Gentle drops of snow showered lightly upon the quiet streets of Sky City. It was late at night, still, a black car could be seen coming to a halt in front of a small apartment.
The chauffeuse opened the car door and unfurled a black umbrella and put it over Alexa's head the moment she got down.
"Ma'am, do you want to reconsider?"
Alexa glanced at her without a word said before stepping towards the gate. She had made up her mind and by tomorrow morning, the Chauffeuse would have to come back to get her.
Aiden cannot be left to battle his family alone. Jerry's family has connections to the Chief Officer of Police in Sky City. She'd speak to him tonight. Jerry would definitely help her if he knew she was being accused of murder.
Standing in front of the small gate, Alexa sounded the doorbell. The air was chilling, even though she was wearing Aiden's black winter coat over her dress, she could still feel the biting cold. Every now and then, she would blow hot air into her palm as she waited impatiently for Nora to appear at the door.
She glanced at her side and saw that her Chauffeuse was still holding the umbrella over her head.
"You should head back, it's late."
"If I must, I need evidence to show the Young Master that you met with your friend."
Alexa was about to protest but decided against it. She'd seen how protective of her Aiden could be. She pulled out her phone from the overcoat and rang Nora a couple of times, but no answer.
'Is she not home?' she shook her head, that can't be. They talked early this evening and Nora made it clear she would be home preparing for the office… Or had she gone to bed?
She glanced at the time, it was barely 10:00. She said she would be sleeping by 12 as she had some impromptu documents she had to sort out and submit at the office by tomorrow.
Then, has something happened to her? A thought crossed her mind and with a sense of urgency, Alexa sounded the doorbell a few more times before Nora appeared at the front door, wearing a white fur robe.
Seeing it was Alexa from the far distance, Nora hurried to the gate. Unlocking it, she uttered, "Alexa, you– "
"You got me worried. I tried calling you a few times but you didn't take your calls. I also sent you messages and you left me on read."
"Really? I'm quite shocked. I've been working. And just a while ago, I went to relieve myself. My man should have heard the doorbell but…" she let out a soft sigh when it dawned on her that her man must have taken her phone in her absence. She pulled the gate open, ushering Alexa in, "please come in."
"Good night, Mrs. Clinton," The Chauffeuse bowed slightly before she turned and walked back to the car.
Surprised, Nora looked from the Chauffeuse to Alexa, then questioned, "Mrs. Clinton?"
Alexa, who also looked baffled, shook her head, "I'm just hearing it for the first time. Anything wrong with it?"
Nora resumed walking while Alexa followed behind.
"I can't say anything is wrong, however, according to the story I heard, only two women were allowed to use the title, Mrs. Clinton– Late Madam Clinton and Aiden's mother. Your husband's stepmother fought to use that title numerous times but incurred Late Madam Clinton's wrath, who at the time, announced that Mrs. Wilfred was not her daughter-in-law and had no ties with the Clintons. It would be a tough slap in her face if truly you're allowed to use that title."
"Wow, the old man and his wife sure had a heart of stone. They punished their son and his family until the end," Alexa mumbled.
"You said something?"
"Don't mind me," she smiled.
Nora returned the smile as she pushed open the entrance door to reveal a comfortable and functional living room. Although small and 'crampy' in Alexa's opinion, it was because she was used to overly large living rooms with waste of space.
"Welcome to my humble abode. Although it cannot compete with the luxury you're used to, I hope you can manage."
"I dare not be greedy and ungrateful," Alexa replied as she did a quick scan of the room. The room was beautiful and neat.
Nora smiled. Alexa is the only wealthy friend she knows who doesn't throw her weight around. "Alright then, please make yourself comfortable while I get us something to drink... Or, have you eaten? I can put together a quick light meal."
"Thank you, Aiden got us something to eat at the hospital."
"That's great then, please have your seat. I'll be out in a jiffy," Nora gestured to the blue 'L' couch before making her way to the kitchen.
"Thank you," replied Alexa while taking her heels off. Once done, she made her way to the sofa while taking her husband's overcoat off.
Although the room was small and 'cramped up', it had a homey vibe. She glanced around the cozy navy blue and off-white living room once again and caught every detail she missed earlier and suddenly realized that Nora has affinity for faux furs— Faux fur throw pillows, slippers, robe, rug, table cloth, and blanket. Even one of her notebooks on the center table, beside the laptop, was covered with a white fur cover.
Alexa chuckled, just in time for Nora to return with two mugs of piping hot tea and a plate of night snacks.
"Here," she handed one mug to Alexa before taking her seat while placing the plate of snacks on the table. "What's funny? Want to share?"
"Your love for furs," Alexa replied.
Nora snickered, "I doubt you'd remember… I was inspired by you back in university."
Alexa's smile faltered and she asked, "Really?" seeing Nora nod, she covered her embarrassment with a sip of her tea and a bite of a cookie to prevent talking too much.
Truth be told, she didn't take notice of Nora when she was still a huge fan of faux and furs.
Nora saw she was embarrassed and quickly lightened the atmosphere, "You prolly didn't know of my existence at that time because I was just one of the many who admired you from afar. You wouldn't believe that at one point, I thought I was gay because of my obsession with you."
"Hahaha… Please Nora, that's farfetched."
"Not at all. There were some wallpapers made by some students then, I bought a lot of them and plastered my room with them."
"Wow, that's extreme!"
"I didn't see it that way. You were my inspiration. From the day you saved me from bullies, you won my heart and I made a vow to become friends with you."
"You did?" Alexa felt conflicted. She remembered Nora because she was bullied for not being a rich kid.
"You wouldn't believe it. Because of my determination to be friends with you, I knew I had to buckle up and aim for the top three in class, so I studied three times harder, just to be among those who would be picked by your father's company but in the end, I failed."
"It's unfortunate, and also a good thing, I guess."
Nora looked at her as Alexa focused on sipping her tea after her last words. She just found out about the tragedy which hit her family and from the news, Alexa was the core problem.
She knew Alexa wasn't ready to open up to her, so she rather changed the topic.
"You're supposed to be with your husband as he mourned his grandfather. Was he overpowered or influenced by his family to drive you away?"
"Apparently, he seeks to protect me."
Nora slowly nodded, "The family wouldn't have let you live past this night as you're the biggest suspect. They'd say you poisoned his tea." Nora knew this because she and Alexa spoke about it at the hospital.
"Yeah, the wealthy would always seek a scapegoat to take a fall for them, but I refuse to be that scapegoat."
"Of course, had anything gone wrong, I would have informed your family myself."
Alexa smiled faintly, "I wouldn't want them to find out anything until I succeed. It would worry them too much."
Nora slowly nodded, "I understand. What can I do to make things easier for you?"