Chapter 244: Chapter 244: Plots Around the City (Part 2)
Back home, Don was completely unaware of the plots being made against him. He had just finished dressing up, while Sylvia, who was seated on the edge of the bed again, was buttoning up her shirt.
She had a smile on her face, thinking,
'I can't believe I just did that.'
Her heart was still beating faster than usual.
She looked up from her shirt to glance over at Don, who had his back turned to her as he fiddled with his pants. Just as he finished, his ears twitched ever so slightly as he picked up the sound of a rumbling engine.
Don immediately recognized the sound as that of Amanda's pickup truck. 'Looks like they're back,' he thought before turning to face Sylvia and asking, "All done?"
She nodded and was about to answer when suddenly the door swung open, and Summer's figure appeared. She was clearly fresh out of the bath, still wrapped in a towel, with her wet hair and glistening skin reflecting the dim light in Don's room.
Sylvia nearly jumped up from the bed at the sudden entrance, while Don, who had heard footsteps approaching, didn't really react—only turning to face her.
Summer had a frown on her face, looking at Don with narrowed eyes before shifting her gaze to Sylvia, then back to Don. She did this a few times, eventually letting her gaze linger around the room as if searching for something.
Before Don could question her, she asked in a suspicious tone, "What are you two doing in here?"
Don hesitated to answer, not wanting his response to vary from Sylvia's. He didn't know if she'd want to tell Summer about what had just happened, but considering the fitting room incident with Summer present, Don felt it was entirely possible that Sylvia wouldn't mind—maybe she'd even look forward to telling her.
To get out of this predicament, he chose to answer with humor.
"Sylvia here was just telling me about all the guys who refused to go out with you because you're so nosy," he said, adding, "Ever heard of knocking?"
Summer furrowed her brows even more, crossing her arms as she snapped back angrily, "Shut up! I'm here for Sylvia, not you."
"Ouch, my feelings," Don muttered in a bland tone, highlighting his lack of care, which only seemed to irritate Summer further. But she resisted the urge to curse at him.
Sylvia laughed cheerfully at the two bickering but decided to step in. She stood up from Don's bed and walked over to Summer, explaining, "Don't worry, we were just making conversation."
Summer reacted by keeping her gaze on Don, still suspicious. Don just shrugged his shoulders and asked, "Why are you looking at me like I did something wrong?"
Summer huffed before turning on her heel to make her exit. "Come on, Sylvia, let's go. It smells like sweat in here anyway."
Summer stormed out of the room before Don could say anything else, while Sylvia followed with steady steps, swaying her hips a little as she made her exit.
Just as she was closing the door, she gave Don a cute wave and winked at him. "See you later big guy," she whispered with a grin.
With a subtle click, the door closed, and he was once again alone in his room. Don heaved a sigh and shook his head slightly, thinking,
'I really better tread carefully with her, but that's a worry for another day.' Your adventure continues at m-v-l-e-mpyr
Choosing not to dwell on it, Don exited his room as well, deciding it would be good to check on Amanda and Winter.
He quickly made his way down the stairs and caught sight of Amanda and Winter just as they were entering the house, both carrying plastic bags filled with fresh vegetables.
As Amanda was about to turn into the kitchen, she caught sight of Don and paused, giving him a big, wide smile.
"There's the man of the hour! Did you know they're talking about you on pretty much every radio station?" she said. "Why didn't you tell your sweet ol' aunt you were having your evaluation today? I would've driven so fast back home just to grab my old cheerleading uniform to cheer you on!" Amanda joked as Don finished descending the steps and began walking over to her.
"Well," Don started as he extended his hand to take the bags Amanda was holding. She handed them over to him, and he walked into the kitchen first, continuing, "I also didn't know my evaluation would be today, to be honest. But if I had, there's no way I'd turn down seeing you in a cheerleading outfit, yelling my name."
Amanda laughed cheerfully at Don's playful response as he set the plastic bags on the counter. She approached to begin unpacking, while Winter followed, placing her bags on a separate counter and silently unpacking as well.
As Amanda began to unpack, she started to reminisce. "Remember how much you used to love it as a kid? One time, you even cried for me to wear it for you. My thighs and waist have grown a little since then, though, so I don't even know if it would fit me anymore."
She sighed and shook her head. "Man, how time flies…"
"There's only one way to find out. Next time I come to the farm, fashion show time—you can show me if you've still got the moves," Don teased. "After all, I can't risk getting embarrassed on national television now, can I?"
"Embarrassed?" Amanda asked in an exaggerated tone of shock. "I'll have you know my hips don't lie." She smirked, placing a hand on her hip.
Don didn't argue, only saying, "I'll believe it when I see it," which made Amanda crack a smile and shake her head helplessly. "You cheeky young man."
Don continued to chat playfully with Amanda as she packed up the various veggies she'd brought from the farm. She filled him in on the details of her and Winter's day there, as well as the progress made with the repairs.
Winter was the first to finish unpacking, and she turned to face Don.
"Do you have any other tasks you wish for me to perform?" she asked.
Don tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment before answering, "Why not start prepping dinner? I'm sure Mom would appreciate finding food ready when she gets home."
He immediately got Amanda's support on this, as she nodded eagerly, adding in an excited tone, "Yes, that's perfect! We could cook up a really nice dinner to celebrate your performance today!"
Winter also expressed her support. "That is indeed a very appropriate way to celebrate such an achievement. Statistics show that family dinners have—"
Before Winter could finish, Amanda waved her hand to stop her. "No need to go into details there, Winter. Just grab an apron, and we'll get to work."
"Affirmative," Winter acknowledged, moving to retrieve aprons. As she did, Amanda turned her gaze back to Don with a sigh.
"If androids like Winter ever become mainstream, I'm definitely looking into getting one for my farm," she said. "Anyway, honey, why don't you go and rest up? You must be feeling tired after all that. We'll call you down once the food is ready."
Don didn't argue, even stretching his limbs a little as he said, "Yeah, I am feeling a bit sore." He then turned and headed back upstairs to his room.
Upon returning, Don's immediate thought was to call Elle, which he proceeded to do by taking out his phone, putting in one of his earbuds, and walking over to his bed to lie down.