Chapter 66 Mandy Was Missing
"Yeah," Rachel said, her voice soft but firm.
John casually wrapped his arm around her waist and followed the waiter into the private room.
Michael watched them, his eyes darkening. He pressed his lips together, feeling an urge to break them apart. But he held back, lowered his gaze to hide his emotions, and turned to Mandy. "Let's go in too."
"Okay," Mandy replied with a forced smile, her eyes flickering with a hint of resentment.
As they walked, John couldn't help but tease. "Rachel, look at Mandy. She's clearly jealous but pretending everything's fine. That fake smile must be exhausting."
Rachel chuckled, her eyes twinkling. "Is eating and sleeping exhausting?"
John shook his head, amused by her retort.
"For some people, pretending is like eating and sleeping; it's just part of survival. How can it be tiring?" Rachel continued, her tone light but pointed.
"Good point," John said, intrigued. "Rachel, if we expose Mandy's pretense, would she—"
"Enough," Rachel interrupted with a gentle elbow to his ribs. "She hasn't bothered us, so let's not look for trouble."
But Rachel thought to herself, 'If Mandy ever provokes me, I'll definitely retaliate.'
They arrived at the private room and ordered the signature steak. After a while, Rachel dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
"I'm going to the restroom," she announced, standing up.
"Need me to go with you?" John raised an eyebrow, half-joking.
Rachel smiled, a hint of warning in her eyes. "What do you think?"
Catching the hint of anger in her smile, John shivered slightly. "Never mind, just hurry back."
Rachel nodded and left with her bag. After using the restroom, she was touching up her makeup in front of the mirror when Mandy walked out from the adjacent stall.
Seeing Rachel, Mandy was momentarily stunned, then gracefully approached and stopped at the sink beside her, also taking out her makeup to touch up.
"Ms. Williams, what a coincidence," Mandy said, her tone overly sweet as she touched up her makeup.
Rachel applied her lipstick and responded indifferently, "Yeah, even the restroom can be a place for chance encounters."
Mandy put away her makeup, her eyes flickering to Rachel's bandage. She asked, "Is your injury getting better, Ms. Williams?"
Rachel pursed her lips, her tone icy. "Thanks to you, not yet."
"Are you still mad at me?" Mandy's eyes reddened slightly, her voice trembling.
Rachel found it amusing. She hadn't done anything, yet Mandy was the one crying, looking all aggrieved. Michael had a unique taste, actually preferring Mandy. Of course, she, who once had a crush on Michael, didn't have much better taste, but at least she had come to her senses.
Rachel coldly capped her lipstick and tossed it into her bag. She retorted, "I've received enough compensation. If I still blamed you, wouldn't that make me petty? But why do you think I'm blaming you? Do you think I'm narrow-minded?"
"No, no," Mandy quickly waved her hand, explaining. "I just thought you were too cold, so I assumed you still held a grudge."
Rachel glanced sideways, her smile not reaching her eyes. She shot back, "I'm a person who has a clear stance on what I like and dislike. Those I like, I'm very warm to; those I don't, I naturally distance myself from. Since you know I don't like you, why put yourself through this?"
The sound of strangers snickering was coming from the restroom, and Mandy, unable to bear it, blushed deeply.
Rachel withdrew her gaze and said coldly, "Miss Brown, it's best to keep your distance from now on to avoid unnecessary trouble. Haven't you noticed you always lose in arguments with me?"
With that, she zipped up her bag and walked past Mandy.
Mandy bit her lower lip, glaring at Rachel's back with a sinister look, a cold smile forming in her heart. She thought, 'Sure, I'm the loser now. But who knows what the future holds?'
Lost in thought, Mandy picked up her bag and followed her out. In the hallway, a seemingly ordinary waiter approached. As he got close, the waiter quickly pulled out a handkerchief and covered her mouth and nose. Mandy let out a startled cry, her eyes widening in terror, and then she lost consciousness.
After dinner, Rachel and John were about to settle the bill and leave. Just as they were about to get up, there was a knock on the door. John went to open it, and there stood Michael. His face was tense, his brows furrowed, and his eyes revealed an elusive urgency.
Rachel felt puzzled. Had something happened?
John blocked Michael's way, his tone unfriendly. "What's the matter?"
Michael ignored him and looked directly at Rachel. "Is Mandy here?" he asked.
Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Why do you come to us? Shouldn't she be with you?"
"Yeah," John agreed, crossing his arms.
Michael's gaze dropped slightly. He said, "She's not with me."
John was momentarily stunned, and then a hint of schadenfreude appeared on his face. "Not with you? So, did you lose her?"
Michael didn't respond. John's smile gradually faded, replaced by surprise. "Really lost her?"
Rachel stared at Michael and questioned coldly, "Miss Brown is missing, and you come to us? Mr. Smith, do you think we hid her?"
"Mandy went to the restroom and never came back. Besides you, she had no other conflicts here. I have no other leads," Michael said, looking directly into her eyes.
John was both angry and amused. He retorted, "Are we resorting to kidnapping her over a minor conflict? This makes no sense at all! Everyone knows we'd be the first suspects if something happened to her. We'd have to be out of our minds to do that."
Michael pressed his lips together, saying nothing. He knew the chances of finding Mandy here were slim. His visit was just a desperate attempt.
Rachel tugged at John's suit, pulling him aside, and faced Michael herself. She said, "Mr. Smith, I admit I saw Miss Brown in the restroom earlier, but I left before her. I don't know where she went afterward. You can check the surveillance near the restroom."
"We did. There's no trace of Mandy on the surveillance," Michael said, clenching his fists.
Mandy hadn't returned for a long time, and she didn't answer his calls. He then asked the restaurant manager for help, but after searching around, they still couldn't find Mandy.
The most puzzling part was that all the restaurant's surveillance cameras were working normally, yet none captured any footage of Mandy. Something was off.
John pouted. "If the cameras didn't catch her, maybe she's hiding on purpose, testing if you care about her. Mandy's the type to do that."
Michael's face darkened immediately, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Rachel glared at John, signaling him to shut up. Talking bad about Mandy in front of Michael was just asking for trouble.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
