Chapter 330: Chapter 330: NYPC (6)

    [Edward POV]

    "We should hide in the house," Haley urged, pulling my arm. She didn''t want her parents to take her home early.

    "This is why no one should go to a party with their parents," Jenna scoffed teasingly.

    I rolled my eyes and pointed toward the concert. "Yeah, because no one wants to see their mother grinding provocatively with a hunky topless guy at a party."

    "WHAT?!" Jenna''s eyes widened in horror as she turned to look where I was pointing. Instead of her mother, she saw a random girl doing just that.

    Jenna shot me a glare, and I smirked. "Why? I never said it was your mom. She''s inside the house, doing who knows what."

    Jenna puffed her cheeks sulkily. "Oh, it''s Sal," Haley muttered, realizing who I was pointing at.

    I took a second glance and exclaimed, "Oh my god, it really is her! I thought it was a stripper. That reminds me, I need to talk to her about something."

    "Hey, my mom is asking me to go to the car now," Jacob said with a sad sigh before I could walk away.

    Elsa chimed in, "Yeah, my mom wants me to go home too. She told me to go back with Jenna, and she''s coming to pick me up at her house."

    "Wait. So I have to go back too?" Jenna looked bewildered at Elsa.

    Enid added with a slight protest, "My mom too! Can you believe them?!"

    Finneas and Billie''s parents were at the party as well, and it seemed their time was up too.

    "It''s because you guys are all kids," I teased, prompting a chorus of protests.

    "We''re the same age!" Jacob raised his hand. "BOO!" Jenna and Elsa both gave me thumbs down.

    "Where is Tara?" Enid mumbled, looking around. "My mom told me to bring her with me."

    I turned to Haley, who had been hanging out with Tara before. "She''s enjoying the concert with our friends the last time I saw her," Haley shrugged.

    "Edward, are you going back up there?" Finneas asked suddenly. I nodded, "Yeah, at the end. Maybe an hour from now."

    Alex grumbled, "So we have to miss it because Mom wants to stop you guys from doing it?"

    Haley looked flabbergasted, while I chuckled. "Yeah, absolutely," I replied, and Haley blushed.

    "I really want to stay," Jacob whined, interrupting the conversation. Elsa added, "Me too. I want to stay, but my parents won''t let me."

    "I want to stay too," Enid said, grabbing my arm. "Can''t you talk to our parents?"

    Flabbergasted, I responded, "I''m not going to. They''re worried about you and want to protect you. I respect that. I''m not going to manipulate them into letting you stay." I turned to Haley. "And that includes you."

    "Really?" Haley whined, her eyes sad. "Are you sure you don''t want me to stay?"

    I smirked and gently guided her away from my friends for a private conversation. "I want you to stay."

    "Then why don''t you want to talk to my mom?" Haley asked sulkily.

    "I could, but even I know that manipulating a mother to let her daughter stay and then have my way with her is morally wrong. It''s degenerate behavior. I''m not going to do that." I said calmly, brushing her hair behind her ear and placing my hand affectionately on her cheek.

    [General POV]

    After Luke and Manny were found, the family returned to the outdoor party. Claire noticed Edward and Haley talking from afar. She hesitated to call out to them, observing the way they looked at each other. Instead, she pulled Alex aside and whispered, "What''s that all about?"

    Alex grumbled, "A farewell, maybe."

    "Wait, so...Haley is going home?" Claire asked, confused. "They''re not trying to stay?"

    Alex looked at her with disbelief. "Mom, you know that Edward really respects you, right?"

    Claire was taken aback, and Phil joined in, listening to the conversation. Alex continued, "You said you want to take us home. He''s not going to argue with that, although it will be dangerous for him."

    "That''s great—what do you mean dangerous for him?" Claire felt relieved at first but then became skeptical. Her nerves were telling her that Alex had done this on purpose, but she couldn''t help but take the bait.

    "Rich, tall, hot, very influential single guy at a party with a lot of aspiring actresses and fame seekers. He won''t get out of the party alive," Alex sighed, glancing at Edward with concern.

    Phil gasped. "They will kill him?"

    "What?! NO, Phil!" Claire stammered before turning her attention back to Alex. "I think you''re exaggerating. Besides, his dad won''t let anything happen to him."

    [Alex''s Commentary]

    "Although I hate the idea that Haley is dating one of my friends, I''ve been watching Edward for a while and read a lot of psychology books. I wanted to see if I could be like him and nudge my parents into seeing things my way," she gleefully said.

