Chapter 101 Emotional Blackmail
John couldn't help but laugh in frustration. Shaking his head, he said, "How can you call Rachel heartless? This is all Monica's doing!"
Scarlett, on the other hand, ignored him completely, her eyes locked on Rachel. "Ms. Williams, I'll kneel if that's what it takes," she pleaded, her voice shaking. And before anyone could react, she let go of Rachel's hand and dropped to one knee.
Rachel and John were both stunned. They rushed to help her up.
"Mrs. Turner, please, don't do this!" Rachel said, rubbing her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
John crossed his arms and smirked. "Mrs. Turner, this is emotional blackmail, you know that?"
Scarlett didn't seem to care about John's words. She kept her focus on Rachel. Seeing Rachel's expression soften a bit, she quickly asked, "Ms. Williams, did you agree?"
Rachel opened her mouth to respond, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Turner, I..."
But before she could finish, Scarlett tried to shake off John and kneel again.
This time, someone else stepped in to support her. It wasn't John or Rachel, but Mandy. Mandy pointed at Rachel, her voice rising in anger. "Ms. Williams, this is outrageous! How can you just stand there and let an elder kneel before you?"
Rachel's mouth twitched in exasperation as she stared at Mandy like she was an idiot. John, still smirking, chimed in. "Are you serious, Mandy? When did Rachel ever ask Mrs. Turner to kneel? She did it on her own!"
"Impossible," Mandy spat, looking incredulous.
Scarlett patted Mandy's hand and interjected, "Mandy, Mr. Davis is telling the truth. I knelt on my own."
"Mrs. Turner, why?" Mandy looked at Scarlett in disbelief.
Scarlett's face was full of sorrow. She explained, "For Monica. If Ms. Williams agrees to drop the charges, Monica can be free, so..."
Mandy interrupted, "So you knelt before her?"
"Yes," Scarlett nodded, glancing at Rachel and wiping her tears. "But Ms. Williams didn't agree."
"I understand," Mandy said, pursing her lips and shooting a look of dissatisfaction at Rachel. "Ms. Williams, Mrs. Turner knelt before you to plead, and you still won't agree? You're too cold-hearted!"
"Cold-hearted?" Rachel responded, lazily tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her movements exuding effortless charm. She fixed Mandy with a steady gaze. "I'm cold-hearted for not forgiving Monica? Why didn't you accuse her of being vicious when she was spreading rumors about me?"
Mandy was at a loss for words, her face showing embarrassment.
John sneered, "Mandy, before you accuse Rachel, think about whether you're qualified to do so."
A flash of humiliation crossed Mandy's eyes, but she quickly hid it. She bit her lower lip and refuted, "Even if Monica was wrong back then, she's already been punished. Isn't it enough that so many people online are cursing her? Mrs. Turner even knelt before you, can't you forgive Monica?"
"No!" Rachel coldly spat out, her eyes narrowing. "Why should I forgive her?"
"Exactly, why should Rachel forgive her when she hurt Rachel?" John tightened his grip on Rachel's shoulder, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You don't ask her to apologize to Rachel, but instead, you want Rachel to forgive her. Rachel not retaliating is already very kind."
Rachel's eyes turned sharp as she stared at Mandy. "Oh, I almost forgot," she said, her tone icy. "Miss Brown, Monica ended up like this because of you. You should be the one to help her."
Rachel turned her gaze back to Scarlett. "Mrs. Turner, instead of pleading with me, you should plead with Miss Brown. She's so kind, I'm sure she'd be willing to help."
John waved dismissively at the two of them, a smirk on his face. "Gotta go, bye," he said, guiding Rachel by the elbow as they walked into the courthouse together.
Mandy couldn't meet Scarlett's eyes and tried to defend herself, "Mrs. Turner, I know Monica did it for me, but..."
"No need to say more," Scarlett wiped her tears and cut her off, "I know Monica once asked you for help, and you were powerless."
Mandy felt a bit relieved, but Scarlett continued, "But I hope you stay away from Monica in the future. She's not suitable to be friends with you."
"Mrs. Turner, what do you mean?" Mandy's face turned pale, her voice trembling, "Are you blaming me?"
Scarlett took a deep breath, "Yes, I am blaming you. If you hadn't stopped me just now, maybe if I knelt a few more times, Rachel would have softened, and Monica would be free. It's your fault too that Monica can't be released."
After saying that, she ignored Mandy and walked away.
Mandy's usually gentle face twisted a bit. She had never expected that stopping Scarlett from kneeling would make Scarlett resent her. She thought, 'A family of no significance, what right do they have to resent me?'
Mandy tightly pursed her lips, her heart filled with mixed emotions, and she no longer had the desire to continue watching Monica's trial. She turned and left decisively.
Half an hour later, Mandy arrived at Smith Corporation. She made her way directly to Michael's office, not bothering to knock, and pushed the door open.
"Michael!" Mandy cried out, not caring if there were people in the office. She ran tearfully toward Michael, who was seated behind his desk. Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pressed her cheek against his warm chest, her soft sobs echoing in the quiet space.
Michael's body stiffened, and he frowned slightly, looking down at Mandy nestled against him.
If he hadn't heard her quiet sobs, he might have instinctively pushed her away. "Leave the documents here, I'll review them later and notify you. You may go now," Michael instructed as he put down the materials in his hand, rubbed his temples, and gestured to his subordinates at the desk.
The two responded respectfully, "Yes, Mr. Smith."
As they quietly left the room, the woman couldn't help but whisper, "That must be Mr. Smith's fiancée, right? How rude, barging in like that, not caring that we were discussing work, and just throwing herself at him. So willful." She rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly in disapproval.
The man shrugged, glancing around to make sure no one else was within earshot. "Well, Mr. Smith dotes on her," he said, raising an eyebrow.
The woman looked displeased. "Even if he dotes on her, there should be a limit," she muttered.
"Alright, stop talking. If we're overheard, it won't be good for us," the man cautioned, lowering his voice further and giving her a pointed look.
The woman pursed her lips and said no more, casting one last glance back toward the office door before turning away.
In the office, Michael gently pushed Mandy in his arms away and softly said, "Mandy, come down, okay?"
"No!" Mandy refused and stubbornly buried her face back into his chest.
Michael, helpless, had to comply, "Alright, tell me, what happened to make you so sad?"
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