Kathy couldn’t hide her irritation and said, “Madeline, you’re too kind. How can you offer Norah such niceties?”
Norah stepped away, eager to avoid their company. “No need for that. I’ll catch a taxi.”
“It’s quite late, and being out here alone isn’t safe.” Madeline clung to Derek’s arm, her voice dripping with sweetness, saying, “Derek, let’s give her a lift.”
“We’re all friends here, after all.”
The way Madeline spoke was overly affectionate, clearly aiming to unsettle Norah.
Derek turned and pulled Madeline close, arrogantly saying, “Madeline’s right. You can hop in the car.”
Kathy interjected with a firm, “NO!”
Kathy hadn’t forgotten the slaps from Norah and Joanna earlier, and seeing Madeline and Derek extend kindness to Norah only fueled her irritation.
“Maybe Norah’s catching a taxi to meet other guys. Let’s not mess with her arrangements.” Kathy stomped her foot.
Norah frowned and coldly said, “Didn’t you all hear me? When did I ever say I wanted to get into your car? Kathy, listen up. Keep up this nonsense, and it won’t be nice for you.”
Madeline’s eyes welled up as she snuggled into Derek, feigning vulnerability, and said, “I didn’t have any other intention-I was just concerned for your safety. Kathy didn’t mean anything by it. Norah, there’s no need to hold a grudge over Kathy and my account…”
Derek stood before Madeline, giving Norah a stern look, and said, “Norah, don’t forget to show gratitude. Madeline’s doing this for your own good.”
Madeline gently pulled on his arm and said, “Derek, I’m fine. Please don’t blame her.”
Norah was at a loss for words after their exchange. She concluded that Madeline was indeed unpleasant and a drama queen who had mastered the art of acting and fooling stupid men like Derek. Kathy, on the other hand, came across as petty and quick-tempered.
“A 100% moron.”
Derek was nothing more than a mentally disturbed scumbag, completely under the spell of Madeline.
“If you’re that detached from reality, perhaps a hospital visit is in order. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
Norah rolled her eyes, disgusted by their presence, and decided to step back to hail a taxi.
Madeline’s eyes brimmed with tears as she softly called out, “Derek…”
With a stern face, Derek stepped toward Norah, grabbed her phone, and demanded, “Say sorry to Madeline. Now.”
Norah’s temper flared at the insult. She yanked her phone back. “Have you lost your senses, Derek? You have no right to take my phone. Don’t you get that?”
She fixed a steely gaze on Derek and demanded, “I want my phone back, now!”
Kathy, originally frustrated by her failure to obtain Nocturne’s contact information, snapped at Norah’s defiance. “Norah, you bastard! You’re crossing a line speaking to Derek like that-I’ll have someone teach you a lesson right away! Just wait and see!”
Aware that the Wilson family wasn’t particularly affluent and that Norah was allegedly illegitimate, Kathy felt emboldened. She figured if the Wilson family didn’t care about Norah, she could boss Norah around however she pleased.
Madeline, seizing the moment to look nice by playing the peacemaker, said, “Kathy, mind your language. It’s not right to talk to Norah like that. Regardless of Norah’s status in the Wilson family, such harsh words are uncalled for.”
Kathy, defiant and smug, replied, “Without Joanna, nobody would even care about you.”
Derek’s expression was a mix of emotions as he scolded, “Kathy, where did you learn to talk like that? You don’t even have the basic manners.”
Kathy merely shrugged, her disdain echoing her mother’s untamed remarks about Norah.
Norah couldn’t take it anymore and was about to grab Kathy’s hair to teach her a lesson.
But then, a luxurious black car rolled up nearby.
As the window lowered, a man’s distinguished face appeared.
He seemed to be amused by the confrontation, commenting, “Quite the moment.” His casual glance sent a shiver through everyone present, except Norah, his presence commanding an almost suffocating respect.
Derek promptly showed his respect, saying, “Mr. Scott.”
Sean turned to Norah, who stood apart, and offered, “Need a lift? I can give you a ride.”
Eager to steer clear of the trio, Norah smiled in agreement and said, “That would be great. But first, Mr. Carter, could I have my phone back?”
Derek clenched Norah’s phone tighter, his face clouded with unease.
He never imagined that Glophia’s big shot, Sean, would be so close to Norah, let alone offer her a ride.
Norah extended her hand toward Derek, silently asking for her phone back. Derek held on to Norah’s phone firmly, but before he could respond, Kathy sneered, “Norah, quite the social butterfly. Acquainted with not just Miss Andrews and Nocturne, but Mr. Scott, too. Your circle is impressively broad.”
Kathy couldn’t hide her irritation, yet in deference to Sean, she restrained herself. “What’s so great about her? It’s all about drawing attention from men, isn’t it?”
Madeline intervened, “Kathy, enough with the baseless comments. You’re tarnishing Norah’s reputation.” They were spreading rumors about Norah, trying to make everyone believe she was liberated and seeking attention. Yet, Sean was fully aware of what was happening between him and Norah.
Before Norah could respond, Sean beat her to it, saying, “Looks like you all know what’s on my mind better than I do.”
Caught off guard, Madeline managed a strained smile. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
From the driver’s seat, Phillip spoke up, “Miss Powell, rumors suggest your overseas marriage hit a rough patch, prompting your return for some peace. Yet, it seems you’ve entangled yourself with a married man. The gossip about you being ‘the other woman’ has spread.”
Sean raised an eyebrow. “Really? Is that the case?”
Tears welled up in Madeline’s eyes as she protested, “I’m not the other woman. Derek and I share true love…” She sought refuge in Derek’s embrace, concealing her face.
At Sean’s cue, everything seemed to fall into an uncomfortable silence.
Phillip continued, “And Miss Carter, what about those fellows you were with at Glamour Club the other night? It looks like you were juggling two boyfriends-didn’t bring them along today?”
Kathy was taken aback, her reply faltering. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Phillip retorted, “But many people saw you dancing intimately that day.”
Now puzzled, Norah confronted Kathy. “You hit the club telling us nothing? And who were those guys?”
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.