Chapter 133
"Was it you who took me back to my room last night?" Rachel asked Michael, trying to keep her voice steady.
Michael nodded. "Yeah, it was me."
Rachel's eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"I tried, but you were out cold," Michael said softly, barely moving his lips.
Rachel pouted, feeling a bit awkward. "Really?"
Michael nodded again, his eyes clear. Rachel could tell he wasn't lying, and she felt a bit embarrassed. How deeply did she sleep that she couldn't be woken up?
She coughed, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Well, thanks, Mr. Smith, but..."
"But what?" Michael asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
Rachel lowered her gaze and looked directly at him. "Mr. Smith, did you do anything to me?"
Michael raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"For example..." Rachel took a deep breath. "Did you twist my neck or something?" She mentioned the neck, hoping to get a reaction from him.
Michael rubbed the coffee cup in his hand and responded lightly, "No."
Rachel still didn't believe him and frowned slightly. "Really?"
Michael looked at her. "Why would I do that?"
Rachel was momentarily speechless. Why indeed? She wasn't sure herself. While she was still puzzled, Michael added, "Don't worry, I didn't do anything to you. I just put you in your room and left." His expression remained indifferent, as if he had nothing to hide.
Rachel stared at Michael for a while and found that he indeed showed no signs of lying. She couldn't help but believe him. Maybe the hickey on her neck wasn't caused by him. If it wasn't Michael, then who could it be?
Suddenly, a thought made her nervous. 'Could someone have entered my room after Michael left?'
While she was pondering, John came back dressed and greeted with a smile, "Rachel, I'm ready!"
Rachel snapped back to reality and looked at John seriously. "Did you go out in the middle of the night last night?"
John looked puzzled. "Go out? No, I didn't. I was sleeping the whole time. Why are you asking me this?"
Seeing his sincere expression, Rachel was convinced he wasn't lying and waved it off. "It's nothing; don't worry about it."
Having ruled out John, the only suspects left were Michael, Joseph, and James. James was only a teenager, so it was unlikely; thus, Joseph stood as the most probable suspect.
Just as she was deep in thought, Joseph swaggered in, twirling car keys in his hand. He said, "The car is fully fueled, and the chef has packed a lot of food. We can have a picnic on the mountain at noon. You guys..."
He stopped when he felt a sharp gaze on him. He asked, "What's wrong, Rachel? Is there something on my face?"
Rachel stared at him. "Did you go out last night?"
"Nope." Joseph also looked puzzled.
Seeing his expression, Rachel couldn't help but feel doubtful. Besides them, there was no one else in the villa. Could it really be a misunderstanding? Was the mark on her neck actually a mosquito bite?
Rachel, with a complex expression, walked out of the dining room in a daze. John and Joseph exchanged confused looks.
"What happened?" Joseph asked John quietly. John shook his head, just as confused.
Then, John suddenly remembered something and glared at Michael, who was still leisurely drinking his coffee. "Did you do something you shouldn't have to her?"
Hearing John's concern for Rachel, Michael found it irritating. He stood up without a word and left the dining room.
"Look at how guilty he looks," John said angrily, pointing at Michael's back. Joseph shrugged and said nothing more.
Before long, everyone gathered outside the villa. Considering the considerable distance to the mountain trailhead, they decided to split into two cars and head out.
Five people squeezed into one car, while the other was shared by Michael and Mandy. No one wanted to sit with them, not even James. Clearly, these two were not well-liked by the others.
After arriving at the foot of the mountain, everyone got out and started hiking. Mandy looked up at the steep peak and hesitated. "It's too high, Michael. Can we take the cable car up?"
Before Michael could respond, John interjected, "Are you serious? We're here to experience the real fun of hiking!"
Mandy bit her lip in frustration. "But this mountain is really high."
"If you think it's too tiring, you can go back," John said bluntly.
"You!" Mandy's face turned red, and she turned to Michael for help.
"Mandy, do you really want to go back? I can drive you back," Michael asked her.
Mandy hesitated, not knowing how to respond. At this moment, Joseph chimed in, "Oh, Miss Brown can't handle a little hardship? This was a planned activity."
"What are you trying to say?" Mandy forced a smile and asked.
Joseph grinned. "I just think you're being a bit too delicate."
"Joseph!" Michael scolded him.
Joseph raised his hands in a gesture of innocence. "I'm just stating the truth. If you didn't want to hike, why did you come with us?"
Though Michael did not appreciate Joseph's attitude, he had to concede the veracity of his words.
Mandy realized that Michael agreed with Joseph, and a wave of anger surged in her heart. She knew that Joseph was deliberately making things difficult for her. He knew she didn't want to hike but still forced her to do it. The key was that she had to accept the challenge, or she would be seen as pretentious.
Thinking of this, Mandy silently cursed Joseph several times in her heart but put on a smile and said, "Mr. Anderson, I just think the mountain is a bit high, but I didn't say I would give up hiking."
"Oh? So you still decide to hike?" Joseph raised an eyebrow and asked.
Mandy nodded firmly. "Of course."
"Alright then." Joseph smiled and said no more.
Michael looked at Mandy. "Mandy, you don't need to mind Joseph's words. If you really don't want to hike, you don't have to force yourself..."
"It's okay, Michael. I can handle it." Mandy raised her hand and gently placed it on his lips, interrupting him. Seeing her insistence, Michael said nothing more.
"How intimate," Ella said, frowning in displeasure as she watched them. Rachel smiled and asked, "How are they intimate?"
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