Yannie nodded.
“You always know what to do, Ms. Bethan.”
Mrs. Flores smiled as she handed Bethan a cup of hot coffee. “When I tried to comfort Yannie before you arrived, nothing could seem to get in at all, but you managed to talk some sense into her after all.”
Then, she sighed and gently caressed Yannie’s hair.
“Yannie…I’m so happy that you’ve found genuine friends like Ms. Bethan and Ms. Larson. As long as they’re here to help you, I can die in peace knowing you’re in good hands…”
The color drained from Yannie’s face when she heard this. She shot Mrs. Flores a look of disbelief. “How can you say something like that?”
With that, she stood up and disappeared into the bathroom to freshen up.
Yannie could not help letting out a bitter chuckle as she stared at her red, puffy face in the mirror.
She instinctively glanced in Bethan and Gwen’s direction out of the corner of her eye. Her mother said that she was happy she had found genuine friends like them, but…
Yannie closed her eyes.
She could not help feeling that she did not deserve such friends. Bethan and Gwen could always keep their heads straight despite being caught in horrible circumstances, but she had grown up an ordinary girl who went with the flow of life. Therefore, she had never learned any healthy caping mechanisms, apart from running away and crying, when it came to dealing with obstacles.
At this thought, Yannie sniffed and stared at herself in the mirror, her gaze becoming more and more resolute.
Thomas had been helping her from the moment they met. It was time for her to stick up for him with his current predicament.
Gwen was right; crying was never the answer!
Yannie wiped her face with a clean towel and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Then, she emerged from the bathroom and put on her coat. “Let’s go, Bethan, Gwen.”
Bethan paused when she saw Yannie’s newfound resolution, then smiled. “Alright, let’s go. Are we going to visit Thomas at the holding cell?”
“I–I can handle Thomas on my own.”
After hesitating for a moment, Yannie decided to reject Bethan’s offer. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of this. You guys should…take care of whatever you need to.
“I’m sure that Mr. Morrison will be overwhelmed by work. Not only does he have to look after Howard Group while Thomas is gone, but he needs to investigate Senior Howard’s death and find Riley at the same time. I’m sure that he could use the help.”
Bethan paused when she heard this.
“Alright,”
Gwen piped up before Bethan could even reply. “I trust that you can take care of things on Thomas’ side on your own. Bethan and I shall head over to help Brettley now.”
She gave Yannie a finger–crossed gesture and added, “We’ll await your good news.”
With that, she strode away, dragging Bethan behind her.
Even after getting into the car, Bethan still turned to glance in Yannie’s direction with a concerned look. “Are we leaving just like this? I’m worried that she’ll lose it again–”
“She won’t,”
Gwen interrupted her curtly. “She’s not a child anymore, so how will she change her mind just like that? Besides, didn’t you notice that the look in her eyes changed as soon as she decided not to pout and do something about the situation instead?”
Gwen sighed and turned to stare out the window.”Bethan, you’re such a softie. You were worried about Cynthal back in Sea City and constantly treated her like a child, but in reality, Cynthal not only had a mind of her own, but she even took matters into her own hands to seduce Brettley behind your back and trick you.
“It’s the same for Yannie. She’s already in her twenties, and she even has a child. You should stop treating her like a kid. Since she’s decided she’ll stop crying and instead help Thomas prove his innocence, I’m sure she’ll stick to it. You shouldn’t worry about her.”
With that, Gwen turned to glance at Bethan. “Where shall we go now?”
Bethan paused for a moment, then sighed and replied, “Let’s go to Howard Group. I’m sure we can help Brettley in some way.”
Gwen nodded and ordered the driver to send them to Howard Group.
The driver started the car.
Bethan watched in the rearview mirror as Yannie got into a taxi behind them.
Gwen was right; Yannie was a grown–up. She should not have assumed Yannie was still a child that needed coddling just because she was younger than her. Even Thomas could not guarantee that he would be able to protect Yannie forever, much less Bethan. There were some things that Yannie needed to learn to face on her own. The car soon arrived at Howard Group Tower. Bethan had always expected things to be a mess when they arrived…but not to this extent.
The entire building seemed to be clouded over by an ominous aura.
A crowd of people dressed in black and white–some were employees, whereas others were investors of the company–surrounded the building, chanting.
It was only until they got out of the car that Bethan and Gwen could hear what these people were saying; they wanted Brettley to get out of the building and hand over all the company’s shares because they did not want a murderer as the CEO.
“These people are insane,” said Gwen, frowning as she covered her ears. “Thomas’ case is still under investigation, so how can they conclude that he’s the murderer? “Besides, even if he did kill Senior Howard, it still isn’t up to them to make such ludicrous demands.”
Gwen’s voice was raised as she said this so that Bethan could hear her.
However, as soon as she finished her sentence, a middle–aged woman in front of her turned to stare at her in disbelief. “What did you just say?”
This woman did not look pleased at all.
Bethan immediately grabbed hold of Gwen’s arm. “Nothing, you must’ve misheard her.”
With that, she quickly dragged Gwen away from the scene.
However, the woman grabbed hold of her sleeve before she could even take another step. “I’m sure I heard correctly!”
With that, she raised her voice and shouted, “Everyone, listen to me! There’s someone here who’s on Thomas Howard’s side!”
All the protestors, who were shouting their demands, immediately quieted down upon hearing this.
Everyone turned to stare at Bethan and Gwen in disbelief.
A few tall, burly men blocked Bethan and Gwen’s way.
“Hey, isn’t this Brettley Morrison’s wife?” a woman exclaimed out of the blue. “According to what I read online, this woman has been with Brettley for about nine years. I never thought I’d see her here!”
The crowd erupted into murmurs and whispers.
“So this is Brettley Morrison’s wife… What is she doing here anyway?”
“Didn’t you hear that woman? She’s been together with Brettley for nine years, so of course they’d be close.”
“Brettley Morrison has refused to come out of the building despite us camping out here for hours… If we capture his wife, we might be able to force him to come out.”
“That’s a great idea…”
***
Bethan and Gwen exchanged a glance as chills went down their spines.
These people looked like ordinary citizens yet capable of terrible things.
“Guards, seize them!”
The leader of the protestors had also overheard the pedestrian’s conversation.
Prior to Bethan and Gwen’s arrival, she had been cracking her brain trying to figure out a way to lure Brettley out of the building. It was the perfect opportunity to get what they wanted with Brettley’s wife in their midst!
The tall men immediately surrounded Bethan and Gwen.
“I’m sorry; it’s all it’s all my fault we ended up here.”
Gwen shot Bethan a sheepish look as she bit her lip, staring at the people around them. “I should’ve thought twice before I opened my mouth…
“I
She never thought her careless words would cause this to happen.
“It’s okay.”
Bethan curled her lips into a smile. “These people know me, so even if you hadn’t said anything, they’d recognize me anyway.”
Despite this, Gwen still could not help feeling guilty about her actions.
Let’s take out our phones and record this!”
The woman who led the protest strode over and stared coldly at them. “Let’s record this and show Brettley Morrison that his precious wife is with us! “If he doesn’t love his wife, he should continue hiding in the building like a coward!
“Don’t people always say he’s devoted to the people close to him? He’s come all the way to Saigen City to help his friend Thomas.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.