Kimberly heaved a deep breath after she watched Melvin leave, and she couldn't help but feel like a heavy burden had just been lifted off her.
She hadn't expected her plan to work out so smoothly, but she was very glad it had gone as she had hoped.
She smiled as she glanced at the ring she was still wearing on her finger and she kissed it. It seemed like the trinket shop owner had been right and the ring really did make a person's wishes come true.
Maybe it was just pure luck and coincidence that she had gotten the idea while wearing the ring, it didn't matter. What mattered was that she had gotten the desired outcome.
She made up her mind not to take it off her fingers anymore since she had seen firsthand the power of the ring.
"To Melanie and my special ring," Kimberly said as she raised her glass of water in toast to Melvin's late mom for creating such an opportunity for her that she could leverage on, and to the ring for giving her the idea.
She couldn't help the happy tears that gathered in her eyes at the thought that she had finally been able to find a solution for her problems.
Without wasting anymore time, Kimberly decided to return Star's call so she could inform her of the latest development and share the good news with her.
"Guess what!" She said excitedly and Star narrowed her eyes.
Kimberly wouldn't be sounding so excited if she had not gotten what she wanted. "Don't tell me he gave in to you," Star asked in disbelief and Kimberly giggled happily.
"Yes, Star, he did!" Kimberly screeched happily and Star smiled.
"There's no way I'm talking to you about this without seeing the joy on your face," Star said and switched to video call.
Kimberly accepted the switch immediately and Star smiled when she saw how happy and relieved Kimberly looked.
"As much as I didn't and still don't like your approach, I'm glad your plan worked," Star said and Kimberly nodded.
"You have no idea how relieved I am. If I had known this was what it would take to get him to do this, then I would've done so a long time ago," Kimberly said and since it had worked out, Star chose not to reprimand her anymore.
"I want to know how the conversation went. Give me every single detail," Star said and Kimberly went on to tell her all that had transpired between her and Melvin.
"Just like that?" Star asked in disbelief when she was done.
"Just like that. If you ask me, I will say my lucky ring made it happen," Kimberly said and Star rolled her eyes.
"Don't tell me you believe that balderdash," Star said dryly since she had made fun of Kimberly from the moment she told her she had purchased a pair of Yin and Yang lucky ring for them but had lost Star's ring.
"I do. How else can you explain the fact that I got the idea to do that and it worked just like that? He's even upstairs as we speak," Kimberly said and Star shook her head.
"You got the idea because you were desperate and running out of time. It's normal for some people to be more effective at the dying minute. God knows it happens to me all the time after I've procrastinated for a long time and need to meet deadline," Star said and Kimberly shrugged.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe not. But I'm going to keep believing it's my ring. I have nothing to lose if I'm wrong…."
"Of course, you have something to lose. Your senses. How can you attribute your brilliance to a cheap jewelry you got from some old lady?" Star asked and Kimberly scowled.
"She wasn't old, and there is nothing wrong in believing in the ring…."
"Yes, there is. You're smarter than that…."
"Enough about me, what's up with you? And why do you look like you're going on a date?" Kimberly cut in, not wanting to continue with the debate since she intended to keep believing in the ring whether or not Star liked it.
"I finally signed up on the dating site. I am meeting with someone in an hour," Star said and Kimberly raised a brow.
"I can't believe I was over here going crazy with thoughts of how to get solution and you were over there dressing up for a date," Kimberly said in an accusatory tone and Star shrugged.
"What difference would it have made whether I was at the office attending to my clients or at a restaurant sharing a meal with a good looking man? Isn't it enough that I'm offering you my legal counsel for free and emotional support?" Star asked and Kimberly scowled.
"Some big sister you are," she said dryly.
"And I love you too. Besides, you never can tell if I was going on this date because I want to find a wealthy man who will take care of our financial troubles. Don't worry, I will tell you how my date went, when I get back. For now, make sure you don't piss Melvin off, okay?" Star said making Kimberly arch her brow.
"Why do you sound like I like pissing him off? And since when did you start caring whether or not I piss him off? I thought you didn't like him?"
"You need his help, so you shouldn't piss him off. And I don't hate him. I just don't like that he was giving you a hard time unnecessarily for doing something we all know you had to do. If we hadn't done what we did, his mother would never have his brothers or known that they were alive. He should be thanking you not being mad…."
"In his defense, we could have been more direct about what we wanted instead of deceiving him," Kimberly cut in and Star rolled her eyes.
"Are you defending him now because he is going to be your husband? Taking sides with your soon-to-be husband over your sister now, are you?" Star asked with a teasing smile and Kimberly giggled.
"You know what? Whatever! Let's not talk about this anymore. Go on your date and let me know how it goes when you get back. Seeing how much cleavage you're revealing, I can tell you don't have plans of going home…." Kimberly laughed out loud when she realized that Star had hung up on her without letting her finish.
As Kimberly kept her phone on the dining table, she sighed when her gaze moved to the seat Melvin had left vacant with his untouched dinner.
She remembered that he had seemed a bit hungry when he sat down earlier.
Now that she had gotten what she wanted by blackmailing him, there was no harm in being nice to him now.
One year was too long a time to spend together in hostility, she decided as she called the chief housekeeper and instructed them to heat up the food and go serve Melvin in his bedroom.
She was going to spend tonight in her bedroom, and then she would move over to the left wing of the building as she had told Melvin she would.