Re:life with Karmic Gacha (Modern Family)

Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Halloween Party (7-F)

(I'll take the next week off.)

[General POV]

Anger in her eyes, Taylor glared at Edward and Skyler from the side of the room. Both of them were talking and giggling with each other, and it irked her.

Selena carefully walked towards Taylor, with a plate of food in her hand. But before she could munch her snacks, Taylor asked, "Can you believe that guy? He's purposely doing this to make me angry."

Fidgety and irritated, Taylor's glare stopped Selena from biting her churros dipped with chocolate and said, "Don't look at me. You did it to yourself by continuously fighting with him. I thought you wanted to make up?."

"I do want to make up with him." Taylor said, calming herself down a bit as she complained to Selena, "But when I see his stupid face, I just can't help myself."

She stole a glance at Edward and whispered to herself, "His stupidly cute face." The scene in front of her filled her with incredible jealousy and regret, together with longing for her to be the one standing by his side.

"What was that?" Selena asked doubtfully.

"Nothing." Taylor replied, pretending everything was fine. Then, she scolded Selena, "This all wouldn't have happened if you didn't bring that slut in here."

Selena saw Edward and Skylar and said, "Well, I know that she had a huge crush on Edward, but I didn't think that he would entertain her. He was not really flirting with me, or anyone else before today. I..."

"What is it?" Taylor asked Selena impatiently.

Selena smiled wryly and said, "Well, don't get angry at me for this."

"Just say it!"

"Well, I think he's flirting over there because of you." Selena said, startling Taylor. She continued anxiously before Taylor could react, "And my justification is this, he didn't really flirt with anyone after you guys broke up, but right now, he's doing it? So my guess is that meeting you today may have given him the closure he needed to move on– Ouch!"

Taylor pinched Selena's bicep, stopping her. "Why did you do that for?" Selena whined.

"Because you keep talking nonsense? Mov– Moving on? Boys don't move on that quickly from me!" Taylor glared at Edward, causing him to shudder.

Selena scoffed and whispered, "Cause surviving you gives them PTSD–" She stopped as Taylor was turning to her again.

Sensing the hostility gazing at him, Edward wrapped his arm around Skylar's waist and led her to the couch, moving further away from Taylor. In the meantime, the more Selena ate the chocolate, the more it affected her.

"Stop looking at him like you want to murder him." Selena scolded Taylor. Then she mocked, "You keep asking yourself why he didn't want you back, maybe he's just afraid for his safety."

Taylor gasped in disbelief, "I didn't glare at him that much–"

"You've been doing so since you got here. No wonder you drove him off into the arms of another woman." Selena scolded again.

Taylor's mouth was agape, and her shock deepened when Selena said, "Now that he finally has closure, he will go to bed with basically anyone who can comfort him. Will you please hold the plate for me? I'm going to talk to him–"

"Where do you think you're going?!" Taylor grabbed Selena's arm before she could move away. "Alright I get what you're saying." Taylor grumbled and hugged Selena's arm tight. "I should approach him "more casually" is what you're saying. Less resentment and all that stuff."

"I'm saying that I want to go get some. But sure, that too." Selena replied casually.

Taylor rolled her eyes with disbelief before she chuckled, "You know, when you're being bitchy like this, I feel really close to you."

"Just a little bit closer and you can actually cop-a-feel. Unless you want to take over Edward's role tonight, you should let me go."

Taylor released Selena with a chuckle and said, "Any suggestions on what I should do now?"

"Maybe try to create some small talk with him? Ask him for some advice for the song you made to get him back? If that's too embarrassing–"

"No, I'll do that." Taylor agreed instantly. Then, she got curious, "If I said it was too embarrassing, what are you going to suggest next?"

"Just pounce on him." Selena replied. "I know I would."

Taylor was speechless after that.

...

[Edward POV]

"You worked on a thriller movie recently, Am I right?" I asked Skyler.

She nodded while nibbling on some churros, "Yes. With Sela Ward and Dylan Welsh. There's also Penn Badgley, and also Amber Heard... It wasn't a very good movie though."

