Chapter 38
Michael, rocking that black coat, had this vibe that was both commanding and distant. Tall and handsome, sure, but his cold demeanor and piercing gaze made the room feel a bit chilly.
Rachel's heart skipped a beat when her eyes locked with Michael's. She quickly looked down, still feeling things she didn't expect, even after their divorce.
"Mr. Smith, you're here!" Monica's earlier annoyance with Ella disappeared as she greeted Michael with a big smile. "Mandy said your company's been swamped. Here to pick her up?"
Michael nodded politely, but his eyes drifted to Rachel, clearly not thrilled.
Half an hour ago, Joseph had called, saying Mandy and Rachel were playing cards in a private room at Moonlight Club. Michael was doubtful. Rachel sucked at cards and shouldn't have been in that mess. But a photo from Joseph got him to come over.
He walked up to Mandy, who looked a bit worried. "Didn't you say you had a cough this afternoon? Why are you playing cards?"
Mandy gave a small smile. "It's just a little cough. Chloe's visiting, and I wanted to make sure she had a good time."
Michael knew the Garcia Family from Unity Republic and was familiar with Alexander. He took off his scarf and draped it over Mandy's shoulders, making the women around them smile knowingly.
Monica laughed. "Mr. Smith, we know you care about Mandy, but the room's heated. Are you showing off?"
Mandy's cheeks turned pink, and she playfully glared at Monica. "Say that again, and you're out."
Rachel watched the sweet moment, feeling heavy-hearted. The man she once loved was now all about Mandy. Her plan to trap Mandy and push her away from Michael had totally backfired.
Michael glanced at Mandy's cards. "Ms. Williams isn't great at cards. Let's end this round. I'll play instead."
Mandy's smile faded, but she agreed. As Monica kept an eye on Rachel's cards, she saw Rachel about to win and started to freak out. Just as she was about to signal Mandy, Rachel shuffled her hand and randomly played a card.
Mandy grinned, "Ms. Williams, you lost."
"Rachel, Mandy's won three rounds. Just admit defeat." Chloe sneered, ringing the bell to call a waiter and handing over a stack of cash, "Get a tattoo artist here ASAP."
The waiter nodded, "Alright, please wait a moment."
Michael frowned, confused. "What's going on?"
"James told me Rachel has a tattoo of your initials on her waist," Mandy said softly. "Rachel wanted to bet with me, promising to remove the tattoo if she lost."
Ella, frustrated, leaned forward. "Miss Brown, you cornered Ms. Williams back at the restaurant and challenged her to a bet. Don't twist the story."
"Don't get all sarcastic!" Monica, feeling confident with her backing, snapped at Ella, "Mandy just doesn't want her boyfriend's name tattooed on another woman. What's wrong with that?"
Another one of Mandy's friends chimed in, "Mandy just asked Rachel if she wanted to play bridge. She didn't threaten her."
One of Mandy's other friends nodded. "Exactly, no one forced Rachel. She agreed herself."
Apart from Ella, the other three women in the room were Mandy's friends. Naturally, they sided with Mandy, echoing Monica's words.
As the women argued, the tattoo artist arrived with a toolbox.
"Enough." Rachel stopped Ella from continuing the argument and calmly said to Mandy, "I lost this bet, and I'll accept the consequences."
She lay down on a nearby sofa and lifted the hem of her sweater, revealing a slender waist and the prominent 'Mic' tattoo.
The tattoo artist quickly went over to help Rachel remove the tattoo. Seeing Rachel lying there, allowing the tattoo artist to work, and glancing at the tattoo on her waist, Michael's frown deepened, feeling an inexplicable irritation.
He remembered corresponding with Zoey, who told him about an actor she liked whose wife had passed away. The actor tattooed his wife's name and hobbies on his body so he could see them every day as if she were still there.
Zoey said she couldn't do it because she was afraid of pain, but she could endure it to tattoo the name of the man she loved, so she could feel that he was always with her.
Michael suddenly asked Mandy, "What did you say about tattoos in our correspondence?"
"We've written so much over the years, I don't remember." Mandy shook her head, holding his arm and looking up, "Michael, was I wrong to ask Ms. Williams to remove the tattoo?"
Her voice was restrained, and her eyes were slightly red, making Michael reluctant to blame her. He patted her head. "You did nothing wrong," he said.
Mandy smiled faintly, resting her head on his arm. She was glad that after Michael left that morning, she immediately took out and burned all the letters in the drawer, erasing Zoey from Michael's heart.
Rachel lay in pain, the tattoo removal process arduous and sweat-inducing. Monica, arms crossed, mocked her, "You were given a chance, but you wanted to show off! Learn to play before betting next time!"
Owing to the discomfort of tattoo removal, Rachel was gritting her teeth, beads of sweat on her brow, with no spare moment to pay attention to Monica.
A waiter entered as the tattoo removal was almost finished. "Excuse me, who is Ms. Williams?"
"Me," Rachel answered through the pain. "What is it?"
The waiter handed over a small bag. "Mr. Martinez asked me to deliver this."
Distracting herself, Rachel opened the bag to find a ring box nestled inside. She revealed a delicate ring shaped like a wheat ear, sparkling under the lights.
Ella's eyes widened. "That's by master K. It sold for over four million dollars at an auction. It's priceless!"
The women's gazes fixated on the ring, mingling envy with admiration.
Rachel's phone buzzed with two new messages.
Robert: [John said today is his birthday, and you want to celebrate for him. I sent him a birthday gift, and thought I'd send you a little something extra.]
Robert: [Do you like it, Rachel?]
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