Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Rochelle was not the kind of person who called for no particular reason just to ask her whether she was asleep.

She still did not answer Samantha’s question. “Why are you up so late when you’re usually one to go to bed early? Are you getting insomnia because that scumbag Timothy hasn’t come back to warm the bed yet?”

Rochelle’s view of Timothy started to change, just a little, and she had no longer called him a scumbag since then. Why did she start calling that all of a sudden?

Was she unable to change it out of habit, or could there be some other reason?

Samantha thought for a moment and could not help asking, “Chelle, are you calling me because of something that involves Timothy?”

It was one of those rare times that Rochelle felt a little sentimental.

Samantha had grown up and fooling her was not that easy. The acuity she had honed after spending two years in a foreign country could and should not be ignored.

In Rochelle’s heart, Samantha was not just her closest and best friend. For the most part, she treated Samantha as her own sister. Therefore, her sole hope was to see her be happy rather than be sad.

One of the most difficult questions in the world was before her. Would you tell your best friend that her boyfriend or her husband was suspected of having an affair?

Rochelle was already prepared to tell her everything, but she could not bring herself to say those words when she heard Samantha’s voice.

It had been far, far too long since she heard Samantha speaking in such a calm and gentle tone.

In the past, Samantha had always been holding back whenever Rochelle spoke to her. She had been like that since the marriage was broken off two years ago, up until she went abroad. It was the same when she finally came back and was forced into an unhappy marriage with Timothy.

Rochelle felt heartbroken to see Samantha in that position.

After a moment’s silence, Rochelle said, “Nah, that b*stard Jonathan pissed me off again, so I might as well lash out at Timothy while I’m at it.”

“What did he do?”

“Don’t get me started. He’s not worth being mentioned.” Rochelle sounded absolutely disgusted. After a pause, her tone became more serious. “Sammy, I know your relationship with Timothy has been improving recently, but you can’t be that silly girl you used to be anymore. Love yourself first before loving others.”

Jonathan really seemed to have pissed Rochelle off, otherwise she would not have called in the middle of the night just to say such emotional words.

Samantha replied softly. “I understand, Chelle.”

Rochelle opened her mouth, as if to say something else, but she eventually kept quiet and said instead, “Alright, it’s getting late. You should go to bed. See you.”

“Okay. You should get some sleep too. Good night.”

Rochelle clenched her phone tightly after hanging up.

Although Jonathan did not tell her the truth, he probably did not lie to her either. After all, he was the kind of man who found it beneath him to tell lies.

He had to have been telling the truth when he said that Harmony was a friend.

Ultimately, boundaries might sometimes be blurred when it came to friendships between men and women, so it was imperative for her to keep an eye on Samantha.

It might be better for her to get to the bottom of Timothy’s relationship with Harmony before telling Samantha anything.

…

In the VIP room.

Timothy’s cell phone rang and he picked it up to glance at the screen. It was a message from Samantha.

He placed it down and looked askance at Harmony before asking faintly, “Where are you staying right now?”

Harmony smiled and said, “I’m currently staying in an apartment hotel. Why do you ask? Are you planning on sending me back?”

“Let’s go,” Timothy said monotonously and stood up.

Zachary yelled disgruntledly, “What’s up with you guys? You ditch your friends as soon as your wives come calling! This is unbecoming!”

Timothy shot him a cold look.

A chill came up Zachary’s spine and he immediately changed his tone. “I much rather enjoy the loneliness. It’s fine if you guys leave.”

Harmony was amused by his antics. “You haven’t changed at all, Zac.”

Zachary waved her off. “Go, go. Scram, I’ll call my new girlfriend over for round two. You think you guys are so great just because you’ve all got partners? Well, I’m not too bad myself, you know!”

He spoke while taking out his cell phone and dialing a number.

A car was already waiting by the door when Timothy and Harmony walked out of the clubhouse.

Ronald stood by the car and watched the two of them coming over. He looked right at Harmony’s face and was fairly surprised to see that she really had returned.

Perhaps it was never a case of mistaken identity at all when he saw someone like her at the hospital entrance.

He was still in deep thought when Harmony walked up to him and flashed a warm smile at him. “It’s been a long time since I saw you, Mr. Crawford.”

Ronald returned to his senses and responded with a polite smile, “It has been some time, Ms. Johnson. You look much prettier now!”

Those were the kind of words that every woman wanted to hear. Harmony covered her mouth and giggled before remarking softly, “Thank you, Mr. Crawford. You’re much more handsome now as well.”

Ronald smiled like an idiot as he opened the door of the rear seat. “Hop on in, Ms. Johnson!”

Harmony bent down to get into the car and Timothy followed right behind. After Ronald closed the door, he walked around to the driver’s seat and got in before starting the engine and driving off.

The road was quiet because there were no cars at such a late hour.

It was even quieter because no one spoke in the car.

Harmony seemed to have gotten used to Timothy’s reservedness a long time ago and did not seem to mind it at all. She lowered the car window to let the night wind in, which tousled her hair up slightly.

She admired the scenery outside the car for a brief moment before breaking the silence. “Capital City has changed a lot, but in just a few years, everything seemed to have changed in a certain direction.”

Harmony then looked at Timothy and spoke in an even gentler voice. “Even the Barker Group has changed, with Barker Tower becoming taller and much more spectacular. You did what you said you would, and you brought the Barker Group to new heights.”

Timothy looked up and turned his attention to her. He opened his lips to speak, but he did not respond to her remarks. “Why are you back?”

Harmony seemed to have expected that he was going to ask that question and did not seem surprised in the least. She answered very honestly, “I came back to pursue…my dream.”

She placed emphasis on the dream and said it with determination.

Two seconds later, she added, “Tim, you know that my dream has always been to become a renowned news anchor.”

“That’s why I’ve signed up to participate in the competition that Lychee TV organized. I’ve already passed the interview.”

There was a sparkle in Harmony’s eyes when she spoke about her dream. “Tim, I know you’ll always support me! I’ll give it my all and win the competition!”

The car reached the hotel just as she said that.

Harmony then said, “This is the hotel, Tim. I’ll head up now. Good night.”

As soon as she said that, she pushed the car door open and got down. She stood there and waved at Timothy in the car before turning around and walking in.

Timothy then instructed, “Go back to the villa.”

Ronald responded affirmatively and started driving.

…

Samantha was fast asleep when she suddenly caught a whiff of alcohol, along with hints of a rather familiar fragrance..