It’s been two days already and Eleanor and Elvis had not yet been able to come up with a plan to approach their father.

Everything they’ve thought of seemed not to be the right approach.

That evening, after dinner, Jason, who was still around, had left to send Cheryl home.

Only Kathleen and Lauren were left in the living room.

Seeing that they were all alone, Kathleen dropped the glass of juice she was sipping and turned to Lauren.

"Come on, spill it. What’s been bugging your little mind all day?" Kathleen studied Lauren who was sitting with a post office face on the couch.

"Nothing," Lauren turned her face away, intently gazing at a beautiful arrangement of some chrysanthemum by the staircase.

"You know you can’t fool me. You’ve been acting strange since you came and I’ve caught you throwing furtive glances at me when you felt I wasn’t looking."

Lauren was surprised to hear her say that. "You noticed?"

The corners of Kathleen’s mouth curled up in a smirk. "Why won’t I? When a chatterbox like you suddenly starts acting cute, it’s very easy to spot the difference,"

"I guess I can’t keep anything from you in this life. You know me too well."

"Sure, go ahead," urged Kathleen, making her tone as light as possible.

Lauren leaned in and her voice was filled with hesitation. "Kath, I need your advice on something important."

"Sure, what’s up?" Kathleen asked nervously. It must be something serious for Lauren to be this serious and guilt stricken. Has she done something not worth mentioning?

Lauren cleared her throat for the upteenth time.

"I’ve been offered a contract to supply coffee to the staff of a particular company,"

"That’s great news, girlfriend and it calls for a celebration. Why did you find it this hard to share the good news?"

When she didn’t get the taunting response she expected from Lauren, Kathleen knew there was more to it.

"What is wrong?" Taking her seat beside Lauren on the long couch, Kathleen asked.

"The problem is with the company making the offer." Lauren’s voice sounded conflicted and uncomfortable.

Kathleen’s brow furrowed in a frown. "What about the company? Are they into any shady business or deal? If so, reject them immediately. Better offers from outstanding companies are bound to come soon," Kathleen comforted as she took Lauren’s hands.

Lauren deftly pulled her hands from Kathleen’s which doubtless made Kathleen to be more worried.

"The offer is from Hudson Corporations."

These six words uttered by Lauren brought an eerie silence in the beautifully decorated living room, which had always been filled with warmth.

"I know things aren’t great between you and Shawn, and I wanted to ask if it would be okay for me to accept it."

Kathleen’s expression had tightened at the mention of Hudson Corporations, but she tried to keep her composure.

She took Lauren’s hand in hers again, and ensured Lauren’s eyes were locked with hers to convey the sincerity of her words.

"Lauren, it’s your decision. I wouldn’t want my issues with Shawn to affect your business opportunities."

"But I value our friendship, Kathleen, I don’t want to cause any more tension between you and Shawn. If it’s going to make things worse, I’ll turn down the contract. Besides, the offer came out of the blues that I can’t help but wonder if there is an undertone behind it."

Lauren stated her concerns to her friend.

The terms of the contract was mouth watering but no matter how tempting it was, she needed to confirm with Kathleen first whether to accept or turn it down. After all she was not in desperate need of money.

What bothered her more was the fact that she never sent them any proposal, but she was careful enough not to explain that part to her friend.

Kathleen took a deep breath, contemplating the situation.

"I appreciate your consideration, Lauren. If this contract is crucial for your business, I won’t hold you back. Our differences shouldn’t affect your opportunities. Just... be cautious, okay?"

"Moreover, it has always been your wish to let the high and mighty have a taste of your top notch coffee, and with Hudson Corporations, I assure you, that dream will be fulfilled."

Lauren nodded, grateful for Kathleen’s understanding.

"Thank you, Kathleen. I’ll tread carefully and try to keep things professional. Your friendship means a lot to me," Lauren said softly.

Kathleen managed a small smile, her tension easing a bit. But she had a nagging feeling that all this was related to Shawn.

What is his purpose? Does he think by getting close to the people around me, he will be able to get through to me? Well, he should dream on.

"And yours to me, Lauren," Kathleen pulled Lauren in for a hug.

After some time, she disengaged from Lauren and with a grimace on her face, she shoved Lauren from her. "Now snap out of it. I’m not used to this side of you. It’s making me almost throw up."

"Can’t you be kind a bit longer? It’s like you just put up an act just now," Lauren sneered.

"You are free to think whatever you want. Now head to the dining table. I know you were pretending not to be hungry."

"I needed to act the part of a faithful friend very well. How else would I have gotten you to sympathize with me?" Lauren threw back.

"Shameless." Kathleen laughed and picked up her glass of juice that she had previously dropped.

Elvis smiled to himself as he headed back upstairs, making his steps as quiet as possible.

He had just come down to get his laptop that he forgot in the living room and happened to overhear the conversation between his mother and Lauren.

Once he got upstairs, he went straight to Eleanor’s room.

"Eleanor, we’ve just discovered the perfect strategy to execute our plan."

Eleanor jumped down from her bed where she was brushing her doll’s hair. "Really! Stop wasting time and tell me about it."