Casper frowned. He gazed at Felix, then said deliberately, âFelix, have you ever met this girl that Remy is pursuing?â
âIâve seen her only once, but from afar. Remy was pointing her out to me and bragging that he would surely win her heart,â Felix replied.
Casper nodded resignedly. âI guess our questions will have to wait until Remy gets back from class.â
When Remy burst excitedly into the room, he was greeted by the sight of Casper and Felixâs expectant faces as they sat on chairs facing the door.
Remyâs eyes darted nervously from Casper to Felix. âHey⦠Casper, Felix, what are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?â
Despite his momentary apprehension, however, Remy was evidently in high spirits. When Casper and Felix did not reply, he hummed under his breath and turned to the mirror beside the door, fixing his hair.
Felix blinked, then whispered in a low voice, âDid you see that? Remyâs paying attention to his looks now! That girl has truly bewitched him.â
Casper sat staring ahead stonily. He had planned to speak but was reluctant to dampen Remyâs good mood.
Remy disappeared into his room to change, then raced out to present himself to his friends. âHow does this look? Do I look good in these clothes?â He demanded feverishly.
Evading the question altogether, Casper inquired, âRemy, are you planning to go out on a date?â
âThatâs right! Iâm taking my goddess out on a date today!â Remy exclaimed.
Casper looked at Remy gravely, then said in with a tone of disappointment, âHey, when did you get yourself a goddess? Why didnât you introduce her to us? I didnât take you to be the sort that would forsake your friends once you found a girlfriend!â
Remy had always been an ardent supporter of friendship. When he saw the look of displeasure on Casperâs face, Remy hastily supplemented, âSheâs not my girlfriend yet! When we get into a relationship, the three of you will be the first people I introduce her to.â
Tentatively, Casper probed, âFelix said her name wasâ¦â
Without waiting for Casper to venture a guess, Remy broke in delightedly. âHer nameâs Jessica. She doesnât look too docile, but sheâs a very kind girl at heart. When someone mugged me, she was the one who stepped forward and defended me. Donât listen to any rumors you might have heard about her. Once you get to know her, youâll realize what an amazing person she is!â He gushed.
Remyâs eyes were radiant with adoration and longing.
Casper did not have the heart to crush his fantasy there and then. He thus merely nodded unwillingly.
Remy, however, was too absorbed in his excitement to notice Casperâs adverse reaction. He yelled a quick farewell to Casper and Felix, then practically skipped out of the door.
Felix waited for the door of the room to slam shut before he turned to Casper inquisitively. âWhatâs up?
Why are you so interested in Remyâs goddess?â
Casper looked grave. âFelix, Iâm not sure how to put this, but I think Jessica is using Remy to get close to me.â
âJessica wants to get close to you? Does she like you?â Felix shouted in astonishment. He had not expected Casper to stoop to engaging in a romantic rivalry with his own friend.
Casper shook his head in frustration. âSheâs trying to get revenge on me. She only got close to Remy last Tuesday, one day after I humiliated her. Sheâs a vicious creature, and I canât help but worry about what sheâll do to Remy. Once, I saw her slap someone who had only spilled a few drops of water on her.â
âIf thatâs the case, we have to tell Remy the truth,â Felix said urgently, pacing the room. âLook at how infatuated he is with Jessica! Heâll be devastated. We should tell him as quickly as we can.â
Casper, however, looked ambivalent. âThat might not work. You saw what an aggressive stance Remy took with regards to rumors about Jessica. Heâs made up his mind to side her no matter what.
Furthermore, we canât be sure if that incident with Remy was Jessicaâs scheme.â
âWhat should we do, then? We canât stand by idly and watch Jessica turn Remy against us,â Felix commented worriedly.
Casper assented. âWe can wait another two days and meet her then. Weâll only know what sheâs up to once we get to see her. Even though Remyâs not the smartest fellow around, heâs still very loyal at heart. If Jessica is indeed trying to get revenge on me, weâll tear off her mask right in front of Remy!â
Casper vowed to himself that he would not allow Jessica to deceive any of his friends.
On his end, Remy had already arrived at the diner. He straightened his jacket a final time, then took a deep breath and entered.
Jessica had coiled up her hair in a beautiful braid that she then wreathed around her head. She sat reclining against a sofa, waiting for Remy. He approached her eagerly, beaming from ear to ear.
Remy took a seat opposite Jessica, then said bashfully, âWhy did you come so early?â
Jessica sat up, flipping open the menu. As she browsed it, she replied leisurely, âI just arrived as well.
You arenât late.â
Remy was relieved. He had taken great pains to arrive early, knowing full well that Jessicaâs pet peeve was the lack of punctuality. If he had been late, Jessica would not be seated in the chair facing him.
âWhat would you like to have? Itâll be my treat,â Remy said affectionately.
Jessica looked at the menu disdainfully. None of the food listed on it appealed to her.
âOrder anything you like,â She answered curtly.
Remy, however, was undeterred by her brief replies. After placing his order, he gazed reverently at Jessicaâs beautiful face.
Jessica, however, was absorbed with her phone. Without even raising her head to glance at Remy, she remarked, âI heard that you have a rather shabby roommate⦠Casper, was it? He donated a million recently. Does he indeed have that much money? How was he able to donate such a hefty sum?â
Having uttered her last statement, Jessica looked up. Her sparkling, doe-like eyes instantly floored Remy and rendered him speechless.
He patted his chest and cleared his throat before replying, âThatâs right, Casperâs my good friend.
Thatâs not all the money he has. Heâs also the owner of a restaurant! Have you heard of Tycoon?â
Jessicaâs gaze was unfathomable. âTycoon?â She queried.
âYep, Tycoon was Casperâs. Itâs meant to be a secret, though, so donât tell anyone,â Remy said confidingly, pleased at the thought of being able to endow Jessica with something.
Jessica flashed a forced smile at Remy as thoughts raced through her head. It looks like thereâll have to be a change of plans, She thought to herself.
Aloud, she said, âOf course. I wonât say a word to anyone else.â
Remy laughed. Flirtatiously, he replied, âI trust you!â
Jessica, however, was doggedly pursuing any information she could lay her hands on. âIf Casper was rich enough to open Tycoon, why is he still always dressed so shabbily?â Jessica continued. She wondered if it was merely an eccentricity on Casperâs part. âBesides, who is he? Does he belong to a rich and influential family? Iâve never heard of him before.â