Irene was confused. "Why is he being petty?"
She turned to Isaac with a look as if to ask: what are you being petty about?
Zachary then explained, "He doesn't like me calling you 'Irene'. I mean, we both go way back, and I've always been calling you 'Irene'. But he's so petty he forbade me from doing it—please reason with him if you have the time to do so."
Irene was utterly speechless.
These two grown men could not have been more childish!
Meanwhile, Zachary appeared gleeful. "Don't you think he's petty, just like a child?"
Irene stared at him then. "There's something I've been keeping from you, Zachary."
Zachary was still smiling. "What is it?"
"Lulu got married," Irene replied.
Zachary's smile stiffened even before she was finished, and it was hilarious to see it left freezing on his face.
Naturally, it was Isaac's turn to tease him. "You shouldn't be petty. She's married already, right?"
Zachary said nothing, but sprang to his feet in disbelief, staring at Irene as he snapped, "You're really taking after him, aren't you? It's like you won't suffer being on the backfoot. Did you have to lie like that to upset me?"
"I'm not lying," Irene replied seriously. "It's true."
She certainly thought things through before she told him about Lulu's marriage—she was hoping he would get over her and find someone better instead of continuing to wait.
As Zachary continued to stare at her, he saw that she did not flinch, just as her determined gaze told her that she was serious and not joking around.
Even so, he still had a hard time taking in the news.
He wanted to appear understanding, but he could not even smile.
Dropping back on the couch, he laughed self-deprecatingly. "I thought I'd be a winner with Ricky Spencer gone. It turns out that I'm still a loser."
Irene said, "Be more open-minded about this."
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