    "If I nail this, then there will be no more curfew..." She giggled. "And I can read my books all night long in my room without them asking me to socialize more."

    [Commentary Ends]

    "Watch where his dad is sitting," Alex said, guiding Claire with her index finger. Claire followed it to see Ted sitting with a group of older women.

    They were giggling and touchy with him as he sat there with an uncomfortable smile on his face.

    "Is that the woman from The Sopranos?" Claire widened her eyes in disbelief, seeing the curly-haired woman flirtatiously touching Ted''s bicep and leaning closer as she laughed.

    "Drea De Matteo," Alex explained, pushing her glasses upward. "On Ted''s left is Eva Amurri. Most of them are single TV actresses, but there are a few married women making googly eyes at him too."

    The women were dressed provocatively, showing Ted what they could do with their tongue, trying hard to get him to fall for them. If they couldn''t target Edward, Ted was the second best choice.

    Claire was confused by the scene in front of her. "What does this have to do with Edward?"

    "Nice timing. Watch." Alex pointed as Frankie walked toward the table, ready to rescue Ted from the clutches of the thirsty Hollywood hyenas. They scattered immediately, as if fearing her, and went off in search of another target.

    "Just like pigeons," Alex commented with disdain. She turned to Claire. "Look at them now." She pointed at Haley and Edward, who were still gazing at each other.

    "And look at the girls nearby." Alex added, and Claire turned to see several girls intently watching Edward, waiting for him to be alone so they could strike up a conversation.

    "So, Haley''s like his shield," Phil muttered in understanding. Alex nodded. "Once the shield is gone, it''s open season for some fresh Edward meat..."

    Claire gasped. "Alex! That''s very sexual!"

    Phil and Alex looked confused. Phil explained, "Honey, it''s like deer meat that was hunted. They''re not going to eat him."

    "I didn''t mean—" Claire stammered, hesitating before giving up and saying, "There''s still another option. Edward can go home with us."

    "Oh, that would be nice," Phil exclaimed in relief. Alex shook her head. "No, he can''t."

    "Right, he can''t." Phil agreed immediately without even hearing the reason.

    "No," Haley replied curtly. "If he liked me, he wouldn''t ask me to become his girlfriend." She shook her head slightly in despair, leaving Tara baffled.

    "T-That''s... like the opposite of what he would do if he liked you," Tara muttered in confusion just as her mother called for her. "I''ll be right back. You mull it over some more; let some other girls take a crack at Edward first and see if they can become his girlfriend," she said sarcastically, prompting Haley to curse under her breath, "Bitch."

    One thing Edward forgot was to clarify his ''curse'' status with Haley. She had kept that secret for a while, not even telling her best friend, making it hard for her to explain to Tara why she thought Edward asking her to be his girlfriend was a bad thing. She felt he didn''t really care about her if he would inflict the curse upon her too.

    As Tara left, Haley lowered her head, contemplating the matter seriously, when she suddenly found herself surrounded by two people she didn''t want to see the most at the party: Sage and Mrs. Henderson.

    "Are you having some problems?" Sage asked, sitting down next to Haley.

    Haley immediately stood up, her eyes shaky as she stammered, "Oh, um—I have too—"

    "Sit down," Mrs. Henderson ordered coldly. Haley plopped back down obediently. "Yes, ma''am," she said, surrendering to her fate.

    -Flashback, 10 minutes ago-

    Sage had asked Henderson while sipping her cocktail, "Edward has broken free of the self-destructive talent, but now he''s in real trouble."

    Henderson nodded slightly in agreement. "How does he logically and rationally tell his date that it''s gone? He is now... ''curse-free.'' The answer is, you don''t."

    "We''re lucky that he only told one person about it," Sage smirked, looking at Henderson. "You know, I love hanging out with you when you''re inebriated. We should do it again sometime."

    "Don''t get your hopes up," Mrs. Henderson replied coldly. "Did you bring it?" she asked.

    Sage clutched her purse. "Yeah, I do."

    "I guess this will be my last help to him as his ''First Guardian.'' Now that he''s growing up, he won''t need me anymore," Mrs. Henderson said.

    -Present time-

    "Haley, why don''t you get your fortunes read for the New Year?" Mrs. Henderson suggested, pointing at Sage.

    "What?" Haley was confused by the invitation. Sage took out a deck of Tarot cards from her purse and said, "Come on. It will be fun. For you, no charge."

