On Sunday morning, Angel and Amanda had gone to St. Patrick's Cathedral Church. Despite everyone resting on Saturday after Friday's dinner date, no one felt compelled to attend. So that left only Angel and Amanda.
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Angel helped push Amanda in her wheelchair out of the church after two hours of Mass. Other congregants also poured out.
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"I'm glad you could come with me to church, dear," said Amanda as soon as the two women were outside.
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"Oh, it's nothing," said Angel as she smiled down at Amanda. "Now that I'm a whole lot better, I can come with you for Mass on Sundays."
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Amanda had a wide smile on her face. "Not everyone at home is as religious as I am. I'm not saying that they're bad Christians. Some of them, like Fred and Diana, occasionally go to work on Sundays."
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"Nothing counts more than the heart. It doesn't matter whether you attend church all the time."
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"True."
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Bill waited for them in the car in the parking lot within the church premises. They were making their way there.
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"Oh, Amanda, dear!" someone called out, capturing Angel and Amanda’s attention.
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Amanda turned to see an elderly woman in a white and pink coat approach along with two other women. One of them wore a black dress with a white and black summer hat. The other woman wore an apple-green dress with white flowers and a matching white coat.
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"Oh, June, darling," Amanda said as the three women came close. "It's nice to see you this morning."
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The woman named June, who wore the white and pink coat, came to hug Amanda and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek. She looked up at Angel and smiled at her.
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"Hello," June greeted Angel. "I saw you sitting alongside Amanda in church. I definitely have never seen you here before."
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Before Angel could introduce herself, Amanda had already started to do so.
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"This is Angel Barclay," she said. "The girl who now lives with us with her younger sister."
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"Oh my, yes," said June as she and the other women stared at Angel. "Amanda told me about your mother, dear. My condolences."
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Angel gave a tiny smile. "Thank you," she said.
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"We couldn't help but come over to meet you," said June. "I must say, you're a very beautiful young lady."
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Angel couldn't help but blush. "Thank you," she said again. Angel didn't expect a compliment so soon. The other two women agreed with June.
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Amanda now cut in, "You poor old souls sure have no manners. You come commenting on Angel here when you should’ve introduced yourselves first."
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"Well, how silly of us," said June. She now looked at Angel. "My name is June, but most people call me Mrs. Wilkinson."
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The woman in the apple green dress said, "And my name is Katherine, with a K. Most people call me Mrs. Bolivar."
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"And I am Gwen," said the woman in the black dress. "Also known as Mrs. Harris."
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"It's nice to meet you all," said Angel.
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"We couldn't help but come here to meet you," said June. "A lot of people have actually been asking us who you are since we're friends with Amanda."
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"Really?" Amanda and Angel asked at the same time.
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"Oh, you should have seen how my grandson looked at you when you went up to the altar to receive the Eucharist," said Mrs. Harris.
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Angel blushed even more as she started to look around as though people were watching her. She caught a few eyes looking at her and quickly looked away. Most of them were male.
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"Oh, don't start vouching for that grandson of yours," said Amanda to Mrs. Harris. "He's definitely not for Angel, and you know it."
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Mrs. Harris playfully rolled her eyes. "Mind you, he's already seeing someone," she said. "But just in case things turn south, he might want to get to know Angel here. That's if she's interested."
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"Not with him," said June. "I agree with Amanda. He's too much trouble."
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"Don't worry, Angel," said Mrs. Bolivar. "There are many eligible bachelors around here."
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"Oh, don't push her," said Amanda. "Not when I'm here to defend her."
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"Or do you intend for her to be with any of your two grandsons?" Mrs. Harris asked, raising an eyebrow.
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"No, the choice is up to her in the end, isn't it?" Amanda asked, sounding a little offended.
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Before Mrs. Harris could speak, a young man with platinum blonde hair appeared behind her and interrupted them with a loud clearing of his throat.
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"Ah, Zac," said Mrs. Harris gleefully as she turned to the man behind her. "I would like to introduce you to Angel Barclay. She stays with the McDonells."
