Such a Rude and Noisy Woman

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?" Rachel blinked, looking at him.

Hiram sneered, "It seems that you really care about Marlon."

Rachel didn't understand what Hiram meant until she gave it a thought, and replied,"Hey, don't say that! You're just being jealous. I mean, Marlon helped me once. And I've promised myself that I'll return the favor if he ever comes here."

"Oh, is that so? So you will always be indebted to him because he helped you once? Then you must always be beholden to Daniel for saving your life. And what about me? Don't you think you owe me too? I think I'm the one who helped you out the most. Don't you think?" beseeched Hiram, as he stared lovingly at Rachel.

Rachel pretended to cough as she avoided his gaze. She put her arms around his waist, rested her head against his broad chest, and sighed, "Of course, I know that, Hiram. I spend most of my time with you. Don't you see that?"

The truth was that in their relationship, Hiram and Rachel didn't owe each other anything. They were perfect for each other, eternally, and nothing in the world could tear them apart. The hot afternoon sun was blazing when

Rachel arrived at the meeting place, where she had agreed to meet Marlon. As always, she had arrived on time.

"You're such a stickler for time, Rachel! I board in ten minutes!" teased Marlon, as soon as he saw her. He had been waiting for her at the coffee shop near the airport. Rachel pulled out a chair and sat down to catch her breath. "I tried my best, Marlon! Besides, this isn't the last time I see you, you know! I am sure we will meet again,"

said Rachel, as she took a sip of water from the glass to quench her parched tongue. She had been in a hurry to reach the airport and hadn't had time for even a drop of water.

"Who knows when I will ever have the pleasure to have President Rong's wife, herself, come to receive me and see me off! Hiram has been tolerant of my presence, this time, but next time, he may get jealous and then I would be left to perish," professed Marlon, shaking his foot casually.

Rachel was caught off guard and didn't know how to respond. Marlon was right. Hiram had been very considerate about helping Marlon this time because he owed the latter for helping him find her. He had been generous enough to let Rachel see him off at the airport. She finally blurted, "Let's think about that next time! What's your plan this..." and stopped abruptly when she noticed a tiny red stain on his collar. She prodded slyly, "Marlon, you seemed to have enjoyed your last night in H City very much, didn't you?"

Marlon's eyes widened like that of a deer caught in headlights. He nervously checked his face and looked down at his clothes, and muttered, "I... I... I just bid farewell to a young lady I just met. Nothing else!"

Rachel shook her head and burst out laughing at his fake claims of innocence. She, unexpectedly, stood up and moved closer to him.

Marlon shrank back, timidly, at her sudden approach. "What are you doing? Hiram might get jealous! Aren't you afraid that he would be displeased? Though come to think of it. I certainly won't mind that..." scorned Marlon.

Rachel nearly spat in his face in uncontrolled laughter. She grabbed his collar and pointed at the incriminating stain, and continued, "You have no shame at all, do you, Marlon? I was merely showing you that flaming red blemish on your neck. You'll be in big trouble if Eve learns about your little tryst." Marlon was practically drooling in shock but quickly recovered to wipe the saliva off his face. He glanced down at his collar and was scandalized by what he saw,"I had warned the young lady to be careful! How could she be so careless?"

"Don't be so harsh, she was careful, Marlon. Your collar must have brushed against that bawdy residue on your neck," hypothesized Rachel. She smiled and continued to sip her orange juice.

Marlon tidied up his collar and stood up to leave. "It's time for boarding, Rachel. I have to go now."

Rachel stood up too and followed Marlon.

They had only walked a few steps when suddenly Marlon froze in his tracks. He had seen someone walking into the shop and abruptly pushed Rachel away.

"Ev... Eve, what are you doing here?" blubbered Marlon, still in shock.

Rachel's mind raced in confusion. 'Eve? Where did she come from? How could she show up just like this? Sure, she always met Eve back in North Sea City, but had she really followed Marlon all the way to H City?'

"Marlon, are you really going to break off your engagement with me?" Eve charged Marlon, in utter distress.

Eve had heard from a few family members that Marlon was going to break off their engagement. Since she knew he was in H City at the time, she immediately packed her bags and left in search of him.

She had looked for him everywhere but couldn't locate him. Just then, she received a call from his office telling her that he was taking a flight out of H City that day, so she rushed to the airport in the hope of catching him. She was just as surprised at finding him, as he was to see her.

"I'm asking you again. Tell me! Are you really going to break off our engagement ?" She grabbed his collar and glared at him through tear-filled eyes.

Eve straightway spotted the red lipstick stain on his collar and broke into tears.

"You just can't stop hitting on women, can you?" Eve spat out loud. She then looked at Rachel angrily. "It's all because of her, isn't it?

She is the reason why you don't want to marry me. Am I right?" Suddenly, Eve let go of Marlon and grabbed Rachel's arms.

Rachel squirmed to get away from her grip, and implored, "It's not like that, Eve! You are mistaken. Let me try to explain..."

Eve was not even listening. Consumed in blinding rage she shouted, "You ruined my life! Do you know that? I prayed that Marlon would come back to me once he had satiated his hunger for other women. And I waited patiently, but now I know he will never come back! And it's all because of you! You hear me?"

"Eve, please calm down," Rachel pleaded.

"How can I possibly calm down? In

spite of everything he did in the past, he had never dared to call off our engagement. But ever since you came back into his life, he has brought it up twice! And each time he brought up the subject, he was with you! It's definitely because of you! Who else could it be??" ranted Eve inconsolably.

...

Silence followed as Rachel grappled with what Eve had said. She didn't know what to say. Technically speaking, Rachel was not directly responsible for their breakup, but in actuality, it really was because of her that Marlon had done so. "Eve! Are you done with your mindless accusations?"

boomed Marlon's voice as he pushed Eve off of Rachel, and stepped between them. "I am here on business, Eve. I work with her husband. He is my business partner, and she simply came to see me off at the airport, as a courtesy. Nothing else. Is that clear? Now stop this nonsense! You're being ridiculous!"

Marlon's words only worsened the situation. Evesturred in rage, "You have nothing to do with her? I'll tell you what No one is buying your lies. I bet you have fallen in love with her! Whenever we fought about all the other women, in the past, your took my words personally. But, the last two times we fought over Rachel you got very defensive!

You never did that before! How could you say, so shamelessly, that you have nothing for her?"

The frown on Marlon's face deepened as he listened to her tirade. "Eve, you're just chopping logic!" he tried to reason with her.

"Chopping logic? I don't think so. What I can see is that this woman is different from other women you have had. And clearly, she is very special to you!" Eve shouted spitefully, her words dripping with delirious envy.

She had been jealous of all the previous women, but Marlon invariably got tired of them in a few days. Familiar with his heedless ways she had felt secure, but now she was devastated.

Rachel had been silently watching the confrontation between Eve and Marlon, but she had had enough. "It is time I take your leave, Marlon. See you,"

Rachel interjected, then turned to face Eve.

"Eve, I have a husband and I love him

very much. Besides, I have two wonderful children with him. There

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is no need to implicate me in this matter. And you don't need to be mad at Marlon because of me." She concluded her words, then turned back to Marlon and added, "Today is the last time we see each other, Marlon. If we don't have anything important to discuss further, I suggest we cut off all ties in the future."

She walked out of the coffee shop to where Carl waited with the car.