Mandy couldnât stop worrying. She said, âJonah, you must come with us. No matter what happens, we have to do everything we can to protect Lyse. We canât let her be harassed by anyone!â
âOf course. Thank you for letting me know, Mandy.â
After Jonah left the study, Mandy entered the room.
âWhat happened earlier, Julien? Did you and Jonah have an argument?
Julien bent down to pick up the books that had fallen onto the floor, one by one. He had his back against Mandy.
âNo, we didnât. It was nothing,â he said in a dejected voice.
âDonât lie to me. I could hear all the commotion from outside. I just wasnât able to hear what you were both talking about.â
Mandy looked at him angrily and criticized him. âJonah is such a well- tempered person. I have never seen him get mad throughout all these years.
âYou have just been here for a few days, yet youâve irritated him like. that? Iâm certain that youâre the one at fault!â
Julien became flustered by her words. âHow is it my fault? Jonahâs the one who has done me wrong!â
he cried out.
âJulien! Stop talking nonsense! You were out roaming free for a few years, with no one to keep a rein on you. Youâre becoming more and more insane!â
âYouâre the one who has to live with the Taylors in the long run. Of course, you have to build a good relationship with them. But I can Lâany une.
UFC Lu Juun up to mi wunun unguvu, He realized the severity of his words right after he said them. Yet, it was too late for him to take his words back.
Mandyâs expression became dark. She felt a wave of anguish wash over her.
All of a sudden, the air around them became silent.
Julien pressed his l*ps together in embarrassment.
He was about to speak up to ease up the tension when Mandy said softly, âIâm sorry, Julien. I know that Iâve embarrassed you and the Lovelace family. I will forever be the black sheep in that family.â
âThatâs not it, Aunt Mandy. Thatâs not what I meant. Iâ¦
âI know that Iâm not worthy of being your aunt, let alone keeping voul in check. Iâm overjoyed that you were able to come back this tim the future, take good care of yourself.â
With that, Mandy left with her head hung low and a heavy heart.
âAunt Mandy!â
The feeling of guilt in Julienâs heart increased. He was about to go after her when something on the bookshelf caught his eye.
To his surprise, the bookshelf that had been emptied because of the books that had fallen had a hidden compartment.
If the books had been in their usual place on the shelf, no one would have spotted it.
Julien was taken aback. He reached in and gave it a tap. It sounded hollow!
He pursed his l*ps as a strong sense of curiosity came over him.
Jasper noticed that Alyssa hadnât come out of the room since Landon and Xavier left. @
When it was time to eat, she was unwilling to come out to talk to him, no matter how much he knocked on her door.
She only said that she wasnât feeling well and that she didnât have any appetite.
Jasper was perplexed. He couldnât figure out what had happened to her. She had been acting normal in the morning, so why was she suddenly acting like this?
He stood at the door while he tried to recall if he had made any mistakes.
He hadnât. He hadnât done anything at all.
Right when he was at his witâs end, the doorbell rang.
At the same time, Alyssa opened the door to the room.
She walked out of the room wearing a peach nightgown. She bumped, hard into him by accident. Her head hurt from bumping right into his strong muscles.
Alyssa massaged her forehead gently. âOuch⦠Why are you standing at the door like a goalkeeper?
Itâs such a relaxing afternoon. Donât you want to take a nap?â she asked stiffly.
Jasper caught her with both hands. His palms were sweaty, and he looked into her deep eyes.
He explained, âI was worried about you, so Iâve just been waiting at the door.â
Then, he lifted his hand to touch her forehead. He commented, â
Youâre not having a fever. Thatâs good. Are you feeling unwell in any other way?â