"Oh, why did you say that?" I asked with a comforting smile. She grinned and whispered, "It was a 20 million dollar movie, but it made less than 12 at the box office. The director is pissed. But I'm sure he's sleeping with Amber, so he wasn't that pissed. He basically made her wear only swimsuits for the entire film."

"Well he better get ready for a boxing match every night. Maybe a doggy bag in the morning too." I replied.

She was confused, then she laughed as she thought I had misunderstood something, "What? Oh, Amber is an actress, not a dog. He doesn't need a doggy bag to pick up her shit. What are you thinking about?!"

"Ah, is that so? I'm quite embarrassed then." I smiled charmingly, which made her blush and brush her hair behind her ear. "Umm, do you have a bedroom here?" She asked suddenly.

"Yeah, on the second floor. Why?" I replied with some confusion.

"Can I see it? I kept wondering what a teenage celebrity boy's room looked like." She said while giggling.

"I think it's just an excuse to get me alone with you." I flirted back.

She touched my shirt and said while poking my chest, "Would that be so wrong?"

Suddenly, Taylor appeared again, interrupting the conversation, "Sorry to steal him away from you, I just need to talk to him. I'll give him back when I'm done." She grabbed my arm and pulled me away to the other side of the room. Skyler reached out her hand to stop me, but was blocked by Selena.

"Sorry. It's better for you if I help make it happen. Otherwise I'm not sure if your car brakes will be working when you go home today." Selena said to Skyler, much to the girl's confusion.

"Are you already ready for round 2? I still haven't mentally prepared myself yet." I joked as I stood face to face with Taylor.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Alright. We're not that dysfunctional. I think we can get through one conversation without fighting with each other."

Although doubtful, I decided to listen to her, "Alright then. What do you want to talk about?"

"Us." She replied curtly while crossing her arms together.

"Oh boy, so we are going to fight." I exclaimed jokingly.

"Not yet, but keep it up. See what happens." She warned me.

"I will keep it up. Part of me wants to test your patience too, albeit I think it's only paper thin."

"Stop messing around. I need to say something important." She stopped me. I looked at her seriously, but the cat got her tongue, and she was struggling to say her next sentence.

"So, nothing important then." I mocked. She suddenly said, "I need a massage."

I fell in disbelief, "What?"

Flabbergasted, Taylor tried to explain, "A massage. You told me that it was a benefit of being your employee. Even if we are broken up, I can still get the massage. You have your own integrity and ethics, you won't ignore your responsibilities just because we can't do it anymore, am I right?"

"...Sure?" I replied quizzically.

Taylor turned to the side and whispered, "Damn it." Then, she turned towards me again.

"I have a feeling that's not what you wanted to say, but I'll just play along for now." I teased her. She smiled and giggled before playing along, "No, no. I do need a massage. I'm tired from all of the tours." Knocking on her shoulder, she pretended to be exhausted and sighed in front of me.

I chuckled and said, "Alright. But you're going to need to keep your clothes on."

"Hey! I'll decide whether to keep them on or off." She joked. Suddenly, we fell into silence. Taylor looked me in the eye and said with a breathy voice, "I miss this."

"Alright don't be corny." I shut her down quickly. Baffled, her shoulders dropped and she became slightly agitated, "Can you let me finish first?"

"What more is there to say? I'd rather we learn to keep our boundaries with each other. You know, keep things profesh. (Professional)"

"Profesh?" She imitated me mockingly. "Are you even serious right now?"

"Deadly." I replied. "It's the only logical course of action." I channeled my inner Spock.

She rolled her eyes and said, "And what if I don't want to do that?"

"Maybe we need more time apart then. Because I really think that's the correct path we should take for the time being." I replied.

She was silent for a while. I grabbed a cup of drink from the waiter walking around, and drank it.

"Alright then. We can keep it...Profesh..." She said, her eyes suddenly glittered. I was a bit on guard as I could sense she didn't really mean what she was saying, but I agreed with her regardless, "Okay then."

