Chapter 12

After eating, Wanda dragged Luke to a mall and went shopping, saying that her laptop was broken. They shopped for the entire afternoon and settled on a laptop that was over ten thousand dollars. Naturally, Luke was the one who paid for it. Wanda—having fed her belly with delicious food and getting Luke to pay for her brand-new laptop—was so overjoyed that there was a spring in her steps. After that, both of them went to Nightdive. The serving staff knew who they were and arranged the VIP booth for them. Now that Charlotte was coming soon, and he'd have to drive both Wanda and her back with him later, Luke didn't plan on drinking any liquor. He merely ordered himself a non-alcoholic beverage. Meanwhile, Wanda ordered a cocktail for herself. She noticed Luke's beverage and instantly knew he would send her and Charlotte home later. So, she threw caution to the wind and enjoyed herself. Besides, it wasn't as if she had classes tomorrow. So, she would ask him to take her to Charlotte's apartment for a sleepover with her. The waitress had just served the beverage and cocktail when Charlotte arrived. Wanda hopped to her feet and went over to grab her arm. "Charlotte, you're here! I was just about to give you a call and ask where you were." "I had to go to the film set at first, but the female lead had an emergency, so the shooting was called off. So, I got off work and came here instead." "Charlotte, welcome. What do you want for drinks?" Luke asked. "Hey, Luke. I'll have what Wanda's having." Charlotte took a seat. Then, Luke called the waitress over and ordered the same cocktail for her. Wanda and Charlotte were around the same age. Naturally, they had a lot of common topics. Charlotte was constantly dealing with big-time celebrities, so she knew a lot of gossip too. Thanks to Charlotte, Wanda had learned how complicated the entertainment industry really was. Some of the celebrities might seem meek and affectionate in front of the public, but they absolutely loved throwing their weight around privately and acted cockily with the people around them. If they got involved with Finn and had some scandals with him, they would become downright insufferable. Wanda's illusions about several celebrities had been shattered mercilessly. So, she was just looking for some hot gossip now. Gone were the days where she'd idolize celebrities. "Who's the female lead?" Wanda casually asked. "Who else could it be? It's Colette Avery, the rising star. And let me tell you—she has a nasty temper. You wouldn't be able to tell," Charlotte whispered to Wanda. "Are you talking about the newest Best Actress winner who made the entertainment headlines with Finn? He's such a playboy," Wanda said without hesitation. Both of them lowered their heads as Charlotte filled Wanda in on the gossip. Then, all of a sudden, Charlotte mentioned her brother. "It's almost been a week since Hans has gone over to the Teravic continent. Did you get in touch with him?" "W-Why should I g-get in touch with him?" Wanda stuttered, suddenly nervous when Charlotte brought Hans up. "Are you giving up on him already?" Charlotte was bold and straightforward. From her point of view, Wanda should go for it since she had feelings for Hans. After all, it would be best if her best friend married him. Then, she wouldn't have any headaches with her sister-in-law. Not to mention, Charlotte's mom also liked Wanda a lot. That would save them from any unnecessary tension too. "Keep your voice down." Wanda hurriedly covered Charlotte's mouth when the latter exposed her secret. She couldn't relax until after she saw that Luke had a glass of beverage in his hand and wasn't even looking their way. Charlotte was the only person who knew about Wanda's feelings for Hans. She'd only found out because they'd had too much to drink at her apartment once, and Wanda had let it slip. Wanda had never dared to make her feelings known. She always made sure to treat Hans the same as her other friends in public, careful not to slip up. Just then, Luke raised his glass of beverage and swept his gaze across the bar. The lady at the bar counter looked a lot like Spencer's first love, Clementine Wendell. But just as he was about to get a better look at her, she was gone in the blink of an eye. Luke didn't let it bother him though. Instead, he turned around and noticed that Wanda and Charlotte were whispering to each other. "What are you two muttering about? Anyone up for a dance?" he asked. "Luke, when will Hans be back?" Charlotte asked on Wanda's behalf. "He's your brother. You should know." "Hans won't tell me anything about it. In fact, I'll bet that not even my parents know about it." What Charlotte