His Contractual Mistress

The following day, at Shen Mansion. Fred woke up early to go to the company. Hilda followed him into the kitchen and had breakfast together in the pool area. 

"I want to visit your son in the afternoon." 

Fred replied, "Okay. Could you wait for me? I will pick you up. Let's go together." 

Hilda was about to stuff her mouth with bacon. She stopped halfway to raise her head and look at Fred. Soon, she blurts out at her husband, "Do you think I'm going crazy and hit that girl?" 

"I never think you would do that. But your mouth that I didn't trust would stay shut off." 

"Fred Shen!" 

"Our son is resting. It will help if you do not bother him so much." 

"And why am I bothering him? I am his mom! Why am I the one who has restrictions here and not that girl!? She's not part of the family!" Hilda snapped.

"That's the point here, Hilda! Your hatred toward Vincent's girlfriend!" 

"And whose mom would only watch his son having an affair? She's a home-wrecker!" 

"Here we go again. I'm tired of explaining my point of view to you!" 

"And it will never help, but you are tolerating your son's behavior!" 

"I am not! But who do you expect to call on to take care of our son? Where is his wife? What home if the couple didn't live together nor have communication! They don't even love each other!" After stating this, Fred hurls a long sigh from the deepest part of his lungs and releases them furiously. "I'm sure your son would not have an affair if he has a dutiful wife!" 

Hilda couldn't counter her husband's argument. It upset her she could not get a hold of Eva to talk to her. 'What a useless woman!' 

She chooses Eva because she is intelligent and becomes successful on her own. But she only married Shen's name but didn't do her duty! 

She could have great use of her! She's pretty. Indeed, she can handle some company affairs. Besides, she can help the Shen Group with her talent in interior design. Eva graduated with flying colors in the US and worked at the most prominent firm in New York. 

However, one year ago. She heard Eva resigned from the company and disappeared. From then on, no one ever could tell them where she was. And it pisses her off. Eva has become a headache! 

Her patience is getting thin. She considers Eva to be her daughter-in-law because she knew the Lan family. But Vincent's girlfriend? 

Who knows if where that girl came from and what her family does for a living. They have already run a background check, but there is no information about her. That more smell fishy to her. 

Who is she? The question keeps echoing on top of her head.

"I'm going to the US to talk with Eva," Hilda declared after her long silence.

Fred, who continues eating, chokes with his food. He stared at Hilda for a long time. Later on, he shook his head and replied, "Whatever makes you happy." 

It disappointed Hilda to see that Fred has no interest in her plan. "You are just happy that I would not be around!" 

"Then don't waste your energy looking for her like how your son just let her be!" 

"Humph!" Hilda made an abrupt stand from her dining chair. She marched the corridor and went back to their bedroom. 

Fred sighs hopelessly. He yelled; even Hilda had already disappeared in the door. "Sometimes, I wished for our son to get his divorce so that this house would be at peace!" 

'Dammit! She has been out of the menopausal period, but she's still acted like one!' 

* 

Meanwhile, Vince is patiently waiting for Hailey to come back since she goes home early morning to change and bring some clothes for him. 

While waiting, Jake visited Vince. 

"Hey, bro! Wow! Look at you! There are no injuries but still handsome!" 

Vince chuckled at Jake's jest. He asked him, "And you wish for my handsome face to disfigure?" 

"Eww! And when you are concerned about your face?" Jake returned the joke. He and Vince threw knuckles at each other.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you having a farewell party for the boys?" asked Vince once Jake settled on a single couch.

"Yeah. But it's no fun without you." Jake softened his gaze like he was about to cry. 

"Dammit, Jake! Stop it! All the hair in my body rose from fright! That's creepy!" 

"TSH! Killjoy as ever!" Jake muttered. And then, he looks at Vince suspiciously. "Anyway, you are the only person I know that had a car accident but even getting handsome when hospitalized." 

"What kind of critic is that?" Vince mouthed. 

"Aha! Your eyes! They are all sparkly! Dude, you're madly in love!" 

Vincent could only laugh at Jake's guess. He could not refute it because it was true. 

"Damn it, man! I want a real wedding to attend!" 

Vincent is about to counter Jake's statement when Carl enters the room and then drops his body on the sofa, next to Vince. Both Vincent and Jake shared a glance, then fixed their attention on him. 

It was Jake who queried. "What happened to the proud Professor Carl? You look so worn out and dark circles around your eyes. It was like, you are the one who needs to be in that bed, bro!" 

"Nah." Carl waves his hand. He shrunk his body to the sofa and stretched his legs. He is tired. "The exams gave me a headache."

"Don't mind him, Jake. The truth is, he's up late to flirt with the night shift nurses here." Vince jest that made Jake burst out laughing. 

Carl frowned at Vincent. "TSH! You, lover boy, were so proud because someone is taking care of you!" 

"It looks like someone wanted to end his single life." Jake cut in. "Bachelor Carl Johnson is getting married!" 

Jake jokes to Carl, causing his jaw to drop on the floor. "No way! I still prefer my single life!" 

"Then why be jealous of Vincent?" Jake couldn't stop teasing him. 

Carl remains silent. He is indeed jealous, but he was only jealous that Vincent met a wonderful girl he could keep by his side. 

"Alright! I visited because I have important news for Vincent!" Jake stopped joking at Carl. He just knew that Carl couldn't still forget his fiancée, and it must still be painful for him. 

"So, what news did you bring for me? No wonder you didn't bring me flowers?" Vincent was in a good mood to joke around. 

Jake was laughing on his stomach while Carl was staring unbelievably at his cousin. He knew Vincent is rare to joke around. But lately, he's smiling a lot. 

'It seems like the reason for that smile is his girlfriend.' Carl thought. 

"So, what important news did you bring for Vincent?" Carl only repeated what Vincent asked earlier. It worries him because he promised to his uncle that he would not mention anything to Vincent that someone attempted to kill him. 

Now he was looking keenly at Jake. He's praying that his news has nothing to do about the accident. "Come on, Jake!" 

"Alright! Why are you interested more than Vincent?" Jake asked Carl when he showed eagerness to hear his report. He glanced at Vincent to ask permission to speak in front of Carl. 

"Go ahead," said Vincent. 

"Okay. Like I promised you at the Class Reunion, I asked my friends to find out Eva's whereabouts..." 

"Eva?" Carl is a little confused, but it relieved him it was not about the accident. 

"Yes. I saw Eva in Florida when I visited my sister. But she wasn't there anymore. I learned she was staying with her friend named Ruth. But when my friends are investigating Ruth's neighborhood, they learn Eva wasn't there any longer, but she left the US." 

"Where did she go?" Vincent and Carl asked at once. 

Jake shifted his gaze at them. He chuckled, then continued. "My friends attempted to hack all the information they could gather about Eva, such as which flight and which destination she was in. However, Homeland Security almost arrested them. Good thing they knew some trick, and they didn't trace them." 

"Tell your friends to stop, Jake. I don't want any of you to go to jail just because of my damn divorce." 

"We tried, bro! But yeah. I love my job in the US." Said Jake in agreement. 

Vincent tried to locate Eva, but she knew a way to hide from him. Maybe he should begin searching for her boyfriend instead. 

He knows the fact that she has a boyfriend, but he has never met him yet.