The Runaway Groom

Erma started bawling right then. "Please, I'm begging you! I really can't lose this job, or my family would die! We're all employees—from now on, you take care of the baby, and I'll take care of the housework! Can't we make this work?!"

As the occasional people who passed by stared at them, Lulu took a deep breath and stopped struggling.

Looking down at the hysterical Erma, she asked, "Could you stop embarrassing yourself? This is where Mr. Slate lives—the people living around this apartment are either rich or powerful. Are you sure you want to keep this up?"

Erma did a double take at that, and Lulu promptly seized the moment to pull her leg out of Erma’s grasp.

Seemingly startled, Luna started bawling in her arms, and Lulu promptly patted her back, coaxing, "It's alright, it's alright!"

Once Luna quieted down, she turned around toward Erma.

“I'd encourage you not to do this, since Mr. Slate would never suffer the likes of you. Don't hope that I'll get a good word in for you either—I'll treat you the way you treated Mr. Slate's baby."

Lulu might actually have helped if Erma would talk this out calmly. But given the way Erma just freaked out? Lulu would die than let a woman like her around her baby!

"Oh, by the way..." Lulu added, turning around before she left, "Everyone in this apartment is rich. You could've gotten another job with your resume, but they would know about you after you freaked out like this. I'd advise you to never show up again!"

With that, Lulu left with Luna.

Watching her go, Erma was left incensed as she got to her feet, and spat, "Who do you think you are?! A mere babysitter, thinking you're the lady of the house just because you're paid? You're not the baby's mother, y'know!"

However, she remembered the last thing Lulu told her before she left. Even as everyone nearby shot her looks of disdain, she strode off in silence, hesitating for a while before calling Vivian since she had failed to persuade Lulu.

Vivian just happened to be sorting out some documents near Zachary and promptly covered the screen when she saw the familiar number. "What's wrong?" Zachary noticed Vivian behaving strangely, covering her phone as if worried someone else would see it.

“It's just a prank call. It's nothing..." Vivian got up, looking embarrassed. "I'm going to finance now to ask for this quarter's report!" Zachary did not suspect anything, and nodded.

Vivian hurried out of the door and turned into a corner. Looking around to make sure there was no one else around, she called Erma, snapping as soon as Erma answered, "What's your problem?! Why did you call me during working hours?!" Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Fortunately, Zachary was not suspicious—if he knew she was secretly in league with Erma, he would suspect something!

“I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Erma apologized repeatedly and explained, "But I spoke to the babysitter as you suggested, Ms. Crowe... And she refused to speak on my behalf!"

Vivian almost had a stroke at those words. "Can't you grow a brain?!"