"So, as one singer to another, I have a new song I just wrote, and I'd love to hear your thoughts about it." She asked while slightly swaying her body. "We can go to your room–" She suddenly saw the stage nearby and pointed her finger at the guitar, "Or I can just sing it here, right in front of everyone."

"I mean, if you're confident, just go for it." I said with a playful smile. Taylor suddenly stopped walking and placed her hand on her chest, "On second thought. I can't play it with me wearing this outfit."

I thought she was going to stop, but she said, "I'm going to change for a bit. Um, can I borrow your room?"

Taken aback, I replied with disbelief, "Sure."

...

[General POV]

Agent Casey was bartending and serving drinks to the model by the bar when Agent Smith came by to sit in front of him. "A Vesper Martini please." He ordered.

Casey scoffed but he obliged to the order. Shortly after, he placed a glass of the drink on the table top and slid it to the agent. Agent Smith drank the martini calmly, and as he finished his drink, he placed the glass back on the table and said, "Are you coming with me the easy way, or the hard way?"

"It's more of a 'No Way'." Casey replied tauntingly.

"Too bad. I kinda don't want to create havoc in his party. I'd already slighted him enough." Agent Smith said disappointingly.

Casey gripped a knife nearby him tightly, but then, he saw Edward moving with Taylor to the stage. As she picked up a guitar and sat in front of Edward, Casey knew that it wasn't time yet for him to act.

"Well, I'm in the same predicament as you are, so let's give him one last moment to enjoy." Casey said calmly as he placed another drink in front of Agent Smith.

Agent Smith nodded in understanding and said nothing as he glanced at Taylor and Edward. Most of the party goers were dancing and enjoying the pool, therefore there weren't a lot of people near the stage.

Taylor also wasn't using the microphone, so she only attracted the attention of the people close by. Maggie and Vanessa, with Ashley Tisdale, Selena and Skyler, Kyle and his girlfriend, Brenda Song, Jake T. Austin, and David Henrie watching the show from a distance.

"Ummm... Now that I'm holding a guitar, I am quite embarrassed." Taylor muttered, playing her innocent girl persona. Edward chuckled with disbelief, and Taylor smiled as she saw that.

"Well, um, I've been writing a song based on my life's experience, and I'd love to hear your thoughts before I go ahead and release it."

"Sweet. So no copyright yet? Anyone can steal it?" Jake cracked a joke. Edward looked at him and replied, "Sure, you can try. But if you succeed, then do realize you have made a very terrifying enemy. One with some CIA agents owing favors to him."

"God. I'm not doing that anymore." Jake said with horror, and the people watching laughed. Taylor shot a glare at Jake as he stole the limelight away from her, and Edward looked at her with fascination as he caught it.

He chuckled and joked, "Go on Taylor. I'm sure you can surprise me. If you're not, then I might have to reconsider our contract."

"Oh, there's no way that's going to happen." She said with a slight smug smile.

[Song. Olivia O'Brien, Hate U Love U]

/watch?v=4rpShILrsWE&ab_channel=OliviaOBrienVEVO]

[Acoustic guitar cover. This is a more accurate depiction of the singing.]

[Olivia O'Brien - hate u love u acoustic cover by Yareen – /watch?v=PK0acTT0_KY&ab_channel=yareentwito%7C%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9F%D7%98%D7%95%D7%99%D7%98%D7%95]

She lightly strummed the guitar to create the mood, and people immediately were absorbed in the show. More people turned their heads to watch it as it happened, some even taking out their phone to record it– especially those who were shipping Edward and Taylor together.

Edward was shocked inwardly, but he kept a calm face at the surface. A sense of excitement boiled up inside of him as he realized the song she was singing.

Taylor focused on the guitar as she started to sing, feeling nervous in case she would mess up the notes. Despite having created the song, she didn't have much practice playing it in front of everyone.

"?? Feeling used, but I'm still missing you And I can't see the end of this

Just wanna feel your kiss against my lips??"

Brenda Song squealed in excitement before covering her mouth to stop herself from disturbing the song.

"??And now all this time is passing by, But I still can't seem to tell you why??"

