48. How To Take Care This Baby?

"We don't need to think about how Justin came to be, Hugo. What's important is that we make sure that the baby we're taking care of doesn't get affected by Justin's actions," Arleena said amidst the silence between her and Hugo. "At the end of the day, we still have to figure out why Justin came and spread rumors about the baby in our care," Hugo replied, still defending his opinion. "If we know why Justin is still following you, I mean... he's still kind of watching you, we'll definitely get a clue about what he's planning next." Arleena watched Hugo with an astonished expression on her face but also curved a teasing smile. "Oh, look at you acting so thoughtful, Hugo. It's like you want to learn to be an impromptu detective," Arleena retorted in a tone that deliberately teased Hugo. "You know, it won't be that easy for us to find out what Justin's intentions are. Wouldn't it be better to figure out how to protect the baby? Or how to prevent rumors from spreading among my coworkers?" Hugo nodded in agreement while pointing at Arleena with the chopsticks in his hand. He didn't really care about the teasing Arleena had given him earlier. "That's true, but since the source of the problem is Justin, then we need to find out more details," Hugo replied with a serious look. Arleena nodded her head. "Should I try to get close to Justin?" Hugo's movement that was about to bribe food into his mouth instantly stopped. Hugo paused for a moment and looked at Arleena with a confused expression on his face. Arleena's question sounded ridiculous to his ears. That's why Hugo's expression frowned at Arleena. "I don't know why you would think of such a ridiculous way. There's no way you'd want to approach Justin just to find out why he approached you," Hugo replied in a rather fierce tone. Arleena frowned with an ignorant smile. After hearing Hugo's words, Arleena felt that Hugo looked like someone who was holding back jealousy. Arleena couldn't help but laugh right after Hugo finished speaking. Because Arleena laughed, Hugo immediately looked at her with a strange look in his eyes. The annoyance on Hugo's face gradually faded as his face changed to show confusion. "Why are you laughing?" asked Hugo looking at Arleena strangely. Arleena was still covering her mouth in between laughing and shaking her head. She didn't expect that Hugo would look like someone who was jealous. The two of them had been friends since childhood, and Arleena still knew very well how Hugo felt when he was jealous of her. Even though Hugo looked proud and didn't want to show his jealous feelings too much, Arleena could still realize it. "Are you jealous?" asked Arleena after she finished laughing. Hugo was immediately surprised to hear Arleena's question. Instantly he felt awkward. He didn't know whether to answer honestly or not. Although in the end Hugo just tried to clear his throat to cover his nervousness. "What do you mean?" asked Hugo with a slightly dazed look. Hugo did not want to look into Arleena's eyes. Arleena curved her smile, then ended up giving a teasing smile. "Oh my. It turns out that you can still feel jealous if I get closer to another man. But unfortunately you don't want to show your jealousy too much." Arleena gave a meaningful smile at the end of the sentence, as well as a slightly squinting gaze. Deliberately teasing Hugo in order to cause greater nervousness in the man. Because he got a lot of teasing from Arleena, Hugo immediately chuckled. Hugo did not want to show too much if he really felt nervous in front of Arleena. "Shut up, Arleena. You're so annoying. I'm asking you seriously," said Hugo who deliberately pretended to show a serious expression. Arleena still smiled to hold back her laughter, then nodded repeatedly slowly. Hugo's aura of seriousness somewhat made her goosebumps bristle. Therefore, Arleena tried to hold back her laughter even though her face still looked like she was laughing at Hugo. "I'm sorry. I just didn't expect you to look like you were jealous of me," Arleena replied with a chuckle. "If you know, I had no intention of approaching Justin. Why would I approach someone who doesn't deserve to be in my life? How ridiculous." Hugo was still staring at Arleena in annoyance, but was actually secretly relieved. His concern that he didn't want Arleena to get close to Justin disappeared instantly. Hugo had calmed down, so the irritation on his face gradually faded. "Who's jealous of you?" Hugo asked with an expression that pretended to be cynical. He deliberately did that so that Arleena would not know about his nervous feelings. "I'm just trying to protect you from humans like Justin. I know your family very well. There's no way I'm letting you slip away from my responsibility." "What responsibility are you talking about?" asked Arleena with a chuckle. This was the first time she heard Hugo being so gentle with her. "You're not even my parents. Why are you so bothered about taking care of me?" Hugo sighed heavily. He had expected that Arleena would keep pressing him with questions like that. "Hey, I left you to go somewhere far away and I couldn't keep an eye on you. See what happens when no one is as protective of you as I am? You met and had a relationship with Justin instead, you should have ended your relationship when you found out that bastard cheated on you the first time. You're still in a relationship even after that asshole cheated on you five times." As she listened to Hugo spouting advice, Arleena couldn't help but smile. It felt so warm to realize how much Hugo cared for her. To be honest, Arleena was missing Hugo, who had been away on business for three years. Arleena felt that no one had protected her as strongly as Hugo had. Now Arleena felt that strong care and protection