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Zac, who was slightly taller than Angel, had emerald green eyes and left-side hair that fell right above his eye, which added to his appearance. He had perfectly high cheekbones, and his perfectly set lips smiled back at Angel. He looked like one of those models who came straight out of a fashion magazine.
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“Nice to meet you,” said Zac. Angel couldn’t help but blush.
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“It’s nice to meet you too, Zac,” she replied.
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“We better get going, grandma,” said Zac as he slowly turned to look at Mrs. Harris. Before that, he looked at Angel for the last time. “We don’t want to be late for that lunch date.”
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“Oh, of course, dear," said Mrs. Harris, smiling sweetly at her grandson. She then turned to her friends and Angel. “I better be going now. My daughter throws a fit when we arrive late. Good day to you all, ladies. Angel, it was really nice meeting you.”
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Angel gave a nod, and Zac led his grandmother towards what appeared to be his white Lamborghini parked further away. Angel couldn’t help but feel like she had landed in the land of the rich. Many cars in the parking lot were of famous car brands, now that she took a good look around.
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“They are always having either lunch dates or parties on the weekends,” said June as she watched Mrs. Harris and Zac go.
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“Well, her daughter married a rich tycoon, so why wouldn’t they?” Mrs. Bolivar asked as Zac helped his grandmother into the car.
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Angel felt this wasn’t meant for her ears, if there was anything else to be said. Amanda felt the same way too, as she said:
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“Ladies, we better be heading out. I’ll see you later.”
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“We’ll be having a friendly card game on Saturday,” said June. “You should come, and bring Angel along with you too.”
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“I’ll tell you whether I’ll be able to make it. Good day, ladies.”
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Angel pushed Amanda’s wheelchair towards the car. When they were out of earshot, Amanda couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
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“Sorry about that, dear,” she said to Angel. “Those really love to gossip sometimes. I love them dearly, but the things they say about others aren’t worth listening to. especially from Mrs. Harris. She’s the worst one of them all.”
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“Oh, I think we’re bound to meet such people anywhere you go,” said Angel, not feeling offended at all.
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“Well, at least they like you. That’s a plus for me.”
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When they got to the car, Bill came out to help Amanda.
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“Are we heading straight home from here?” he asked as he opened the door to the passenger side.
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“I was thinking of going to the cemetery to visit my Mum, if that’s okay,” Angel suggested.
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“Oh, what a lovely idea,” said Amanda, smiling up at Angel. “It’s been a while since I went to pay my respects. How thoughtful of you, dear." She turned to Bill. "You heard Angel. We’re going to the cemetery.”
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***
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Carly fought off the bed covers as she felt hot and suffocated. After she managed to kick them away, she slowly tried to open her eyes, but the light coming in from the window blinded her. She wondered who could’ve come into her room to draw them open. Then she remembered that Angel had walked in here to ask her if she would love to go to church with her and Amanda. Carly declined since she stayed up almost the whole night studying. She had a lot to catch up on since she had spent her Saturday hanging out with Leo in the pretense of going out shopping. The only thing that got her to study was a text from her friend Harriet, reminding her for the second time about the upcoming test on Monday. She only happened to see the text when she arrived back home with Leo in the early hours of the evening. She felt so stupid for forgetting.
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She sat up on her bed, slowly taking in the light coming into her room. After giving herself a good stretch by lifting her arms, she picked up her phone lying next to her pillow and found that she had a missed call and a text message. When she unlocked her phone, she found it was from André. She completely forgot that she meant to talk to him on Friday night after she got back from the hotel, but she was too tired to remember. Not forgetting that seeing Miranda also messed with her head a little.
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She read the text. He was wishing her a good morning and jokingly asked if she forgot to call him back on Friday. Carly looked at the time on her phone. It was almost ten in the morning. Moreover, he sent the text at eight. She really did fall into such a deep sleep that she didn’t even hear her phone. She decided to call him.