"??It hurts me every time I see you, Realize how much I need you??"

Taylor gazed straight at Edward as she sang the chorus, "??I hate you, I love you

I hate that I love you. Don't want to, but I can't put...Nobody else above you??"

The memory of the night they ended their relationship surfaced in her memory. And then it morphed into the sight of him with another girl at the party today.

Her tone carried a hint of resentment as she sang, "??I hate you, I love you! I hate that I want you! You want her, you need her! And I'll never be her??"

Selena widened her eyes and muttered, "Wait did she change the lyrics?"

Taylor lost herself in the memories as she sang, "??What about all the times

You would pick me up and we'd just drive... Around until we found a place to stay and waste the day away, We'd do nothing but it was okay with me??"

"??You say it's not good to spend all my time

Thinking about you so late at night??"

"??But I can't stop once I start it's like an avalanche

Thoughts coming and I just wanna hold your hand??"

"??Hold your breath, I'm going under, Not coming up 'til this night is over??

??'Til this night is over??"

Edward and Taylor shared a look, and it made the audience giggle. However, Edward turned to Selena immediately after Taylor went to focus back on her guitar and mouthed, 'What's that supposed to mean?'

Selena mouthed, 'I don't know either!'

Oblivious, Taylor continued singing the chorus, " ??I hate you, I love you

I hate that I love you! Don't want to, but I can't put, Nobody else above you??"

??I hate you, I love you! I hate that I want you! You want her, you need her

And I'll never be her??"

Taylor paused briefly and slowed down the tempo of the song. She gazed directly at Edward as she sang, "?All alone, I watch you watch her... Like she's the only girl you've ever seen??"

Her resentful tone reverberated throughout the room. Edward held his chin as he gazed on her deeply, which made her heart start beating faster.

"??You don't care, you never did! You don't give a damn about me??" She sang as if she was accusing him.

"??Yeah, all alone, I watch you watch her! She is the only thing you've ever seen... How is it you never notice...That you were slowly killing me??"

"?? I hate you, I love you! I hate that I love you! Don't want to, but I can't put

Nobody else above you ??"

"??I hate you, I love you! I hate that I want you! You want her, you need her...

And I'll never be her??"

Slowly, the guitar strumming came to a stop. The crowd gave her quite an applause, but she was only looking straight in front of her, waiting for his attention.

Edward's face was stoic at first, making her more nervous. But then he chuckled and said, "That's amazing." Taylor's face lit up, and she urged, "And...?"

Suddenly, a loud glass shattering sound pierced through the air, causing Taylor and Edward to whip their heads towards the commotion. The entire party came to a halt and everyone went to look at the source.

In the corner of the dimly lit venue, several people were engaged in a heated altercation. Drinks had been knocked over, and shards of broken glass littered the floor as the combatants skillfully and artfully fought with each other.

The crowd around them quickly parted, creating a circle as the fight escalated. Sarah grabbed a vase and threw it towards the glass wall near the balcony, scaring everyone there. "Move!" She yelled to the others before grabbing Chuck with her, while giving him a bag at the same time.

Taylor's eyes widened in shock, and she instinctively reached out to grip Edward's arm.

"What's going on?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

Edward's brow furrowed as he surveyed the scene unfolding before them. He hid his secret smile as he enjoyed the fight. Without a word, he gently pulled Taylor closer, positioning himself to shield her from any potential danger.

Touched by Edward's action, Taylor grabbed his body tighter. Selena joined in too, much to Taylor's dislike. Then, Vanessa and Maggie went to hide behind Edward too, making Taylor fall in disbelief.

"No No No Don't–" David Henrie shouted as he saw what Sarah and Chuck wanted to do. As Sarah was saving Chuck– the non-combatant, the agent she was kicking fell onto the sound system, breaking it. Casey's and Agent Smith's fight also wrecked the bar.

"Go now!" Casey told Sarah and Chuck. "What about you?" Chuck asked with concern.

"I'll cover your exit!" Casey said.

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen–" Agent Smith was slowly standing up while wiping the blood off his mouth when suddenly he was tackled from out of nowhere.

