“See you later.” Then, Matilda hung up and sighed. “This is the first time I’ve heard Isabelle sounding so happy to see me. Say, I was dumb, wasn’t I? Everyone thinks they can play me like a fool.”
Sophia nodded. “Yeah, you were dumb.”
Matilda’s face fell. “Hey, you should be consoling me, not rubbing salt on my injury.” She snorted. In response, Sophia giggled. A moment later, Matilda looked at the time. “I have to go back and change. Let’s see what she wants to pull this time.”
When they came back into the house, Sophia went to her room, while Matilda went to change and dressed up a bit. “I’m going now,” she told Sophia and went for her appointment.
Matilda still looked as elegant as she used to, and when she arrived at the mall, Isabelle was already waiting on the long bench at the plaza before the mall, looking pretty leisurely.
Matilda went up to her. “Have you been waiting for a long time, Isabelle?”
Isabelle quickly stood up. “Not really, Miss Flintstone. I went around for a bit.” Then, she held Matilda’s arm politely. “Let’s go in and have a walk around.”
“Sure.” Matilda didn’t show her disgust.
The mall’s stores were stocking up on the new season’s fashion items, and with it came various events. Matilda and Isabelle went shopping the whole afternoon, and Isabelle was generous enough that day, for she even bought two shirts for Matilda. Even though Matilda kept saying she’d pay for her own stuff because Isabelle’s generosity came off wrong, Isabelle dismissed it. “It’s fine, Miss Flintstone. You used to give me a lot of gifts, so consider this repayment.”
Isabelle’s overly warm welcome was making Matilda fidget, for she never saw Isabelle acting this way. Halfway through their shopping session, Matilda looked at the time and called Ms. Cannon.
She wanted to know how Sophia was doing at home. “Make some snacks for her. She didn’t eat much during lunch, and I don’t want her to go hungry,” she said.
On the other end, Ms. Cannon said she had thought about it, so she made some cake for Sophia, of which the latter had a few before going up to rest. “That’s good to hear,” Matilda replied.
Isabelle didn’t look too good after hearing Matilda’s call. She really cares about Sophia. There’s no need to talk about something that trivial, but she did it anyway. Guess they’re getting along well.
Matilda hung up a short while later.
Isabelle smiled. “Is Miss Gwendolyn down with something? You look worried.”
“Oh, not at all. Her appetite’s not working up, so I had to remind the housekeeper about it.”
Isabelle nodded. “I see.”
Then, Matilda continued to say, “I was going to call you in a couple of days and catch up over coffee. Sophia couldn’t eat much these days, so I’m worried about her. I was going to take her to the hospital for a checkup and catch up with you after that, but since you called me, here I am.”
Isabelle perked up her ears at the mention of the hospital. “She’s going to be hospitalized? That’s serious.”
Matilda looked around for a place to rest. “Not at all. It’s just going to be a checkup. No hospitalization.” Then, she saw a milk tea shop, so Matilda changed the topic. “We’ve been shopping for a while now. You must be thirsty, so why don’t we grab something to drink?”
Isabelle looked away. “Sure.”
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