âItâs late at night over here,â Roger told Stella. âWeâre just about to sleep. I wanted to give you a call before going to bed. You just got up, didnât you?â
Stella nodded. She scrutinized the screen and noticed that Roger seemed a lot thinner than when she last saw him âHave you lost some weight?â she asked, brows knitted in concern âHave you been eating well lately?â
âNo,â Roger answered reluctantly, not wishing to worry Stella. âIâm probably still getting used to this new environment. Iâll be fine in a couple of days.â
Stella sighed âYou must take good care of yourself!â she reminded him. âOh, by the way, you do know how to cook, donât you? Try to eat home-cooked meals as much as possible, okay? And even if you donât like the local food, try not to skip mealsâ¦â
âOh,â Roger smiled wryly. âDonât worry about that. Even if I cook for myself, thereâll always be a freeloader who always comes over begging for food.â
âGood!â Stella laughed. She instantly caught on that he was referring to Kiley. âThen make sure that you ant as a good host and take good care of your guest.â
âElla!â Stella heard a voice call out from a distance before she could finish speaking. âRobb has been so lazy lately! I had to beg him again and again before he started cooking for me!â
A moment later, Stella heard the sound of approaching footsteps over the phone, and soon Rileyâs lovable round face suddenly popped up on her screen. âHello, Ella!â
âHello, Riley! Have you settled into the new environment over there?â
âOh, yes! Iâm settled in comfortably!â
âOf course you are!â Roger sneered. âYou do nothing but eat and drink all day. How could you not be comfortable?â Riley unwittingly smiled, a little abashed.
âIâm just not used to the food here, so⦠Besides, Robbâs an incredibly good cook.â âUh-huh, unlike you!
Youâre a girl who canât boil water to save your life! Instead, youâre always ordering out every day like an idiot!â
Roger was only willing to talk so much to Riley when he was admonishing like he was doing now, so she didnât want to argue with him. She just stuck out her tongue cheekily.
Riley thought of how she offered to cook for him yesterday because she wanted to please him but ended up almost burning down the kitchen, and she still felt embarrassed by it.
The sight of Roger and Riley bickering brought Stella a sense of relief.
âIâm glad both of you are taking care of each other,â she said. âAnd Robb, youâre not allowed to bully Riley!â
âHow is it going with you back home, Sis?â
Roger was dying to change the subject. âIâm doing fine,â Stella replied. âShooting is over now. I think the film will be released soon.â
âReally?!â Riley exclaimed with excitement. âI wonder if it will be released internationally. If it is, Iâll definitely be the first to see it!â
The three of them then went on to chat happily for a while before they ended the call.
Stella let out a long, contented sigh. It had been so long since she last felt so at ease. At the very least, she was secure in the knowledge that Rogerâs life was going down the right path.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, something suddenly occurred in Rileyâs mind right after the call ended.
âSayâ¦â she muttered with furrowed brows. âDid you notice that Ella was acting a little weird just now?â
âWeird?â replied Roger impatiently as he put his phone away. âWhat do you mean?â
âI donât know how to describe it exactlyâ¦â Riley stroked her chin and considered it for a while before adding, âIt was as if she was trying to block the background behind her as if she didnât want us to see where she wasâ¦â
âDonât be ridiculous !â Roger retorted. He was sure that Riley was overthinking it. âWhy would she do that? Sheâs at our house!â
âNo!â Riley argued assuredly. âThat definitely wasnât your house!â
She had been to their house. She knew well what kind of furnishings there were at their place.
âI saw a vase behind her just now,â she explained. âIt looked like an extraordinarily expensive antique vase. Iâm sure I didnât see it anywhere at your place back thenâ¦â
âImpossible !â Roger hurriedly denied it. âMaybe sheâs still on set.â
âBut didnât she say that filming was over now?â
Roger fell silent.
After a few seconds, he repeated under his breath,â Impossibleâ¦â