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After pressing the dial button, she put the phone to her ear. The phone on the other end rang for a while, and Carly thought he wasn’t going to answer, but the cracking sound of the line picking up told her otherwise.
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“Hello, Loren,” came Andre’s smooth voice over the phone.
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“Hey, Andre,” said Carly, tucking a strand of her messy hair behind her ear. “How are you?”
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“I’m good, thanks. How are you?”
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“I’m great.” Carly surprisingly yawned, and that sent Andre into a chuckle.
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“Something tells me you must have stayed up all night.”
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“Yeah, I was catching up with schoolwork. I’m sorry, I couldn’t call you back on Friday. I was too exhausted. I have no idea why I didn’t plan to call you yesterday.”
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“Oh, I was also a little busy yesterday, so you don’t have to worry.”
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“Really?” Carly now sat up straight, throwing her legs over the side of the bed, her feet planted on the floor. “Were you hanging out with other girls?”
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Carly didn’t know why she asked like she did, but that sent Andre into a fit of laughter.
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“Are you already acting jealous?” Andre asked.
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“No, I was just asking. I saw you at that party with all those women around you. I’m guessing you had some kind of party on Saturday.”
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“Well, I do like to party, that’s for sure. This time around, I didn’t go anywhere. I was busy with something. Besides, I don’t always go to parties on Saturday.”
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“Oh, I see.”
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“I’ll be in New York next week. I can see you then. We can have a nice little chat, just the two of us.”
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Carly felt her cheeks blush upon his offer. Should she really do it? What happened to calling things off? She completely forgot about that too. Moreover, the way she relayed the conversation didn’t sound like she wanted to call things off with him. They weren’t really in a relationship, but the way he was simply asking her out made her feel all giddy inside. Why was she feeling like this? This isn’t right at all. Not when she was dating Leo.
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“Uh, yeah, sure,” she found herself saying. “Just tell me the day and the time, and hopefully I’ll be there.”
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Andre sounded pleased. “That’s great. I really want to see you again. I’ll let you know once I land in New York. How does that sound?”
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“Yeah, that’s fine.”
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“I better let you go about your day considering that you’re still in bed. I’ll talk to you soon.”
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“Thanks. Have a nice day.”
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The two said goodbye to each other, and after Carly cut the call, the sudden guilt of what she had done came crushing down on her like a heavy rock. She fell back onto her bed, rubbing her face and groaning. What has she done? She shouldn’t have accepted to meet him. Instead, she should’ve said that she didn’t want to and that he should forget about her. Yet she had a strange feeling that made her not want to do it.
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She looked up at the ceiling, and before she could dive any deeper into what that thing was, a knock came at the door. Carly quickly stood up from her bed to grab the sleeping gown on the chair across her bed to wear it over her grey vest and pink pajama shorts. She told the person she would be right there as she made her way to the door.
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When she opened it, there standing behind the door was Leo. She looked surprised to see him.
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“Morning, sleepy head,” he greeted her. “I woke you up, didn’t I?”
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“Oh, no,” Carly said, smiling at him.
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“I wanted to call you down for breakfast,” said Leo.
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“Thanks. I’ll quickly freshen up and join you. Is anyone else home?”
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“I know Angel and Grandma left for church. Mum and Aunt Diana went to visit a friend. Dad left for work, but he’ll be back soon. It’s only you, me, Eric, and Oliver. I have to wake that boy. He’s a heavy sleeper, just like you.”
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“Alright. I’ll see you downstairs.”
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Leo smiled at her and walked down the hall away from her room and towards Oliver’s. Carly watched him go before closing the door and leaning back onto it as she silently groaned, closing her eyes. What she’s doing to Leo isn’t fair, and she knows it. But what should she do? She needed to find a way to break things off with André. Maybe when they meet, she can try to do so.
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She headed to the bathroom to freshen up. On her way, a sudden thought came to mind. Why did she feel calling things off with André was a bad idea?
