Chapter 85 James's Grievance
Mandy tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and said softly, "I just gave Mrs. Smith a little advice."
Deep down, Mandy was thrilled that James was getting into basketball. This way, as Michael's future wife, she wouldn't have to worry about the Smith family assets being split up because of sibling rivalry, even if James was Michael's biological brother.
James was taken aback by Mandy's sudden helpfulness. He thanked her politely but couldn't shake the feeling that her kindness was artificial. Not too long ago, when he asked for her help with the basketball team contract, she turned him down, saying she didn't want to upset Emily. Now she was offering help on her own. Wouldn't Emily be upset this time?
Mandy noticed James's lukewarm gratitude and felt a bit annoyed. She showed a hint of hurt on her face. "James, are you unhappy with me speaking up for you? Why do I feel like you're not pleased?"
James looked confused.
Seeing James not respond, Mandy bit her lower lip and turned to Michael for support. "Michael, did I do something wrong?"
Michael gently patted her on the head and reassured her, "Not at all." Then he turned to James, "James, apologize to Mandy."
James was even more bewildered. "Why? What did I do wrong?" He genuinely couldn't understand what he had done to offend her.
"Michael, let it go," Mandy softly said as she tugged on Michael's sleeve, indicating it wasn't necessary.
Michael patted her hand and sternly ordered James, "Apologize, did you hear me?"
James felt a wave of frustration but, under Michael's authority, reluctantly apologized to Mandy. "I'm sorry, Mandy."
Mandy waved her hand, indicating she didn't mind. "It's okay, James."
"Is that good enough now?" James glared at Michael and stormed off to the dining room in anger.
Mandy clung tightly to Michael's arm. She muttered, "Michael, it's all because of me that you two had a misunderstanding."
"It's okay, let's just eat," Michael replied and rubbed his temples, looking a bit tired.
At the dining table, James remained silent, clearly still upset. He felt deeply wronged; after all, it was Mandy who had misunderstood him, yet he ended up being the one at fault and had to apologize to her. This logic was simply unbearable for him!
At this moment, James developed a bit of resentment toward Mandy and even began to resist the idea of her becoming his sister-in-law. He secretly speculated that if she did become his sister-in-law, similar unwarranted apologies would likely occur repeatedly.
These thoughts left James with no appetite, and he slammed his fork onto the table, drawing everyone's attention.
"James, what's wrong?" Mandy asked with concern. "Are you feeling unwell? You don't look so good."
"None of your business!" James replied irritably.
Mandy's expression darkened, but she forced a smile. "Alright, I won't ask."
"How can you treat Mandy like that?" Emily scolded as she slapped James on the back of his head.
Then she turned to Mandy with a smile. "Mandy, don't mind him. He's just spoiled."
Mandy shook her head slightly, smiling on the surface but sneering inside. "It's okay, Mrs. Smith, I don't mind."
She secretly vowed that once she married Michael, she'd teach James a lesson.
"That's good, that's good," Emily said with a sigh of relief. She didn't want to lose such a good daughter-in-law.
"Hurry up and apologize to Mandy!" Emily urged James.
James wanted to argue but was silenced by Michael's cold, piercing gaze. Michael then turned his attention back to Mandy, placing a slice of mango on her plate. "Eat up, it's your favorite."
Mandy looked at the mango, her fingers tightening around her fork, her expression stiffening. She forced a smile. "I'm fine, I just can't eat mangoes right now. My body is in a special condition."
"Oh, then don't eat it." Michael didn't question it and simply took the mango off her plate.
Mandy secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders subtly relaxing.
After dinner, Emily suggested, "Mandy, why don't you stay over tonight?"
"Yes, I already told my mom I'd be staying here," Mandy replied with a smile.
"But what about the room?" Emily pretended to be troubled.
Mandy's eyes turned cold. She asked, "Mrs. Smith, what do you mean?" Could it be that Emily didn't want her to stay?
Emily frowned. "The room, Mandy. The room you stayed in last time is being renovated and can't be used right now."
James, who was munching on an apple, couldn't help but interject. "Mom, when did you..."
Before he could finish, Emily kicked him under the table.
Emily gave him a warning look and then turned back with a smile. "How about this, Michael? Mandy can stay in your room tonight."
Michael was looking at reports on his tablet. Hearing this, he frowned slightly. Mandy knew Emily was trying to set them up. She was happy at first, but seeing Michael's frown made her panic.
"Michael, do you not want to?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as she looked at Michael.
Michael's thin lips moved slightly, about to speak, but Emily clapped her hands, cutting him off. "Michael wouldn't mind. It's settled then!"
"Mom!" Michael's frown deepened, his eyes narrowing in frustration. "This isn't good for Mandy. We're not married yet."
Mandy's face turned pale. Emily had already decided, and Michael still refused. Hadn't he considered her feelings at all?
James, lounging on the sofa and munching on an apple, felt secretly happy seeing Mandy's unhappy face.
"So what if you're not married? You're engaged and will get married and share a room eventually. This is just a bit early," Emily responded indifferently.
Michael looked at Mandy beside him, who had her head down. He explained, "It's disrespectful to Mandy."
"What's disrespectful about it? Mandy..." Emily argued.
"Forget it, Mrs. Smith," Mandy forced a smile and interrupted, "There are plenty of other rooms in the house. I can stay in another room."
"But..." Emily was still unwilling and wanted to say more.
James threw away the apple core and clapped his hands. He interrupted, "Mom, since Mandy said to forget it, let's forget it. Besides, Michael has to tutor me tonight and won't have time to be with her."
Michael glanced at James, his eyes flickering slightly.
"Tutoring?" Emily looked at James, disbelieving.
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