"Let me call that bastard before he goes to bed."
Buzzz… zzuuu… buzzzs… zz…!!!
"Hello? What happened?"
"Ughrrr! You're seriously asking me what happened?! Why didn't you tell me about her best friend?!"
"Ohh… that?"
"Yes! Mr. Oak!"
"I didn't think it was necessary to mention. Caroline hadn't picked up any of her calls before she died."
"Still! You should've told me everything about her. You're pulling me into danger without giving me all the damn details! Also—I found her boyfriend's contact in her phone."
"I know. Tomorrow's the weekend. Come to my place, I'll see what to do. I'll send you the address."
"F*ck you."
I hung up.
"Ughrrr! I thought I'd finally get a decent night's sleep. I even planned to visit Nancy's mansion after breakfast and stay there till evening. But now, thanks to that idiot, I have to visit his house first thing in the morning—and only then go to Nancy's!"
Groaning, I threw myself onto the bed.
"Ghrong! Ghrrrooo…!! …"
The Next Morning – Outside Mr. Thomas's House
"What the…? I only see mansions here. Where are the apartments?"
I glanced at my phone screen and blinked.
"Le Clos Morin. Ohh… right."
I walked up to the gated mansion and located the rented room number. Then rang the bell.
The door opened.
"You came, my Ari," my dad greeted, smiling.
"Uh? What?!"
I blinked in shock. He never called me by my nickname. Not even when I was little.
Still, I stayed calm and stepped inside.
That's when I saw her—an unfamiliar elderly woman, sitting upright in a velvet chair with a soft smile.
"Hello," I said, offering a hesitant but polite smile.
"Hello, dear," she replied warmly.
"This is my daughter," Dad introduced me. "She lives in Giverny too, though quite far from here."
"Oohh! Such a beautiful young lady, Mr. Thomas," she said, examining me closely. "Look at that shiny black wavy hair and those golden eyes!"
Dad gestured toward her.
"This is Mrs. Wormwood. She's the cousin sister of the mansion's owner."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ariadne Oak," I said politely.
"Nice to meet you too, dear," she said, smiling. "So, Ariadne… are you married?"
Dad and I froze, both caught off-guard.
"Well—" Dad started.
"No, Mrs. Old Wormwood," I quickly answered.
"Perfect!" she clapped. "You'd make a fine match for my son. What do you both think?"
"Actually," Dad said quickly, "she's… uh… committed to living a single and happy life. Her words, not mine."
I glared at him in disbelief.
"Oh, Mr. Handsome," she sighed. "You should convince your daughter. She deserves love, no?"
"I've tried," he said dramatically. "A thousand times. She just won't budge."
"Well, my son is a good man. He'll keep you happy, dear. And—"
"Um! Mrs. Wormwood," I interrupted. "Actually… I'm already dating someone."
"Really?" she leaned forward. "Who is it? Show me a photo! Surely you have one."
Dad and I exchanged a look. His eyes lowered. Great. He's leaving me to drown alone.
"Actually… no. The photos are all on his phone."
"Oh! Well, maybe I'll meet him someday, yes? You'll introduce me?"
"Of course, Mrs. Old Wormwood."
"Wonderful. See you soon, my dear."
She stood and walked toward the door.
"Bye!" I smiled and followed her out.
"Bye!" she waved back.
I closed the door. Then turned slowly… and there he was.
My father, staring at me sharply with those striking green eyes.
"Umm… actually—"
"I hope that wasn't true, was it?"
"O-of course not, Dad! I was lying!"
"Naturally," he said, widening his eyes. "Because you're so good at that."
"Anyway…" I tried to steer the conversation. "Does she really own that entire grand mansion?"
"Of course not. Didn't you see the couple in the main hall when you came in?"
"I only saw her."
"Well, the gentleman might've been at work. That old lady is the cousin of the man who runs the estate. Her parents invested in building it, but after they passed away, their brother bought the property. He and his wife raised the lady like their own daughter. Sadly, both died a few years ago, but before passing, they named the estate in their son's name. He still lets her live here out of kindness. She's also the head of a huge US-based industry."
"Ooo… what a story, Mr. Oak!"
"Now, hand me the phone."
"Yes, yes!" I dug into my purse. "Here you go."
He took Caroline's phone, then immediately got up and began searching the room.
"What are you looking for?"
He didn't respond—just pulled out a mini voice changer from the wardrobe and returned to the sofa.
He called the contact 'Bestie Forever 💕' and began setting the voice to mimic Caroline. But… it was broken. The "Caroline" voice setting was corrupted. So instead, he adjusted it to a young male's tone—and it worked.
I blinked in confusion.
"Dad? What's thi—"
The phone picked up.
"Hello? Caroline?! Is that you? Please say something! Caroline, PLEASE—"
"It's me… her boyfriend," Dad said, using the modified male voice.
"YOU BASTARD!" the girl screamed. "How dare you touch her phone?! You made me the sacrificial goat in their breakup! You son of a b*tch!"
He listened silently.
"Wait… did you guys patch up again or something?"
"Yeah," Dad answered smoothly. "We patched up. Thought we'd give it another go. Maybe date two people at once."
"TWO?! Who's the second?"
"You."
"F*CK OFF!! I'LL KILL YOU!! Tell me where you are! I'll come RIGHT NOW—"
Dad ended the call.
I sat there, stunned.
Then whispered,
"I think I get it now, Mr. Oak… what really happened between them."