Revenge is best served cold

Eric and I stared at Monica's message, a blend of disappointment and relief washing over us. It was clear that we were disappointed because it seemed like Monica wasn't the type of person who would be loyal to Joshua.

In any case, we were also somewhat relieved because we had caught on to her nature before things went too far.

In the following days, Monica constantly messaged "Eric", working hard to grow closer to him. In reality, the person she had been texting the whole time was me. Eric, wanting nothing to do with it, offloaded the whole task to me by logging into his WhatsApp account on my phone.

In just one week, without any confirmation from my side, Monica was already regarding herself as Eric's girlfriend.

It was time to execute the final phase. I, posing as Eric, set up a meeting with Monica at a café on Sunday. It was a café that offered private rooms. Though they lacked soundproofing, they shielded the interior from outside view. It was exactly the setup I required.

Eric, on the other hand, had reached out to Joshua, informing him that I was still upset with him. Hence, he needed Joshua's intervention to smooth things over.

Joshua approached me, and I took the opportunity to invite him to the same café for the final phase of the plan.

...

It was finally Sunday. Joshua and I arrived at the designated café as planned and then proceeded to take our seats in the previously reserved private room.

In order to make sure that they didn't bump into each other, Eric and Monica's scheduled meeting was 30 minutes after ours. In that interminable half hour, I was subjected to Joshua's endless, well-intentioned advice.

I felt my ears going numb from his nagging, and I could even hear how hoarse Joshua's voice had gotten from all that talking. It was then that the agonizing 30 minutes came to an end.

Joshua wore a look of utter despair as he said, "It's quite obvious that you and Ric have a good relationship, Jae. Why are you suddenly upset with him?"

I was so overwhelmed by his previous nagging that my mind went blank for a moment. I blurted out, "I'm not upset with him."

Joshua slapped his thigh with a resounding thwack, completely unbothered by the half-hour nagging he had wasted on me. He then beamed and exclaimed, "That's a relief then, Jae! You two are perfect together, so it'd be a shame if you two really split up!"

I quickly corrected myself, saying, "I didn't mean it that way. I got over being upset with him quite some time ago. It's just that I can't help but feel disappointed in him now."

"You're disappointed in him?" Joshua asked, looking utterly confused.

I nodded and exclaimed, "Yes, I'm utterly disappointed in him! You see, he's actually cheating on me with another woman!"

Joshua looked utterly incredulous, murmuring, "How could that be? I'm sure Ric wouldn't do such a thing!"

I was practically cackling on the inside, but I still maintained a mournful expression outwardly and asked, "You want to know why I invited you here today?"

I was aware of Joshua's limited capacity for deduction. I was

worried that he wouldn't figure it out, so I quickly added, "I know he's. meeting the other woman here today. It's actually the reason why I invited you here today. I need you to help me catch them red-handed!" noveldrama

Joshua's expression betrayed a moment of hesitation. Yet as soon as he noticed the sorrow in my expression, he nodded and said, "I'll stay and see this through with you, Jae."

He then stated firmly, "If this whole thing turns out to be a misunderstanding, I hope you'll make amends with Ric. I believe that he's not the kind of person who would do such a thing, so there must be a misunderstanding here!"

I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt within me after seeing his guileless

expression. It was clear that Joshua's nature was a stark contrast to his parents.

I was still lost in my thoughts when I suddenly heard Eric's cough. It was the

signal we had set beforehand. I knew right away that Monica, the protagonist of the final phase, had arrived.

Having made prior arrangements,

Eric and Monica were seated in the

private room beside ours

my index finger against my

signaling Joshua to be quiet. Joshua nodded in understanding and leaned closer to the partition, intent on listening to their exchange.