Chapter 8

Just then, the doorbell rang suddenly. Hudson immediately pulled Winona up from the couch and said, "Hide in my bedroom for now. My parents are here." "Why do I have to hide? I’m supposed to be with you 24/7…" Winona was still confused, but Hudson had already shoved her into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. "My parents are simple people. If they find out I’m seeing another girl so soon, they’ll definitely be worried." Hudson explained through the door. Winona explained, "But we’re not dating. I’m only here 24/7 because…" Hudson ignored her, took a deep breath, steadied himself, and opened the door. Outside stood a middle-aged couple. The woman was a bit petite but dressed neatly and elegantly. One could tell she had come from a scholarly family. The man was lean and tanned, with an honest, down-to-earth look. "Hud, take these bags to the kitchen. And these? They’re specialties I brought from home. Put them in the fridge. And these…" As soon as she entered, Loewe began piling bags into Hudson’s hands. "Mom, the fridge is already full!" Hudson protested. Loewe shot him a glance, then grabbed two bags herself and headed for the fridge. "Living alone doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep things tidy. Look at your fridge! So messy. And when did you buy this meat? It’s gone bad! I’m throwing it out." William stood to the side carrying a few bags of ingredients with a serious look as usual. Hudson watched him glancing around the apartment as if searching for something and couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Dad, are you looking for spies?" "Your mom told me that there was a woman’s voice in the background when she called you earlier on. Is your classmate here?" William asked. "No!" Hudson quickly explained. "That was just the TV." "The TV? And someone on TV knows your name?" William’s face grew more serious. Loewe called out from the kitchen, "William, why are you standing there? Come help me prepare the ingredients. Hud, I heard something fall in your room earlier. I’ll go tidy up for you." "Ah, okay!" Hudson shouted instinctively but came to his senses after a while. He rushed to the bedroom door, blocking it before Loewe could enter. "Mom, come on, I’m an adult. My room is private. No one goes in there," Hudson said. Loewe gave him a suspicious look. "What secret could you possibly have that I can’t know about? Is it very messy?" "I’ll clean it myself. Right now, okay? Please just cook; I’m starving." Hudson frantically stopped Loewe at the door. She eyed the room one more time, then relented. "Fine, but I’m checking later. It better be spotless." She turned and went to the kitchen. Hudson quickly opened the door and found Winona lying on the floor with half her body under the bed, seemingly searching for something. "What are you doing?" He hissed. Winona's voice drifted out from beneath the bed. "I’m looking for food. There’s not even a single cookie in here. I’m starving." Hudson could have laughed if he weren’t so exasperated. "Can’t you wait? I’ll make you something after my parents leave. Just stay quiet and don’t move for now. If they find you, we’re in big trouble." "Phew..." Winona crawled out from under the bed, holding a few books. "Hudson, look what I found—your treasures!" She held up the books triumphantly. Hudson’s face turned beet red when he saw the explicit covers. He panickedly lunged to snatch them back, but she dodged gracefully. With a sly smile, reminiscent of her mischievous school days, she started flipping through the covers of the adult magazines, teasing him mercilessly. "Wow, Hudson. I didn’t know you had this kind of hobby. Oh, you’re really into stockings, huh?" Winona arched her brows, her smile brimming with mischief. She leaned closer, slowly flipping through the pages, deliberately shoving the risqué images in his face. Hudson was mortified and growled through gritted teeth. "Give those back! These aren’t for you to look at!" "Hudson," she purred and said in a teasing tone, "Who’s prettier? Me or the women in these books? Now that you have a beautiful girlfriend, you won’t need these materials anymore, will you?" Her words made his face burn. He lunged again, but his foot slipped, sending him sprawling onto the bed on top of Winona. The sudden closeness froze them both. Winona, though adept at teasing, wasn’t prepared for this. Her heart raced, and her breath hitched. She just stared at him without knowing how to react. His deep, penetrating eyes were just inches away, and his heated breath brushed against her neck, causing