Left alone, the two cousins made their way deeper into the company building toward Fulbeth's private office. Once inside, Fulbeth walked straight to the floor-to-ceiling glass window, staring down at the busy, magnificent city spreading out beneath him. He let out a heavy sigh. It was obvious that something was weighing deeply on his mind, and Stephanie was too sharp not to notice.
"What is going on with you? You don't look well at all," Stephanie questioned, her tone laced with genuine concern. Throughout their entire walk up to the office, she had been quietly observing his behavior. He had been sighing stressfully every few steps, his shoulders slumped with a heavy shroud of regret.
"Do you really think there is something wrong?" Fulbeth asked, his voice quiet as he continued to stare out at the urban maze, refusing to turn around and face her.
"I don't just think something is wrong, Fulbeth—I know it. Please, don't lie to me," Stephanie countered, her voice dropping to a sharp, intense whisper.
Fulbeth closed his eyes and sighed once more, running a hand over his face before finally breaking his silence. "It's Edna," he said simply.
Stephanie stepped closer. "What is it with her? What happened?"
"I... I have developed real feelings for her," he confessed, the words pouring out like a dam breaking. "And the worst part is, I can't seem to quench them. I've tried so many times to suppress it, but I just can't. I decided to try and get closer to her, to see if there was a chance, but she only distances herself from me."
He froze, trailing off. His face contorted with visible pain at the memory of what came next, struggling to force the final words out. "Last night... I kissed her. She actually kissed me back, Stephanie. But immediately afterward, she pulled away. She told me that back in the past, when I rejected her, it had been incredibly difficult for her to move on, so now she doesn't want to have anything more than friendship with me. But I can see it in her eyes—she still loves me. I am so messed up," Fulbelth lamented.
It was Stephanie's turn to sigh. The situation was genuinely complicated. After six long years, her cousin's feelings had finally surfaced, driving him to take action after all this time.
"So... are you going to continue to pursue her, or will you do as she asks and just be friends?" Stephanie asked.
"I... I don't know," Fulbelth admitted, walking away from the window to sit in his armchair. "But I am sure of one thing. Just being friends won't be enough for me."
Stephanie watched him settle into the chair, his posture heavy with exhaustion. "You still have a chance if you want to try. I have been in her position before. She is just afraid to repeat the mistakes of the past. Edna still cares about you, and that is where your opportunity lies."
Fulbelth remained quiet for a moment, silently analyzing his cousin's advice. Not wanting to dwell on his own problems any longer, he deliberately changed the subject. "What about you? What is going on between you and Andrew?"
Stephanie noticed the sudden shift. She knew the discussion about Edna was draining him, so she decided not to press the matter.
"It's about Mrs. Kate, Andy's mom," Stephanie explained, leaning back against the wall. "She showed up here yesterday morning and caused quite a bit of tension. She even revealed some rather troublesome details.
She did not even admit her mistake and said everything that she and her husband have done in their desperate attempts to separate us forever was for Andy'sown good. It has honestly been completely overwhelming."
She paused, taking a shaky breath before continuing. "The truth is, Andy never had any intention of leaving me. Six years ago, his father pressured him to move to City I to take charge of one of the family companies there. Andy had planned everything out; he was going to bring me along so I could find a better job, ensuring we would never be torn apart. But his parents went to terrifying lengths to stop us—they drugged him. While he was unconscious, they brought him here to force him into a life with Claudia. For six long years, he searched for me, and by some miracle, he finally found me."
Fulbeth listened intently, genuinely surprised by the dark turn of events. However, nothing could prepare him for what Stephanie said next.
"Andrew and I... we are married," she confessed softly.
"What?!" Fulbeth's voice rang out, raw with disbelief. "When did this happen? And why on earth didn't you tell me sooner?" He could feel his anger rising, his voice cutting sharply through the room.
"Stop shouting and just let me explain," Stephanie pleaded, her eyes begging for understanding.
