Rachel came by with some snacks and invited, “We brought some snacks. Would you like to join us?”
Nora folded her arms defensively and rebuffed her. “No thanks. We brought snacks as well. We don’t need yours.”
Oh, my! How childish can she get?
Anthony walked over and took a glance around. When he saw all the tents were up, he proposed, “Let’s have supper together. If we are lucky, we may get to see shooting stars tonight.”
“Oh yes! We have a good view of the starry sky here,” Laurel concurred. “We can stargaze while we eat. We brought our grills, so let’s enjoy a barbeque under the stars! That would be so wonderful!”
“Set! Let’s get moving.” Nora was all for it.
In the end, the barbeque planned for the next day was brought forward and everyone started chipping in with the preparation. The guys began to set up the grills while the ladies started preparing the food.
Nora brought over a bag of vegetables and potatoes. We started cutting and skewering them.
Suddenly, Nora leaned closed and asked, “Sienna, what do you think is the difference between a vixen and a siren?” She had a shifty look in her eyes.
I shook my head, clueless. “I am not sure. Seems to be the same to me.”
She sniggered and explained, “Not the same. They are all bitches in disguise, but a vixen is seductive, feisty, and out to get you.”
“What would a siren be then?”
She deliberated for a moment, then declared, “A siren is alluring. Before you can suspect anything, you have already fallen into her trap.”
“So, is there a difference between the two? Sound like they are both flirts, right?” Her attempt to explain confused me further.
She paused to reorganize her thoughts and then pointed in Rachel’s direction. “Try analyzing based on my earlier definition. What do you think Rachel is, a vixen or a siren?”
I was lost. All I saw was Rachel squatting next to Anthony, and they were helping to start the fire. Nothing seemed to be out of place.
“If I really have to match her to one, then vixen?” I hesitantly made a wild guess.
“Tsk. Now look over to Tessa and observe. What is she?”
Tessa was sorting out the ingredients, a short distance from Anthony. Her sight was fixed on Anthony and Rachel.
Watching Tessa made me realized she seemed to have been staying away from me the whole evening.
Usually, she would be hovering around me, directing sarcastic remarks at me. This evening, she was hanging around Anthony and Rachel. If Tessa’s looks could kill, Rachel would have been dead many times over by now.
I reckoned she has redirected her anger to Rachel.
“Honestly, I can’t differentiate. Based on your explanation, a siren and a vixen are the same.” I gave up trying to figure out her little puzzle.
Nora wagged her finger and shook her head at the same time to emphasize her point. “You have to be more observant and discerning. Look at Rachel. She has not left Anthony’s side since we arrived. No matter what Anthony does, she will be near him and pretending to help those around them. Next, watch her interaction with Tabitha and Laurel. They barely know one another, but Rachel is already acting pally with them, even feeding them fruit.”
“Now look, she is walking over to Tabitha’s fiancé with a plate of fruit,” Nora proudly pointed out.
“Are you reading too much into it? Everyone’s busy, so she brought them the fruit out of goodwill. Looks normal to me.” I honestly could not figure out what Rachel had done wrong.
“Are you dumb? There is nothing wrong with offering fruit. The problem lies with the timing! Why did she choose to bring the fruit to Tabitha’s fiancé at this exact moment? She could have brought it to them earlier,” she scoffed.
I was dumbstruck. “Are there such unspoken rules?”
She pouted before going on, “Tabitha and her fiancé were chatting and having a sweet couple time moments earlier. Tell me, what is her fiancé doing now?”
I turned to look. “He is cleaning the fishes.” I could not figure out what she was getting at.
She squinted her eyes and asked, “Would that be dirty and smelly?”
I nodded, and she gave me a despised look before elaborating, “She did not bring the fruit when he and Tabitha were free. She chose to go over at this particular moment when Tabitha had gone away to wash the vegetables and when his hands are dirty and smelly. Don’t you think it is intentional?”
“It could be just a coincidence.” My eyes could not help following Rachel’s move, waiting to see what unfolds next.
Rachel walked over with a plate of cut fruit and smilingly placed it in front of Tabitha’s fiancé. “You have worked hard. Why don’t you take some fruit first?”
No one can be mean to a pretty lady smiling sweetly at you. He may not be interested in her, but it would have been rude for him to reject her offer outright. Thus, he politely declined by saying, “Thank you, but I am afraid it is not a convenient time for me to eat now.”
“No problem. Here you go.” Rachel casually picked up a piece of fruit with the toothpick and placed it next to his mouth. He had no choice but to open his mouth and ate the fruit. He was blushing when he mumbled a thank you with his mouth full.
Rachel smiled sweetly and cooed, “Loosen up. Tabitha and I are friends, so we are friends as well. This is just a small gesture, so you don’t have to thank me.”
She turned around and fed Tabitha a piece of fruit as well, then head back to Anthony.
Nora nudged me with her elbow and said, “Did you see that? She teased the man right in front of his girlfriend, and she made it look so innocent. That is a siren. Whatever she does, no one will associate it with bad intentions. Now, watch Tabitha’s fiancé.”
I followed her gaze. He was blushing and started stealing glances at Rachel.
I pursed my lips and frowned, “Why did she do that?”
“For fun. She is trying to project an image of being kind and innocent. The people around her would feel she deserves to be pampered and will subconsciously indulge her. Look at how she is always sticking to Anthony. People who don’t know any better would think they are a couple and sing praises about them.”
Nora gave a wry look and continued her analysis. “When you were at the hotel earlier today, I am sure grandpa thought Anthony and she are husband and wife. She is an expert in using small gestures to mislead people. The undiscerning would easily fall for her tricks.”
I had to agree with Nora’s analysis. Indeed, I had thought Anthony was to be blamed for Mr. Oberick mistaking Rachel as his wife. In actual fact, Rachel was the one who projected that image by fussing over the old man as if she was Anthony’s better half. Since Anthony kept mum about it, everyone just assumed she is Mrs. Fulller.
“So she is the siren?” Suddenly, I saw Nora’s point.
Nora snapped her fingers and praised, “Bingo, smart lass. It is very easy to identify a siren. All you need to do is watch more soap operas and you’ll be an expert in no time.”
I was not interested in soap operas so I was clueless. I paused, then questioned, “What about the vixen?”
She raised an eyebrow and commented, “Look at Tessa. Since we got acquainted with her, what left the deepest impression on you about her?”
“The tales she told Anthony!” I blurted out without hesitation. I couldn’t forget how she cooked up a totally alien version of what happened to us in Venria!
If we did not overhear their conversation, Anthony would have likely been misled by her.
Nora signaled in Anthony’s direction and exhorted, “Look, she is throwing herself at your man. Aren’t you going to check it out?”
I shook my head and said, “I had made my stand clear with Anthony. What goes on between the two of them has nothing to do with me. How can I, as the one who pushed him away, stop him from seeing other women. If I do that, I am no better than a siren or a vixen.”
Nora rolled her eyes at me and condemned, “Now I realize Rachel is the siren, Tessa is the vixen and you are the moron. Make that a hopeless moron.”
I knew she was anxious for me, so I kept my peace. Noticing she was keeping her eyes on Rachel, I reminded her, “Focus on cutting the vegetable, lest you cut your fingers.”
She squinted and then frowned, “Wait! The bracelet on Rachel’s wrist looks familiar. I must have seen it somewhere before.”
I turned to look. The bracelet on her slim wrist was the gift from Mr. Oberick.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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