Chapter 79 I Have a Friend

Just a couple of days ago, Carl was feeling pretty lost about some stuff, so he decided to get the gang together and invited Daniel and Otis over.

The chat kicked off with Carl saying, "I have a friend," which sent Daniel into a fit of laughter. He was rolling on the couch, cracking up for a solid five minutes.

Otis, getting a bit impatient, gave Daniel a nudge, and that was when Daniel noticed Carl's face had gone dark.

Daniel, still clutching his stomach from laughing so hard, wiped away his tears. "Carl, if you wanna talk about your wife, just say it. What's with the 'I have a friend' bit? Seriously, Carl, is this 'friend' just you in disguise?"

And with that, Daniel burst out laughing again.

Carl, totally fed up, grabbed an orange from the table and shoved it into Daniel's mouth.

With his mouth stuffed full of orange, Daniel couldn't say another word.

Carl sneered, "Say one more stupid thing, and you'll be eating this whole plate of oranges, peel and all."

Daniel shut up real quick.

Otis gave him a look that said, "You had that coming."

Daniel straightened up, looking serious. "My bad, Carl. Go on, I won't interrupt."

Carl shot him an annoyed glance and asked, "If a woman is super grateful to a guy, do you think she likes him?"

Daniel answered right away, "Of course!"

Carl pressed on, "Then why hasn't she said anything?"

Daniel thought for a moment and replied, "Maybe she doesn't know how you feel, or your hints aren't clear enough. You gotta show her some love for her to get the message."

Carl was still confused.

Daniel explained, "Like, do stuff that couples do together. Slowly, the feelings will grow, and you can flirt with her a bit."

Daniel grinned mischievously.

Even though Daniel wasn't always reliable, he knew a thing or two about flirting.

Carl thought about it and realized why Daphne hadn't confessed to him yet.

He had set up the marriage agreement, and Daphne had always stuck to it without crossing any lines. Maybe that was the reason?

Carl had made it clear that their marriage was to be kept secret, and they wouldn't interfere in each other's lives.

Alright, he got it now.

Seeing Carl grab his coat to leave, Daniel was a bit speechless. "Carl, you're leaving already?"

Carl replied, "I've got something to do, can't I leave now?"

Daniel thought, 'Fine, you're the busiest one here. But weren't you the one who set this up?'

Otis casually opened a bottle of wine and poured some into a glass with ice. "Come on, Carl. Have a drink with us before you go."

Daniel stayed quiet.

Back at Emerald Manor, Carl didn't say a word to Daphne.

It wasn't until Daphne, looking a bit down, went to bed and fell asleep that Carl took out his phone and sent a message in their Facebook group chat.

Carl tagged Daniel and sent: [Your method didn't work. The relationship is already public. I took her to the Smith family's party, which was for couples, and she didn't react at all!]

It was pretty rare to see Carl use an exclamation mark.

He was usually a calm guy. Even when he was pissed, he never showed it much, always ending his sentences with a period.

Daniel: [No way, Carl, you're really bold, announcing Daphne as your wife out of the blue.]

Carl: [Answer the question!]

Daniel could feel Carl's anger through the screen.

Daniel replied, a bit confused: [It shouldn't be. You have already been quite forward, so it's unreasonable for your wife to still be so reserved.]

Five minutes later, Carl shot back: [Get lost!!!]

This time, there were three exclamation marks.

The next morning

When Daphne woke up, it seemed Carl had been up for a while.

As usual, she tidied the bedroom, laid out the clean clothes Carl needed for work, and picked out a suitable tie and watch.

Just as she finished prepping the clothes, Carl walked back into the bedroom but didn't say a word to Daphne, acting like she wasn't even there.

He turned and headed to the bathroom, quickly washing off the sweat.

When Carl came out, he saw Daphne quietly flipping through a book on the couch.

He still kept silent.

Carl changed his clothes, and Daphne helped him with his tie. Even though he seemed angry, he still bent down to make it easier for her to tie it.

He didn't speak, so Daphne didn't dare to either, her expression cautious.

Carl wondered if he was being too harsh. His expression must be pretty unpleasant right now.

Until Carl left the house, they hadn't said a word to each other. While he was in the car, he didn't even turn his head when Daphne told him to be careful on the road.

Evelyn naturally sensed something was off, and Daphne didn't know what was going on either. Evelyn could only comfort her, saying it was probably work-related and not to overthink it.

Originally, Daphne planned to stay home and read, but just as she brought the book to the living room, she got a phone call.

In a hurry, she called the driver, Robert, changed her clothes, and headed out, telling Evelyn she was going to the hospital.

Seeing her anxious look, Evelyn thought for a moment and decided to call Carl, letting him know what was up.

Daphne hadn't even reached the hospital when she got a call from Carl, asking, "Is something urgent going on? Why are you heading to the hospital?"

She explained everything to him. Turns out Joshua was in the hospital, seemed really angry, and wanted to see Daphne.

She told Carl everything honestly, assuring him not to worry.

After listening, Carl said, "Call me when you're done, and we'll go home together."

Daphne agreed.

Arriving at the hospital, Daphne checked the room number she had noted, asked a nurse on duty, and went to the ward.

When Joshua saw Daphne enter, his face lit up with a smile.

Daphne asked, "Joshua, why are you in the hospital? You had me worried."

"I'm glad you came. Sit down and talk with me," Joshua pointed to the chair by the bed. "I'm still strong. You don't need to worry about me. I just wanted to see you."

Daphne smiled, jokingly saying, "If you miss me, just call me anytime. Why do you have to come to the hospital?"