Chapter 126 I Won't Apologize
John's face suddenly turned dark, his eyes scanning the group before landing on Mandy. "Rachel's horse was a super gentle mare that I specifically asked the stable manager to pick. It shouldn't have freaked out like that. So, there's gotta be something fishy going on," he said, his voice low and serious.
Ella's eyes went wide as she caught on. She covered her mouth in shock. "Mr. Davis, are you saying someone messed with Ms. Williams' horse?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit.
James, worried he'd be blamed, quickly shook his head and waved his hands. "It wasn't me," he blurted out.
Joseph calmly sipped his tea, setting the cup down with a soft clink. "Not me either," he said, his face staying cool.
"Definitely not me," Ella added, raising her hand to show she was innocent.
John's gaze turned to the last two people. "That leaves Mr. Smith and Miss Brown. But Mr. Smith saved Rachel, so he couldn't have done it. No one would hurt someone and then save them. So..."
Mandy clenched her fists, her knuckles white, looking like she was about to cry from anger. "So you think it's me?" she interrupted, tears filling her eyes.
John clapped his hands together, a sarcastic smile spreading across his face. "Looks like you know yourself well. Yeah, I do suspect you. Out of everyone here, you have the most reason to hurt Rachel. This isn't the first time," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"I didn't do it!" Mandy cried, tears streaming down as she grabbed Michael's hand, holding on tight. "Michael, you believe me, right? I really didn't do it," she pleaded, her voice breaking.
Michael gently squeezed her hand, trying to calm her down. "I believe you," he said softly, looking into her eyes with a reassuring smile.
Hearing this, Mandy nodded repeatedly, her emotions slowly calming. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
John rolled his eyes. "Of course, as long as you cry, he believes you. Everyone knows he spoils you endlessly," he said, his voice filled with annoyance.
Ella and Joseph both nodded in agreement, and even James couldn't argue. He just nodded along, knowing Michael was like that sometimes.
Michael, not bothered that the others didn't side with him, said to John in a deep voice, "I trust Mandy because she has a solid alibi. She never touched Rachel's horse. How could she have tampered with it?"
At first, Michael wondered if it was Mandy's alternate personality, but after thinking it through, he realized it wasn't. Mandy's alternate personality hadn't shown up.
John was stunned, then realized it was true. Mandy wasn't there when the horse was picked, and she couldn't have messed with it beforehand because there were so many horses in the stable. How could Mandy know which one Rachel would choose? Unless she could see the future?
Joseph suggested, "Why don't we call the stable manager and ask? The inspection results should be out by now."
Michael nodded. "Alright, let's get him over here."
Soon, the stable manager arrived. John didn't waste any time and quickly asked, "What's up with Rachel's horse?"
The manager replied, "Ms. Williams' horse is in heat."
"What?" Everyone was shocked. Only Mandy lowered her head, hiding a slight smile.
"You said in heat?" John was puzzled. "But this isn't the season for animals to be in heat."
The manager shook his head and explained, "Just because it's not the season doesn't mean animals won't go into heat. Sometimes certain stimuli can cause it."
Michael continued to probe, "What specifically caused it to go into heat?"
The manager thought for a moment before answering, "It's not clear yet. It could be some kind of smell or food, probably one of these two reasons."
"It couldn't be food. The horse didn't eat anything when it was brought out," Ella said, recalling how she was there when Rachel chose the horse and saw it clearly.
"Then it must be some kind of smell," John mused, stroking his chin.
Joseph suddenly laughed. "Could it be the scent of Rachel's perfume?"
Everyone couldn't help but twitch their mouths in disbelief. "So this incident with Ms. Williams was just an accident," Ella said, spreading her hands.
John, though unwilling, had to accept reality and turned to go upstairs. Michael waved his hand, signaling the manager to leave. "Thanks, you can go now," he said, then turned to John. "Hold on a second."
John paused, turning back. "What is it now?" Joseph, Ella, and James also turned their attention to Michael, as did Mandy.
Michael took Mandy's hand gently. "Now that we know what happened, you owe Mandy an apology. You wrongfully accused her."
John squinted and let out a sarcastic laugh. "You want me to apologize to her?" He pointed at Mandy.
Michael's expression hardened. "You don't plan to apologize?"
"That's right, I won't apologize," John said defiantly. "I admit I was wrong this time, but how many times has she apologized for what she did to Rachel before? Didn't you always cover for her?"
John looked at Michael with a mocking smile. "And this person who hurt Rachel is hiding behind you without any sign of remorse. Did I ever force her to come out and apologize? No. So why do you demand it from me?"
Michael's face darkened, looking extremely unpleasant. Mandy lowered her head in embarrassment. Joseph propped his head up, watching their argument, pulling Ella to watch too.
Only James was puzzled, blinking and asking, "Michael, what exactly did Mandy do to Rachel that you keep apologizing for her?"
Hearing this, Mandy's eyes flashed with anger. "Shut up," Michael frowned and scolded. James looked a bit aggrieved.
Seeing James' dissatisfaction, John's eyes turned, and he crossed his arms, smiling. "James, if you want to know, I can tell you."
"Sure." James' eyes lit up.
"Michael..." Mandy began and anxiously tugged at Michael's arm.
But it was too late. John spoke up, his voice edged with anger. "James, Mandy is a vicious woman. She started by using public opinion to falsely accuse Rachel of hitting her with a car six years ago. Fortunately, Rachel found the surveillance video from that time to prove her innocence. Not only that, at the resort, she set a trap with body wash to make Rachel fall and get injured. A few days ago, she even pushed Rachel down the stairs, trying to kill her. Now you know what bad things Mandy has done."
Besides James, Joseph and Ella were also shocked, as they didn't know any of this. "Michael, is all this true? Did Mandy really do these things?" James asked and clenched his fists, looking at Michael with a complex expression. These days, his mind was all on basketball, and he didn't know Rachel had gone through all this.
Michael's face darkened, and he didn't speak. Mandy, holding his arm, also remained silent.
Seeing this, James grasped the truth. John's words rang true. By then, he had already sensed that Mandy wasn't as flawless as she initially appeared, but he never imagined she could be so deceitful.
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