Chapter 216 - Affording Her
Eddy glanced at the receipts.
Holly’s purchases were varied, with prices ranging from cheap trinkets costing just a few bucks to luxury items worth millions.
After a moment, Eddy took out a card from his wallet.
Holly raised an eyebrow: "What, are you going to give me the old 'take it, spend as you like' line?"
Eddy laughed at her jest.
"No, it's more of a 'budget wisely,'" he advised.
Holly scoffed, playing up the gold-digger act.
"Cheapskate."
"It's not a black card; how much money can it even hold?"
"You've seen how Myron Curtis spoils Luann Weaver, giving her that exclusive black card."
"And here you are, his friend, fobbing me off with this?"
There's an old saying that a boyfriend never wants to hear his girlfriend compare him to other men.
Holly imagined she was stepping on the toes of most men with her quip.
Eddy lightly touched his nose and said with equanimity, "Then I'll make an effort to deposit money into this card every day. If you run out, just let me know."
Holly Weiss remained silent. That tactic seemed ineffective against a man so brashly affluent.
Maybe to them, those millions were just pocket change, nothing more than a number.
"You hungry? I'll go get you something to eat."
Hearing Eddy's words, Holly Weiss's eyes lit up, sensing another opportunity.
"I could actually go for a turkey sandwich right about now."
"Alright, I'll grab one for you."
Holly Weiss tugged at Eddy's hand, her sweet smile laced with a hint of slyness.
"Hold on. I haven't told you from where yet."
"I'll send you the address. Their sandwiches are my favorite."
Eddy quickly received the location but realized it was roughly twelve miles away.
He got the picture.
She was deliberately playing him.
Unfazed, Eddy inquired, "Anything else you want besides the sandwich?"
Holly Weiss continued her capricious demands: "I'd like a coffee, too. It's not a chain, so it's the only spot."
"Oh, and could you grab a salad for me as well?" Holly added.
“I’ll want a dessert after dinner—black forest cake,” she continued.
“And don’t forget fruit.”
Holly Weiss rambled on as Eddy meticulously noted everything in his reminders.
Eddy looked up, a hint of amusement playing on his lips, "Anything else?" he inquired.
"Nothing more," Holly Weiss huffed.
"You sure can eat," Eddy quipped, sliding his phone into his pocket. "Stay put. I’ll be back soon."
"Okay," Holly Weiss replied obediently, though she knew very well that just getting to these places and back would take at least two hours, not to mention the time spent in line.
As Eddy headed downstairs, and the moment he opened the door, a deluge of items cascaded in, threatening to overwhelm him.
Had he not dodged swiftly, he might have been flattened by the shopping bags.
"Why did you buy so much?" he asked, slightly taken aback by the sheer volume of items.
Luckily, he could afford it.
Stepping over the chaos, Eddy made a mental note planning to handle it all after his errand.
With Eddy gone, Holly Weiss lay back on the bed with a smug grin and started gaming.
As time ticked on, her hunger intensified.
"Where's Eddy? Why isn't he back yet?" she muttered under her breath, realizing that barely an hour had passed.
"Waiting on him seems futile. I might as well order delivery."
After placing her delivery order, Holly Weiss resumed her gaming, the hours slipping by unnoticed.
Suddenly, the food delivery status changed to "delivered."
At first, Holly Weiss didn't give it much thought, assuming the delivery guy had simply hit the 'delivered' button prematurely since he must be nearby.
But her meal didn't show up after a long wait, prompting her to call the delivery guy.
"Hello, where's my food?" she demanded, her patience wearing thin.
"Huh?" came confused reply on the other end of the line.
"I didn't get it."
"When I reached your doorstep, there was someone standing there. Plus, I double-checked the phone number and name; they all matched."
Holly Weiss was puzzled.
She hurried out of bed but nearly fell due to weakness.
Descending the stairs, Holly observed the mess at the entrance and had to muster strength to step over it.
She opened the door.
There, on the porch steps, sat a person eating the meal she had just ordered.
At the sound of the door, the person turned around.
It was the man in black from the lounge last night.
A chicken leg dropped from the man's hand into a plastic bowl.
He quickly wiped the grease from his lips and stood up.
Taken aback and confused, Holly Weiss stared at him.
"Miss Holly!" the man hastily said.
"Care to explain?" she demanded, eyeing the food in his hand, her mouth-watering involuntarily.
"Eddy said he was getting you food. To honor his intentions, you can't eat anything else."
It dawned on Holly—Eddy had done this on purpose!
"He takes an age to get his own stuff and won’t let me order from someone else? What, does he want me to starve?" she fumed, anger tinged Holly's tone.
The man innocently replied, "But you provided the shop’s address, not Eddy intentionally bothering you."
Holly went silent, seething with anger.
She went back to her room, sulking, and lay in bed, deciding to conserve her energy.
As she drifted toward sleep, Eddy finally returned.
He set up a small table over the bed and laid out all sorts of food.
Holly Weiss faced him stoically.
Eddy offered a slight smile. "Eat up."
She looked disdainfully at the spread, her anger simmering beneath the surface.
After a series of complaints and rebukes, Holly felt she had never been so spiteful.
But maybe this was the way to make Eddy dislike her.
Eddy, however, remained undisturbed.
"Don't want to eat?"
"No!"
Eddy didn't show the slightest hint of annoyance as he naturally grabbed a fork. "Can't let good food go to waste. I haven't eaten yet, so I might as well do the honors."
With that, he started eating.
Holly's stomach betrayed her with a growl, her hunger overpowering her anger.
She watched helplessly as Eddy devoured a large sandwich, her own appetite teased by the tantalizing aroma.
"Is it good?"
He savored the meal yet shook his head. "Not good at all. You shouldn't bother. I’ll cook some spaghetti for you later."
Holly Weiss snapped, "Is this how you treat all your patients?"
Eddy looked at her with a half-smirk, "Didn't you start this whole mess?"
Holly was at a loss for words, her anger deflated by Eddy’s calm demeanour.
