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Chapter 250: The Knocking Little Red Riding Hood
🕑 Added 2025-05-05 19:16:51 +0000 UTCThe next day.
Weekend.
After spending most of the night analyzing and researching with Juno, the pressure brought by Amazing Amy had significantly lessened. As a result, the motivation to pull an all-nighter writing spree had also diminished.
After some calculations, based on the expanded outline Juno had provided, the novel The Disappearing Lover would be around 400,000 to 500,000 words long.
At a pace of 10,000 words per day, it could be completed in about a month and a half.
In movies, revenge often seems swift and intense because they skip over the long stretches of time—sometimes seasons or even years—between events.
Even if Amazing Amy wanted to take revenge on him, she would still need time to set everything up. It wasn’t something she could accomplish in just a month or two.
So, there was still plenty of time.
Based on the analysis with Juno, no matter how Amazing Amy planned to retaliate, further contact with him was inevitable.
With this warning in mind, the next time Amazing Amy appeared in his sight would be the moment he needed to be on full alert.
Having figured this out, when Max woke up early and started messing with him, Adam dragged her into a morning workout session. Afterward, they both went back to sleep, not waking up again until after ten.
After freshening up, the four of them went out to a restaurant for a famous brunch.
Apparently, this was a specialty of affluent areas.
The more prosperous a place was, the livelier its nightlife, meaning people stayed up later. Many partied until the early morning.
Early to bed and early to rise? Not here.
When sleep is that good, breakfast doesn’t stand a chance.
By the time they woke up, breakfast was long over, but lunch was still a while away. With their stomachs growling, they decided to eat anyway.
And so, this neither-breakfast-nor-lunch meal evolved into brunch.
Beyond being a regional trend, brunch was also perfect for couples.
Couples often exhausted themselves from… late-night activities. Staying in bed was practically a tradition. The younger they were and the deeper into the honeymoon phase, the more pronounced this habit became.
Why?
Because they were tired.
Adam remembered that back in college, when his girlfriend lived in a neighboring city, every time they met, they would hole up in a hotel room all weekend.
Plans to go out? Just talk. In reality, they couldn’t be bothered.
A simple walk around campus counted as an outing.
A stroll in the park? Maybe once a month at best.
Back then, brunch wasn’t really a concept. They’d just snack on something to hold them over until lunchtime.
Now, his life with Max felt a lot like those college days. Nostalgic, in a way.
These two factors combined meant that young, urban couples in love had become the main consumers of brunch.
And this group just so happened to be the most willing to spend money.
Because of this, more and more restaurants in big cities started offering brunch services.
Some places even became famous solely for their brunch.
These spots weren’t ideal for solo dining—unless you wanted to be surrounded by sickeningly sweet couples.
Take Matthew, for example, a senior at Columbia. His favorite thing was having brunch with Lily. They were so in love that waking up early was impossible.
After they broke up, Matthew tried going back to their favorite brunch spot alone.
Hearing the waiter ask, “Table for one?” felt like a dagger to his heart. The sight of all the couples around him stung even more.
But brunch had become a habit, and he loved that restaurant’s food. Eventually, he roped in a buddy to go with him—risking potential misunderstandings—just so he wouldn’t have to eat there alone.
For Adam and his group of four—two couples—brunch was a non-issue.
After they ate, Adam wasn’t particularly interested in exploring Boston further. They wandered around briefly before he and Max caught a flight back to New York.
Juno and Karen dropped them off at the airport.
On the Plane
"Juno and Karen are really great people," Max remarked as she settled into her seat.
"Hey!" Adam feigned outrage. "I’m right here!"
"Are you worried they’ll turn me gay?" Max chuckled. "Relax, if that was going to happen, it would’ve happened already. It’s not like I haven’t been with women before."
"…"
Adam’s mouth twitched, momentarily speechless.
Max’s past had always been a mystery. Adam only knew that it was something she didn’t like to talk about, so he never asked—he didn’t want to reopen old wounds.
Some scars could heal, like Chandler’s childhood trauma.
But some wounds never closed; they could only be buried deep and left untouched—like Max’s past.
Max often made offhanded comments about her experiences, but it was hard to tell how much was true. One thing was certain: these jaw-dropping stories weren’t all made up.
Some she might have just heard about, but most were probably things she had lived through herself.
So even though Adam was dying to gossip about the woman who had tried to “turn” Max, he held back.
At the Dunn Household
"Dad, Mom, I think your idea of moving to New York is a great one," Amazing Amy said with a smile.
"Boston is a cultural hub, sure, but it’s nothing compared to New York, the economic and cultural capital. The Dunn family deserves a bigger stage."
"You’ve finally come around," her mother said approvingly. "Your father and I have actually been preparing for this for a while. Since you agree, then let’s officially make our move to New York."
Amazing Amy ignored the fact that her parents had never actually cared about her opinion on the matter. She simply smiled and nodded.
"Looks like love is in the air," her mother said knowingly, giving Amy a teasing look. "Is it that handsome young man, Adam Duncan? Has he stolen our little girl’s heart?"
Before Amazing Amy could respond, her mother had already made up her mind.
"Go for it! Your father and I support you. Have a beautiful romance, and don’t forget to share all the juicy details with us."
It was obvious—she didn’t actually care about her daughter’s happiness. She just wanted more firsthand material to enrich the story of her real daughter: the Amazing Amy in her books.
"You won’t be disappointed," Amazing Amy said softly, her eyes glinting.
Two Weeks Later
Late at night.
After yet another farewell party, Amazing Amy strutted through an empty parking garage in her high heels.
She had just gotten into her car when—
*Knock, knock, knock!*
The sudden rapping on her window made her jump.
She turned to see two figures dressed in red standing outside, smiling at her through the glass…
(End of Chapter)
