"Alex, wake up! Alex, wake up!" Emma Carter's signature wake-up call echoed through the apartment. Alex groaned, wondering what time it was and what fresh hell this heiress had planned for him. He'd spent half the night tossing and turning, his mind replaying the events of the previous evening, his body still buzzing from the… artistic stimulation. He'd finally drifted off just before dawn, his head pounding.
"Ugh… what time is it?" he mumbled, pulling the covers over his head.
"It's almost 7:45," Emma Carter replied, shaking him gently. She'd learned her lesson about ripping the covers off him.
"I told you to wake me at eight. You have so much free time, you can wake up whenever you want. Have some sympathy for me, will you? This is the only time I can get a decent night's sleep," Alex grumbled.
"No, early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. As your housekeeper, I'm responsible for your well-being. Now, get up, you lazy bum!" Emma Carter continued to gently prod him, her touch more like a massage than an attempt to wake him. At least, that's how Alex perceived it.
"Miss Carter, you have some nerve saying that. When have I ever gotten a decent night's sleep since you moved in? You're the one keeping me up half the night," Alex protested, burrowing deeper under the covers.
"I… I'm not as bad as you say!" Emma Carter said, feigning a hurt expression.
*Fine, you win,* Alex thought, giving up. There was no point in arguing with her. "Alright, alright, I'm getting up. Just go make breakfast. And please, don't put soy milk in the orange juice this time."
"Don't worry, I didn't buy any soy milk today," Emma Carter replied with a cheerful smile, then skipped out of the room.
Alex dragged himself out of bed and stumbled out of his room, bumping into Emma Winter, who was just emerging from her newly acquired "guest room."
"You… you witch! You tricked me!" Alex exclaimed, his sleepiness instantly forgotten. He glared at her, the memory of last night's manipulation still fresh in his mind.
"What's that buzzing sound? Are there mosquitoes in here?" Emma Winter asked innocently, looking around as if she hadn't heard him. Then she turned to Alex, feigning surprise. "Oh, Alex! Fancy meeting you here!"
"You have some nerve," Alex said through gritted teeth.
"Thank you. By the way, I need to use the bathroom. Don't even think about coming in," Emma Winter said with a sweet smile, heading towards the bathroom.
"You? Please. You're not even in the same league as the women in that… video last night," Alex retorted, looking her up and down with disdain. She was wearing a pink silk pajama set that looked far too comfortable.
"And you think you're any better than the man in that video?" Emma Winter challenged, raising an eyebrow.
"Want to test that theory?" Alex asked, meeting her gaze.
"As if! You're such a pervert!" Emma Winter scoffed, disappearing into the bathroom.
"I may be a pervert, but at least I'm not the one who insisted on moving in with one," Alex called after her.
"If you try anything funny, you'll be sleeping on the streets!" Emma Winter's voice echoed from the bathroom, followed by the sound of the door slamming shut.
Alex stood outside the bathroom door, listening. After a moment, he started pounding on the door.
"Hey! Open up! I need to pee!" he yelled.
"Ahhh!" A startled scream came from inside.
"Don't… don't come in!"
"Open the door, Winter! I can't hold it any longer!" Alex continued to pound on the door, his voice rising in volume. *This is payback for last night,* he thought with a smirk.
"Just a minute…!"
"No way! First come, first served!"
"Who made that rule? This is *my* bathroom! Now get out! What are you doing in there anyway? Taking a nap?"
"Shut up!" Emma Winter yelled from inside, clearly flustered. Alex's sudden pounding and his accusations had startled her, and now… well, let's just say it was difficult to… concentrate.
"Are you constipated or something? If you don't come out, I'm getting my key and letting myself in!" Alex threatened.
"Could you just… wait a minute?" Emma Winter pleaded, her voice strained.
"Fine. You win. But I'm getting my key…" Alex yelled, then turned and walked into the… other bathroom.
When Alex emerged, whistling cheerfully, he ran into Emma Winter, who was just coming out of the other bathroom, her face flushed.
"You… you're impossible! Go ahead, drown yourself in there!" she said, glaring at him.
"Thanks for the concern, but I'm good for now," Alex replied smugly, enjoying her obvious discomfort. He could tell by the redness of her neck that she'd been… inconvenienced.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Emma Winter demanded, her face darkening.
"Did what on purpose? Enlighten me," Alex asked innocently, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"You… you said you needed to use the bathroom! But you didn't! I was in there the whole time, and you never even went in!"
