Chapter 84 A Familiar Letter
Michael strolled over to the desk and leaned against it. "Don't sweat it, I'll get Grandma to come over," he reassured.
James' eyes lit up. "Yeah, get Grandma. Mom's terrified of her."
Michael nodded, his eyes catching sight of an old, yellowed envelope on the desk. It looked really familiar. Back in the day, he and Mandy used to use these exact envelopes.
He picked it up, frowning. "Why do you have a letter I sent to Mandy?"
James jumped up and snatched the letter back. "This isn't a letter you sent to Mandy," he snapped. This letter was from Rachel. How could it have anything to do with Mandy?
"Not to Mandy?" Michael looked skeptical.
James shoved the letter away, looking defensive. "Yeah."
"Then whose letter is it?" Michael demanded, squinting at him.
James, feeling guilty, looked away. "It's not yours, and I'm not telling you whose it is. It's a secret."
He had originally taken the letter to tell Michael that Rachel had been in a high school romance through letters. But after Rachel helped him get on the basketball team, he decided to keep it a secret. No way was he going to say it was Rachel's letter.
Michael saw James' evasive behavior and wanted to push further. But James stuffed the letter into his pocket and pushed Michael toward the door. "Alright, go help me talk to Mom."
Michael pressed his lips together and went downstairs, his mind buzzing with questions.
As the door closed, James took out the letter. "That was close. Almost got caught. Better return it back," he muttered.
He dialed Rachel's number.
Meanwhile, Rachel had just finished going through a pile of documents and was slumped over her desk, exhausted.
John teased from the side, "Tired already? When Skyline Corporation is back on top, will you be too exhausted to get out of bed?"
"Maybe," Rachel replied with a bitter smile, looking worn out.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Before Rachel could check, John peeked and said, "It's James."
"James?" Rachel perked up.
John snorted, "What's he calling you for?"
"How should I know?" Rachel shot back, picking up the phone and hanging up immediately.
John looked at her curiously. "Not gonna answer?"
"Nothing worth answering," Rachel said indifferently, putting the phone down.
Just then, a text popped up: [I have one of your letters.]
A letter? Rachel frowned and called back. "What letter?"
James, sounding smug, said, "Didn't answer my call, huh?"
Rachel sneered, "If you don't tell me, I'm hanging up."
James quickly stopped her. "Okay, okay. Last time I was at your place, I saw a bunch of letters from Paul in your room, and I took one."
"You went through my stuff?" Rachel's face darkened with anger. "James, is this how you were raised, rummaging through my things?"
James knew he was in the wrong and lowered his head, speaking softly, "I know I was wrong, so I'm calling to apologize."
Rachel snorted, her patience wearing thin.
James muttered, "I'll return the letter next time."
"No need, just toss it. I don't want it anymore," Rachel replied before hanging up.
John, seeing her put down the phone, asked curiously, "What did he want?"
"James swiped a letter Paul sent me ages ago," Rachel said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
John's interest piqued. "You haven't contact Paul in forever, right?"
Rachel nodded, a touch of nostalgia in her eyes. "Yeah, it's been like six or seven years." If James hadn't brought it up, she would've almost forgotten about her old pen pal.
"Why'd you guys stop writing? You and Paul used to be super close, writing each other all the time," John said, a hint of jealousy in his voice. John and Rachel had grown up together and were best friends, but when Rachel started writing to Paul, John often felt left out.
"I don't know," Rachel shrugged, looking thoughtful.
Even she didn't know why Paul stopped writing. Six years ago, Paul had sent his last letter saying there was no need to write anymore, and then he just vanished. She even wondered if she had said something to upset him.
John figured Rachel didn't want to talk about it and let it go. He checked the time and said, "It's time to clock out. I'll drive you home."
"Okay," Rachel nodded, feeling the day's weight on her shoulders.
John drove Rachel back to Starglow Valley Estates and then left.
Rachel, leaning on her crutches, went to her bedroom and took out the letters Paul had sent her. Her fingers lightly touched the envelopes, her eyes filled with nostalgia.
But then, she decided it was time to let them go. She picked up the envelopes, intending to throw them in the trash. She had kept these letters for many years; it was time to move on.
But as her hand hovered over the trash can, she felt a twinge of reluctance and couldn't do it. After a moment, she sighed and put the letters back in their place.
Forget it, if she couldn't bear to part with them, she would keep them. She could simply choose not to look at them again.
Rachel rubbed her temples and left the bedroom, heading to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, at the Smith Mansion, James was intently reading the letter in his hand. Even though he had read it many times, each time he revisited it, the mundane details and subtle preferences always brought him new insights.
Everything Paul described in the letter bore a striking resemblance to Michael. Even the handwriting had a similar flair, though it lacked Michael's sharpness and had more elegance. If James didn't know that Michael's pen pal was Mandy, he would almost think these letters were from Michael.
James carefully folded the letter and gently placed it back in the envelope, intending to keep it. He knew Rachel only told him to throw away the letters out of anger and impulse because he had taken them without permission. He couldn't bear to throw them away and planned to return them to her at a suitable time.
James hummed softly as he put the envelope into the drawer. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "James, come down for dinner."
"Coming!" he responded, getting up and leaving the room.
Downstairs, Mandy greeted him with a gentle smile. "James."
"Mandy, you're here," James smiled back, his mood lifting.
Mandy nodded and explained, "Mrs. Smith invited me over for dinner."
James turned to look at Emily and muttered, "Mom."
Emily snorted and walked straight to the dining room without answering.
James helplessly glanced at Michael, who nodded slightly in response.
James' eyes lit up, and he jumped up excitedly. "Great, thanks!" Michael always had a way to persuade Emily.
"You should also thank Mandy. She spoke up for you too," Michael added, holding Mandy's hand.
James was stunned, looking at Mandy in disbelief. "You helped me too?"
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