again from Hugo. Arleena was both touched and relieved. She had never had someone with such a warm look in their eyes as Hugo even though he often seemed annoyed with her. Even so, Arleena understood that Hugo just wanted to make sure she didn't have anything bad happen to her. "Hey, we've known each other since childhood and you should know how I am. I'm staying in the relationship because I want to see how that bastard develops," Arleena replied. "I'm not stupid. I'm not a stupid woman. That's why I immediately humiliated him in front of all my extended family members and him." Hugo looked at Arleena who replied with an enthusiastic tone of voice. Hugo didn't say a word. He let Arleena defend herself even though Hugo knew there must be pain that Arleena felt. After letting out a sigh of relief, Arleena smiled broadly and leaned her back against the back of the chair. Arleena folded her arms across her chest and nodded her head slowly. "Ah... that was a very satisfying moment for me, you know? If you felt how my heart was racing..." Arleena clenched her fists and patted her own chest. Her expression looked both enthusiastic and relieved. "It was a thrilling sensation! Seeing Justin's expression looking limp and unable to do anything because he was humiliated in front of so many people, oh my!" Seeing Arleena who really looked very enthusiastic made Hugo couldn't help but smile. Hugo knew enough to know that Arleena was already very happy even if it was just by humiliating Justin in front of many people. On the other hand, Hugo also felt the same satisfaction. Ever since the two of them had been friends, Hugo had known that Arleena was someone with a very brave character. Hugo would not take issue with Arleena's attitude and actions that were often unexpected and crossed normal boundaries. "That's right. I feel what you feel," Hugo replied with a chuckle and a brief nod of his head. "You have to do things that cross the line as punishment for those who hurt you. Don't let yourself get trampled." Arleena nodded her head as she listened to Hugo's words. At that moment Arleena no longer felt the nervousness from Hugo's aura of seriousness. Everything was already more faded and calmer than before. "I didn't expect that I would experience such a pleasant sensation. That's why I chose to stall for time to break up with Justin. I wanted to find more evidence so I could embarrass him the most." "Yes, you're not a stupid woman. I'm not saying you're a stupid woman, just that you don't love yourself. But hearing your reasoning now... I'm quite relieved. At least you're not stuck in a relationship that's a waste of your time, Arleena." Hearing Hugo's words made Arleena's heart warm. Arleena nodded her head with a calm look in her eyes and a smile. "Yes, all right. I understand that, Hugo," Arleena replied. Hugo just sighed softly without losing the warm smile that curved his face. Hugo watched Arleena who was still continuously recounting the events during her absence. Hugo had no intention of taking his eyes off Arleena. For some reason, while listening to Arleena's story, Hugo could only smile. His annoyance with Justin dissolved instantly. It was as if Hugo felt an old feeling rising in his chest. It was a tickling sensation that came with a strange swish, but Hugo found it all pleasant. Hugo supported his chin with both hands clenched. While chewing, Hugo occasionally nodded in understanding Arleena's story. Occasionally Hugo also laughed as Arleena used gestures quite silly in his eyes. "I didn't expect that she would believe I didn't do anything. Does he think I'm a woman who only submits when mistreated? Of course not. If he can humiliate me with his womanizing behavior, then I can humiliate him too," Arleena recounted with great enthusiasm. "Yes, you're not a stupid woman. I'm not saying you're a stupid woman, just that you don't love yourself. But hearing your reasoning now... I'm quite relieved. At least you're not stuck in a relationship that's a waste of your time, Arleena." Hearing Hugo's words made Arleena's heart warm. Arleena nodded her head with a calm look in her eyes and a smile. "Yes, all right. I understand that, Hugo," Arleena replied. Hugo just sighed softly without losing the warm smile that curved his face. Hugo watched Arleena who was still continuously recounting the events during her absence. Hugo had no intention of taking his eyes off Arleena. For some reason, while listening to Arleena's story, Hugo could only smile. His annoyance with Justin dissolved instantly. It was as if Hugo felt an old feeling rising in his chest. It was a tickling sensation that came with a strange swish, but Hugo found it all pleasant. Hugo supported his chin with both hands clenched. While chewing, Hugo occasionally nodded in understanding Arleena's story. Occasionally Hugo also laughed as Arleena used gestures quite silly in his eyes. "I didn't expect that she would believe I didn't do anything. Does he think I'm a woman who only submits when mistreated? Of course not. If he can humiliate me with his womanizing behavior, then I can humiliate him too," Arleena recounted with great enthusiasm. Hugo chuckled as he pointed at Arleena and nodded in support. "That's right. I agree with your opinion. She doesn't know who she's dealing with," said Hugo who chimed in, his voice sounding very enthusiastic in support of Arleena. "Right?" Arleena clapped her hands once while smiling proudly. "Yeah, but we can't just rest on our laurels. We're not done with Justin yet. Ah, damn... I wonder what he'll do next." "I feel the same way," Hugo replied. Arleena and Hugo had serious facial expressions. They both looked serious for a few seconds. Nothing had crossed their minds at all about Justin's possible plans. Why was Justin so hard to guess?