James was panicking. He was seriously worried that Amanda's mom might barge into the room to check.
Hiding in the wardrobe didn't feel safe. He thought about other optionsâlike jumping out the window and hanging onto the ledge, or leaping to a corner of the ceiling by the door.
But both options had their risks. He'd either scare the pedestrians outside or give Amanda's mom a heart attack. Neither seemed ideal.
As he wracked his brain for a solution, he suddenly remembered that he still had two uses of his Hypnosis skill left.
Surely Amanda's mom wasn't a 90-point beauty, right?
If he got caught, worst-case scenario, he'd just erase her memory of the incident.
With that thought, James calmed down instantly.
Meanwhile, Amanda was keeping her composure as well.
She opened the door without hesitation and stepped out naturally.
"Mom, there's no need to cook. The fridge is empty. Let's go out to eat," Amanda said casually.
Mrs. Smith, Amanda's mother, craned her neck the moment the door opened, trying to get a good look inside the room.
She didn't see anything suspiciousâno signs of a man's belongings.
Seeing her daughter walk out so confidently, Mrs. Smith started to think maybe she'd been overthinking it.
But then she noticed Amanda's glowing complexion, her rosy cheeks, and the kind of contented smile that didn't match someone who had been slapped in the morning.
Mrs. Smith's suspicions reignited.
"Are you hiding something from me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"What could I possibly be hiding?" Amanda replied with a smile.
Mrs. Smith watched as Amanda casually closed the door behind her. The act only made her more certain that her daughter was up to something.
She grabbed Amanda's hand, dragged her to the kitchen, shut the kitchen door, and lowered her voice.
"Do you have a man in there?"
"Mom, stop imagining things. If I had a man, I'd bring him to meet you," Amanda said, her eyes darting slightly.
That subtle flicker in her gaze confirmed Mrs. Smith's suspicions.
Her daughter was definitely hiding something.
If Amanda didn't dare bring him out in the open, he was probably not someone respectable.
Mrs. Smith's anger flared.
She glared at Amanda and, suppressing her rage, asked,
"Why are you still so foolish? Who is this one now? Another nobody?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Amanda replied helplessly.
Mrs. Smith scolded in a low voice,
"Do you want to repeat the same mistakes? Your dad's reputation is already in shambles. Do you ever think about how he feels? Yet you keep getting involved with these shady men..."
Amanda figured that, with two doors between them, James probably couldn't hear this conversation.
Not wanting to argue, she let her mom vent.
"I raised you, and yet this is what I get? You're almost thirty! Stop chasing after bad men and find someone decent. You're not a little girl anymoreâyou need to think about your future," Mrs. Smith continued.
Amanda finally couldn't hold back and muttered,
"How do you know he's bad?"
Her mom, hearing this, grew even angrier.
"If he's not bad, why is he hiding in your room? A good man wouldn't sneak around like this!"
"Mom, enough. It's my business. Just go home," Amanda said coldly.
Mrs. Smith was furious and felt like washing her hands of the whole situation.
But in the end, she couldn't bring herself to leave her daughter alone. With a sigh, she softened her tone and was about to speak when the sound of the front door opening interrupted her.
"Click."
Followed by "Bang!" as the door shut again.
This was the main entrance to the house, just outside the kitchen.
With the kitchen door closed, Mrs. Smith couldn't see what was happening outside.
She immediately assumed the man hiding in Amanda's room had slipped out.
Her disappointment in Amanda grew.
How could her daughter fall for such an irresponsible man?
But before she could say anything, a man's voice came from the living room.
"Darling, are you home?"
Mrs. Smith froze.
What was going on?
It wasn't someone sneaking outâit was someone coming in?
And why was he calling Amanda "darling"?
Could it be... Amanda had two men?
Turning to her equally surprised daughter, Mrs. Smith urgently whispered,
"Who's that now?"
Amanda recognized James's voice immediately.
She quickly realized what had happened: James hadn't left after all.
Instead, he must have stepped outside, opened and closed the front door to make it sound like he was arriving, and walked back in.
Amanda felt a slight amusement at his cleverness.
Now that he was pretending to come from outside, the whole "caught in the act" situation could be perfectly avoided.
With a calm expression, Amanda said,
"My boyfriend. We just started datingâI hadn't had time to tell you yet."
Mrs. Smith's eyes widened in shock.
"Then who was in your room earlier?"
Amanda smirked and countered,
"What are you talking about? Who was in my room? Mom, you're imagining things."
Now that James had "arrived," Amanda decided to open the kitchen door and formally introduce him.
"Mom, this is James. He's a year younger than me," Amanda said with a smile.
James finally saw Amanda's mother.
She was in her fifties, with smooth skin and a healthy complexion.
Her hair was styled in the popular wavy curls favored by middle-aged women.
Faint wrinkles lined the corners of her eyes and forehead, and her figure had started to lose its shape. Still, her facial features and eyes bore a resemblance to Amanda.
It was clear that age and weight gain had taken a toll on her looks.
Amanda's mother looked like an ordinary middle-aged woman.
Meeting his "future mother-in-law" for the first time, James put on a nervous but polite expression.
"Hello, Auntie, nice to meet you. I'm James, Amanda's boyfriend," he said, nodding respectfully.
Mrs. Smith scanned James from head to toe, her gaze lingering on his shoes.
He was wearing polished black leather shoes, the kind that made it seem like he'd just stepped in from outside.
Her suspicions began to waver.
Smiling warmly, she said,
"Hello, hello, James. Come in and have a seat. Make yourself at home."
James flashed an awkward smile, took off his shoes, and walked inside.
Amanda followed, speaking just loud enough for her mom to hear,
"Darling, I'm sorry. My mom came over unexpectedly, and I didn't have time to tell you."
"No problem at all. I should've visited her sooner," James said with a grin as he sat on the sofa.
While in the wardrobe earlier, James had overheard Amanda's mom scolding her.
Hearing Amanda being criticized like that had made him angry.
If he didn't step up now and support Amanda, how could she hold her head high in front of her family?
"Smart move, huh?" James whispered to Amanda, raising his eyebrows playfully while her mom wasn't looking.
"Very clever," Amanda replied with a sparkle in her eyes. "But where did you get the shoes?"
"That's a secret," James said smugly.
Meanwhile, outside the building, a tall man sat on the stairs wearing only socksâbright red, as it was his zodiac year.
He was debating whether to wait for James to return his shoes or to go out and buy a new pair.
It wasn't about the money; finding size 46 shoes wasn't easy.
And if he went home wearing different shoes, he'd probably get into a fight with his wife.
And everyone knew... he wasn't great at arguing.