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***
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Angel smelled the lovely white tulips in her hands as she walked alongside Bill, who was pushing Amanda in her wheelchair. They were at the cemetery, heading to the grave of Angel's mother. The weather that Sunday morning was warm and bright. There were many families that had come to visit their loved ones, laying flowers on the graves. Some were simply cleaning around their loved one's grave, removing unwanted weeds or grass.
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Angel led the way to her mother's grave, and with each step that she took, she could feel her heart constrict and her lungs feel like they were losing air. The wound of losing her mother was still fresh in her heart, and she felt she would break down into tears even before getting there.
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Amanda, who followed with Bill, could tell it was hard for Angel since not a long time had passed since her mother's passing. However, she walked on with a strong demeanor, as if nothing could shake her.
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They reached the grave, and Angel looked ahead at the headstone that was installed there. She remembered thanking Mr. McDonell when he told her about it. However, upon seeing it again, she felt like she needed to thank him again. He had done so much for her and Carly. Angel felt like thanking him wasn't enough.
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At the bottom of the headstone lay white tulips. Amanda and Angel couldn't help but look at each other.
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"It looks like someone was here before us," said Amanda.
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"I wonder who," said Angel as she looked back at the tulips. "And they made sure to put tulips."
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"Fred must have been here," said Amanda. "He did say he was going to go to the office. He must have passed by and left them."
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Angel went over to her mother's headstone and looked down at the tulips lying there. They were fresh ones, and they were obviously put there today.
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"You're right," said Angel as she laid her flowers next to the other tulips on the ground. She knelt. "I must thank him when we get back."
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She looked at her mother’s name etched into the gray headstone, and the feelings she had welled up inside her came out in the form of tears. She sniffed a little to stop herself from crying, but failed to do so.
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"Let it out, dear," said Amanda behind her. "There's no shame in crying. Let it out."
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The tears from Angel's eyes came down her cheeks like a downpour. She remembered all the sweet moments she had had with her mother, knowing that she would never make new ones with her again. Angel contemplated how strong she had been carrying herself for so long, but every time she was alone in her room, she couldn’t help but remember her mother and let a few tears out now and then. Now that she stood in front of her mother’s grave, it was a clear sign that she was gone forever, never to return.
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Angel didn’t know how long she knelt in front of her mother’s grave as she cried, but after she exhausted all her tears, she stood up from the ground.
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She stepped back a bit and joined Bill and Amanda. She felt Amanda grab her hand firmly. Angel felt comforted by her presence. She feared that if Amanda wasn’t around, she was going to cry out of control like a child.
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“We can go back now,” said Angel.
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Amanda quickly did the sign of the cross before Bill helped turn the wheelchair around. As they made their silent way out of the cemetery, Angel felt her phone vibrate in the black handbag that she carried. She pulled it out and found a message from an unknown number. Bill and Amanda went ahead of her as she stopped to read the message. It was from Kim, asking if the two of them could meet. She wondered how Kim got her number. Angel had a feeling it was about Leo.
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She quickly caught up with Amanda and Bill. She told Bill to drop her off downtown on the way back home. Amanda looked concerned.
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“Now why would you want Bill to drop you off?” Amanda asked. “Do you really want me to go back home on my own?”
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“It’s not that,” said Angel. “I just got a message from someone asking me to meet them.”
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“I hope it’s not that Marco boy,” said Amanda, looking to the side with annoyance.
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“No, it’s not. It’s-” Angel stopped herself short. She can’t tell Amanda that she was going to see Kim. Angel knew just how much Amanda hadn’t been fond of her. She had to think of something else.
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“I’m going to see one of my old friends,” Angel lied. “We haven’t seen each other in such a long time.”
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“Oh, okay,” said Amanda. “We better get going then.”
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Angel was thankful that Amanda hadn't asked any further. If she did tell the truth, she could imagine how Amanda would react.
