Chapter 127 Please Break Up with Mandy
James looked down, feeling pretty bummed out. John shot Michael a smug grin. "Mr. Smith, still think I should apologize?" The message was clear: push him, and he'd spill more dirt. Michael got the hint, his face darkening.
Sensing the tension, Mandy tugged on Michael's arm and forced a smile. "Let it go, Michael. Mr. Davis is right. What I did to Ms. Williams was wrong, and they don't owe us an apology."
John smirked. "So, no apology from me then. I'm outta here; can't stand the vibe." He waved his hand dramatically and headed upstairs.
Ella yawned and stretched. "Riding horses wore me out. I'm off to bed."
"If everyone's turning in, I guess I'll hit the sack too," Joseph said, getting up.
Soon, it was just Michael, Mandy, and James left in the living room. James looked between Michael and Mandy before grabbing Michael's arm. "Michael, we need to talk."
Michael pulled his arm away. "What is it?"
James closed the balcony door and got serious. "Michael, you know what she did to Rachel, right?" Ever since he found out what Mandy did, James felt sick even saying her name.
Michael nodded. "I know."
James was annoyed. "Then why are you still with her?"
Michael frowned. "That's my business, not yours."
"How is it not my business? I'm your brother, I care about you!" James said, eyes wide. "Michael, please break up with Mandy. She's bad news, and I can't stand you being with her."
Mandy was seriously scary. Who knew what she'd do next? If she dragged Michael down, what then?
"Alright, mind your own business. You don't need to worry about mine," Michael said impatiently, opening the balcony door to leave.
Mandy was standing right there, tears in her eyes. "Michael," Mandy called out, biting her lip.
Michael sighed. "You heard everything?"
Mandy nodded. "Yeah."
James felt awkward, avoiding her gaze. He'd been caught talking smack. Feeling embarrassed, he coughed and turned to leave. But Mandy suddenly called out to him. "James."
James stopped, turning to face her. "What is it? If you're calling me to apologize, forget it. I did nothing wrong!"
Mandy quickly shook her head. "I'm not asking you to apologize. I just want to say that I did do something wrong to Ms. Williams, but I had my reasons, and it wasn't intentional."
James narrowed his eyes. "Regardless of the reasons or intentions, the facts remain. I used to think you were kind and gentle and hoped you and Michael would be together. But now I see I was wrong. Someone as malicious as you doesn't deserve him; you'll only bring him trouble." He turned and walked away.
Watching him walk away, Mandy bit her lip, her eyes burning with anger. First Joseph, now James too? Were they all turning against her and Michael? 'Is this part of Rachel and John's plan, to break us apart bit by bit until we finally split?' she wondered. The thought made Mandy tremble with rage, hating them all to the core.
Michael, thinking she was crying, gently hugged her. "Don't mind James. He's young and doesn't think before he speaks. Don't blame him."
Mandy forced a smile and shook her head. "I don't blame him. He's right. I'm just a little scared."
Michael held her shoulders, looking serious. "Scared of what?"
Mandy rested her cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and said with a hint of fear, "Scared that you'll break up with me because of what James said."
Michael sighed softly, cupping her face and looking into her eyes. "I won't. Trust me." She was the girl he had chased for so long; he wasn't about to give up now.
Mandy blinked. "Really?"
"Really." Michael nodded.
"But James is your brother. He'll definitely team up with your mom to persuade you to break up with me. When faced with family pressure, will you still be this firm?" Mandy asked, staring at him.
Michael gently stroked her hair and replied firmly, "Of course. In the Smith family, I call the shots. No one can sway me. So don't worry."
"Okay, I trust you," Mandy murmured and leaned back into his arms.
He held her tightly, his hand gently stroking her hair, but there was no warmth in his eyes. For some reason, even though the woman in his arms was the one he liked, he recently felt less and less of the initial excitement, and his inner turmoil gradually settled.
As night fell, a heavy rainstorm began outside, with thunder and lightning like the end of the world.
Mandy's face drained of color as fear gripped her, and she screamed when the thunder crashed. "Miss White, please close the curtains. It's too frightening." She huddled on the sofa, begging Ella, who stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, absorbed in the storm.
Ella glanced at her slightly, filled with disdain. But not wanting to cause trouble, she closed the curtains.
"Thank you, Miss White." Mandy sighed in relief and thanked her.
Ella's tone was cold. "No need to thank me. If it weren't for Mr. Smith, I wouldn't bother with you." She then left the living room and walked toward the kitchen.
Mandy lowered her eyes to hide the hatred in them, pretending to be aggrieved. Just then, Michael came downstairs with a coat and saw this scene, his brows furrowed. "Mandy, what happened?"
Mandy looked up and smiled. "Nothing, don't blame Miss White. It's just that I'm afraid of thunderstorms, and I asked her to close the curtains, which affected her view."
"You did nothing wrong." Michael draped the coat over her and asked with concern, "Are you cold?"
"Not cold anymore." Mandy smiled and shook her head.
At this moment, there was a noise from the stairs. Joseph, John, and Rachel were slowly coming down. Joseph scratched his head and shouted, "Why isn't dinner ready yet? What is the chef doing?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
