Chapter 68 The Task
Bob sneaked through the living room while Lanny dragged all the guests into a tall tale about the Dior evening dress she bought in a vintage shop in Paris so that no one would notice him.
He quickly slipped into the main bedroom and saw a pair of walking sticks resting beside the wall.
He carefully closed the door, picked up one of the crutches, and walked to the window furthest from the porch. He then pulled a saw and a cloth out from the duffel bag he had brought and started sawing.
Every time his hand moved, Bob's heart pounded harder and harder with the sound of the metal scratching against the wood. It was sharp and piercing, and he could not help but be wary.
Bob looked to his left and right, fearing that he might attract the attention of others. However, he knew Lanny immediately covered for him when he heard jazz playing from the gramophone outside the living room.
He sighed, thinking he could trust Lanny to make things easier for him, but suddenly, there were footsteps outside the window.
Bob slowly turned his head and peered out the window. A shadow flickered before his eyes, and he almost screamed in fright. Fortunately, he realized it was just a tiny deer.
Once again, Bob breathed a massive sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and closed the curtains.
The room was dimly lit, and Bob felt a little reassured as he concentrated on the task at hand and finally managed to saw off the crutch after a few minutes. He then put the sawn-off crutch aside and rummaged through his bag for a tube of strong glue.
Bob glued up the cut and finally put a non-slip rubber sleeve on the lower end, perfectly covering the marks.
After everything had been taken care of for the show, Bob cleaned up the mess he had made from sawing the crutch and then put the crutche back. However, his mission did not just end there.
Bob looked around the room and realized that it had been cleaned thoroughly. There was no speck of dust, let alone a hair.
'This is not good. That bitch won't pay me if I don't find any hair,' he mentally cursed and hissed.
Gritting his teeth, Bob fell to his knees and crawled under the bed. He searched every inch and finally found a single strand of short brown hair in an aperture.
'Found it!' A smile broke across his face. He pulled a pair of tweezers and a Ziploc bag from his pocket and carefully picked the strand out, sealing it inside the plastic bag.
Having completed all his tasks, Bob crawled out from under the bed. He straightened his wrinkled shirt and walked out of the room with his duffel bag.
People always tend to let their guard down after success, and Bob was no exception. As soon as he rushed out of the room, his eyes went wide after bumping into Bella.
"Hi! Bella, long time no see!" Bob greeted awkwardly.
"Bob? What are you doing here?" Bella looked at him in surprise. She was about to bring a plate of roast chicken into the dining room when she saw Bob come out of Edward's room.
Bob's pulse raced as he quickly tried to come up with an excuse. "Oh, it's... It's like this...." He heaved a sigh and smiled when he finally found a reasonable one. "I was trying to find the bathroom but walked into this room instead."
Bella looked suspiciously at the duffel bag that Bob was carrying and pointed in another direction. "The bathroom is over there."
"Thanks." Bob smiled and nodded, then rushed off to the bathroom.
Bella watched Bob's distant back with curiosity as she entered the room and found the curtain drawn. She then briefly placed the roast chicken on the bedside table and walked over to the window to pull the curtains back. Her eyes scanned every corner of the room.
Once she had ensured there was nothing unusual, Bella left to join the others and served the main dish in the center of the dining table.
The dishes she and Edward had prepared beforehand-the cream of corn soup, grilled steak, and vegetable salad-were already placed there.
"Ladies and gentlemen, dinner's ready!" Bella called the guests, who were still having fun in the living room.
"Yes, dear! We are coming!" the crowd cheered.
Everyone gathered in the dining room as if they were only waiting for her call.
Bella and Edward were at each end of the long dining table, facing each other. Lanny immediately sat beside Edward on the left, and David took the seat beside Bella, while the others quickly sat on the vacant seats to start eating.
***
The hosts and guests talked about gardening, home decorations, and other related topics during the dinner. Lanny chose to mock and insult Bella every chance she would get subtly.
Bella suppressed her anger. She had to hold it in for the sake of her guests as she did not want to ruin the moment.
On the other hand, David savored his food without a word. He occasionally rubbed his foot against Bella's leg, causing Bella to feel sick that she had to constantly move her legs far from his reach.
That was the first time he had eaten Bella's cooking since they divorced, and he had to admit that the food she made was better than those Michelin-starred meals!
"Wow! That grilled steak was delicious!" David exclaimed exaggeratedly, then turned to Bella with a sultry gaze. "Bella, I know you're a good cook, but you have gotten even better!"
Bella avoided his disgusting gaze and looked fondly at Edward, who sat opposite her. "Thank you, but my husband cooked all the food tonight."
David's face instantly darkened at that. He glanced disdainfully at Edward, burying his head in food in embarrassment.
Half an hour later, the dinner was finally drawing to a close.
The guests were busy with wine and dessert when Lenny gave Bob a wink and spoke up, "Would everyone like to see a show?"