Theo turned to Elinor and asked âWhere are you headed?â
âCould you drop me home, please? Elinor replied.
As Theo hit the road, he casually told her, âDonât bother with that assistant job anymore. I had Collin find you something to do, not to make you serve othersâ
Elinor turned to look at Theo, her mind ticking Sheâs now Theoâs wife. If people found out she was working as an assistant, it would reflect poorly on Theoâs reputation.
Tve got a few things to wrap up, and then Iâll quit,â she promised Theo didnât say anything more and took her home.
As she got out of the car, something occurred to Elinor Leaning on the car window, she asked, âMr.
Blanchet, could you lend me some money? I lost my phone to the kidnappers yesterday, and I donât have any cash on me.â
Theo looked at her, not bothering to ask how much she needed. He simply handed her his own phone and said, âThe passcode is my birthdayâ
Elinor took the phone with a surprised look on her face. Whenâs your birthday?â she asked.
Theo just gave her a cold look, turned his head, rolled up the window, and drove off.
Elinor could only chuckle helplessly and resort to googling.
Mr. Blanchetâs birthday was September 17th. Thatâs coming up soon, isnât it? Was Mr. Blanchet hinting at a birthday gift?
The Mendoza household was quiet. Only Sheila and Tracy Mendoza were home, with Arnold Mendoza out for a run.
Sheila had just gotten back and was ranting in the living room. âMom, you said that mushroom would make men fall for you, but Mr. Blanchet didnât react at all when he saw me yesterday! He didnât even help me up when I fell How embarrassing!â
Tracy frowned. âThatâs impossible. I tested it on your dad, and it worked wonders! If Mr. Blanchet really ate that dish, he wouldnât be unaffected. Heâd be suffering from side effects. Paralysis at the very least, if not death!â
As she spoke, Tracy rummaged through a cupboard and pulled out her secret book, âHow to Quickly Attract a Man. She found the section about the mushroom and noticed a small note at the bottom:
(The mushroom only worked on the opposite sex youâre attracted to. The dopamine produced in the body will activate the toxin. It didnât work on those youâre not interested in.)
Realizing the truth, Sheila was mortified!
Why wasnât Mr. Blanchet interested in her?
Was she not pretty enough? She had a good figure and great skin, and she was charming.
Just then, they heard the front door open. They assumed it was Arnold, so they stopped talking.
But it was Elinorâ¦.
Sheila immediately looked dissatisfied âElinor! So, you finally decided to show up, huh? Taking my salary but not working! Give it all back now!â
Without a word, Elinor walked up and slapped her!
Sheila gasped, holding her face. âAre you mad? How dare you hit me!â
Seeing this, Tracy was also alarmed. âElinor, why on earth did you hit Sheila?â