A Beautiful Misunderstanding

Chapter 156 Then They Turned Against Each Other (Part Two)

Essie smiled and said, "Now you shut up, Eva. We all know that among us, Mandy has the best figure. She's wearing a D-cup, for god's sakes!"

"I don't think it's all natural, though," said Eva whispered. Although she spoke in a very low voice, Mandy still heard it. Her face immediately became contorted with annoyance, and a frown appeared on her lips. "Oh Eva, quit being jealous and hateful," she said, sounding incredibly displeased. "Yes, you're pretty, but that rear cannot be flatter!"

"I don't care," retorted Eva. "I will never have plastic surgery. I love myself and I am already contented with what I got!" Then, like a kid, she stuck out her tongue at Mandy. Eva and Mandy's friendship was mostly built through their unrelenting quarreling. Whenever they got into a fight and they got too heated up because of each other, Essie would come in between them like a big sister and help them make peace. Today, she just let them be. It had been a long time since she heard them fight like this, and honestly, she kind of missed it. Because of that, she just busied herself in consuming the flavorful steak they ordered.

Then, none of the three girls spoke up. All of them were preoccupied in savoring their food.

At one point, however, Mandy suddenly asked, "How long have we been good friends?"

The question opened a floodgate of memories in Essie's mind. As far as she could remember, they met when they were eight years old. That meant they had been friends for fourteen years already!

"Fourteen years!" she said with a huge smile on her face. "We have grown up together, Mandy." Indeed, they shared many, many memories together.

"That's true, I guess. We did grow up together," Mandy said, a glint of mystery on her eyes. "So we're not keeping secrets from one another, right?" Her words were filled with concealed meanings.

Upon hearing what she said, Essie felt a bit uneasy. She had kept her marriage to Zac a secret from her all this time. It made her feel guilty, but she felt that now was not the time to explain everything and make everything known to her. Because of that, she just quietly went back to cutting her steak and eating.

Eva, however, was oblivious to the tension that was building up around their table. Straightforwardly, she asked, "What do you mean by that, Mandy? Are you saying someone here is keeping a secret?"

Mandy just shrugged. Then, she stared at Essie and said, "You, Essie? What do you think?"

Essie stopped what she was doing and sighed loudly. "Mandy, just say what you want to say," she said, looking at Mandy in the eyes.

Mandy didn't say anything for a moment. "Zac is here in Dragon City, right?" she then asked, sipping from her wine glass.

"He's from Dragon City, Mandy. Of course he is here," Essie replied, impatience starting to color her voice. She didn't want to get annoyed or lose control, but it seemed like Mandy was making her do that.

"Are you still roommates?" Mandy asked, her eyes so cold and piercing that Essie felt chills run up and down her spine.

Essie looked away as she tried to think of a way to explain what happened to Mandy without causing a ruckus. Finally, Eva felt the change in the mood and so she tried her hardest to change the topic. With a smile, she said, "Talking about men when it's the first time we've seen each other in a long time? Nah, that is not going to happen. I want to gossip about the entertainment circle, not boys! I have one, and I swear you two haven't heard of it!"

Mandy, however, was not going to let her derail the conversation. "Eva, I am not interested in the entertainment industry, so shut up. What I want to talk about are the scandals of the rich families, such

as the crown prince of the richest family in the east marrying a no-name designer from Beauty on Runway." While Mandy said this in a way that was not accusatory or offensive, Essie still felt a sting in her heart.

"Mandy..." She felt her body starting to tremble.

Eva's mouth was agape at this point. "So you know that?!" she asked, her voice sounding scandalized.

Mandy turned to her with wide eyes and said, "What? You knew? How!"

"Girl, what can I say? I just know it!" Eva answered. When she put two and two together as to why Mandy was acting this way, Eva sighed and said, "Look, girl. Essie didn't mean to steal your dreamboy from you. She and Hanson fought one day, she got mad, she got drunk, and she got married to a man she didn't even know. Apparently, it was that Zac you like so much. It really wasn't her fault because she's kind of out it when that happened. So don't be mad at her!"

Essie felt cold sweats break out of her forehead.

It turned out Eva was an excellent scriptwriter. The story she was telling was good and actually believable!

"But how did you know that happened?" Essie asked Mandy. Their marriage had been kept extremely private. It wasn't even announced in the news! Only a few people knew about it!

A touch of hesitation flashed through Mandy's eyes. A woman came to her yesterday and told her about Zac and Essie's marriage. If that woman didn't approach her, she would never have known about it. "I work on TV," she lied. "It's inevitable for me to hear some rumors," she explained.

Essie didn't ask anything further. Her concern right now was how to not ruin her friendship with Mandy.

Taking a glance at Essie, Mandy picked up the glass of wine on the table and drank all its contents. She knew that she was exuding an aura that was dark and angry, but to counter it, she pulled the corners of her mouth into an exaggerated smile. "Well, you know me!" she said enthusiastically. "I'm not a narrow-minded person. Although I like Zac, I can't force him to fall in love with me. Since you two are married now, I guess I have to give up. Friends are more important than men. We have known each other for fourteen years. The bond that we have developed because of that cannot be broken by a man."

Essie was shocked. The mood changed so fast that she couldn't keep up with it. "Am I hearing you correctly, Mandy? Are you saying... you're okay with me marrying Zac? Are you forgiving me?" she asked.

"No," Mandy answered bluntly. "First of all, you told Eva but not me. Why? It's like we're not friends at all!" As she said this, her lips came together in a cute pout. Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

"Okay, I was wrong. I am so sorry about that," Essie said, feeling relief. "Drinks on me tonight. Order whatever you like, I will pay it. Just... don't be angry with me, okay?" Essie poured Mandy a glass of wine. This development somehow made her feel so joyous. As long as Mandy wasn't get angry with her, she would buy all the drinks she wanted, no matter how expensive!

Mandy smiled and asked everyone to raise a glass of wine. "Money is precious, but love is more valuable," she said firmly before they clinked their glasses. "But none of that compares to the love your friends have for you. To friendship!"

The three of them clinked their glasses and laughed. Unbeknownst to Essie and Eva, Mandy wasn't enjoying the moment.

'I hate you, Essie. I won't forgive you. Never!' she thought inwardly.