Simon’s expression grew increasingly cold. He had assumed that Zoe would at least try to defend herself or offer an explanation. But she did neither. Instead, she demanded an apology from Mercy.
Did she truly not care about Mercy’s speculations? Did it not bother her that those words might cause him to misunderstand her? Did she not care about herself, or did she just not care about him?
Mercy, naturally, refused to apologize to her rival. She sneered, "Did I say anything wrong? Isn’t she just a shameless woman? She throws herself at any man she sees—is she really that clean?"
God knew how desperate she had felt yesterday when she saw Crystal kissing Caleb so fiercely in the bathroom at the business dinner! She had never seen any woman move Caleb like that. Although he had pushed Crystal with one hand yesterday... how could a strong, grown man fail to push a woman away?
He had indulged her! He had sunk right into that passionate affair with Crystal!
Later, she had been reduced to tears by Caleb’s cold interrogation.
"I’m friends with your brother. I only see you as a sister," he had told her.
She couldn’t take it in that moment and had turned and run away without a second thought. Now, she didn’t even dare to imagine if the two of them had continued after that. Had they really... gone all the way?
She was going crazy with jealousy!
Zoe’s face finally turned ice-cold. She rarely showed her emotions so openly, remaining calm and collected most of the time, but when it came to Crystal, she couldn’t tolerate it.
"Your family background is indeed an advantage in your life, but your character and conduct have absolutely no redeeming qualities. Your background doesn’t beautify you in the slightest. Have you ever wondered why Lawyer Ford doesn’t like you?"
Her tone was calm and narrative, yet every word was razor-sharp, striking a lethal blow without leaving a trace.
Mercy froze. Her lips trembled as she temporarily forgot how to react.
Peyton snapped out of her daze and sighed. "Miss Lancaster, Mercy isn’t a bad person. It’s just that when people are heartbroken, they inevitably get a little emotional. Some of her words were indeed a bit hurtful..."
"You don’t think she’s bad because her malice wasn’t directed at you. The person who was insulted, slandered, and physically assaulted today is my friend. Seeing as you’re standing on Mercy’s side, Miss Joyce, just how fair do you think your words are?"
Peyton was taken aback by Zoe’s calm and even-tempered demeanor. She instinctively looked at the silent, aloof Simon. "Simon, I’ve said too much."
Simon watched Zoe, but the woman didn’t return his gaze as she repeated, "Apologize."
This time, Simon finally spoke up, his gaze deep. "Since you’re saying we should treat each matter separately, are you going to admit to Peyton’s fall? Is apologizing just Mercy’s responsibility alone?"
Zoe stiffened. She understood what Simon meant.
He meant that if she was the one who caused Peyton to fall and get hurt, she also had to apologize for it to be fair.
She originally hadn’t the energy to care whether he misunderstood her or not. But making her apologize right now?
She couldn’t do it.
"I didn’t lay a single finger on her. There’s no reason for me to apologize."
"Then there’s nothing to discuss." His tone was equally indifferent, yet it carried an undeniable underlying dominance.
Zoe looked at him in near disappointment. Did he really not trust her in the slightest? Did he truly believe that she was jealous of Peyton and had secretly shoved her?
Zoe remained silent for a long while.
Crystal was the first to react. "I don’t care about an insincere apology from someone with such a foul mouth anyway. Whoever wants to put on an act can go right ahead; justice lies in the hearts of the people. We obviously won’t admit to things we didn’t do, but many people witnessed Mercy throwing a tantrum in public. We aren’t the ones in the wrong!"
She grabbed Zoe’s hand and stormed off.
Caleb watched Crystal’s retreating figure, his thin lips pressed tightly together. He then looked over at Simon, who had lowered his eyes to conceal his emotions, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. One could only sense that Simon was in an absolutely terrible mood right now.
Considering that he himself was involved in today’s incident—and that the innocent wouldn’t have been dragged into this if Mercy hadn’t been relentlessly pursuing him—Caleb said slowly, "Miss Lancaster probably had no intention of lashing out."
Even Peyton couldn’t help but glance at Caleb.
Simon replied faintly, "It’s not like she doesn’t have a mouth of her own."
If she didn’t properly explain herself, the suspicions of others naturally wouldn’t cease.
Caleb bent down to pick up his jacket and spoke again. "Miss Lancaster’s hand was scratched by a fork just now. It must be bleeding. Didn’t you see?"
This time, Simon finally reacted. Something faintly churned deep within his eyes.
He instinctively looked at one of the forks on the table. To his shock, there was a faint trace of blood on it. In an instant, his face darkened even further, bordering on terrifying.
Caleb didn’t say anything more and turned to leave.
Mercy’s lips parted, and she chased after him with reckless abandon. "Caleb... Please don’t ignore me."
Only Simon and a seated Peyton remained in place.
Peyton stared at Simon’s eerily quiet expression. Although he hadn’t said anything, Caleb’s remark about Zoe being injured seemed to have affected him to some extent, causing him to freeze for a split second. Even though Simon didn’t show his emotions openly, she understood him far too well...
Peyton’s chest inexplicably tightened. Unable to suppress the out-of-control panic spreading through her body, she grabbed Simon’s hand without a word, her own hands trembling. "Simon, it hurts. Can you take me to the hospital?"
Simon finally snapped out of his daze. He turned to look at her and said, displaying nothing out of the ordinary, "Okay, let’s go."
Peyton lowered her gaze, concealing the shock in her eyes.
A cold wind brushed against her face.
Zoe sobered up significantly. Crystal pulled her along for quite a distance before finally speaking up. "So that woman just now is Simon’s unforgettable first love. Where exactly is she better than you? Simon must be blind!"
Were all men powerless against a manipulative woman’s tricks? Peyton had acted like she was trying to break up the fight just now, but didn’t every word she said just make the situation more explosive?
Zoe shook her head. "Things like love have nothing to do with looks or personality. It just defies all logic and reason."
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many people who loved but couldn’t attain it, desperately seeking a resolution they would never get.
Crystal lit a cigarette and said, "Let it go. From what I see, Simon really does defend that woman. Zoe, I’ll help you scrape together your mom’s medical bills from now on. Don’t subject yourself to this misery anymore."
Her heart was aching for her friend. The adult world was just too difficult. Wanting to be open-minded and carefree sounded like a mere fairy tale.
Zoe smiled. "I know you feel bad for me. It’s fine, I don’t mind. Besides, there isn’t much time left anyway. I’ll just endure it for a bit longer, and it’ll be over."
Once this month passed, there would only be seven months left. She could handle it.
Crystal looked at her, her lips moving slightly, but in the end, she didn’t say anything.
Back at Lance Langley.
It was one-thirty in the afternoon. Thanks to Mercy’s tantrum, she hadn’t even managed to eat lunch. Zoe casually bought a latte and went upstairs, planning to make do with that.
Upon arriving at her cubicle, Felix noticed her early return. He paused for a moment before saying, "Perfect timing. Come in and help me sort out the proposal."
Zoe had no choice but to set her coffee down and follow him into the office.
To her surprise, she saw Miles sitting on the sofa. He raised his eyes and looked over, his gaze mild and gentle.
"President Yates," Zoe quickly greeted.
Felix gestured for Zoe to take a seat. As she walked past Miles, however, he suddenly blocked her path. He grabbed her wrist through the fabric of her woolen coat, and the man’s serious voice sounded by her ear. "How did you get hurt?"