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***
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After closing the door behind him, Red Lion walked into the foyer of his mansion. The pretty glass chandelier above the white domed roof shone above him. He hissed upon seeing that the lights were still on despite there being daylight outside. People really love to leave the light on, he said to himself. He went over to the wall and turned the lights off. The chandelier still shone with the light coming in from the windows.
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On his right side of the foyer was the way to the living room, and he took himself there. Seated on the red plush armchairs that matched the thick red and white carpet on the floor was Carlos, smoking a cigarette. He sat, spreading his legs before him as he slumped on the couch. It always annoyed Red Lion that he could sit like that in his own house without a care in the world.
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On the opposite couch sat Hugo with his gray laptop. It might look like a simple laptop to anyone, but only those within Red Lion’s circle knew that it was a supercomputer. Hugo had managed to hack into computer software, bank accounts, and companies with it. Red Lion could only wonder what Hugo was doing.
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Hugo, who didn’t seem to notice Red Lion enter the living room, lifted his eyes. Red Lion felt like he had known he had been there all along. He made his way over to where Hugo sat.
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“Enjoyed your walk around the neighborhood?" Hugo asked Red Lion, turning his eyes back on the screen.
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“Yeah, I needed it,” said Red Lion. He came to stand behind Hugo to look at the computer screen. “What is it?”
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“Andre made his move. Carly called him and said he wants to meet next week. That’s when he will be in New York.”
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“Good. Carly is doing her part well.”
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“She’s doing something that she has no clue what it’s about,” said Carlos, puffing smoke up in the air.
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“Well, the less she knows, the better, right?” Red Lion asked, throwing a glare at Carlos.
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“Yeah, it’s okay for now. However, you should’ve told Carly the importance of holding on to André. You might have told her to seduce him for one night, but you didn’t explain the importance of her role in the long run.”
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“He does have a point,” said Hugo, looking up at Red Lion. “Who knows, she might actually want to meet him just to break things off.”
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“That’s not possible,” said Red Lion, shaking his head.
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“Well, it might happen, boss,” said Carlos, now putting himself in a straight sitting position. “We never told her the important details of our plan. What if she doesn’t like André and doesn’t want to be with him? I mean, she can be in a relationship with someone else for all we know, and she wouldn’t want to risk being seen with a flashy guy like André.”
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“Damn it,” said Red Lion, shaking his head. “I didn’t want her to know the full picture, and I thought she might like Andre from the get-go.”
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“I know your reasons,” said Hugo. “But if Carly isn't put on a tight leash, she will be a problem for us. You might not tell her the full plan, but she should keep her grip on André no matter what. And you've got to make sure that she gets the message.”
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“It’s clear to see that Andre likes her a lot,” said Carlos. “So if we can control her, it will be easy to handle André. And that might take time, so the two really need to get to know each other.”
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“I’ll make sure she gets the message,” said Red Lion. “You’re right. We’re not done with Carly yet, and I want to make her connection with Andre work to our advantage.”
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The sound of running footsteps came into the foyer along with a child’s giggles. A small brown-haired boy came running into the living room in white and blue-striped pajamas. He came flying straight onto Carlos, seated on the couch. Carlos was ready for him, and he welcomed the boy warmly.
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“Hey, my little amigo,” said Carlos, making the little boy sit comfortably on his lap. “How are you this morning?”
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“I’m good, Uncle Carlos,” said the little boy, giving him a bright smile. Two of his front teeth at the top were gone, and the sight of new teeth above the gum was starting to show. “How are you?”
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“I’m very good,” Carlos replied. “Did you come here running from your room?”
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“That boy better be there when I do,” came a strong woman’s voice that came down the hall.
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“Yikes, mum is going to find me,” said the boy as he dropped off Carlos’ laps and went over to hide behind Red Lion.
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“I told you not to annoy her early in the morning,” said Red Lion, smiling down at the boy.
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Heavy footsteps in slippers thumped down the hall, and a woman in a black nightgown came into the room. She was slender for her heavy footsteps, and her thick, black, wavy hair fell to her shoulders. Her soft chocolate brown eyes surveyed the room, noticing Carlos and Hugo. When her eyes met Red Lion, she gave a big smirk.