"And you expect me to announce my bathroom breaks? Do you want a play-by-play? 'Attention, Emma Winter, I'm about to use the bathroom! Prepare to be amazed!'" Alex rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Winter, you're not that important." He headed towards the dining room.
"Where… where did you go then? I didn't see you!"
"Winter, do you really expect me to invite you to watch me… relieve myself? Should I have called you in for a private viewing?" Alex turned to her, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Hey, Emma Winter! I'm about to use the bathroom! Come on in!"
"Would that have satisfied your… curiosity?"
"You… you didn't! I was in the bathroom the whole time! You said you were going to get your key, but you never went in!" Emma Winter insisted, still fixated on the bathroom incident.
"You're not very bright, are you, Winter?" Alex said, sitting down at the dining table. He paused, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Emma, Emma Winter, come here. I have a riddle for you two. Let's see which sister is smarter."
"That would be me, obviously!" Emma Carter said cheerfully, placing the last plate of dumplings on the table and sitting down beside Alex.
"Don't be ridiculous. You?" Emma Winter scoffed.
"I'm definitely smarter than you!"
"No way!"
"Alright, alright, enough bickering. I haven't even asked the riddle yet," Alex interrupted, then turned to them both. "So, here it is: Emma Winter and I both needed to use the bathroom. She went in first and stayed there for a while. I didn't go in. But when she came out, I had already used the bathroom. How is that possible?" He looked at them both, a smug smile playing on his lips.
"Because you're lying!" Emma Winter said, glaring at him.
"Wrong!" Alex chuckled. "Now, Emma Carter, your turn."
"Hmm… hmm…" Emma Carter hummed, pretending to think.
"Emma Winter, you're so naive! I didn't think it would be this easy. I thought it would take at least six or seven riddles to determine a winner. Sigh, my dear sister, I seem to have overestimated your intelligence." Emma Carter said with a dramatic sigh, looking at her sister with feigned disappointment.
"Just tell me the answer!" Emma Winter snapped.
"The answer is…" Emma Carter paused for dramatic effect, drawing out the suspense. "There are two bathrooms in this apartment!" she declared triumphantly.
"Emma Carter, I apologize for ever doubting your intelligence. But you have to understand, I never imagined your sister could be even more… clueless. Sigh," Alex said, shaking his head and looking at Emma Winter with a mixture of amusement and pity.
"There… there are two bathrooms?" Emma Winter asked, stunned.
"Of course! Haven't you ever heard of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment? And if you haven't, well, you're in luck, because that's exactly what this is. Two bathrooms, Winter. You used one, and guess what? I used the other one!" Alex explained patiently.
"Then why did you argue with me about using the bathroom in the first place?"
"Because that one's further away from my bedroom!"
"You… I thought I'd only be staying here for a few days, but now… it seems there's no need for me to leave at all. Alex Stone, I'm telling you, even if I die, I'm setting up my memorial service right here in your living room!" Emma Winter declared, her eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and determination.
"You don't have to say it, Winter. I can see you're planning to stay here forever. Fine, you can stay. But I'm not going anywhere. And even if you do set up your memorial service here, I'll just flush your ashes down the toilet," Alex retorted, matching her intensity.
"Fine, we'll see who lasts longer!" Emma Winter glared at him, ready for a long and arduous battle of wills.
"Bring it on!" Alex retorted, meeting her gaze. He wasn't about to back down from a challenge, especially not from this… slightly unhinged heiress. He could always find another place to live, after all. He had plenty of options.
"Alex, I'm on your side! You can do it! Get rid of her!" Emma Carter cheered from the sidelines, pumping her fist in the air.
"Emma Carter, stay out of this! Since I'm living here now, you can't stop me. And if you try, you'll regret it!" Emma Winter warned her sister.
"Alex, look at her!" Emma Carter whined, tugging on Alex's sleeve.
"Leave me out of it! You were the first one to run and hide when she started her fake crying act yesterday. And now you want my help?" Alex said, annoyed, stuffing a dumpling into Emma Carter's open mouth to silence her.
"I'm going to work. I suggest you two… try not to kill each other while I'm gone," Alex said, looking at them both, then grabbed his briefcase and left.
"Hmph, I'll be here when you get back!" Emma Winter glared at Alex's retreating figure, then continued eating, noticing her sister watching her.
"What? Never seen a beautiful woman eat before?"
"I have, but… shouldn't you be at work?" Emma Carter asked.
"Oh crap! I forgot! Alex, wait for me! Don't leave me here with her!" Emma Winter jumped up, grabbed her bag, and ran after Alex.