Mandy was prepared to take the bullet for everyone else as long as Lyla and Colene were not implicated âWhy didnât you tell me? You should have known better than my daughter! Donât you feel bad watching her living in hell?â Winston was taking out his anger on Mandy.
âWinston, itâs all my fault.â Mandy slowly rose from her seat. She couldnât be more humble as the proud daughter of the Lovelace Family. âDonât blame it on Lyse. Fault me instead. I did not pay enough attention to her.â
Alyssa felt her chest tightened. She was about to defend Mandy when the hotâtempered Colene shot up from the couch and blurted out, âDonât blame it on Mandy! Iâm responsible too! I knew about Lyseâs marriage from the start!â
âWhat?â Winstonâs eyes popped out of his head.
âMâMe tooâ¦â Lyla meekly raised her hand. âI knew about it⦠way before this.â
âLyla, even you are involved⦠They are a bad influence on you!â His head was spinning when he learned that the innocent Lyla had learned to lie.
Tears filled Alyssaâs eyes. She knew it would be hard for Winston to go off at her alone when he learned about the collective betrayal.
âDad, please donât be mad. Mandy, Lyla, and Colene did so in your best interest. Youâll be more at ease if you know less,â Silas quickly jumped in to broker peace. He promptly sent Winston a cup of tea to suck up to him.
âScrew you, jackass!â
Winston might be a gentleman, but he could curse like a sailor. His booming voice almost shook the entire house.
âWait, no⦠Did the both of you..
Î Jonah and Silas exchanged glances and coughed in embarrassment.
Winston was irate to learn that he was kept in the dark, thanks to the excellent acting skills of his family.
+15 BONOS As a shrewd businessman who had played many others, he was shocked to learn that his family had played him. He let out a deafening roar and stormed up to the second floor without looking back.
âWâWinston, arenât you eating?â Lyla hurriedly asked, but he did not answer.
âLyla, why donât you talk to him later? Youâre soft and mild. He only listens to you.â Mandy let out a helpless sigh.
âIâIâm scared. Iâll keep some food for him and send them to his room.â Lyla faltered, knowing that the situation was abnormally grave.
âWhen heâs in a bad mood, he always hangs out in his antique vault⦠Oh crap! He must have found out!â Colene was sweating profusely.
Immediately, they heard Winstonâs desperate scream from upstairs. âCâCall the police! Now! My oneâmillion antique rosewood chair has gone missing!â
The dinner ended badly. If not for everyoneâs collective effort to hold back Winston from doing anything absurd, Alyssa believed that he would have driven to Solana City overnight just to demand Newton to return the chair.
Winston had become more of an oddball as he aged. Moreover, he needed to be shameless to get what he wanted as an antique collector. As a result, he became increasingly brazen and hot-
tempered in recent years.
Right now, Alyssa bet that no woman would fall for him, even if he paid them.
At night, Alyssa had a heartâtoâheart talk with Tatiana. Not only that, they did everything together, from taking baths, drying their hair, and applying skincare. In the end, they were rolling around in bed and tickling each other.
âBy the way, do you like my birthday gift for you?â Tatiana lay chest down on the bed, resting her cheeks in her palms.
âI loved it! I got it framed and hung it in my study at my Solana City villa. Sean was there when I put it on the wall. At first, he thought it was a 3Dâprinted photo because it was so lifelike! You know heâs stingy with his compliments, but he showered you with praises that day!â
Alyssa looked at Tatiana affectionately and placed Tatianaâs soft hand in hers. âTaty, your hands