Chapter 65 Aren’t You Afraid I’ll Call You Out?
“Waiting for a call?”
Zaid frowned, puzzled.
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“What kind of phone call is so important that you couldn’t even make dinner? Are you planning to let me starve?” he muttered as he walked toward Yvonne.
Just as he was about to ask what call she was expecting, his eyes caught sight of the landline phone sitting on the table.
“How are you supposed to get a call? The phone line’s not even plugged in.”
He reached down, ready to reconnect the cord.
But before he could, Yvonne—who had been sitting stiff and silent like a statue–suddenly lunged forward. Like someone losing her mind, she yanked the cord out of his hand and clutched it to her chest, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Startled, Zaid jumped back. “What on earth is wrong with you? Acting all crazy over a phone cord? No one can call if it isn’t plugged in!”
“I wasn’t waiting–I wasn’t waiting for a call!” Yvonne blurted again and again, gripping the cord so tightly it looked ready to snap.
Zaid had never seen her like this before.
Cursing under his breath, he wrestled the cord out of her hands.
No matter how much she scratched and clawed, shrieking loud enough to pierce the air, he ignored her and jammed the cord back into the phone.
“I want to see what you’re so afraid of. Don’t you move. Evelyn, hold your mother back,” Zaid barked.
Evelyn only pretended to step in. She wasn’t about to stop it.
Why waste such a good chance for Zaid to see Yvonne’s hysterics with his own eyes?
The struggle dragged on for a while, neither side giving in.
But when the phone finally connected, it sat there in silence. No ringing.
No call.
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Chapter 65 Aren’t You Afraid I’ll Call You Out?
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Confused, Zaid glanced at the phone while Yvonne, oddly enough, breathed a sigh of relief.
Bit by bit, her reason seemed to return.
“What’s wrong with you? There wasn’t even a call! You’re acting like a lunatic,” Zaid snapped, wiping at his cheek. Blood streaked across his skin from a fresh scratch–her fingernail had cut him.
The sight of blood seemed to snap Yvonne back to herself. Her voice softened, dripping with concern as she leaned toward him. She explained sweetly, “Zaid, please don’t be mad. I was worried that if you or Evelyn picked up, you might get upset. That’s all.”
“What do you mean by that? Explain yourself!” Zaid demanded, even more confused.
Yvonne said, “I don’t even know what happened. Out of nowhere, someone called my phone today, saying a bunch of things about Alice. It all sounded messy, like some kind of scam. I hung up, but then more calls came in. Later, after I turned off my phone, the house phone started ringing too.”
Her mouth could spin any story–enough to bring the dead back to life.
“What kind of people? And what about Alice?” Zaid pressed.
Yvonne shook her head, her face showing confusion and pain. “So many things, I don’t even remember it all. I just don’t want you or Evelyn to be dragged into it. This whole thing happened so long ago. Why dig it up again? It only makes everyone miserable.”
As she spoke, she lifted her head and looked at Zaid. “Don’t you agree, honey?”
For Zaid, it really was miserable.
Because of Alice, he hadn’t been able to hold his head high in front of the neighbors,
Every time he passed by the alley and saw people whispering to each other, he knew they were gossiping about Alice being shameless.
Now, just when the memory had started to fade, it was brought up again, tearing the scab off an old wound.
When she noticed the changes in his expression, Yvonne pressed harder. “I think Jasmine is behind this. She’s probably trying to take it out on us for Seth’s sake. Honey, tomorrow I’ll go settle this with her!”
“That Jasmine—she’s nothing but a loudmouth!” Zaid snapped, but he agreed with Yvonne’s guess. “Go ahead. Settle it fast. Who makes random calls like that? Crazy people!”
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Chapter 65 Aren’t You Afraid I’ll Call You Out?
And just like that, Yvonne managed to push the whole matter aside.
Evelyn, sitting quietly nearby, watched quietly and showed no expression at all.
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She even felt a trace of admiration for Yvonne. No wonder Yvonne had been able to keep Zaid so firmly under her thumb all these years.
She knew every one of his weak spots.
Her way of smoothing him over was impressive.
The reason she shoved the blame onto Jasmine was simple–she knew Zaid would never confront a woman like her.
Zaid was far too proud.
If he got into a shouting match with Jasmine today, she’d probably storm into his workplace tomorrow and scream at the top of her lungs.
Even if everyone knew Zaid was the victim, his pride would still take a hit.
So Yvonne made sure to hand the whole thing neatly over to herself.
They never did end up cooking dinner. Instead, Zaid took Yvonne and Evelyn out for a quick meal, and then the three of them strolled back home.
Just as they reached the entrance of the alley, Yvonne suddenly stopped and said softly, “Honey, you go ahead. Evelyn and I are going to borrow something from the neighbors.”
“What is it you need to borrow? Can’t we just buy it at the supply store?” Zaid asked.
Yvonne’s face tightened. She lowered her voice awkwardly. “It’s … women’s things. And the supply store’s already closed. We don’t have another option. You go on. We’ll be back in a little while.”
Zaid understood enough not to press further.
If it was that kind of thing, he definitely shouldn’t tag along.
“Alright, don’t stay out too late,” he said before turning and heading home.
The moment his back disappeared, the smile slipped from Yvonne’s face. In its place came a cold, harsh look. She fixed her eyes on Evelyn, sharp and unblinking. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
she hissed.
All day she’d been bombarded with phone calls–every one of them about Alice’s
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Chapter 65 Aren’t You Afraid I’ll Call You Out?
disappearance.
People from every corner of the nation claimed they had clues.
Most of it was nonsense, but that wasn’t the point.
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The point was, someone had leaked the fact that she was searching for Alice, turning it into a public spectacle.
That was the only reason the phones wouldn’t stop ringing.
Yvonne had taken the afternoon off, only to sit at home as the phone rang off the hook. Between calls, she thought it over again and again, and in the end, her suspicion landed squarely on Evelyn.
Who else would pull such a stunt to trip her up? Only Evelyn.
But Evelyn’s face was open and innocent, as if she didn’t know what Yvonne was talking about. She even shrugged. “Wasn’t it Jasmine? Why drag me into it?”
“Don’t play dumb with me!” Yvonne snapped, her hand twitching at her side. She wanted nothing more than to slap Evelyn across the face.
But when she met Evelyn’s clear, piercing gaze, her hand froze halfway, hanging uselessly in
the air.
Grinding her teeth, Yvonne spat out her threat. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll find proof—and turn it back on you?“
