Chapter 45: Not Worth It

Emerald’s POV

The moment the car stopped outside Wellness Spa, I spotted two familiar figures standing just outside the entrance.

Before I could even step out properly, both of them saw me.

"Emerald!" Laura’s voice rang through the evening air. The next second, she and Claire were already running towards me.

I barely had enough time to smile before Laura threw her arms around me. "You’re finally back!"

She nearly knocked me backwards with the force of the hug. Thankfully, Claire caught both of us before we completely lost our balance.

"Laura!" Claire laughed. "Do you want to break Mera’s waist the moment she arrives?"

Laura immediately loosened her grip. "I was just excited."

"I can see that." Claire shook her head before pulling me into a gentler hug. "It’s good to have you back."

I hugged her in return. "I missed you both too."

Laura linked her arm through mine. "Come on. We’ve been waiting."

The three of us walked into the spa together. After taking a few steps inside, I looked around. The place was unusually quiet. There wasn’t a single customer in sight.

I turned to Claire. "Where is everyone?"

She answered as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "I closed the spa."

I blinked. "You what?"

She smiled. "I wanted today to be just for us."

I shook my head helplessly. "Claire..."

"What?" She smiled wider. "My best friend is home. Doesn’t she deserve VIP treatment?"

A small smile escaped my lips. "Thank you."

"It’s nothing." She casually waved it off. "Come on."

She led Laura and me deeper into the spa before stopping outside one of the larger private treatment rooms.

"This room is ours for the evening."

Laura clapped her hands excitedly. "I’ve missed this."

"So have I," Claire replied.

Once we were inside, Laura wrapped an arm around my shoulder again. "I really missed you."

"I’ve only been away for one month, and you missed me this much?" I said to her.

She nodded so seriously that I almost believed she was about to cry. "I suffered."

Claire rolled her eyes. "You survived perfectly well." Laura ignored her. "My life has been empty."

I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

Claire mumbled. "So dramatic."

"You know me," she admitted as a proud smile turned up at the corner of her lips.

Claire smiled. "I wish I didn’t."

The three of us laughed together. For a while, it felt as though nothing had changed.

Claire folded her arms. "Alright, Miss Hugo. What would Madam like today?"

I pretended to think, then I said, "A massage first, then a facial. My nails and my hair."

Claire nodded once. "As you wish."

She stepped outside briefly before returning with several attendants. Within minutes, preparations were complete.

The three of us freshened up once again before changing into the spa robes provided. Soon afterwards, we were lying side by side on three massage tables.

I occupied the one in the middle, while Claire and Laura lay on either side of me.

The attendants began their work almost immediately. Naturally, that didn’t stop us from talking. Laura was the first to speak.

"So... tell me everything about Larnard."

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

"The important things."

I smiled. "Like?"

She grinned. "Are there any hot professors?"

Almost instantly, a familiar face appeared in my mind. Michael King. For reasons I couldn’t explain, his image surfaced before anyone else’s.

I blinked once. Then quickly pushed the thought aside. What was that about?

Beside me, Claire sighed. "I honestly think you should never further your education."

Laura sounded offended. "Why?"

"Because instead of paying attention in class, you’ll spend the entire semester rating professors," Claire finished.

Laura clicked her tongue. "That’s not true."

"It absolutely is." Claire continued. "Your first question wasn’t about the courses, the campus or the students. It was about hot professors."

Laura defended herself without the slightest embarrassment. "Can you blame me?"

Claire arched her back slightly so she could meet her gaze. "Haven’t you seen enough handsome men through your acting career?"

Laura made a face. "That’s exactly the problem."

Claire and I looked at her expectantly.

"Most of them wear makeup." She sighed dramatically. "These days it’s difficult to tell who’s naturally handsome and who’s being assisted by three makeup artists."

Claire burst into laughter. I followed almost immediately. The seriousness in Laura’s voice only made it funnier.

She folded her arms stubbornly. "I’m speaking the truth."

Claire laughed even harder. While they continued teasing each other, my thoughts briefly wandered.

If either of them ever discovered that Michael King taught at Larnard...

Or that I had once spent over an hour sitting with him in a café discussing my personal life...

I almost shuddered. Laura would never let me hear the end of it. Some things were simply better left unsaid.

I quietly kept those thoughts to myself.

After the laughter died down, Laura suddenly remembered something. "Oh." She turned towards me. "Did you know that bitch Maya came here last week?"

My attention shifted immediately. "Maya?"

Claire nodded. "She actually booked an appointment."

Laura snorted. "Can you imagine her shamelessness?"

Claire calmly explained everything that had happened—from arriving and seeing the confident Maya to the confrontation that followed and how she eventually cancelled the appointment herself before forcing Maya to leave.

By the time she finished, I simply shook my head.

"Honestly..." I released a quiet breath. "I don’t even know why I’m surprised. Maya has always been daring."

"Daring?" Laura clicked her tongue. "That’s putting it nicely." Then she let out a scoff.

"If she could shamelessly steal her best friend’s man, then I don’t think there’s anything she won’t do."

Claire nodded in agreement.

Neither of them was wrong, but I didn’t want to spend tonight talking about Maya.

"We’ve wasted enough time on her." I smiled. "Let’s talk about something more important."

"You’re right." Laura immediately agreed. "She’s not worth ruining our mood."

The massage eventually came to an end. Next came the facial treatment. Once the masks were applied, the attendants politely reminded us not to speak.

The room fell into comfortable silence. Afterwards, one of the attendants led me to the hair section. She carefully washed my hair before gently drying and straightening it.

Claire stood nearby, watching with an approving smile. "What hairstyle do you want tomorrow?"

I looked at my reflection. "I haven’t thought about it yet."

She smiled confidently. "Leave it to me. I will come over first thing tomorrow morning to do it myself."

Before I could answer, Laura immediately raised her hand. "I’m coming too." Then she slowly lowered it again. Her confident expression disappeared.

She looked at me cautiously. "Your mother isn’t going to throw us out of the house... is she?"

I couldn’t help laughing. I already knew why she was asking. After the stunt Maya pulled, it was a given that my mother wouldn’t trust my other friends.

I smiled reassuringly. "You and Claire aren’t Maya. So relax."

Laura visibly relaxed. "Good. Because I would really like to survive tomorrow."

Claire laughed as well.

"I will make sure you do," I promised.