Chapter 37 She What?
Vanessa arrived at Amelia’s café late in the afternoon. She had been waiting for Amelia to update her about Rebecca, but since she hadn’t, she felt the need to gather the information herself.
The café was calm, filled with soft music and the enticing aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Amelia stood behind the counter, wiping a cup and engaging in light conversation with one of her staff. When she looked up and saw Vanessa walking in, her smile appeared automatically, although it didn't reach her eyes.
Vanessa approached the counter confidently, dressed neatly, her hair styled perfectly, and her lips curved into a polite smile that seemed forced.
"Amelia," she said sweetly, "do you have a minute?" She asked standing directly in front of the counter.
"Of course," Amelia replied, gesturing toward a corner table. "Let’s sit." She then told the staff to bring tea for Vanessa and coffee for herself.
As they moved to the table, Amelia sat calmly, crossing her legs, while Vanessa leaned forward, as if she had something urgent to discuss.
"So," Vanessa began, not wasting time on pleasantries, "have you heard anything from Rebecca?"
Amelia raised an eyebrow slightly. "What kind of thing?" she asked, just as the staff brought their drinks and excused themselves.
"Anything at all. Like how she's coping with her husband after the problem Liam caused," Vanessa replied quickly. "As you already know, she’s been distant barely talks to me. I was wondering if she mentioned anything to you."
Amelia studied Vanessa's face carefully. She had noticed this pattern for a while. Vanessa was always asking about Rebecca, always fishing for information. Initially, Amelia had thought it was concern, but now it felt like something more.
"No," Amelia said calmly. "I haven’t heard anything. Rebecca has been keeping her distance from everyone. I was even surprised when she agreed to me being her chief bridesmaid."
Vanessa sighed loudly and leaned back in her chair. "That girl," she muttered. "She’s so closed off."
Amelia remained silent, sensing that Vanessa had more to say.
Vanessa tapped her fingers on the table, clearly frustrated. "I don’t even know why I bother," she continued, speaking more to herself now. "I’ve tried everything, even tapping her phone, and I still can’t get anything useful."
The words slipped out before Vanessa could stop herself.
The moment they left her mouth, she froze and then looked at Amelia to see if she'd heard something.
Amelia felt her heart skip, but she maintained a calm expression as she took a slow sip of her coffee, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.
Vanessa quickly cleared her throat when she noticed Amelia wasn't reacting. "Since you haven't heard from her, maybe I'll try if I can amend my relationship with her," she laughed awkwardly, "I just hope she lets me back in. I really miss her friendship and sisterhood." She hoped Amelia hadn’t heard anything, as she was her only hope now for getting close to Rebecca.
Amelia smiled lightly, trying to dispel any suspicions. "I understand; I'll try to put in a word for you too."
Vanessa relaxed a little, reassured that perhaps Amelia really hadn’t heard anything. She stood up, preparing to leave.
"Well, if you hear anything," she said, forcing a smile, "please let me know."
"I will," Amelia replied.
Vanessa picked up her bag and walked out of the café.
Once she was gone, Amelia’s smile dropped.
'Tapping Rebecca’s phone?' Amelia thought. Just what had Rebecca done to make Vanessa resort to such measures?
She wiped her hands on a napkin and glanced around the café. Her staff were busy; customers chatted quietly. No one had been close enough to hear their conversation.
She needed to see Rebecca. She needed to know what was going on. She needed to know what it was that was making Vanessa so extremely restless about Rebecca that she had to tap Rebecca’s phone.
If anyone was to know, it definitely would be Rebecca especially since she seemed to hate Vanessa now.
Having made that decision, Amelia picked up her phone, grabbed her bag, and informed her staff that she would be stepping out for a bit.
Rebecca was sitting on the couch when she heard a knock at the door. She frowned slightly; she hadn’t been expecting anyone and since the staff were not close to get the door, she decided to get it.
When she opened the door and saw Amelia standing there, her surprise was evident.
"Amelia?" Rebecca asked. "Is everything okay? We just saw each other yesterday. You didn't even call me that you were coming."
Amelia stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "We need to talk."
Rebecca’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the urgency in Amelia's voice. "You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?"
Amelia took a deep breath. "I met with Vanessa this afternoon."
Rebecca stiffened. What were Amelia and Vanessa doing together? "Why?" she asked, wanting to uncover the truth.
"She came to the café," Amelia explained. "She was asking about you again. Wanted to know if I had heard anything."
Rebecca sighed and walked back to the couch. "I figured."
"But that’s not the problem," Amelia continued, her voice serious. "She said something unintentionally and it's something highly concerning." She added, moving to another couch to sit down.
Rebecca turned sharply. "Said what?" she asked, intrigued.
"She mentioned she hasn't gotten anything from tapping your phone."
The room fell silent.
Rebecca felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs. "She… what?" she asked, staring at Amelia in shock.
Amelia had to be lying. She had to be saying this for the sake of it. What did she mean by tapping her phone? When and where? How did Vanessa even have the access to do that?
If truly she could do that, then it meant Vanessa was a bad person. It meant Vanessa could do something more dangerous.
“She tapped your phone so every message, call of whatever comes to your phone, she has access to it,” Amelia said looking at Rebecca with a worried frown.
“Are you sure about that? Oh my God, I can't believe this. How could she?” Rebecca said, feeling scared for herself.