Fulbeth closed his eyes, took a deep, steadying breath, and forced himself to calm down. He nodded slowly, signaling for her to continue.
"He didn't tell you because he wanted to earn my forgiveness," Stephanie explained gently. "He waited until he had sought my forgiveness and I had truly given him a second chance. There was a time when he saw me with Mich and mistakenly thought something romantic was happening between us. He was broken, but we worked through it."
Fulbeth absorbed her words, a thoughtful silence settling over him as he nodded his head in understanding. The revelation seemed to spark something within his own mind. "Maybe I should do exactly that to Edna," he mused aloud, a calculating look crossing his face.
Stephanie's expression hardened instantly. "You wouldn't dare!" she snapped.
"Oh, I will surely expose you if you try anything," She countered, her tone turning cold.
Fulbeth met his gaze with fierce determination. "By then, it would be far too late."
Later at launch, Stephanie went to have lunch alone since Fulbeth insisted on not being hungry when her phone suddenly vibrated in her hand. Looking down, she saw the caller ID. It was Andrew.
She pressed the phone to her ear, her heart fluttering slightly. "Hello, Lily," Andrew's warm voice greeted her from the other end.
The excitement in his voice was obvious.
"Hey Andy," Stephanie replied. "Are you free? Can we have lunch together?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Bluelight quite far?" she asked.
"I will drive as fast as I can. So... should I come and pick you up?" Andy responded.
She worried he might not make it since Bluelight was quite far from Zoobab. However, knowing how excited he was, she couldn't bring herself to tell him not to come. For the past few days, he hadn't been in a good mood, and she couldn't bear to ruin his high spirits now.
"Okay, I'll wait for you," she said.
"Thanks so much. I'm on my way."
Just as Stephanie pulled the phone away from her ear, Jackie approached her.
"Hey, Steph."
"Hey. Aren't you going to the hospital today?" Steph asked.
With Fulbeth's permission, Jackie was able to go to the hospital to keep her mother company every Monday to Wednesday. She was supposed to leave at lunchtime.
"I want to ask you about something before I leave," Jackie said. "It's about Eric."
Her words made Steph raise an eyebrow. "What's going on with Eric?"
Steph knew the situation Eric was in and how he had been spending almost all of his days in the hospital.
She had absolutely no idea that her friend still vividly remembered Eric. It seemed entirely impossible; she had only introduced Eric to her a single time, months ago, during a brief, quiet introduction at her birthday party.
"Hmm… can you tell me something about him?" Jackie asked suddenly, her eyes bright with curiosity.
Observing the immediate expression of utter confusion tightening Stephanie's features, Jackie rushed to clarify. "I mean, absolutely anything at all. Like his general behavior, what he is really like when he relaxes, or what kinds of things make him happy. What his favourite food is."
Stephanie was thoroughly dumbfounded by the sudden barrage of personal questions.
"Hey… say something!" Jackie urged, nudging her shoulder impatiently to get a reaction.
Stephanie blinked several times, trying to grasp the sudden shift in the conversation. "What exactly is going on here? I truly believed you only knew of his existence from that brief introduction at the party."
"No, it is completely different now," Jackie confessed, her voice dropping to a soft, earnest whisper. "His mother is currently admitted to the exact same hospital as my mom, so I tend to run into him quite frequently in the corridors when I go. We have actually started speaking to each other a lot lately. I… I am genuinely starting to like him. I want to know a little more… or perhaps as much as I possibly can about him."
This sudden, honest confession caught Stephanie entirely off guard.
"I honestly do not know much about him," Stephanie admitted softly, shaking her head. "He was simply my senior in school. Even though he is Andy's close friend, we only spoke when it was absolutely necessary. Aside from casual greetings, we always parted ways immediately."
Seeing the profound look of dismay clouding Jackie's face made Stephanie's heart sink. She deeply admired Jackie's radiant charisma. Even though they were polar opposites of each other, she still valued their unique bond deeply.