Chapter 33
Rachel yanked down her sweater to hide the tattoo and went to open the door. To her surprise, Michael and Mandy were standing there.
Michael, in a black suit, looked all serious, while Mandy, in a champagne-colored gown, looked stunning. They seemed like the perfect couple.
Michael noticed Rachel's messy hair and flushed cheeks. He frowned and asked, "Where's James?"
"How did you know he was here?" Rachel shot back. "And how do you even know where I live? Are you stalking me?"
Mandy stepped in, "Miss Williams, you got it wrong. Tonight, our parents are having dinner together. Michael saw that James didn't show up at the hotel and couldn't reach him, so he tracked his phone here. A security guard saw him with you, so we asked and got your apartment number."
Rachel crossed her arms, "I thought after the divorce, Mr. Smith couldn't get over me and was stalking me."
Mandy's smile faltered but quickly recovered. "We're here to pick up James. Can you let him out?"
"James, your brother and sister-in-law are here," Rachel called into the house. "It's not me sold you out—it's your brother who tracked your phone to find you."
James, looking a bit scared, slowly came out with his backpack. As they were about to leave, Rachel called out, "Mr. Smith, your brother used my medicine and ate two bowls of my beef noodles. Aren't you going to pay for that?"
James snapped, "How much are two bowls of beef noodles worth? Are you crazy for money?"
"Beef is expensive these days," Rachel shot back. "Besides, we have no relationship. Why should I let you eat and drink for free?"
James went quiet. Michael pulled out his wallet, handed Rachel some bills with a cold look. "Is this enough?"
"That's enough, thank you, Mr. Smith. Have a good night." Rachel took the money, went back inside, and shut the door without another glance.
The three of them took the elevator downstairs. Once they got into the car, Michael asked James, "Why didn't you go to the hotel and came to Rachel's instead? And what happened to your face?"
James, looking obedient in front of his brother, answered honestly, "I got into a fight with classmates. I knew you were having dinner with Mandy's family tonight, and I didn't want to show up looking like this, so I called Rachel to bail me out and had dinner at her place."
Mandy grabbed the medical kit from the car and gently started treating James's wounds. "James, if you ever have any problems, just call me or your brother. We're family; it's no trouble at all. Plus, Miss Williams has a boyfriend. It's not cool to bother her; her boyfriend might not like it."
James thought back to Rachel's teasing during dinner and awkwardly said, "She seems to live alone, not with that guy."
Michael glanced at James through the rearview mirror, feeling a bit relieved hearing that.
"Maybe they have another place," Mandy said with a gentle smile. "The wound is disinfected. Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore. Thanks, Mandy," James grinned, thinking Mandy was really gentle and soft-spoken—way better than Rachel.
Mandy closed the medical kit and turned to Michael, "Michael, I heard you had David handle those news reports. It was just a small matter, but I didn't expect an employee of Skyline Corporation to record a video and spread it online, tarnishing Mrs. Smith's reputation and dragging you into it."
"Mandy, what are you getting at? Are you saying Rachel had her employee record the video?" James asked, confused.
"That's not what I meant," Mandy explained. "Rachel knew about this early on. If she had stopped her employees, the video wouldn't have spread so quickly online."
"Skyline Corporation has a lot of employees. Even if she warned them, someone could still secretly post it," James retorted. "Besides, it was my mom who was in the wrong. My brother and Rachel are divorced, yet she went to Skyline Corporation to make a scene over a small matter."
Even though James didn't like Rachel, he knew she wouldn't do something so shady. Mandy was surprised—James defending Rachel?
"Mandy, why are you looking at me like that?" James asked, noticing her stare. He touched his face, wincing in pain. "Am I disfigured?"
Mandy laughed, "Just a little. When you go to school tomorrow, your classmates will definitely stare."
James thought about asking for a day off but hesitated, knowing his brother might push him harder.
They soon arrived at the Smith Manor, where Emily greeted them warmly. "Mandy, it's late. You should stay here since you've already moved in."
Mandy wanted to stay and glanced at Michael. Seeing no objections, she agreed, "Thank you, Mrs. Emily Smith."
"We're all family. No need to be so formal!" Emily was overjoyed.
Later, Michael was dealing with some documents in his study. While opening a drawer for some ink, he found a stack of yellowed envelopes at the back. His eyes softened at the sight.
He unexpectedly met a pen pal named Zoey, and they never imagined they would get along so well as their correspondence grew. The person he communicated with through letters made his heart flutter for the first time. He never expected that she was actually Mandy.
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