her to shiver involuntarily. Hudson stared down at her with widened eyes. Holy crap. This only happened in TV dramas, right? He thought to himself, oblivious to the bedroom door that had quietly creaked open behind him. William stood in the doorway, staring silently at the sight of Hudson pinning a beautiful young woman to the bed. He said nothing, his expression darkening by the second. "Hud…" Hudson leaped off Winona like he’d been electrocuted. "Wait! Dad! It’s not what it looks like! Let me explain!" he stammered, his face burning with shame. Winona sat up, her cheeks flushed as she was still dazed from the encounter. William’s expression grew grimmer. "Hud, didn’t I give you enough allowance? Why is there no fruit in the house? William, why are you just standing there?" Loewe walked in and saw the scene upon hearing the commotion. When she saw what William was seeing, she froze, then dropped the bowl she was holding. "Mom! It’s not what you think!" Hudson grabbed Winona’s arm desperately, trying to pull her up. "Say something! Explain!" But Winona lowered her head and said shyly, "He… he made the first move." Hudson was speechless. He glanced at William and Loewe before turning to look at Winona. Defeated, he raised his head toward the ceiling and rubbed his temples. Doomed. … Ten minutes later, Hudson and Winona sat on the couch, flanked by William and Loewe. They looked like they were interrogating criminals. "Hud, explain yourself. Who is this girl? What’s your relationship? Why were you on top of her?" they asked. Hudson was on the verge of tears. "Dad, Mom, this is Winona. She’s my classmate. It was an accident, I swear. Please don’t misunderstand—" At this moment, Winona unleashed her talent for acting after regaining her senses. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Jarrott. My name is Winona Lloyd, and I’m Hudson’s girlfriend." Her words hit the room like a bomb. Hudson’s protests were drowned out as Winona latched onto his arm, leaning against him with a blissful smile. "After Hudson broke up, I worked up the courage to confess to him, and he accepted. Things went out of control earlier on… I’m sorry. It’s my fault…" William and Loewe remained silent and exchanged a look. Hudson broke out in a cold sweat. He knew what they were thinking. They must be thinking that he had learned some bad habits—already dating someone new immediately after a breakup. However, to his surprise, William broke the silence. He spoke in a low, steady voice. "Hud, what’s going on?" Hudson felt like his world was falling apart. He covered his face, wishing he could disappear. He didn’t want William and Loewe to misunderstand, partly because he and Winona might only have one week left together. After a week, there would only be two outcomes. Either Winona would kill him, turning him into an infected person, or she would complete her mission and return to the organization, having nothing more to do with him. Whether or not he would join that organization was still uncertain, and no matter how he looked at it, it wouldn't be possible for them to be together. Hudson said, "Mom, Dad, listen to me, this is really a misunderstanding! Winona is just my classmate, we don’t…" But Winona wouldn’t let this opportunity slip. She immediately put on a pitiful expression, her eyes brimming with tears. "Hudson, how can you say that? Am I really just a classmate for you? You promised to take responsibility for me…" Hudson wondered when had he ever said that? William and Loewe's expressions instantly changed when they heard this. William scolded sharply, "Nonsense!" The sharp rebuke nearly made Hudson fall off the couch. "What exactly did you do to this young lady?" William asked. "Mr. Jarrott! You... you shouldn’t blame Hudson. I... I did it out of my own will last night..." Winona said. Hudson felt like crying. He thought he was incredibly unlucky to get involved with someone like Winona. "Young lady, don’t be afraid." Loewe sat next to Winona gently. "Did Hud bully you?" Winona sniffled quietly but still clung tightly to Hudson’s arm. "Mrs. Jarrott... Hudson didn’t bully me, we willingly slept in the same bed." Good heavens. Hudson’s heart was pounding. That was a clever twist of words. How was he supposed to explain this? He did sleep in the same bed as Winona last night. If she kept going, was she going to mention the handcuffs too? William and Loewe were simple-minded, and they probably wouldn’t accept this kind of thing. So, he lowered his head in resignation and said helplessly, "Don’t worry, Mom, Dad... I’ll take responsibility."