Chapter 282: Jealousy Drives People Crazy
When they first went in, Amina was still very self-conscious and awkward. But Zeke Walton, with his background as a fashion designer, had an incredibly sharp eye. He picked out a dress and shoes that suited her, and after she changed, her confidence soared.
’So beautiful.’
Amina had never known her waist was so thin or her legs so long. The dresses female celebrities wore on TV made them look like fairies, and now, wearing one herself, she felt like a fairy too.
It’s true what they say—women are born with a love for beauty.
Seeing her entranced expression, Zeke Walton, both amused and exasperated, paid the bill. Then he took her to the spa upstairs.
"We have plenty of time," he said. "They have fruit and snacks here. Let’s eat while we get our spa treatments."
’It must be nice to be rich,’ she thought. ’Wealthy people live such comfortable lives.’
Looking at her exquisite surroundings, Amina felt even more motivated to work hard and earn money.
She would buy a house in Veridia and settle down. Then, she could take her grandmother out every day to experience new things.
Zeke could tell she was especially self-conscious about her hands, so he had someone apply a thick hand mask for her.
He watched attentively from the side, learning the process. He decided he would help Amina with her hand care every day back home, until she was happy with them.
Amina was so exhausted that the moment she felt comfortable and relaxed, she drifted off to sleep.
She awoke to bright lights; it was already dark outside.
Zeke Walton had already booked a restaurant and brought the car around.
With her hair styled and light makeup on, Amina entered the restaurant on his arm. She was so beautiful and radiant that no one would have ever guessed she was a country girl from the mountains.
Zeke Walton gazed at the transformed beauty across from him as if admiring his own masterpiece. The more he looked, the more pleased he felt.
It was Amina’s first time in a Western restaurant, and she was curious about everything.
Whatever she asked, Zeke Walton patiently explained.
They chatted as they ate, occasionally leaning their heads together and bursting into hushed laughter. They had a wonderfully happy meal.
It wasn’t long before evidence of their happy meal found its way to Simone Vaughn’s phone.
As it happened, one of Simone Vaughn’s best friends and her boyfriend were seated diagonally behind Zeke Walton. They had a crystal-clear view of him charming Amina throughout the entire meal.
"Simone, look at this! I’m so furious I could die! That bastard acts so cold and aloof in front of us. He even told people he was gay just so we wouldn’t get close to him, and now look at him!"
"You didn’t see it, but he just knelt down to tie that woman’s shoelace! Now he’s even cutting her steak for her! God, I’m going to lose my mind. It’s so unfair to you!"
"Simone, do you know this woman? I’ve never seen her before. Don’t tell me she just got back from overseas. She looks like she could be part-foreign. So that’s the type that bastard is into! Such a xenophile!"
Simone Vaughn had been moping ever since her argument with Zeke Walton that morning.
Her father had run off to who-knows-where, her mother was playing mahjong, and her brother and sister-in-law were away on vacation. She was in her room, bored out of her mind and feeling emo, when she saw the video her best friend had fired off to her.
If this morning had felt like a thousand daggers to the heart, then this was like desecrating the corpse.
Zeke Walton was truly tormenting her.
Seeing Zeke Walton in the video, smiling so radiantly at another woman, his movements so gentle... The two of them looked like a perfect couple, so in tune with each other. In a fit of pure rage, she actually fainted.
After a very pleasant evening, Amina had to get up for work again the next day.
Zeke Walton knew he couldn’t talk her out of it. Besides, he was bored at home with nothing to do, so he decided to accompany her on her food deliveries again.
He truly loved being with Amina. It felt so peaceful and relaxing, and being with her always made him feel like he was back in his carefree school days.
The two bought steamed buns and soy milk. Taking turns riding the scooter, they ate their breakfast, and then it was time for Amina to start her studies.
Zeke Walton had gotten good grades in school, so this was a perfect chance to show off for Amina. He eagerly started quizzing her. The two of them chattered away, having the time of their lives.
Meanwhile, after a full night’s sleep, Simone Vaughn had recovered her fighting spirit. First thing in the morning, she had someone investigate the identity of the woman in the video. The search turned up nothing, but then she saw someone post a photo of Zeke Walton in a group chat.
"Isn’t that Young Mr. Walton? It’s the New Year holiday, why isn’t he out having fun or at home with his parents? Why is he delivering food again? Is he trying to supplement his family’s income, or does he just really love this line of work?"
"He’s probably just doing it for the experience. Look, he’s with someone. Seems like he’s helping her with her deliveries. You think he’s scouting another potential business venture?"
"He’s got good taste, picking a female delivery driver to ’partner’ with. Heh, gotta admit, she’s actually pretty good-looking."
"Her figure looks pretty good too, doesn’t it? She can make that ugly uniform look like *that*... Hey, you! Hurry up and catch them, get a clearer picture! I feel like she looks a little familiar."
"You think every pretty girl looks familiar!"
"No, I’m serious! Zoom in and look closely. Don’t you think she looks a bit mixed-race? She looks just like that model who was really popular a while ago."
Simone Vaughn scrolled through the chat log, reading everyone’s teasing. She was managing to control her temper, until she saw the term "mixed-race."
Damn it!
’Isn’t that the same woman who was having dinner with Zeke Walton yesterday?’
’For them to be out delivering food together like this... have they really gotten together? Are they playing happy couple while they scout out new business ventures?’
One can tolerate their own failure, but the success of an enemy is infuriating. Simone Vaughn was so angry she wanted to smash her phone, but then, she had an idea...
Delivery drivers get busier as mealtimes approach. As lunch hour drew near, Amina accepted an order going to a high-end residential complex.
These kinds of communities had extremely strict security and usually didn’t allow delivery drivers to ride their scooters inside. She was used to it, so she told Zeke Walton to go eat first and she would meet up with him after the delivery.
At first, Zeke Walton refused, but Amina insisted.
"You go eat first. If another order comes in later, you can deliver it while I eat. That way, we save time and don’t miss out on earning money. Why wouldn’t that work?"
Swayed by her entrepreneurial spirit, Zeke Walton could only agree.
"All right, be quick then. I’ll order for you, so it’ll be ready to eat the moment you get back."
Zeke Walton headed to a restaurant, and Amina went on alone. She spent several minutes walking through the residential complex before finally finding her destination.
She rang the doorbell. "Hello, your food delivery is here."
The door swung open. Simone Vaughn and three of her friends stood there, all with their arms crossed, staring at her. Amina jumped, startled.
"Hello, excuse me, who ordered the food delivery?"
’So it really is the woman from the video,’ Simone thought. ’But she’s not nearly as great as everyone was making her out to be.’
’Mixed-race? She’s clearly just a hick!’
’Maybe it was just a psychological effect from disliking her so much, but her accent sounded grating, too.’
Simone Vaughn took the food and, in the same motion, grabbed Amina’s hand.
"I ordered it," she said sweetly. "Thank you so much. It must have been a lot of work."
The woman was fair-skinned and glamorous, lived in such a nice house, and was obviously a rich socialite. For someone like that to be so polite, Amina was pleasantly surprised.
Looking down at their clasped hands, Amina gave a heartfelt smile.
"You’re welcome, it’s my pleasure. Enjoy your meal!"
With that, Amina tried to pull her hand back to leave, but Simone Vaughn kept her grip firm.
"Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. I have something I need you to deliver for me. Come inside."