house to you. After all, I don't have any income now. It's normal to rent out the house and make some money," Nicole explained.
Truth be told, by now Monet had started to realize that he might be falling into Nicole's trap. However, putting aside the fact that he still had an IOU in his hands, even if he didn't, being able to earn money by occupying the room and collecting rent was a good deal. He quickly responded, "Sure, that makes sense. I'll move in then!" He then asked playfully, "So, which room will I be staying in?"
"On paper, your room will be one of the guest rooms on the ground floor. As for where you actually want to sleep, I'm just a delicate woman; how could I control you?" Nicole answered in a seductive tone, leaning close to Monet's ear.
Though they had already battled it out once before, it was in a drunken stupor. So, after Nicole's provocative comment, Monet's interest was piqued once again. He swiftly pushed Nicole down beneath him.
After a passionate encounter, Nicole suddenly asked, "Tony, can you drive?"
"Yeah, why?" Monet asked casually.
"That's great. I'm going to let Hank go tomorrow, and from now on, you'll be my driver!" Nicole exclaimed.
Monet thought that Nicole was dismissing the driver Hank due to financial difficulties, so he said, "It's okay, if you're short on money, I can help!"
Nicole waved her hand dismissively and said, "It's not just about money. Hank was hired by Phil before. I never really liked the guy. This is a good opportunity to let him go."
"Oh, does that mean you're replacing Casey too?" Casey referred to Nicole's Mexican housekeeper.
"Casey can stay. She's my person," Nicole answered casually.
Hearing Nicole mention the housekeeper, Monet suddenly remembered his own personal chef, Shan Shan. He said to Nicole, "By the way, I have a chef who specializes in making Chinese cuisine. I'll bring her over as well. I promise you'll love her cooking!"
"She? Is she a female chef?" Nicole caught onto something in Monet's words.
"Um, yes, she's indeed a female chef. But don't misunderstand, our relationship is purely that of an employer and a chef," Monet explained somewhat awkwardly.
Nicole chuckled and replied, "Even if it's not purely that, it's fine!"