Chapter 53 I Thought You Were My Boyfriend
It was Mandy and Michael. She clung to his arm, beaming and chatting away, "I've been out of it for so long, I probably forgot how to ski. Michael, can you show me the ropes when we get to the resort?"
Michael glanced at her feet and frowned, "Is your foot okay?"
"It's just a little injury, and I've been in the hospital long enough to be fully healed," Mandy said with a smile, tightening her grip on his arm. "It's rare for you to have time for me. I want to enjoy this with you."
"Alright," Michael replied, sounding a bit indifferent. After Mandy got out of the hospital, she wanted to have some fun. He wasn't busy, so he tagged along, but he didn't expect her to pick Yablue Resort.
And Rachel probably got the info he gave last time and came here to find Benjamin.
Meanwhile, Rachel and John hit the shop to rent some ski gear and changed in the locker room.
The ski clothes and shoes were a bit bulky, but Rachel got used to them quickly. Once outside, she noticed the slopes were pretty crowded.
Looking around, everyone in their ski gear looked pretty much the same.
After checking out a few slopes, Rachel felt tired and her eyes were starting to hurt. She whined, "This place is huge. John, did you see where Mr. Rivera is?"
After a bit with no response, Rachel turned around to find no one behind her.
"Rachel, looking for me?" John skied down from a high slope, making a slick drift with his skis and stopping right in front of her.
Rachel was fuming. "I asked you to help me find Mr. Rivera, and you went skiing?"
John shrugged, not bothered by her anger. "There are so many people here, all over the place. It's impossible to find him!" He picked up his skis and pulled her along. "Rachel, I'll teach you how to ski. With me, you'll be a pro in no time!"
Rachel looked around the massive ski resort. There were indeed a lot of people, and finding Benjamin seemed like a lost cause, so she gave up.
John took Rachel to the beginner's slope and explained, "This is the beginner's slope. It's less steep and perfect for newbies. Once you get the hang of it, we'll hit the intermediate slope, which is a bit steeper."
"No wonder there are fewer people here, and some have companions. This must be the beginner's area," Rachel remarked and then noticed two familiar faces entering the slope.
Mandy also spotted Rachel, her eyes flashing with hostility, but she quickly put on a smile, "Ms. Williams, what a coincidence to see you and your boyfriend here."
John replied lazily, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Miss Brown, we're not exactly friends, so no need to force a greeting. Why don't you go and act cute with Mr. Smith and have him buy this ski resort to ban us from coming here, so we won't run into each other."
Mandy pursed her pink lips and said softly, "Mr. Davis, have I offended you? You're being too harsh."
"Forgot about the club incident already?" John shot back, then quickly added, "Oh, I get it. You're so focused on Mr. Smith, scared someone will steal your man, so you don't care about anything else."
Mandy's face turned slightly pale, looking weak and pitiful. She gritted her teeth secretly. It was bad enough that he embarrassed her at the club last time, but now he was even more ruthless with his words. It was infuriating!
"I didn't insult you, so don't make that face." John pretended to be scared and said to Michael, "Mr. Smith, your girlfriend is more delicate than a flower. Take good care of her and don't let her get hurt!"
Michael's eyes darkened, but he said nothing, taking Mandy to the other side to help her adjust her equipment.
"Rachel, let me help you." John crouched down to fix Rachel's skis to her boots, muttering, "Anyone can be caring!"
Rachel couldn't help but laugh at his teasing.
"What are you laughing at?" John stood up, ran a hand through his short hair, and smirked, "Think I'm handsome? Maybe if you put on a few pounds, I could make you even happier."
Rachel rolled her eyes and jabbed him with her ski pole, "Shut up. Don't make me slap you!"
After getting whacked, John stopped joking around and got serious, carefully helping her get used to the skis.
Mandy wasn't far off and overheard their banter. Her cheeks turned slightly red, and she whispered, "Even though there are fewer people here, they shouldn't flirt so openly. It's shameless."
Michael glanced over at Rachel, his brows furrowing tightly. He had thought Rachel came here to discuss business with the owner of Blue Sky Ventures, but he hadn't expected her to be flirting and skiing with John, having a great time.
"Ignore them," Michael said coldly, his expression indifferent.
Mandy felt a bit scared and looked up at him, seeing his calm expression as if his emotions had never fluctuated. Maybe it was just her imagination.
Rachel was a total newbie at skiing and knew nothing. After John finished teaching her and let go, she slowly started using the ski poles. After just a couple of slides, her body tilted uncontrollably, and she fell into the snow.
John laughed at her, "You're so clumsy. How can you fall using ski poles? Can't you find your balance?"
Rachel snapped, "Shut up!"
Noticing Mandy next to her skillfully using the ski poles and skiing smoothly, Rachel felt even more annoyed. She got up and continued practicing.
After countless falls, Rachel finally got the hang of the ski poles and could ski smoothly on the slope. She started to enjoy the fun of skiing and no longer paid attention to the people around her, fully immersed in skiing.
In the afternoon, Rachel and John went to the intermediate slope. There were more people here, and it was livelier.
John no longer taught Rachel, fixing his own skis and following her down the slope. He was probably too idle and kept chatting with Rachel, distracting her.
John said, "Rachel, come to my house for dinner with Richard at the end of the year. My mom called me the other day and said she wanted to see you."
After getting married, Rachel had always spent the holidays with Michael's family, but this year, she and Michael were divorced. Rachel hesitated, "We'll see when the time comes."
She knew John cared about her, but she still had her grandfather with her. She didn't want to disturb their family gathering during the holidays, and Richard probably wouldn't want that either.
John sighed, "For the sake of my handsome face, my dear girlfriend, give me a chance?"
Rachel said irritably, "I'm a fake girlfriend!"
Not wanting to listen to John anymore, she used her ski poles to push off and slid past him. She hadn't gone far when she heard the sound of skis scraping the snow behind her. Before she could react, her back hurt from an unexpected crash, and she was knocked off balance, sliding down the slope uncontrollably.
"Rachel!" John yelled, his face darkened, and he immediately chased after her.
The slope was quite steep, and Rachel was sliding down rapidly without the support of her ski poles, quickly losing her balance and wobbling.
A figure slid down beside her, reached out, and grabbed her, quickly placing her hands around his waist. He said calmly, "Hold on, don't let go."
Rachel, panicked and helpless, heard the voice faintly and immediately held onto his waist tightly.
Michael skillfully controlled his skis, sliding down the slope effortlessly even with someone in tow, and soon reached the bottom, standing steadily. "Ms. Williams, it's okay now." Michael's voice brought the panicked Rachel back to her senses. "What, still want to hold on a bit longer?"
Rachel quickly recognized the voice. Michael?
She immediately let go and stepped back, putting some distance between them.
She removed her helmet, revealing a calm expression. "Sorry, I thought you were my boyfriend, so I held on tightly. Thank you, Mr. Smith," she said, her voice steady and polite.
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