Chapter 75

I tilted my head and smiled sweetly. "An old friend? How do I know your old friend, Mrs. Anderson?" "My old friend's Luisa. I haven't seen her for a long time. I miss her very much." Those were touching words, but I didn't see any emotion on Jessica's face. I knew Granny Luisa. Granny Luisa often called Anderson in her nightmares.  After a deep breath, I said timidly, "I don't know her." "Well, it doesn't matter. I appreciate your embroidery. Do you want to work in my studio?" Speaking, she pushed a business card to me. "If that's all, see you then." I didn't take the business card. I took Mr. Carroll's hand and left.  Downstairs, I looked back at upstairs with lingering fear. Carroll took off his cap and asked, "Are you afraid of her?" I nodded, "She must be up to something bad behind her search for Granny Luisa." Carroll pulled me to a bench by the roadside. The wind ruffled his hair. His eyes and brows above the mask were beautiful. "Do you mean the mad woman next door taught you how to embroider?" "That's right. Those patterns of the works in the exhibition are in her sketchbook." I looked at Carroll firmly.  Staring at my face, Carroll pondered for a moment. "Jessica said that the technique was her exclusive skill. What does that mean?" "One of them lied," I said with a bitter smile. A woman, who had been a lunatic for more than ten years, didn't bother to lie. Therefore, it must be Jessica who lied.  I tried to protect Granny Luisa by denying my acquaintance with her in front of Jessica.  How could an old lunatic in Phoenix Village fight against a famous master of embroidery? Carroll noticed Jason waving at him across the road. Stroking my hair, he said, "Take a stroll, and the bodyguards will go with you. I have something at hand." "Okay." I stayed at home for a long time. Now, I wanted to take a walk along the riverside.  The riverside in the evening was bustling. Without the coldness, the summer dusk was attractive.  I walked slowly and stopped for the interesting gadgets in the stalls from time to time. I wished my life would be peaceful like this forever.  "Kelly!" There came a call from behind. I looked in the direction of the call, and it was my brother, Opal. He was barbecuing in a transparent tent by the river with a group of men about his age. The meat smelled so good. I sniffed hard. With a sweet smile, I approached Opal and said, "Opal." "F*ck, Opal, when did you have such a lovely girl?" A strong man saw me, and his eyes instantly lit up. I let out an awkward laugh and then sat beside Opal. Compared to Odette, who always wore high heels, I did look lovely. Opal gave me a clean plate and a fork. "She is my little sister who just came home not long ago. Her name is Kelly. Kelly, these are my friends. His name is Jacques Edgar. He looks intimidating but is gentle." "Jacques, nice to meet you." I greeted Jacques, and he instantly grinned from ear to ear. "What a good girl! You said that she was a bumpkin. I don't think so. She is so cute. Well, you have two sisters. Why don't you give this one to me?" "Jacques, don't you have a sister?" In my impression, people in Costsley loved to have a large family.  Therefore, everyone had many siblings. For example, the Brown family, the Rodríguez family, and the Smith family. In short, each family was noisy because of the children.  Opal said with a smile, "He has a group of little brothers. He dreams to have a sister." Opposite Opal, Jacques nodded like mad. This man was interesting.  I couldn't help but laugh. "Fine. Jacques will be my brother as well." "Okay, come, baby girl, take a photo with me!" Jacques moved his chair close to mine and then pressed the shutter. After one glance at the photo, I pouted with dissatisfaction. "Jacques, don't you have a beauty camera?" "What is that?" Jacques scratched his head with confusion on his face. "Well..." I took my mobile phone out of my bag and showed him the application. "This is it." "He lives in the military. How would he know what the girls like? Jacques, you shouldn't have a sister. You don't know how to take care of her!" After a cold snort, Opal began to send meat to my plate. Opal seemed to be good to me. At least he remembered that I liked meat. Jacques, however, was stimulated. He took my phone and began to download the app. He muttered, "Why can't I have a sister since you do?" "You're a straight man. You don't know how to handle a blind date, so forget a sister." A slightly thin man teased Jacques. "Opal, I, on a date yesterday, ran into him on a blind date. He and his date were having a buffet lunch. That girl looked helpless and embarrassed." "Why?" I asked curiously. "Because he ate more than 20 plates of beef alone. That pile of plates was high. I felt sorry for that girl because she still wanted to date him in that case." Hearing this, the people sitting at the table roared with laughter. I burst into laughter as well. Right then, Jacques handed the phone back to me. He pursed his lips with disdain. "She wants my money and military rank. Not a good woman. My little sister is better than her." Then, he put his hand on my shoulder. "Sister, tell me, what do you want? I'll buy them for you." "Fu*k off!" Opal patted Jacques's hand away. "I know what is in your mind. Kelly is beautiful, so you want her to gild you at a gathering. We, the Smith family, can afford what she wants." Then, the group of men chatted, teased, and laughed together.  As for me, I sat by the table and enjoyed the food. I liked this gathering.  Finally, the gathering was over. After seeing off his friends, Opal led me to his roadster. "Let's go home." "I'll take that one!" I pointed to the black Maybach across the road. That's Carroll's car! Opal instantly pulled a long face. "Aren't you going home with me?"