"What the fuck-" Edward cursed. Jacob, who had snuck out of his house to come back to the party in order to protect his best friend, tackled agent Smith from behind.

"You're messing with ED!? You're messing with me!!" Jacob growled at the agent before he glared at Casey.

"Shit." Casey cursed, not because he felt threatened with Jacob, but he knew that he shouldn't touch Edward's friends under any circumstances. He turned and ran to the broken window wall, ignoring the agents who wanted to capture him, and jumped out of the balcony with Sarah and Chuck.

"Jacob, stop." Edward held Jacob back by grabbing his shirt, choking him at the same time before he could lunge at Casey.

Chuck yelled fearfully as he was grabbed by Sarah, but then, she pulled the cord on Chuck's bag, turning it into a glider, also saving them from the cliff. Although the house was on a cliff by the ocean, if someone jumped down, they would be dead because there were only rocks below that.

Casey stole Edward's Batman gauntlet and shot a wire to the balcony after he jumped off it, and skillfully roped down the cliff. Agent Smith walked towards the balcony slowly and stared at the spies with an eagle eye.

The altercation stopped after the three spies were gone, and the entire party goers were befuddled.

"Shit." Edward walked on top of the broken glasses and went to address the crowd, "Sorry everyone. It seemed that some people had too much to drink. Regretfully, the party is now over. I won't kick you out or anything, but you all should leave on your own. Goodnight everyone."

"Awwww." The crowd exclaimed in disappointment. "Who the fuck are those guys!?" Jake muttered angrily, "Making trouble on the night I can finally see Brenda naked!"

"Oh, that was never happening honey." Brenda admonished Jake while holding her hand towards him to set boundaries.

People started leaving the house in batches after the incident, with only some close friends staying behind.

Jake T Austin posted a video on his Insta about the fight, and people online were clamoring about it.

"Oh my god, It was so insane! The second after Taylor finished singing, those idiots started breaking things around the house! We have to go home now, barely after 1 am. It sucks! I'm going to sue those guys if I find out who they are." Jake complained to his Instagram followers.

Likes: 12,440 Comments: 1222

@Lily: Oh my god, is Edward alright?

@Janie: Taylor sang a new song? Did she serenade Edward? Lol

Jake didn't have many followers before, but his followers shot up after the whole incident.

TMZ celebrity news also reported the incident in their news sites, which made the matter blow up.

...

[Edward POV]

After seeing the destruction in my house, I wasn't annoyed because I was the one who made it happen. I used one of the favors I had with the three agents to ask them to crash the party. And they did perfectly. Although I would send the bill to General Beckman– their supervising general after this.

Agent Paige and Agent Smith were obediently sweeping the glass off the floor as I sat alone on the stairs, watching them. I knew that they had their orders, therefore I didn't punish them badly. I forgave Chuck and the rest, so why not forgive them too? Like I said before, they were just foot soldiers.

"Wait. There's only a cup worth of chocolate?" I muttered with disbelief after seeing the chocolate fountain basically being licked clean after I went to freeze some of the chocolates to experiment on.

Maggie walked towards me tearily and turned her back against me, "Ed. The zipper is gone. I can't take off the suit."

"Pfft-" I almost burst into laughter if it wasn't for her almost-crying expression. "Well, the suit cost me 10 grand. If I need to cut it open, then, I'll have to add that to your total debt–"

"Please don't!" Maggie grabbed my arm, begging me as she flailed it around. The suits cost me only 50 bucks, so I was only messing around with her.

Only Maggie, Selena and Taylor were left behind in the house after the crowd left.

Vanessa went to catch up with Ashley, and the college girls were sent home with a driver's service I rented out. Jacob was also still at the party, but he insisted on standing guard by the balcony– in case the spies came back!

"Jacob! Grab a blanket or something." I said to him as I walked with Maggie back to my bedroom.

"I'll be fine! I have my hot cocoa." He said as he sipped a hot drink. His nose was red, but he still insisted that he wasn't feeling cold. I shrugged and went to help Maggie get out of the suit.