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“You also have a lot of explaining to do,” she said in her heavy Mexican accent.
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“I can’t get a good morning from you?” asked Red Lion.
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“You weirdly left the bed so early in the morning that I had to call Hugo,” the woman said, looking at Hugo, who wasn’t looking up at her. "I thought you had gone to attend to some work without telling me."
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“I know, I just needed to walk around and freshen my mind, that’s all.”
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“Well, I’ll forgive you if you tell that boy hiding behind you to show himself.”
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Red Lion sighed. “I’m sorry, kiddo,” he said. “She’s already made you.”
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The little boy stepped out beside Red Lion looking a little disappointed. His mother looked at him with a glare and folded her arms.
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“You know you aren’t supposed to be running around in your pajamas,” said the little boy’s mother. “Come on, let’s go upstairs and get dressed.”
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“Okay, mum,” said the boy, and he started to make his way out of the room.
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“I want you all at the table for breakfast,” said the woman, looking at the three grown men with the same stare that she gave her son. “And let’s not talk about business while we’re there. You know how Miguel likes to ask questions.”
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“He’s a smart kid,” said Carlos, taking a puff of smoke. “It’s not his fault that he’ll grow up to be like his father.”
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The woman shook her head at Carlos in disbelief. “And I don’t have to remind you not to smoke in here. Put that thing out.”
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Carlos obediently complied and put out his cigarette on an ashtray, resting on the arm of the couch. The woman rolled her eyes at him, and she made her way out of the living room, her heavy footsteps sounding in the hall.
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“I swear she gets on my nerves,” Carlos muttered.
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“Careful, Carlos, you don’t want to go there,” Red Lion warned him.
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“Sorry.” Carlos raised his hands in apology. “But it’s not like she’s the lady of the house... yet.” Carlos added that last word as soon as Hugo and Red Lion glared at him. “Sorry, I know I’m wrong. But she’s so bossy.”
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“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t be smoking when Miguel is around,” said Hugo. “Or better yet, don’t smoke at all.”
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“I’ll make sure to give Carly a warning soon before Andre arrives in New York,” said Red Lion. “Keep up the good work of tracking her and inform me of anything.”
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“Sure thing,” said Hugo, looking back at his laptop.
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Red Lion made his way out of the living room and into the hall. He started to make his way up the white staircase in front of him when a sudden, aching feeling came to him. Going up to his room to face Matilda, his girlfriend, will turn out to be a heated conversation. They had been having a lot of those lately. She was probably in Miguel’s room now, but he knew she would be back in theirs. Whatever, he thought to himself. He had a busy day ahead of him. There are more to come, and that wasn’t going to stop him from achieving his goal.
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***
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Angel looked up at the beautiful café sign that hung above the wooden door and had beautiful pink roses engraved around the wooden banister. She wondered why Kim had called her to such a fancy place. Maybe she had nowhere else in mind, Angel thought to herself.
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Before she opened the door to the café, it flew open as someone from inside was going out. A man in a brown coat was walking out, and upon seeing Angel by the door, he held the door open for her and stood aside. Angel thanked him as she walked in, and the man closed the door behind him.
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The café was actually smaller than Angel had realized. Four wooden round tables, each with two wooden chairs, took up the main white tiled floor, and three small booths lined up the glass wall close to the huge glass window, with the counter up ahead. She found Kim seated in the middle booth, sipping a cup of what appeared to be coffee with a half-eaten cupcake on a small plate. Angel made her way to the booth.
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“Morning, Kim,” greeted Angel.
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Kim looked up at Angel, startled by her sudden appearance. “Oh, Angel, morning,” she said, wiping her mouth quickly with a paper napkin on the table. “Please take a seat. Can I get you anything?”
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“Oh, no, I’m good, thanks,” said Angel as she entered the booth and sat opposite from Kim.
