Chapter 230: I know better [1/2]
After we got inside, Noelle sent Alana and Bless to their rooms while the Sirens, Earl and I all headed for the living room. Of course, my super hearing heard sounds coming from the stairs.
It seemed that the sisters were eavesdropping and trying to listen in with hushed voices. The Sirens, on the other hand, were all leisurely converging on me as I made my way to the couch.
Bella, Lilly and Robyn were trying to push each other out as if they were competing to sit closest to me. It was a bit funny to see Robyn trying to push the much taller Italian and Princess away.
"Dipshit, I feel like I am going to get a migraine seeing your girlfriends fussing over you. Kneel down on the floor, the rest of you make yourselves comfortable."
Earl didn't say anything, but of course he sat in his beat-up lazy boy. It might have been an antique at this point, but Earl sure loved that thing. Noelle then gracefully sat on her husband's lap as she turned to face me.
My adoptive father naturally hugged Noelle's midsection as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Though I found their skinship weird, I was used to it by now. But it was funny to see the reactions for the Sirens.
They were mostly divided into two groups. Those who were embarrassed, which consisted of Liv, Jasmine and Robyn. And the rest who seemed impressed. Bella, Aki, Jo and Lilly all made different faces, ranging from amazement to interest to the desire to imitate.
Probably seeing the intense reactions, Noelle, in her style, wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and began to defensively explain her actions.
"What are you all looking at? This man is my Appleboo. His lap is and always will be my place. I am not doing anything wrong! Besides, we are happily married! I am not lewd!"
Like a Japanese tsundere from a harem manga, my mother adorably justified her affectionate behavior. Earl, the recipient of her charms, wore a goofy smile and remained silent.
The girls all tried to keep their faces straight while suppressing their smiles. After everyone enjoyed the sight of Noelle being defensive, Earl finally made a fake cough and affectionately nuzzled Noelle's neck.
"El, no one minds, calm down. You had something to tell your son, right?"
"Ah, right. Sorry about that, everyone. Appleboo is right."
Like a machine that had just been rebooted, Noelle switched to serious mode. It was cute that even in serious mode she called Earl Appleboo.
I mean, Earl was a man built like a mountain. Calling such a specimen Appleboo was fucking wrong to begin with.
Noelle, turning to me, began her complaints.
"Dipshit, first things first. Tell me what the hell is going on. And don't try to lie to me."
"What do you mean, Mrs. Simmons?"
"I checked the school. The crime scene didn't match Lana's story. For one thing, there was too much blood. The same blood was on Aki."
Noelle turned to Aki and explained in a stern voice.
"Aki, I am grateful that you saved my little girl, I really am. But why did you lie? I questioned my daughter and she told me what really happened. My baby is no liar, but she is also very sharp. Why did you both choose to lie to me?"
"Noelle-sama. I.."
Before Aki could answer, my mother turned to Josephine and Robyn.
"And you two. You two and Aki have been patrolling my block, haven't you? You even beat the shit out of some guys earlier."
Without waiting for an answer, Noelle then confronted Jasmine, Bella, Liv and Lilly. The four reapers all froze like deer caught in headlights.
"You four, on the other hand, have been clinging to the members of my family. Don't think I haven't noticed. You all behave like guards for VIPs."
Well, shit, as always, Noelle knew more than she let on. She had basically already figured out that the Siren's hadn't come here for nothing.
"Now dipshit, first you stayed in a fancy ass hotel. Now you bring home a fancy-ass minivan. Now tell me. Did you scam some rich bastard out of his retirement money? Are these girls soldiers you hired to protect us from the people you swindled?"
At Noelle's hilarious hypothesis, the Sirens and I began to laugh. Suddenly, Noelle had a rolled-up piece of newspaper in her hand and whacked me on the head with it. Where the hell did that thing come from?!
Wiping tears from her eyes from laughing so hard, Lilly began to explain in my place.
"Mrs. Simmons. I apologize if we gave you the wrong impression. Everyone here, including myself, works for your son. We recently had a high-profile project that earned us millions. Unfortunately, we also earned the ire of some unruly characters.
We are just trying to protect our boss' family."
"That sounds like bullshit. There's no way some blue office job has not one, but seven beautiful people working for it. You are all too pretty for that. Not unless dipshit here works for a modeling agency or something. Right, Appleboo?"
"Hmm, they might be pretty, but you know I only got eyes for you, El," Earl replied as he nuzzled my ma.
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"Appleboo, that tickles. Please not now. I'll lose street cred..."
Bella took out a small tablet and presented it to Noelle. It showed some graphs and news articles of some sort.
"Mother-in-law, I assure you we are not doing anything illegal. It's true, honey, over there is our boss."
"Mother-in-law? Honey? Oy dipshit, you didn't force this woman to sleep with you for her job, did you?"
"She's joking. I know better, Mrs. Simmons. Bella is just a very good friend of mine."
"That sounds fishy, then tell me all of you introduce yourselves again and tell me what work you do for my son, if you really work for him at all. Starting with you."
"Yes, mother-in-law, I am Liv Ivaldi, I am your son's bodyguard."
"Jo Benelli, mother-in-law, I have been the fitness trainer and nurse of darling!"
"Robyn Lithgow, I was hired as a delivery girl mother."
"My name is Jas Denel mother, I have been assigned by the company as John's exclusive maid."
"Aki Miroku greets mother, I attend John as his private cook and nutritionist."
"Bella Taurus. Mother-in-law, I do Honey's finances as his accountant."
"I am Lilly Browning mother, I work as John's executive secretary."
Noelle looked unconvinced and asked the question I feared the most.
"Why are you all calling me mother? Are you all interested in my son? Dipshit, are you playing with these nice girls? Which one of them are you really going out with?"