    "You''re charging people?!" Haley retorted, then sighed. "You know what, this might seem rude, but I don''t have time for this." She slowly tried to stand up, but Sage smirked. "Really? Too bad. Edward got his destiny read a few days ago."

    Haley sat down again, her interest piqued. "How can I get my fate read?"

    Sage laughed slightly, placing the deck of cards on the table. "Shuffle it before picking three cards."

    Haley complied, intrigued. Edward noticed the commotion and became confused.

    As he watched them, he suddenly heard Taylor talking into the microphone and turned his attention to the stage.

    Haley drew three cards from the deck and laid them in front of her. However, her second and third cards fell together. In a hurry, she picked up the two that fell to complete her trio.

    Sage took the remaining cards. "Flip the first one over."

    "It''s The Fool," Haley said, slumping as she read the card.

    [Haley''s Commentary]

    "Okay, so even the cards are insulting me."

    [Commentary Ends]

    Sage nodded. "Although it might seem offensive, this card is the best you could hope for in this new year."

    Haley perked up. "Really?"

    Sage held the card between her fingers, showing it to Haley. "The Fool represents new beginnings, having faith in the future, being inexperienced, not knowing what to expect. It doesn''t show that you''re dumb, but more like a blank slate."

    Haley was absorbed by the reading. "Should I flip the second card now?"

    "Sure," Sage replied, her air of mystery growing.

    "It''s The Empress," Mrs. Henderson muttered, slightly shocked by Haley''s fate.

    "What? Is it bad?" Haley asked urgently.

    Sage was momentarily taken aback before smiling. "Oh, Eve is surprised because this card symbolizes fertility, abundance, and nurturing."

    "Huh?" Haley was dumbfounded. "I''m going to get pregnant?" she asked in shock.

    "Thankfully, the card follows The Fool, so the meaning is a bit different," Sage explained, making Haley breathe a sigh of relief. "So what does it mean?"

    "Following The Fool, it may indicate that the new journey you''re on will be a path of abundance, growth, and creative potential." Sage said mysteriously. "I noticed that the cards fell together with the third one. So it could still be about pregnancy," she added seriously.

    Haley sweated slightly, turning her attention to the third card. Sage opened it to reveal The Lovers. Haley grinned widely. "So, I''m going to find a boyfriend?"

    "Not quite," Sage said, deflating Haley''s happiness. "But it is connected. The Lovers represent choices and harmony. In this card placement, The Fool, The Empress, and The Lovers mean that journeys initiated by The Fool will lead to meaningful connections or important choices in love and in life."

    Haley fell into deep thought before asking, "How accurate is the reading?"

    Sage smirked. "That''s not how it works. The cards provide guidance; they cannot tell you completely what your fate will be."

    Mrs Henderson quipped, "But since Sage is the one who did this, then it will be 99% accurate."

    Sage was baffled by Henderson''s remark. Haley''s eyes glittered as she basked in the happiness before she asked meekly, "Um, then... Can you tell me what Edward got when he did this?"

    Sage smiled. "I cannot tell you. But it has something to do with his cursed love life and the reversal of fortune, which means his dark days are over."

    "Wh-When did he do this?" Haley stammered slightly and her heart beat quicker.

    "Around Christmas time." Sage replied. Haley thought about it and said, "That''s when he started to– Um, I need to go. Thank you Miss Anna! And you too Mrs Henderson!"

    Haley grabbed Sage and kissed her on the cheek, but failed to do the same thing with Mrs Henderson as she pulled her head back. She rushed to the house after telling her mother that she needed to use the bathroom.

    "I''ll grab my stuff and meet you guys at the car." Haley told her parents before leaving.

    "Oh, okay honey. We will say goodbye first and then meet you there." Claire replied awkwardly. As soon as Haley left, Claire asked Phil, "Did I do this? Did I ruin her thing with Edward?"

    Phil replied, "I hate to be the one to say this Claire, but you definitely did."

    ...

    Edward suddenly received a text message from Haley, asking him to meet her in their room before she would go home.

    However, as soon as Edward entered through the door, Haley grabbed him and kissed him.

    "I do want to be your girlfriend." She said after separating for a while, her hand still wrapped around his neck.

    "But before that, you need to show me that you really like me." She said before she started to kiss his neck. Edward smiled and said, "That won''t be a problem." He took off his coat and pulled her close.