“Babe, do you know every word written by a great novelist comes from deep within his or her soul? I will be devastated if my novel is ruined because of a badly written finale. I cannot allow that!” Tiffany mourned in despair, hands clasping her head.
Bemused, Amelia asked, “Is it that bad?”
“How could you ask such a dumb question? I thought you knew me best,” grumbled Tiffany.
“Let me read the manuscript of your latest fantasy novel. I will give you some feedback,” Amelia offered.
Tiffany’s eyes lit up immediately. She snapped her fingers and exclaimed, “Babe, you are the best!”
Amelia read through Tiffany’s manuscript. She could see that the latter had a natural flair for writing. The novel was well crafted, with a captivating plot. It was no surprise that her books were always snapped up once they hit the stores, allowing her to become a best-selling author.
“Tiff, I think this fantasy novel is amazing! However, as a reader, I would prefer a happy ending. All your previous novels had sad endings. Readers may get tired of that. Moreover, the male and female leads went through so much together. Your readers and I will protest if you let the female lead be annihilated. I demand a happy ending for this novel. Otherwise, you’re annihilating our decades of friendship as well!” Amelia threatened.
“Babe, is that threat necessary? It’s just a novel’s ending. Well, since you’ve asked for a happy ending, you’ll get a happy ending,” Tiffany promised.
Satisfied, Amelia nodded and leaned back lazily on the couch. “Tiff, I’m spending the night with you and I will head to the office from here tomorrow morning.”
“Why, welcome home, Babe. This is your home too. You can stay here anytime you want,” Tiffany said.
The two gals spent the night chatting in bed till midnight before nodding off. On the other hand, Oscar found himself alone in bed and was having trouble falling asleep. He took out his phone and started writing: Woman, where are you? Do come back soon. I need to talk to you.
Yet upon consideration, he deleted the message without sending it.
It was then his phone rang. He looked at his phone excitedly but seeing the caller ID, his smile faded. Composing himself, he answered the call. “Hello, Cassie.”
“Oz, did I wake you?” Cassie’s soft voice was heard from the other end of the line.
“No issue. For you, anytime,” Oscar assured her.
Cassie was elated to hear that. “Oz, you are the best! I hope Ms. Winters is not woken up by my call at this hour.”
“She’s not in today. I’m here by myself, so no worries,” Oscar reassured gently.
That was followed by prolonged silence.
“Cassie, are you still there?” Oscar was baffled that she suddenly went silent over the line.
“Yes, I’m here.” Cassie finally spoke again. “Since Ms. Winters is not in, can I go visit you? I’m a little scared of being alone in the hotel. I wish you’re here with me.”
Oscar cast aside that proposal and offered to go over to her place instead.
“Oz, you haven’t invited me to your place since I came back. You kept saying you love me, yet you’re reluctant to let me visit you at home,” Cassie whined in an aggrieved tone.
Oscar kept to his stance and repeated his question, ”Where are you, Cassie? I will go over to you.”
“Oz, Ms. Winters is not home. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to tour your new home. Or maybe you never wanted me to visit you in the first place…” Cassie wilfully pushed for it.
Oscar frowned a little but kept his cool and cajoled her, “Cassie, be a good girl. Tell me where you are and I will go over to you.”
Cassie stubbornly wanted her way. “Oz, I insist on visiting you at your home. If you love me, then don’t give me any more excuses. It’s either I go over tonight or I’ll head back to Erihal immediately. Who cares about being Mrs. Clinton.”
Oscar’s face fell. He loved Cassie and was an indulgent lover. However, there was a limit to how much he could tolerate unreasonable demands. Cross that line and he would not hesitate to rein her in.
“Cassie, you have crossed the line,” Oscar said sullenly.
After a bout of silence, Cassie asked, “You don’t love me anymore, do you?”
Oscar softened his voice and comforted her, “That is not true. Let me know where you are and I will be there.”
Cassie persisted, “Oz, all I wanted is to take a look at your house. You have always acceded to all my requests in the past.”
