Chapter 180 049
VIVIAN screamed out at once, the sound sharp and deafening, echoing through the living room so suddenly that Fiona halted in her tracks.
“Ahh!” Vivian shrieked again, jumping up from the couch.
Fiona frowned slightly.
“What is it? Why are you shouting?” she asked, her tone calm. There was no worry on her face— Vivian was smiling far too widely for this to be anything but good news.
“You wouldn’t believe this,” Vivian said, eyes sparkling as she stared down at her phone.
“Tell me first before deciding whether I would believe it or not,” Fiona replied dryly, folding her arms.
“Jesus!” Vivian gasped dramatically. “Vale has asked me out on a date. He has asked me out on a date, Fiona!”
“What?!” Fiona exclaimed, her mouth falling open. “Wait— hold on. I will be back.” She turned quickly and dashed into the kitchen, set the trashcan neatly back in its corner, rinsed her hands at the sink, and wiped them on a towel before hurrying back into the living room.
She stopped in front of Vivian, eyes wide.
“Now say that again. Vale did what?”
Vivian laughed, still staring at her phone as if afraid the message might disappear if she looked away.
“My eyes aren’t deceiving me. Yes. He just asked me out. A dinner date, Fiona. Seven p.m. this weekend.”
“Oh my!” Fiona squealed, punching the air. “Now that— that is an intentional man!”
They both burst into laughter, the excitement bubbling over as Vivian jumped to her feet.
“I need to find the perfect dress right now,” Vivian said breathlessly. “Something that says confident, sexy, and unforgettable. I have to capture my man’s attention.”
“Right now?” Fiona laughed.
“Yes, right now!” Vivian said, already racing toward the stairs.
Fiona shook her head, smiling widely as she followed.
“I’m coming right after you,” she called, jogging behind her.
They ran upstairs together, their laughter echoing down the hallway as they reached Vivian’s room. Vivian flung open her wardrobe, clothes spilling forward as she began pulling hangers free, tossing dresses onto the bed without much thought.
“No, no, no… too boring,” she muttered, discarding one dress. “This one is too loud. And this… no, this is for a wedding.”
Fiona sat on the edge of the bed, watching her friend with amusement.
“You are acting like the date is in ten minutes.”
“I need to be prepared,” Vivian said, holding up a sleek black dress, then shaking her head. “But not desperate.”
Fiona chuckled.
“You know what is funny? You have been smiling at that phone for weeks now, and now he finally made his move.”
Vivian paused, clutching a red dress to her chest. Her smile softened.
“I was starting to think he never would. You know, like the others.”
“Well, he did,” Fiona said gently. “And you deserve it.”
Vivian exhaled, her excitement settling into something warmer, more meaningful.
“I’m nervous,” she admitted quietly.
Fiona stood up and squeezed her hand.
“That is how you know it matters.”
Vivian smiled again, brighter than before, and turned back to her wardrobe with renewed determination as the room buzzed with anticipation and laughter.
Tiana was in her room, pulling drawers open and shut with growing frustration. Clothes lay half-folded on the bed, her vanity chair pushed aside as she searched every possible corner for her pack of hairpins. She checked the dresser, the bedside table, even the pockets of yesterday’s jeans. Nothing.
“Oh, come on,” she muttered under her breath, rubbing her forehead. She was already running late, and the hairpins were the one thing she needed to tame the stubborn strands refusing to cooperate.
After one final sweep of the room, she straightened and sighed. There was only one other place they could be.
Shantel’s room.
Tiana stepped into the hallway and walked down to her sister’s door, knocking lightly.
“Shantel?” she called. There was no answer. She knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing.
“She must be in the bathroom,” Tiana reasoned.
She turned the knob and pushed the door open.
The room was empty, just as she suspected. Shantel wasn’t there. But something else immediately caught Tiana’s attention. On the desk by the window sat Shantel’s laptop, it was open. The screen glowed softly, illuminating the room, and on it were pictures and images. Dozens of them.
A woman’s face smiled back at her.
Tiana paused.
She had only meant to quickly check the drawer and leave, but the image lingered in her peripheral vision. She looked away almost immediately, guilt prickling her skin, and turned toward the dresser, pulling open the top drawer.
No hairpins.
She checked another drawer. Still nothing.
As she closed it, her eyes betrayed her, drifting back toward the desk. Toward the laptop.
The same woman appeared again. Not just one photo, many of them. Different angles. Different outfits. Some looked professional, others candid, as if taken secretly. The woman’s face was unmistakable, repeated across the screen like a collage.
Tiana’s curiosity stirred uneasily.
She took a hesitant step closer.
“What on earth is Shantel aiming for now?” she whispered to herself. “What is she trying to do?”
Unease crept into her chest. This wasn’t normal admiration. This was something else.
She forced herself to look away from the screen and instead focused on the desk itself. That was when she noticed everything else. Magazines stacked unevenly, their covers folded back, each one featuring the same woman. Address books lay open, pages marked. Small colored papers littered the surface, each with scribbled notes, arrows, underlines. Names. Times. Locations.
A pen lay uncapped beside a notepad.
Tiana picked it up slowly, her fingers trembling as she skimmed the pages.
Sentences, observations and patterns filled it.
Her stomach tightened.
This wasn’t coincidence, this wasn’t even a harmless interest. This was obsession.
Tiana straightened abruptly, her heart pounding. She glanced around the room, suddenly feeling like she was standing somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be. Her mind raced with questions. ‘How long has this been going on?’ ‘Why this woman?’ ‘Does Shantel think this is normal?’
She leaned closer to the desk, peering again at the notes, trying to make sense of them—
“What are you doing?”
The voice behind her was sharp and sudden.
Tiana gasped and spun around, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.
Shantel stood by the restroom doorway, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Her eyes flicked from Tiana’s face to the desk, then back again.
The silence between them thickened instantly.
“I—” Tiana started, then stopped. Her throat felt dry. “I was looking for my hairpins.”
Shantel didn’t respond immediately. She stepped fully into the room, closing the bathroom door behind her with deliberate calm. Her gaze hardened.
“And you thought this was the place to snoop?” she asked quietly.
Tiana swallowed, torn between fear and concern.
“Shantel,” she said carefully, “what is all this?”
Shantel’s jaw tightened.
“That,” she replied coldly, “is none of your business.”