Chapter 196 - House-Warming Party

Claire planned things quickly and Edward had only two days before they shifted Scarlet's things over. He had many things to hide and the one person he could think of in such a crisis was Elfie.

The hacker was initially reluctant to offer his place as a storage place but when Edward blackmailed him and threatened the programmer about telling his father about the things he'd done behind his back, Elfie shut up and reluctantly gave Edward his apartment's spare key to do whatever he pleased.

The first thing Edward did was to shift all his doc.u.ments, research materials and even suspicious mission-related materials. Elfie was shocked to see a briefcase full of fake passports and identities even though the hacker had some of his own. Elfie tried not to judge Edward for the skin masks and make-up that he used for his missions. Some of the more suspicious clothes were also dumped over and the most damning evidence that he was an active spy on a mission? That assault sniper rifle with his license.

Edward still kept some spare IDs and passports with him and hid them in a safe place. He also hid a handgun with clearance for firearm use under a registered seller under his name just in case. Edward paid attention to details and removed the traps and listening bugs for when Claire came over to inspect. He kept them inside a waterproof bag in one of the pipes that he could disconnect in the bathroom. It was only a temporary thing and Edward would reinstall them once Claire was gone. He still needed to ensure the safety of Scarlet and himself even if he wanted to avoid their suspicion. Playing a double agent was usually the hardest kind of mission and Elfie only had that sort of mission once in his life. He never wanted a repeat of such things because it messed with his mind so badly. Yet, here he was, trying to cover his traces and putting on a false front in front of the girl he liked for her sake. It felt terrible lying to Scarlet but he didn't have a choice. Even if Anastasia was taken down, Edward would still not reveal his identity as a spy to her. He would quietly leave the service and lead a normal life with her, as normal as they could be.

After the rush to clean up his act, Edward invited Claire and Scarlet to his apartment. Claire came with three suitcases and some DIY furniture that was bought from IKEA since the furniture that the Wildes had wouldn't fit in his room. There was a small bookshelf desk that could hold Scarlet's books if she could reach it. The design was very compacted and Scarlet liked it. With the help of Edward and Claire, the bed and wardrobe in the guest room were rearranged so that they had space to assemble the new desk-bookshelf. The rug was removed and placed in the dining area instead since there was a little walking space there.

Claire and Edward worked together to assemble the new furniture while Scarlet unpacked her belongings. Edward blushed when he caught sight of her more intimate innerwear and turned around politely. Claire noticed that and smirked to herself. At least this boy was still a gentleman and not a downright beast. He respected Scarlet's privacy enough so he wouldn't be doing anything that Scarlet didn't like. Claire was reassured after seeing this but that didn't mean she wasn't going to put some listening bugs where she could in Scarlet's room for her safety when Edward left.

The desk was assembled quickly and Scarlet applauded when she saw how neatly it fitted into her new room. Edward wiped his sweat with the sleeve of his shirt and excused himself to grab the guests some cold juice. Scarlet marvelled at her new table and started arranging books on the shelves. Claire took the opportunity to stick a listening bug on the wall behind the table leg so that it was well hidden.

Edward came in with some cold juice and Claire offered to cook them something for dinner because they had been too engrossed with settling Scarlet in that they missed lunch. "It's on me today. What do you want to eat?"

Edward felt awkward requesting for dinner but Scarlet didn't. Claire decided to check the kitchen and was immediately appalled by the lack of ingredients and basic cookware. Instead, they decide to order pizza for dinner while Scarlet cleaned up. Edward offered to help and Claire took some time to kick back while surveying the apartment's neighbourhood from the window. Edward seemed like an ordinary person and the good thing about him was how neat his apartment was although Claire didn't know if Edward deliberately cleaned it up before they arrived. She checked everything and it looked as if Edward was really just a university student who had a father who worked in some big company and earned enough to sponsor his education and living expenses.