I grabbed a pair of scissors before cutting the suit from Maggie. She kept insisting, "Be careful! Don't cut my hair."

"I'm not going to cut your hair." I replied irritatedly. She kept squirming around, which made me miss my cut.

"My hair!" She cried out. I looked at her with disbelief and said, "I'm not even close to your hair! Just calm down and let me do this!"

She was still squirming, so I grabbed her shoulder and cut the suit's zipper in one go. Her back was exposed, and she turned towards me angrily, "I can feel you touching my hair!"

"With my hand! I swear to god, I'll cut your hair just for fun now!" I retorted back to her. She took off her suit angrily, and balled it all up before throwing it at me. "Here's your suit back, you jerk!"

"Um.. Maggie–"

"You inconsiderate jackass."

"Maggie!"

"You demon money grubber! I refuse to pay you 10 grand for the suit!"

"MAGGIE!" I yelled at her, prompting her to stop. I looked at her mischievously and said, "You realize you're naked right?"

It seemed that she decided to go commando while wearing the suit. Maggie looked down on her bare naked body, before yelping and covering her boobs immediately.

"PERVERT! GO DIE!"

"Oh like you didn't enjoy exposing yourself, you porn star?! There's a robe in my closet. You can wear that for now. But be careful not to damage it too. They really do cost 20 grand."

"Ugh! At least cover your eyes while I'm going to wear it." She said as she gestured at me frantically to look away. I sighed and walked out of the room, and accidentally bumped into Taylor as I walked out the door.

With a flustered, angry face, Taylor said seethingly, "You just heard the song I wrote for you, and now you're in bed with another girl?"

"Eww. That's my cousin." I tried to explain, but Taylor grabbed my head and kissed me heavily.

"I hate you so much!" She said before she dragged me into an empty room. She slammed the door behind us after we walked in. Then, she pressed her lips onto mine.

I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away. A bit taken aback, Taylor's eyes shook.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked angrily. "It's over between us–"

"I WANT TO ASK YOU THE SAME THING!!" Taylor shouted back. "What the hell is wrong with you!? I'm basically throwing myself to you today, and you act like I'm a disgusting piece of trash!"

Taken aback, I hesitated, "That's not–"

"What?! What is not it? I literally made a song for you!!" She yelled at me before grabbing a pillow and hit me with it. "Stop messing around with me and toying with my feelings!"

I snapped and yelled at her with gritted teeth, "I DIDN'T!" I looked into her eyes, pointed my finger at her and said sternly, "You did that all by yourself. So stop blaming me for it! It's over for us!"

Taylor was speechless after that. Then, her expression slowly faltered. "Why are you yelling at me!?" She started to cry timidly.

"Oh for fucks sake–"

I had to comfort her for a bit before she stopped crying. "Are you good now?" I asked as I rubbed her back while we were sitting at the edge of the bed.

She nodded and suddenly said, "Prove it."

"Prove what?" I was confused.

"Prove... that you're already over me." Taylor said while patting the mattress behind us hintingly. "Then, I'll stop trying to win you back."

"Alright then. If it can help you move on." I said before grabbing her neck and kissing her. She scratched my arm with her nail, leaving its trail on my skin. It quickly became an animalistic, no romance entanglement, without an ounce of affection in it.

After a while, Taylor huffed and puffed, her hair disheveled. Both of us were lying underneath the blanket, looking upwards side by side. She bit her lower lip as she looked at me angrily.

"You fucking bastard." She cursed before she sat upward. She placed her pillow on my face and yelled, "DIEE!" It was only for a short while before she got up and walked to the door after wearing her clothes back.

"You're leaving?" I asked her.

"You'd like that don't you?" She asked tauntingly.

"Well, if you want to leave, then I'll call a driver for you."

Gasping offendedly, she picked up a tissue box and threw it at me. "You stupid idiot!" She probably wanted me to send her myself, or show that I still care, but again, I was too exhausted to give her some hope.

I grabbed the tissue box before it could hit me and laid back down on the bed as Taylor made herself scarce. That's how the Halloween party ends.