“Cassie, stop this nonsense. Tell me where you are, now,” Oscar said impatiently.
“No, Oz. You don’t love me. You have never loved me. If you do, you will not reject my simple request to visit you at home repeatedly,” Cassie cried. “I had a bright future in Erihal but I gave it all up to come back to you. Between music and you, I chose you. And this is how you repay my sacrifices!”
Oscar tensed up and clenched his phone. He disliked unreasonable women. If not for his love for Cassie, he would have hung up on her. “Cassie, you know my feelings for you. But if you insist on being wilful, then I can only choose to let you go back to Erihal. Four years ago, you did not spare a thought for me and left me on the eve of our wedding. I took it as a sign that it was all over between us.”
Noticing her silence, he continued, “It’s getting late. Do have an early rest. We’ll chat again when you are more rational after a good sleep.”
Cassie panicked. “Hang on, Oz! I know I was being wilful. I am just so jealous that Ms. Winters gets to sleep by your side while I have to stay in a hotel. I had a few drinks and jealousy got the better of me. Please… could you keep me company? I am staying at Hotel Van Hutton.”
Her confession melted Oscar’s heart. He truly loved her. Even if that love had somewhat diminished with time, she still had a special place in his heart. He could not bear to disappoint her.
Oscar drove to Hotel Van Hutton. Her room was on the twenty-first floor. The door opened immediately after he rang the bell. Cassie, dressed in a bathrobe, flung herself into his arms. “Oz, you are not angry anymore, are you?”
Oscar was amazingly collected. He lumbered into the room with Cassie still clung to him. He closed the door, held her slightly apart, and said, “The AC is set so low. You should have put on thicker clothes lest you catch a cold.”
“Oz, you were so harsh over the phone. I was terrified! I was so afraid you would leave me because of my wilfulness. Thank goodness you came,” Cassie cried out in anguish.
Oscar saw her half-exposed shoulder and persuaded, “Go get dressed before you catch a cold.”
Cassie obediently got dressed, looking sweet in a pink dress. She took a bottle of 1982 vintage wine and two glasses and walked toward Oscar. “Mind having a drink with me?”
Oscar was about to take the wine from her hand but Cassie cheekily hid it. She smiled flirtatiously. “Oz, why don’t you take a shower first? I want to set up a cozy ambience for us.”
Oscar was unmoved by the sight of a blushing ever-gorgeous Cassie. Surprisingly, he was even a little upset, feeling that the latter was disgracing herself. The irony that he was not aroused by the seduction of his beautiful lover had not hit home yet.
He stood up, took the wine, and said, “Cassie, be a good girl. You should not be drinking at this late hour. Rest early. I will stay here with you while you sleep.”
Cassie was dumbfounded. She had set aside her dignity to seduce him, but what made it worse was his disinterest. That has to be the biggest insult to a woman.
“Oz, you rejected my request to visit your place. Now, you won’t even have a drink with me. Do you really love me?” Cassie tearfully asked, deeply hurt.
Cassie believed that a man would always be attracted to a submissive woman who idolized him. That would bring out a man’s protective nature and in return, the woman would be pampered. She knew how to act that part and was good at it.
Oscar put the wine down and hugged Cassie. “You got it wrong, Cassie. I meant well. It’s late and I want you to get your beauty sleep.”
Cassie buried her face in his chest and softly requested, “Oz, just one drink with me and I will go to bed after that, okay?”
Oscar nodded and agreed.
“Then go get a shower while I do the candlelight setting.” Cassie pulled away from Oscar and playfully pushed him into the bathroom. “Have a nice shower. I have a big surprise for you later.” She smiled sweetly at him.
Oscar reluctantly but duly took a shower. When he came out of the bathroom, he found the room bathed in warm flickering candlelights. Cassie, looking even more stunning in this light, walked toward him demurely. “Oz, do you find me beautiful? Let’s make this our wedding night.”
Oscar took a glance at her and nonchalantly said, “Cassie, stop your nonsense. Finish your drink and go to bed. No more mischief from you.”
