Wendy had always been respectful towards Mrs. Lucas. No matter what had happened before, she had always treated Wendy like her own grandchild.
Wendy answered the call. "Grandmother..."
"Wendy, I heard you ca back to Lake City. Where are you staying now?" Mrs.
Lucas asked. "It has been a long ti since we last t. I want to co visit you."
"Grandmother, you don’t have to. It’s not convenient for you to get around, right?"
"Then co visit , won’t you?" Mrs. Lucas sighed. "I am not sure if I will ever have a chance to see you again if I don’t see you this ti..."
"What do you an? You are as strong and healthy as a bull. We will have many opportunities in future."
Mrs. Lucas coughed a few tis into the receiver.
"Are you okay, Grandmother?" Wendy was a little worried after hearing her cough.
"Did you catch a cold or sothing?"
"It is not a big deal. I’m okay." Mrs. Lucas sighed. "I’m getting old. Having a few health issues here and there is normal. I’ll leave it to fate to see how much longer I have in this world."
Wendy’s anxiety dissipated when she heard her reply. This old lady was just trying to trick her into going back to visit her... but it would make a perfect excuse to stay a couple of days longer in Lake City.
"I’ll co over later. Okay, Grandmother?"
"Of course. That would be wonderful." Mrs. Lucas was over the moon when Wendy agreed to co visit her. Her tone lightened up and beca rrier. Even the coughs from before were gone. "Co back for lunch then. I’ll get the cook to whip up your favorite dishes."
"Thank you, Grandmother." Wendy gave a resigned laugh but she felt warm in her heart. Mrs. Lucas was still as kind to her as before.
After she hung up, she started to get ready. It was an hour before noon. She would have ample ti to arrive at the mansion by lunch ti.
Todd watched as Wendy changed out of her pajamas and put on simple makeup. He frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Nothing to do with you." Wendy sounded a little harsh as they had not made up yet after their fight the night before.
"Nothing to do with ? Don’t tell you are going to see Michael?" Todd interrogated. "You are not really thinking about patching up with him, are you?"
"That is also none of your business." Wendy picked up her purse and looked at Todd.
She scoffed, "Todd, since you don’t believe , there is no reason for to tell you.
You will doubt whatever I say anyway."
Wendy turned to leave the room. Naturally, Todd followed right behind.
Once they were out of the main door of their suite, Christian’s personnel greeted them imdiately. "Ms. Swift, Mr. Lewis, are you going sowhere? I can give you alift."
"There is no need for that. I’ll go alone." The press conference was over. Wendy did not want to be monitored by Christian all the ti.
But to Wendy’s surprise, they did not try to convince her otherwise. Gesturing towards the lift lobby, they said respectfully, "Have a good day then, Ms. Swift and Mr. Lewis."
After they were out of sight from Christian’s personnel, Wendy whispered softly to Todd, "I am going to Mrs. Lucas’s house. Later when we get to the main lobby, we’ll have a quarrel and then we part ways there."
"Michael’s house? Is that a good idea to do that though?" Todd was concerned. But he had no reason or right to stop Wendy from going.
"Mrs. Lucas has always been very nice to . Everyone knows that. I’ll just go and visit her. There won’t be any issues. Don’t worry." Wendy replied.
Although Todd was still worried, he did not say another word.
...
Christian had reached the hotel so ti ago but he did not go over to Michael imdiately. It was only when he’d received news from his intel that Wendy and Todd had left the room, that he got out of his car and walked towards Michael.
After Michael left the house the night before, he rationalized that he should not look for Wendy. In the end, he’d gone for a spin around the city. But after driving for two hours, he’d ended up driving to the hotel sohow.
Michael entered the hotel alone. His mind was in a muddle. He knew which room Wendy was in, but he paced up and down the hotel’s main lobby. Seeing his actions, the security guards ca forward to check him, but they did not stop him after realizing that it was Michael.
Michael made his way towards Wendy’s room and stood at the door. He raised his hand a few tis but put it down and did not knock each ti. Michael was not stupid. He knew there had to be a reason why the security guards did not stop him earlier and that reason was because of Christian.
He squatted down and leaned against the wall facing Wendy’s hotel room. He did not even have the courage to look towards the door. He was afraid that the door would suddenly open and the couple would co out hand in hand, laughing and looking blissful. It was unlikely that it would happen though, since it was four A.M.
and they should be sleeping.
Michael wrapped his arms around his head and took deep breaths continuously. The deeper the breath was, the more Michael could feel that he was alive. He continued to be in that squatted position for an hour.
