Chapter 16 The Calm Before the Storm

Outside the villa, a sleek black Hummer drove over. The driver had a sharp eye. He saw Tiffany and at once slowed down. “Master, that seems to be the madam. Do you need me to stop?” Mortimer put down the documents in his hands and looked out the window. Tiffany’s frail body was bent on the porch in the bitter wind. With the help of the dim yellow street lights, he could see the tears streaming down her face. Mortimer couldn’t help tensing up. Did this woman have a death wish? Why was she out in the cold in such weather? His next instinct was to make the driver stop, but then he realized something. Since when had he gotten so mushy because of a woman’s tears? As the heir of the Campbell family, he couldn't have any weaknesses. He shut his eyes. “Drive past her.” The driver didn’t dare to disobey him, so he drove past Tiffany. Tiffany recognized Mortimer’s car plate and knew that he’d come home. She dared not cry anymore, in case he found out about her secret. She wiped her tears away and ran into her room. Tiffany began feeling unwell in the middle of the night, perhaps because she’d been out in the cold for so long. She shivered. At first, she wanted to go and take some medication, but she feared waking Mortimer. So she quietly took out a few extra blankets from the cupboard and wrapped them around her, forcing herself to sweat. Thankfully, this was an effective method. The next day, that dizzy feeling had disappeared. A fragrant aroma was already wafting out of the kitchen when she got out of her room. Tiffany was famished, and began chomping on a piece of bread. Why hadn’t she seen Mortimer yet? Monroe replied, “The master has gone to the office early today.” “Oh. Alright.” Tiffany’s tone carried a trace of disappointment that she wasn’t aware of. Monroe smiled and said, “Don’t worry, madam. You and the master have a lot of time together in the future. There are still many chances to meet.” “I couldn’t care less about seeing him!” Tiffany gulped down a glass of warm milk. “I’m going to school today. I’m not coming back in the afternoon.” “Alright. I’ll get the driver to send you over.” Hearing this, Tiffany waved her hand. “I’ll take the subway.” “How can I allow that?” Monroe pushed back his glasses and said seriously, “I would be horrible at my job if I let the madam take the subway on the first day of class.” Tiffany couldn’t make him budge, so she agreed. “Alright. Please get a car that is on the down low.” Five minutes later, Tiffany stood speechlessly before a Rolls-Royce. It seemed that she and Monroe had very different perceptions of what “on the down low” meant. In order to avoid drawing attention, Tiffany made the driver stop a distance away from the school. But she hadn’t expected to bump into her good friend Janet while climbing out of the car. Janet was beyond shocked. She leaped into Tiffany’s arms and cried out, “Damn! How did you get to know someone so rich?” Tiffany covered her mouth. “That’s just someone I know. We happened to meet, so he gave me a lift.” Janet was a little disappointed. Baffled, she said, “I thought you struck gold. I was even thinking that you could introduce me to a few wealthy suitors.” Tiffany couldn’t help smiling. “You’ve watched too many movies. You’re better off focusing on exams.” Janet pouted. “Where’s the fun in studying? I just want to date someone.” She looked at Tiffany enviously. Didn’t you say you already have a boyfriend? When are you planning on letting us meet him?” Tiffany was a little taken aback. Only Juliana knew about her and Seth. Her friends only knew that she was dating someone and didn’t know Seth’s name. Tiffany sighed. “We’ve already broken up.” “Why?” “Because… it’s complicated. Janet, do you know that gutting feeling when you trust someone unconditionally, but they stab you in the back?” Although what happened between her and Seth was already a while ago, and Tiffany had been working hard on getting rid of her demons, she still felt upset whenever she thought of that passionate yet tragic relationship. Janet patted her shoulder comfortingly. “You’re the best person I’ve ever met, Tiffany. You’re worthy of the most handsome men around. If one doesn’t work out, the next one will be even better!” With Janet’s comforting words, Tiffany smiled through her tears and got her spirits up. She began focusing on her studies. During the lunch break, her advisor called on her. “Your credit points for graduating are almost complete. I suggest that you continue studying. With your grades, I’m sure you will have lots of universities to choose from.” Before the incidents in her household took place, Tiffany had considered furthering her studies. But now, what mattered most to her was earning money. The lecturer saw her unease. “The new semester has just begun. You don’t need to make a decision right away.” “Thank you.” Tiffany and Janet walked out of the school gates together. Janet said excitedly, “A new Middle Eastern restaurant just opened two streets away. People say they have good food. Let’s… oh, isn’t that the person who drove you here this morning?” Tiffany looked in the direction that Janet was pointing in. A Rolls-Royce was indeed pulled up on the curb. She walked over. “Didn’t I tell you that you don’t have to pick me up?” The driver looked at Janet next to Tiffany and said nothing. Janet got the hint and said, “I have something to do, Tiffany. We’ll eat some other time.” Tiffany nodded. “Alright.” After Janet left, the driver got up at once and opened the door to the backseat for Tiffany to get in. Before Tiffany was done getting seated, the driver slammed on the pedal. She almost crashed into the seat before her. Seeing that the driver was in such a panic, Tiffany felt anxious. “Has something happened at home?” “No.” “Then…” “Madam, please forgive me for being unable to answer your questions. I am simply following the master’s orders to bring you home from school at the fastest speed possible.” The driver’s words made Tiffany’s anxiety reach her highest record. Had she done something to piss off Mortimer again? But she hadn’t even seen him today. There was no way she could have made him angry. She analyzed every word and every gesture she’d said and done in the past few days. Her brain was about to explode. She couldn’t think of anything at all. A little more than ten minutes later, she walked into the living room with a gloomy sort of dread, as if she were going into court. She stood opposite Mortimer. He was wearing a casual outfit today. He’d only done up two of the buttons on his shirt. She could see his collarbones and some of his muscles from the exposed collar. It was very enticing. But Tiffany was in no mood to appreciate it. She swallowed. “What… what did you call me here for?”