said was true. Hans was always out and about, and he had his own place. He only ever talked to them when he was coming home. He had been independent ever since he was a little boy, and he never made his parents worry. So, they were already used to it. "I'm not too sure about it either. I had a video conference with Spencer and the others yesterday, and the issues had all been taken care of. If you ask me, the three of them should be back soon." Wanda was very happy when she heard that Hans was about to come back. "Once Spencer returns, Sara would most probably be back as well. When she's back, I'll take you two to their place for a meal." Luke was a total foodie, and Sara's food was something he enjoyed a lot. Wanda and Charlotte, who were also foodies at heart, were already looking forward to it. Nevertheless, they unanimously raised their hands and said that they would only go over when Spencer wasn't around. Spencer was so cold and aloof. He would surely stare them down to death with his frigid gaze if he learned that they wanted to go to his place for a free meal. Just as the three of them were chatting merrily, a lady suddenly interrupted them, saying, "Luke, it's really you. I saw you from over there, but I wasn't sure. I thought I'd come over and check, but I didn't think it would really be you. "They must be Wanda and Charlotte—all grown up now. You guys are about to graduate from college, right?" Clementine walked over and enthusiastically greeted them, talking as if she was older. Wanda and Charlotte had to hold their biles in. Otherwise, they would've thrown up there and then. But Luke didn't say anything, so they remained quiet as well. Luke raised his head and saw Clementine standing next to him with a glass of liquor in her hand. As it turned out, he hadn't made a mistake earlier—it was really Clementine. Clementine noticed that no one was responding to her and shamelessly asked, "Mind if I sit?" "Sure." Luke had no idea what Spencer thought of Clementine now. After all, he had arranged an apartment for her and supported her financially. So, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to attack her dignity. Meanwhile, Wanda and Charlotte remained silent. They'd merely met Clementine once many years ago, and they weren't that close to her. When Spencer held the proposal party, Clementine didn't show up. But now that he was married, she'd showed up unexpectedly. They had a gut feeling that she wasn't a decent person. They weren't familiar with her in the first place, and coupled with her sudden appearance, Wanda and Charlotte had already passed judgment on her as a person. Naturally, they weren't too enthusiastic to have her company and simply focused on their own conversation instead. Clementine saw how Wanda and Charlotte lowered their heads and were only talking to each other. Too embarrassed to jump into their conversation, she turned around and chatted with Luke instead. At least then, she could gather some information about Spencer while she was at it. Clementine had been texting Spencer lately, but she hadn't gotten any response from him. Not to mention, he didn't pick up her calls either. So, she'd been asking her friends to hang out with her in Nightdive, just so she could run into Spencer and the others. After several days of waiting, she finally ran into Luke, the most approachable guy in the group. Clementine was aware that Hans owned Nightdive and that they had a VIP booth. It was the best spot in the entire bar. The staff here wouldn't give this booth away even during the busiest night. It was exclusively theirs. In a funny way, it became a main attraction for the bar. After all, the five of them were the most attractive, dazzling young men in all of Jeritho. Aside from Spencer, who was the leader of the group, the others were all single. Spencer might've been married, but he never had a wedding ceremony. So, rumors had been going around the public, saying that he didn't actually love his wife. Although the earlier news about him and Clementine was taken down very quickly, the netizens believed that it was a sign of his diffidence. That was why the daydreaming young ladies would be content if they could see him in person for a minute. Clementine had come here with some friends she'd made recently. When they saw her approach the VIP booth, sit down, and act as if she knew the people there, they assumed that Spencer still had lingering feelings for her. Afterward, when Clementine sat back down with them, they were respectful toward her and even tried to flatter her. With all the envious looks around her, Clementine felt alive. She loved grabbing the limelight and getting showered with praises.