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After Angel settled, the two women looked at each other. Kim chuckled after a moment of silence had passed.
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“I know I’m probably the last person you expected to meet today,” said Kim. “But I really needed to talk to you.”
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“If it’s about what happened with Leo on Friday, then you shouldn’t have called me,” said Angel. “You should be apologizing to him, since it was pretty obvious that you were spying on him.”
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“I would rather talk to him about it after some time has passed,” said Kim. “For now, I wanted to say thank you for what you did for Trina and me back then.”
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“That night was very important for the family. All I did was try to prevent him from seeing you. Luckily enough, he saw you in the end when all was done and dusted.”
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“I know it was stupid of me to follow him. It’s just that I needed to...”
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Kim stopped herself short, but Angel didn’t have to guess what she wanted to say. She waited for Kim to continue.
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“When I meet Leo, I will tell him what I’m about to tell you,” said Kim, looking up at Angel. “The only reason I was following him around was because I wanted to see his new lover. Ever since Leo broke things off with me, I couldn’t help but wonder why. When he told me that he was in love with someone else, it broke me. I’m guessing that she was the reason. Because it didn’t make any sense. We were going to get married, and then, all of a sudden, he just changed overnight? Therefore, I thought I would meet her, even if it was just from afar. But it seems I picked the wrong day to follow him.”
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“And if you were to meet his lover, what were you planning to do?” Angel asked.
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Kim looked at Angel and realized just how worried she looked. It could clearly show that Angel was feeling sorry for her, and Kim thought she could use that to her advantage.
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“I don’t know,” said Kim as she looked out the window. “Maybe throw a fit, of course. I just want to know who she is. Who knows, maybe Leo left me for her for her good looks or something.”
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“Kim, it’s best you let this go,” said Angel. “Wanting to know who Leo’s lover is isn’t going to do you any good. Move on while you still can.”
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“You sound like Trina,” said Kim, turning to look at Angel. “She told me that night that it better be the last time I ever think of Leo. But it’s clear to see that I’ve broken that promise.”
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“Yeah, Trina won’t be happy about that.”
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“And here I thought you would know who she is and tell me about her.”
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Angel frowned inward. She knew Kim was going to ask her that. She simply couldn’t tell her that her sister was Leo’s new lover. That could only be revealed as time goes on, and it’s up to both Leo and Carly to decide how they're going to handle it.
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“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that,” said Angel.
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Kim didn’t expect to get such an answer. She looked shocked and, at the same time, disheartened.
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“Is it because you want to keep her a secret from me?” Kim asked. “I promise I won’t overreact.”
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“It’s not that,” said Angel, this time really feeling sorry for her. “I can’t tell you because I don’t know who she is.”
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Kim couldn’t believe her ears. “You don’t know who she is? I thought you and Leo were friends.”
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Angel thought of giving her a chuckle, but that would only look rude. Instead, she shook her head. “We might be staying under the same roof and working together in the same company, but he and I are far from being what you call friends. We aren’t that close, like I am with Eric. And so, I don’t know much about his personal life except that he happened to be involved with you.”
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Kim shook her head. “I really thought you two were close considering that time when I saw you at that café and the way he listened to you that night when he almost came charging at me and Trina.”
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“No, I’m afraid we aren’t that close. We’re trying to get along because we have to, but he’s never told me or tried to involve me in his personal life.”
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“Oh, I see.” Kim slumped further in her seat, looking disappointed.
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Angel looked at her and didn’t know what to say next. She really did feel sorry for Kim. She only hoped that, given time, she would accept that Leo was moving on with someone else and that she should do the same. After interacting with her, Angel realized that Kim needed more than just moving on from Leo for this not to become some kind of obsession. Sadly, Angel didn’t know what that thing was.
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“I better be going,” said Angel as she stood up, with her bag still strapped to her shoulder. “I would like to apologize for not being of any help, but I won’t. You need to get yourself together, Kim. If you can’t accept that Leo doesn’t love you anymore, then you better be feeling sorry for yourself if this path leads you to your ruin.”
