Chapter 857 Hobby
"Just promise me you'll tell me all the juicy details later, okay? Bye for now."
The line went dead before Laura could reply.
She lowered the phone slowly, her entire body trembling—not just from embarrassment, but from the unrelenting teasing of the man behind her.
Her cheeks burned red, her breath shallow.
"You're terrible, Ross," she whispered, her voice half-accusation, half-desire.
Ross chuckled, his lips brushing her ear. "Terrible? No, sweetheart. Irresistible." His hands slid lower, gripping her hips possessively.
"And now that the call is over… there's no one left to interrupt us."
The phone slipped from Laura's fingers and landed on the carpet with a soft thud.
Her protest melted on her tongue the moment Ross captured her lips in a searing kiss.
Her back hit the wall, her moan swallowed by his mouth, and soon the room was filled once again with the symphony of their passion—the desperate rhythm of their breathing, the heat of bodies pressed together, and the unspoken promise that nothing, not even family, could stop the wildfire between them.
***
One day later, Lois sat on her bed with a big smile plastered across her face.
She glanced at the clock—it was just past 3 a.m. in her city.
That meant it was noon in Paris. Perfect.
Without wasting another second, she snatched up her phone and hit her sister's number.
The line rang twice before a sleepy voice answered.
"Yes…?" Laura's tone was drowsy, heavy with fatigue, as if she'd only just woken up.
Lois's grin widened instantly. "So? How'd it go? Tell me everything, quick! Don't leave me hanging!" she gushed, her voice bubbling with excitement.
"When did you finally let Gerald do you? I want all the details—the first kiss, the first touch, all of it!"
She waited eagerly, her heart racing.
The last time they'd spoken, Laura had confessed she was still holding onto her virginity.
For Lois, who was also still a virgin, the curiosity was unbearable.
If anyone could give her a glimpse into that mysterious first experience, it would be her twin sister.
But instead of an excited reply, silence filled the line. A long, heavy pause.
Lois frowned. "Laura? Hey, don't tell me you're embarrassed now! Come on, it's me. Spill it already."
Still nothing. Only the faint sound of her sister's breathing on the other end.
Lois's smile began to fade, her pulse quickening in a different way.
Her intuition whispered that something wasn't right.
"Laura…" she said softly, more cautiously this time. "What's wrong?"
Finally, Laura's voice came, quiet but steady, like a stone dropping into still water.
"It's not Gerald, Lois."
Lois's eyes went wide. For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
Then the pieces slammed together in her mind all at once—the strange way Laura had acted on the phone before, the breathless moans, the evasive excuses… and Ross.
Her stomach dropped.
"Don't…" she whispered, as if afraid to even speak it. "Don't tell me… it's Ross."
The silence on the other end said everything.
Lois's hand trembled as she clutched the phone tighter.
"Laura!" she gasped, her voice breaking between shock and disbelief.
"It just happened," Laura said softly, almost as if the words themselves were fragile.
Lois's eyes went wide, her heart hammering. "What do you mean it just happened? Laura, nothing just happens with Ross! He's always planning, always scheming. Tell me the truth—did he spike your drink? Did he manipulate you in some way?!" Her voice cracked with panic, rising in hysteria.
"I swear, Laura, I'll drag him to court myself. I'll make sure he pays for this. I—he can't just…!"
"No! Lois, you don't understand," Laura interrupted, her tone pleading but firm.
"He didn't trick me. He didn't force me. I… I love him. He's kind, loving, and everything I've ever wanted. Please, just… be happy for me. Don't say bad things about him."
Lois ran a hand through her hair, pacing the room.
"Happy? How can I be happy? Laura, open your eyes! He already has dozens of wives! Dozens! You're just—just another one of them to him!" Her voice shook, and her chest felt tight. "You can't seriously believe he's… he's perfect or… or that he's different for you!"
"I know exactly what he is, Lois," Laura said quietly, but there was a resolute strength in her voice that Lois had never heard before.
"And I'm still choosing him. I… I plan to be his next wife."
Lois froze mid-step. The words hit her like a physical blow. Her stomach sank, and her hands trembled.
"W-wife…?" she whispered, as if hearing it aloud made it somehow more real.
"Yes," Laura said, her voice calm and certain. "I'll see you at Mom's house soon. We'll begin preparations for the wedding."
Before Lois could respond, the call ended with a soft click.
The sudden silence that followed was suffocating.
Her hand still hovered over the phone, unable to believe what had just happened.
Her twin, the sister she had grown up with, trusted and confided in, was gone.
She had been pulled into Ross's orbit completely—swept away by him just as all the others had been.
Lois sat down heavily, the weight of disbelief pressing on her chest.
Her mind raced, unable to settle on a single thought.
How could Laura—her own sister—choose him willingly?
How could she see Ross as perfect, as kind, when everything Lois knew about him screamed otherwise?
The shock gradually gave way to a mixture of worry, anger, and helplessness.
She imagined Ross with Laura, whispering sweet nothings, charming her as he had so many others.
She could almost see Laura smiling, laughing, her eyes bright with infatuation—and Lois hated herself for feeling jealousy alongside her fear.
She gripped the phone tighter, her knuckles white.
For the first time in her life, Lois felt truly powerless.
Nothing she could say, nothing she could do, could stop Ross from taking what he wanted.
And now, he had Laura—her sister—completely.
Lois leaned back against the wall, her mind spinning.