Caleb Ford appeared composed. He glanced at the glass of water Crystal Hayes slid over to him. The woman’s nails were painted a nude pink, making her fingers look even more slender and fair. A memory inevitably flashed in his mind. It was this exact pair of hands that were most adept at doing absurd things that crossed forbidden lines. Pulling his thoughts back, his expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "Thank you, but there’s no need for your concern."
Crystal looked at the man’s stoic and composed demeanor, curling her lips carelessly. "Alright then. Lawyer Ford recovers quite fast. You have a robust constitution."
Caleb couldn’t help but shoot her a glance. The latter had already shifted her gaze away from him, chatting brightly with Zoe Lancaster. It seemed like a completely unintentional remark, without any underlying implications. Caleb ran his thumb over the glass, his thoughts unreadable.
Zoe’s gaze darted back and forth between the two. She certainly didn’t believe they were just exchanging ordinary pleasantries. Her sixth sense told her that something absolutely extraordinary was going on! Crystal blinked at her innocently, as if to say, "What are you thinking about?"
Zoe raised an eyebrow. She was just about to speak when she heard hurried footsteps approaching from a distance. They were accompanied by a woman’s frantic yet gentle pleas. "Mercy! Mercy! Wait for me, don’t rush! I’m sure it’s not like that..."
The voice was far too familiar. It instantly wiped the smile off Zoe’s lips. When she turned to look, she saw Mercy Hawthorne already storming up to their table. Mercy’s fists were clenched tightly, her face unable to suppress her fury. She was clearly coming in hot, but this time, her target wasn’t Zoe, but...
"You again!" Mercy glared fixedly at Crystal. Her tone was sharp and icy. "What is the meaning of you meeting with Caleb in private?!"
Crystal looked at her. "Are you and Lawyer Ford dating? Since when is this any of your business?"
"You!" Mercy was furious, her eyes turning increasingly dark. "I knew it, you’re a bitch too! No wonder you and Zoe are thick as thieves. Birds of a feather flock together, right?"
Hearing Mercy drag Zoe into this, Crystal finally dropped her slightly amused expression and turned icy. "Watch your mouth. Insult me if you want, but if you drag her into this, I won’t let you off easy."
Zoe finally understood. The "Caleb" she had overheard Mercy talking to on the phone that one time was actually this Caleb. It seemed Mercy had long known about Crystal’s existence and that the two of them were close friends. No wonder Mercy had always had it out for her. There was actually this hidden layer to their relationship.
Peyton Joyce, who arrived belatedly, caught her breath and gently grasped Mercy’s hand. "Mercy, don’t be impulsive. We’re in a public place, mind the scene you’re making." As she spoke, she looked apologetically at Zoe, seemingly apologizing on Mercy’s behalf.
Zoe had no reaction. She only found it laughable. Peyton acted more like a member of the Hawthorne Family than she did.
Mercy, however, was entirely consumed by her emotions. She glared fiercely at Crystal, her eyes red, not even caring if the surrounding people heard her. "Don’t think I didn’t see it! Yesterday, you threw yourself at Caleb and kissed him! You are a shameless woman!"
Zoe was astonished. Crystal and Caleb... actually had that kind of history?
This time, even Caleb’s expression turned slightly cold. He looked at Mercy, his tone devoid of warmth. "Mercy, are you done throwing your tantrum?"
Hurt even more by Caleb’s attitude, Mercy gnashed her teeth and pointed at Crystal. "What’s so good about this woman?! She used cheap tricks to seduce you, and her motives are impure! If I hadn’t gone over there yesterday, what would have happened between you two? Would you have actually rolled into bed together?!"
Crystal’s face was frosty. Peyton tried to stop Mercy with a panicked expression. "Mercy, they are consenting adults. I’m sure they know what they’re doing, so don’t..."
This sentence of hers acted more like a fuse, blowing whatever was left of Mercy’s rationality to bits. That was right. Consenting adults knew exactly what they were doing. Didn’t that mean Caleb had indulged it?! What did he think of this seductress? Mercy didn’t dare to think about it. The more she thought, the angrier she got, to the point where she recklessly grabbed a handful of Crystal’s hair. "I forbid you from coveting Caleb! Do you even deserve him?!"
Her sudden physical attack threw everyone into chaos. Crystal, naturally, was no pushover. Having always had a fiery temper, and with her hair being pulled so painfully, she shoved Zoe behind her for protection. Then, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on Mercy’s arm, ruthlessly grabbing Mercy’s hair in return. "Are you sick in the head, you shrew?! What does Lawyer Ford have to do with you?! Do you think you’re an empress, and whatever you fancy belongs to you?!"
The scene instantly devolved into a chaotic mess. Caleb’s face darkened completely. He stood up, trying to pull them apart. "Mercy, stop being unreasonable! She is Jade’s teacher!"
But Mercy only grew angrier. Tears fell from her eyes, DRIP, DROP. "You’re still defending her!"
Seeing the two about to break into a full brawl, Zoe’s anger flared. Mercy could make things difficult for her on a normal day all she wanted, but to bully Crystal like this today—she absolutely couldn’t tolerate it! Zoe immediately rushed over, wanting to pry Mercy’s hands off Crystal.
She didn’t know if it was a coincidence, but Peyton also came over to stop the fight. As luck would have it, she grabbed Zoe’s hand. Seemingly exerting force by accident, her nails dug into the soft flesh of Zoe’s arm, causing a sharp pain. Zoe reflexively swung her arm out.
There wasn’t much force behind it. Amidst the chaos, whether she was pushed down by Zoe’s swing or bumped into by someone else, Peyton twisted her ankle and fell to the floor. Before she hit the ground, she tugged at Zoe’s clothes.
Zoe stumbled uncontrollably. In the instant she propped herself against the table, a fork on the surface slashed deeply across the soft edge of her hand, leaving a bloody scratch.
With Peyton taking a fall, Mercy seemed to snap out of it, immediately crying out, "Peyton! Are you okay?"
Peyton bit her lip, appearing to be in immense pain. "I..."
Mercy immediately looked at Zoe. "You pushed her! Do you know Peyton’s health is very poor?! If anything happens to her, my brother won’t let you get away with it!"
Almost in the very next instant, a man’s cold and gloomy voice rang out. "What is the meaning of this?"
Zoe looked over. Simon Hawthorne approached with a frosty expression. He seemed to give Zoe a disappointed look before bending down directly to half-hug and half-help Peyton up from the floor. He gently settled Peyton into a chair. "Does your foot hurt? Did you hurt yourself anywhere else from the fall?"
Peyton looked terrified. With red-rimmed eyes, she didn’t answer but reflexively said, "It has nothing to do with Miss Lancaster. It wasn’t her. It was my own poor health that made me accidentally fall. Don’t be mad at her, Simon."
This kind of explanation sounded more like a defensive attempt to smooth things over. It made it seem highly likely that Zoe was at fault.
Crystal immediately laughed out of pure anger. "It wasn’t Zoe to begin with! Everyone here was pushing and pulling. It was complete chaos, so what do you mean by singling out Zoe?"
Peyton froze for a moment, then apologized, "That’s why I said it was my own problem. It was too chaotic just now, and I couldn’t think clearly for a moment."
Mercy immediately shot back, "Why are you apologizing, Peyton? It was Zoe who was jealous of you, so she got physical and made it look like an accident!"
Simon furrowed his brows and looked at Zoe.
The woman’s expression remained unchanged as she simply stated, "Mercy, you should apologize to Crystal for insulting her."