Chapter 510: Chapter 510

"I told them you were sleeping and that everyone was okay," Eleanor said, nodding toward the chair across from her. "Come on, sit. Eat."

"Right." I slid into the chair and picked up my fork. "Thank you. For handling that."

"I don’t like poking into other people’s business, but they were persistent. I was either going to shut the phone off or answer it... I figured answering was the nicer move."

"You did the right thing," I said, digging into the eggs. "They probably thought I’d been stabbed or something with all that yelling yesterday."

She smirked, though there was a bit of a flush on her cheeks. "Was our... fight... really that loud?"

"Hey, you can hear everything upstairs, and we can hear everything downstairs," I reminded her with a grin.

"Right... god, you have some stamina, Evan. I’ve gotta give you that."

"I try. You really should just join us next time, Eleanor. Save yourself the trouble of listening through the floorboards."

She shrugged, leaning back. "I’d like that. Group stuff isn’t usually my thing, but for you? Sure."

My phone buzzed again right there on the table. I picked it up without checking the ID, expecting Jasmine again, but the voice on the other end was softer. It was Mendy.

"Evan," she said, her voice sounding a little small. "Hey. Sorry if I woke you up."

"Hey, morning," I replied, leaning back in the chair. "What’s up?"

"I just... wanted to check in," she said. There was a long pause. "About the other night. We didn’t really talk afterward."

"I know. And I’m sorry. I’ve just been slammed with work and... everything, honestly," I said, trying to keep my voice low so Eleanor wouldn’t catch every word. "My bad."

"It’s okay. I didn’t call to make you explain yourself," she gave a quick, nervous chuckle. "Um... Penelope and I were going shopping today, and she asked... well..."

"Asked what?"

"W-when we were doing... um... doggy style... you grabbed my waist pretty hard. It left some marks there, Evan. Penelope saw them and immediately knew I’d had sex."

I winced slightly. "Oh. Damn. Sorry about that."

"I told her it was you. I tried to lie at first, I swear, but then she kept pressing me and I just... I couldn’t keep it in."

"Shit. Sorry, Mendy."

"She was... I don’t know," she said, her voice sounding a bit puzzled. "I think she was actually okay with it?"

"Of course she is, Mendy. She isn’t your mother. She’s your friend."

"I know, but still." She chuckled again, that same nervous energy coming through the line. "Anyway, I should get going. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Yeah," I said, glancing at Eleanor, who was watching me with an amused expression. "See you, Mendy. Hopefully... soon."

"Yeah... hopefully soon," she echoed. She cleared her throat quickly. "Um... bye."

"Yep. Bye."

I ended the call and set my phone back on the table, then went back to my breakfast.

Yeah... I was kind of a jerk. I hadn’t even called Mendy once. Especially after everything that had happened between us. She still wasn’t even sure about our little "thing" in the bedroom, and I had just... left it there.

Still, I hoped she was okay with it. Maybe she’d come over again next time. Just knowing she had been there that night had done something to me. It was like... she trusted me. It felt strange, but not in a bad way. More like something new that I hadn’t figured out yet.

We ate in silence after that. The only sound in the room was the quiet clink of forks against plates. After a few minutes, once we were done, I was the first to stand up.

I took my plate to the kitchen, rinsed it under some water, and placed it in the dishwasher.

"I should get going," I said. "Work won’t wait."

"Same," Eleanor said, nodding.

"I can drop you off if you want," I offered. "It’s a bit out of my way, but I could use the drive to wake up."

"No need," she said. "You go. Isabella is picking me up."

Isabella?

Right... so Eleanor knew her too. That could be useful. If what Charlotte told me wasn’t enough, I could always ask Eleanor about her. Still, that would be a last resort. She already had enough on her plate—I didn’t need to add more.

Eleanor grabbed her coat from the rack and opened the door. I stepped out with her, and just as she was about to leave, I stopped the door with my hand and leaned back inside to grab her keycard from the small table.

She laughed under her breath and took it from me.

"Wow. I almost forgot it again."

"Yeah," I said. "Lucky you had me."

She smiled, this time more genuinely. "Yeah... I guess I’m lucky to have you."

"I’ll take the stairs," I said. "I need to change first. See you, Eleanor."

Instead of replying, she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. Then she stepped back, waited for the elevator, and I headed toward the stairs with a small smile still on my face.

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WOMEN – INTERACTIONS

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Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60 ★★

Kayla: Interest: 38 / 40 ★

Tessa: Interest: 40 / 60 ★★

Kim: Interest: 100 / 100 ★★★★★

Delilah: Interest: 75 / 80 ★★★

Cora: Interest: 100 / 100 ★★★★★

Mendy: Interest: 20 / 40 ★

Nala: Interest: 100 / 100 ★★★★★

Penelope: Interest: 5 / 20

Minne: Interest: 38 / 40 ★

Ivy: Interest: 40 / 60 ★★

Eleanor: Interest: 29 / 40 ★

Amelia: Interest: 12 / 20

Esme: Interest: 60 / 80 ★★

══════════════════

Huh. Four points from her. Not bad. Slowly but surely, I was getting closer to forty.

I took the stairs and made my way up to my floor, then walked down the hallway and knocked on my door.

A moment later, it opened. Minne stood there, looking a little better than yesterday, though still a bit tired.

"Oh... welcome home, Master," she said.

"Hey," I replied as I stepped inside. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she said softly. "Mrs. Tessa took care of me."

"Good," I said. "Where are the others?"

"They already left for work."

"Got it." I nodded. "I’ll change and head out too. You should rest today."

"I’m fine, I can—"

"No," I cut her off gently. "You’re sick. Take the day off. And take off the maid outfit, alright? You shouldn’t be working today."

"Y-yes, Master..."

"If anything happens, call me," I added.

"I will."

I stepped closer, then leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her belly.

"Take care of my little baby too," I said.

Minne instantly flushed red, her face turning bright with embarrassment. I gave a small smile, then walked past her into the master bedroom and closed the door behind me.

God, she was really the cutest, I swear...

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