"I met Madam Cora in the sitting room when I returned with little rice ball. She was already in a foul mood when I returned. I only greeted her when she lost her cool and threw the cup of tea at me...,"
"Liar," Grandma Cora muttered with her fist clenched.
Mr Anderson might not have understood what Grandma Cora's words meant but Laura and Adhara who had gone through similar things had an idea of what took place there.
"She must have lost her cool because she finds my voice irritating," Not even Grandma Cora's earlier statement made Joanna change her story.
"As you saw earlier, I was on my way back from getting her a glass of water when I met her on the floor and the shattered chandelier. I have no idea what happened to her or how the chandelier fell off," Joanna lied without stuttering or batting an eyelid.
"Why would Granny fall out of the blues if not that...,"
"Sir, it's almost my little rice ball's bedtime. I need to make sure he freshens up and gets into bed on time," Joanna cut in. She didn't allow Laura to say what she had in mind.
"We haven't resolved the issue at hand and you want to go upstairs...,"
"You are aware that I was born weak. I don't have the guts nor the strength to stand up to anyone talking of pushing a former warrior like Madam Cora down. Are you perhaps suspecting that someone like me is responsible for her fall or that of the chandelier?" Joanna challenged the man standing in front of her.
"If that is what you believe, don't you think you are overestimating me?"
Joanna's blatant lies made the old woman's blood boil in rage. She grabbed the chair's handle to the point that it cracked.
"If you still suspect that I am responsible for this mess. I don't have a problem with that. I will just pray that the Moon Goddess gives me such powers so that I will cause even greater damage," Joanna resorted to playing the victim.
If Laura and Adhara hadn't witnessed what the devilish girl was capable of they would have also fallen for her lies.
But even if Grandma Cora didn't explain what happened both Adhara and Laura had already guessed that she was lying.
[Let's see whether the old hag will admit that the girl she always bullied all these years was the same person who bullied her some moment ago. I bet the embarrassment wouldn't even let her utter a word]
The wicked Joanna grinned when she saw that Grandma Cora didn't utter a word about what had taken place there.
Mr Anderson's hesitation made Joanna feel uneasy.
"I am sure he must be waiting for me so can I leave now?" She asked, sounding a bit impatient this time around.
"Everything else can wait. Tony's well-being comes first so you can go attend to him," Mr Anderson said the word Joanna wanted to hear at last.
Joanna bowed and strolled out of there. As she ascended the stairs a victorious smile lingered on her pretty face.
[I never knew that teaching the old hag a lesson would feel so good. I am sure after tonight's scare she would think twice whenever she does anything that concerns me]
Joanna grinned and kept maintaining her pace.
In the sitting room, Grandma Cora gazed at the stairs with her fists clasped.
[For today's humiliation I swear that I will make you die a horrible death. This is a promise from me]
Grandma Cora's eyes were red with anger.
When Grandma Cora kept on refusing to reveal the truth Mr Anderson had to resort to checking the sitting room CCTV footage.
Grandma Cora was shocked beyond words when Mr Anderson informed them that nothing about the incident was captured on the CCTV footage.
"What the hell is she?" This was Grandma Cora's thought after the revelation.
At Anthony's room, Joanna oversaw that he completed all his homework first. And as his second teacher, she cross-checked everything to make sure they weren't errors.
After this she made him freshen up and got into bed on time.
She only had the chance to leave his room after the clingy boy fell asleep holding onto her right hand.
Despite the numerous failures Joanna still tried Amos' line after she freshened and got ready to sleep.
She was about to remove the phone from her ear and flung it wherever her hands went when she heard his familiar voice from the other end.
"Have you concluded your work now?" She asked and sat up from the bed she was lying on. "And what about meals, I hope you didn't skip your meals because you were preoccupied...,"
"Have you forgotten again that I am not a human who loses weight if he doesn't eat...,"
"That doesn't matter. A meal is a meal and should always be eaten on time. It doesn't matter whether you are a human, vampire or werewolf," Joanna scolded and strolled to her tiny window.
"Would you run over here if I told you that I didn't have a single drop of blood after we separated...,"
"I told you to always pay attention to your meals so why wouldn't you listen to me?" She reprimanded him fiercely.
"Hehe...," He chuckled at the other end. "I knew you would react exactly this way that was why I dared not skip my meals when I imagined your stern face," He joked.
His reply made the once worried Joanna a little bit calmed.
"Are you by chance trying to say that I am fearsome when angry?" She asked with her lips pouted.
"And how could my woman ever be scary when in fact she is the cutest when she is angry...,"
"Cheesy!" She interrupted, pretending not to like his sweet words.
"If that is cheesy then let's see what you think about this one...," He paused just to arouse her curiosity.
She waited for his response but he didn't utter a word even after two minutes had passed.
"And why aren't you saying anything?" She demanded in displeasure.
"I missed you so much to the point that I didn't think I would make it through the night if I didn't see your face. And here I am right outside your gate waiting to take a dosage of my sleeping pills which happens to be your face," He confessed affectionately.
"Super cheesy...,"
"Wait! Did you just say you are right at my gate?" Joanna screamed in excitement and shock.
She peeped out of the window hoping to see his car or any sign of him but she couldn't see anything no matter how hard she stretched her body.
"Tell me you are joking...,"
"Why don't you come and find out things for yourself?" He suggested. His suggestions were too juicy for Joanna to reject.
"I will be super mad if I come out and realise you were just kidding," Joanna muttered.
She hurried to her wardrobe and pulled out the first jacket she had touched.
She hurried downstairs still on the call with him.
She was so unlucky to have run into her father in the sitting room.