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Angel closed her mouth, surprised that she had said all that. She’s not one with a sharp tongue like some people, but when something didn’t feel right, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. She was a lot like her mother in that aspect.
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Kim swallowed hard. “It’s not as easy as it looks,” she tried to say, feeling a heavy lump in her throat. “I just want to know who she is. That’s all.”
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“Moving on was never meant to be easy,” said Angel. “You should do so while you still can. Who knows where it will lead you, but I know it will lead you to someone or something better.”
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The two women shared a look, and Angel felt like she was done here. She turned around and made her way out of the café. Kim looked at Angel as she left, and a heavy feeling came over her chest, just wanting to get out. She had no idea why Angel’s advice, even if it was similar to Trina’s, struck her so hard that she couldn’t even move.
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Kim took a deep breath, as her lungs were dying for air. She felt a sharp pain in her ribs, and that almost brought tears to her eyes. She needed to leave the café right now, as she felt like she wasn't going to handle the floodgates once they opened.
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***
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Angel arrived back at the McDonells an hour after lunchtime. She had to do a little shopping for herself in town before booking a taxi to head back. When she arrived at the door, it flew open before she could even knock. Standing behind it was Oliver, who was happy to see her.
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“Hey, Angel,” said Oliver.
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“Hi, Oliver. How are you today?” She greeted him.
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“I’m good, thanks. You should come join us in the living room. We’re playing crazy eights.”
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Angel closed the door behind her. “I will. I love card games. Is your uncle back from work yet?”
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“Yes, he came back quite early. He’s in his study.”
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“I’ll join you as soon as I put these bags away,” said Angel, smiling at Oliver.
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“Okay.”
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Oliver was rushing back to the living room when Mr. McDonell appeared down the hall, obviously coming from his study. He was dressed casually in a blue golf shirt and white slacks. When he saw Angel standing in the foyer, he smiled.
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“I heard you were still out and about,” he said.
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“Yes, I was,” said Angel as she came toward him. “Mr. McDonell, I went to see my mother’s grave today after a long time, and I saw the grave stone you put up for her. Thank you.”
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“Oh, no need,” he said. “She was a dear friend to me. That’s the least I could do for her.”
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“All the same, thank you. You’ve really done a lot for me and Carly already. I can’t be thankful enough.”
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“Please, it’s not a big deal. Let’s not fuss about it.”
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“I saw that you left her tulips today as well. They were her favorite flowers.”
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Mr. McDonell looked at Angel with what seemed like a surprised look. “Oh, it-”
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He was interrupted when Oliver’s loud voice rang from the living room and into the hall. Angel and Mr. McDonell went into the living room, where Carly, Amanda, Leo, Oliver, and Eric sat around the coffee table playing crazy eights. They all sat on the carpet except for Amanda, who sat in her wheelchair.
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“No fair, Leo!” Oliver exclaimed. “You’re clearly cheating.”
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“No, I’m not,” said Leo. “If you can’t handle the game, you can go back to your room and do your homework. If you’re man enough, you’re going to pick up five cards and get on with the game.”
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Oliver humphed and obliged, getting five cards from the deck. He was holding a handful of cards now, and it was clear to see that he was losing. Eric could only snicker. Oliver stuck out a tongue at him.
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“I always tell them not to play this game with Oliver,” said Mr. McDonell as he and Angel watched on. “He gets really emotional sometimes.”
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“Yeah, I can see that,” said Angel. She put down the shopping bags she was carrying on the couch and came to join them at the table. Everyone else greeted her when she came into view, except for Leo, who looked at his cards. She sat behind Oliver, who was sitting next to Leo.
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“I’ll help you,” said Angel, smiling at Oliver. She looked at Leo, who turned to look back at her. She remembered the talk she had with Kim and thought she shouldn’t tell him at all about it.
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“And you think you can help him win?” Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.
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Angel smirked as she trained her eyes on Oliver’s cards. “Let’s play and find out.”
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