There were books about psychology, a gaming console and a battered laptop. All these were ordinary for a boy studying psychology. The head maid tried to find anything off and searched Edward's room discreetly when the boy was outside in the living room with Scarlet. His room didn't seem anything out of the ordinary although it was a little too plain. The clothes were normal and practical, showing that Edward was probably a minimalist who preferred things to be more practical than aesthetically appealing. Scarlet and Edward were rather similar in this aspect.

The bed was tidy and the blankets folded. Claire didn't see anything wrong with it either. The colours that Edward chose were on the dull side and the head maid wondered what sort of person Edward was. If she didn't know it was an apartment that a nineteen-year-old teenager lived in, she would have thought it belonged to a man in his thirties. It looked very much like a bachelor's den. There were no dirty magazines or posters of idols around, indicating that Edward didn't show much of an interest in those things. Still, there must be some kind of interest outside of studying, right?

When the pizza arrived, Claire helped Scarlet take a wefie to send it to her sister. The house-warming party looked cosy and the atmosphere was relatively relaxed compared to Alex's moving-in experience. The model fussed over details about where to put her things that Jasper promptly gave up in defeat and let the model handle everything. Claire didn't say much but the whole time she was having dinner with Jasper and Alex, the girl was bitching over the lack of luxuries. Jasper didn't say anything but Claire didn't put it behind him to start an argument when she left. Jasper was a patient person but he had boundaries too. He wasn't afraid of putting Alex in her place when he needed to but he wouldn't embarrass her in front of others.

Compared to that, Scarlet and Edward's relationship was more mature even though they haven't been dating for long. Edward was very understanding and easy to talk to. He was able to match Claire on an intellectual level usually missing from teenagers his age. The boy was also sensitive to Scarlet's needs and very thoughtful. He didn't ask Scarlet about it but he asked Claire about what Scarlet needed for her feminine needs that he should know about because he doesn't have a sister and he didn't have things like a laundry netting for her clothes or even a sanitary bin.

Claire found herself talking about it with the boy and explaining that he didn't need to worry about them. "Scarlet and I will be going shopping with Alex to get the necessary things. You don't have to worry about it. We have not really gotten time to get things like toothbrushes and shower caps so we will be doing it soon. Today is just a day to move most of the things over but I will try to settle everything by the end of this week because I have to leave soon."

On that topic, Claire explained that the transfer for the rent will be made tomorrow. "I also noticed that the apartment is very spruce and practical. There aren't posters or anything of that sort that a teenager would normally have. Does your dad not allow them?"

Edward blinked. "Oh, no. He isn't against them. I just have no interest in that sort of thing. I do play games occasionally but I usually chill in front of that 4k screen to watch movies. Scarlet and I watched one together in the library after we were done with her report. I was rather surprised to learn that we share the same tastes in movies."

Claire nodded. It was a normal answer and she let down her guard a little more but she wasn't done testing him. "You're rather neat for a boy who lives alone. Even for Alex, she's very messy at home. Scarlet and I are constantly cleaning up after her."

Edward laughed. "I didn't do this all by myself," he admitted. "My father engages a cleaning lady to come three times a week to help with cleaning and laundry. I just do what I normally do and put things back where I took them from so that they don't lie all over the place. Also, I'm not fond of clutter. A person's home and their workplace is a reflection of their mind. I want to be free from distractions and I don't come home very often. I like hanging out so I come back to shower and sleep mostly."

Claire nodded. She didn't study psychology but she knew that a person's desk or home could reflect on their personality. Alex's clutter reflected her free-spirit and creativity. Scarlet's organised notes and colourful display of various things represented her curious mind and all-accepting personality. Edward was definitely a minimalist here and it could indicate that he was more attentive to details and very disciplined. He would be a successful person in the future and Claire had a better opinion about him.

Toasting to juice and pizza, they continued to eat and enjoy the successful moving in.

Author's Note: Join the caption competition on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or even discord! Closing date is 3rd July, most creative captions for the texting messages between Jedd77 and Frost will get to decide the theme of their second date <3