He finally ca to his senses that he should not be there. What would he say to them if they found him at their door when they opened it? His relationship with Wendy had ended and Michael had no rights to dictate who Wendy decided to be with. Furthermore, Todd was her official boyfriend. If he stayed any longer, it would beco problematic when Christian was awake and called in reporters.
He slowly stood up and walked down the stairs. Michael got back into his own car, but he did not leave. He had no idea what he was waiting to happen. To see Wendy one more ti? Or to see Todd and Wendy coming out of the hotel together so that he could have proper closure? Michael gripped the steering wheel with both hands.
He leaned his head on the wheel and laughed at himself as he shook his head. What a pathetic and pitiful man he was! Of course, he was the one who’d landed himself in this ss. There was no one he could bla but himself.
The sky gradually lightened. But his heart remained glum and got darker by the minute.
It was soon eleven A.M.. There was still no sight of Wendy and Todd leaving the hotel. Instead, his brother appeared. Christian walked over to his car. He bent over and knocked on the window.
Michael knew that it was not by chance that Christian was here. He lowered the window nonetheless.
"Brother, what a coincidence." It was obvious that Christian did not an it.
"What do you want?" Michael did not beat around the bush and asked directly.
Christian opened the door to the passenger seat and sat beside Michael. He looked ahead of him, in the sa direction where Michael was looking.
"How long have you been here?" Christian leaned his elbow on the edge below the window.
Michael rely turned and glared at him. He did not say a word.
Christian laughed and continued asking, "You didn’t co here because of my text last night, right?"
...
"Oh, brother..." Christian turned his head and patted Michael’s shoulder. He let out a sigh. "The reason why I sent you the ssage was so that you can let go of your feelings for Wendy. And then, treat Yonina better. That child in her belly is yours."
Michael shoved his hand away and looked coldly at him. "We both know very well how Yonina got the baby. There isn’t a third person here. You don’t have to act all benevolent in front of ."
"I know you won’t take my kind advice as they are." Christian said. "Brother, I know you want to win the tender too. Why don’t we start a new project together? You can be solely in charge of it. How does that sound?"
"I’ll be solely in charge?" Michael let out a sarcastic laugh after he heard Christian’s words. "Do you an to say, I’ll be in charge of the project, with you commanding over like I am your subordinate? And if anything goes wrong, I can be the scapegoat?"
Christian was a little taken aback by Michael’s defensive comnt.
"What do you an by that?" Christian frowned. "I just thought we should share the pot since we are brothers. You are just too biased against ."
Michael scoffed as he watched Christian being arrogant. Christian sure looked happy now. Just wait for a few more days. He would be on the other end of the spectrum.
"If you have nothing more to say, get out of my car." Michael said in an annoyed tone. "You’re not welco."
Christian glanced ahead casually. Looking at his watch, it should be about ti Wendy and Todd exited from the hotel main lobby. He then obediently alighted from the car.
"I told you, where I am going has nothing to do with you. What else do you want from ?" Wendy was clearly irritated as she spoke to Todd who was following behind her. "You really want us to trash it out here?"
"Who ? Am I the one who wants to argue now, Corrine?" Todd reacted appropriately as a ’jealous boyfriend’. "We can forget about what happened yesterday. This morning, you put in effort to wear makeup and dress up. And you don’t even intend to tell where you are going. Then let ask you, if you were in my shoes, wouldn’t you get angry?"
"What is there to be angry about? I have explained so many tis. There is nothing between and Michael. Nothing! Do you not understand? Or does it not matter how much I explain myself to you, because you only believe your own imagination!"
"Is it too much for a boyfriend to ask where his girlfriend is going?"
"Fine, I’ll tell you." Wendy stopped in her tracks. She turned and faced Todd. "I am going to Grandmother’s house. Are you happy now?"
"Grandmother? Whose grandmother?" Todd questioned.
"Michael’s grandmother."
"And you have the cheek to say there is nothing between you and Michael anymore?
Aren’t you going to his house right now? Corrine Swift, aren’t you..." Todd was in the middle of his sentence when he caught sight of Christian not too far away. He was leaning against a car as he smiled and waved at the couple.
Todd faked a cough and forced a smile when he saw Christian and wrapped his arm around Wendy’s shoulders. He whispered to Wendy, "Christian is here. We shouldn’t continue our quarrel."
Wendy understood what Todd ant. If they continued their argunt in front of Christian, it would be too obvious that it was staged.
Wendy cleared her throat and changed her expression instantly. She smiled in Christian’s direction too, an awkward smile making it obvious enough that it was forced on, right after an argunt.
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