Chapter 164

the doesn’t even deserve to be called trouble! She’s so vile and nasty, she’s a venomous viper!”

“Yeah! A venomous viper!”

“What do you mean, yeah? Do you just echo everything I say? Don’t you have a mind of your own?”

Lowell was speechless.

Lord have mercy, let me vanish right here and now.

Whatever I say is wrong!

Might as well be invisible!

Tarquin’s fuming because he went out on a limb for Elysia, and instead of gratitude, he got slapped, berated, and bickered with, right?

And he won’t even admit it!

Lowell thought blowing off some steam at the Slater family gathering would do the trick, but it’s only getting worse.

At this rate, was Lowell gonna work himself into an early grave?

The vibe in the car was all kinds of awkward, and Lowell, with a lump in his throat, said, “It’s not that I don’t have opinions; I’m just scared to voice them. I’m afraid I’ll make you madder.”

“So I’m such a tyrant that you can’t even speak up?”

Lowell scrambles to clarify, “No, no, you’ve got the patience of a saint.”

“If you can’t talk right, then get lost, and don’t give me that sarcastic tone.”

Lowell was on the verge of tears as he thought, “Saying you’re patient is no good, but suggesting you’re not would probably get me booted out of the car!”

“Tarquin, cool it, will ya? Let me break it down for you. Take today for instance. It’s definitely Ms.

Thorne who’s out of line. You saved her, you’re her hero. Instead, she not only hits you but curses you out. That’s just ungrateful.”

It’s like biting the hand that feeds you!”

“Exactly, that’s what I’m saying.”

Tarquin snorted coldly.

Lowell went on, “But see, I get where she’s coming from, too. She was bullied today, nearly got in a real mess. She must have been scared, desperate, and all worked up. When she saw you, her first thought wasn’t how good you’ve been to her; it was your past behavior towards her…”

“I treated her badly in the past?”

“Well… not your finest hour.”

Tarquin’s face darkened as he said, “Even if it wasn’t great, it’s her own doing.”

“Right, right, it’s all her fault. You couldn’t possibly be wrong.”

Tarquin, mistaking Lowell’s agreement for sarcasm, shot him a glare.

Lowell quickly switched gears, “What I’m trying to say is, regardless of who was at fault before, you definitely don’t have a stellar image in Ms. Thorne’s eyes. So after her ordeal today, she took out all her frustration and anger on you.”

Tarquin frowned. “So she thinks I’m a pushover?”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s one thing after another. I think she’s getting a bit spoiled.”

“Who’s spoiling her, huh?”

Lowell’s scalp tingled. “No one, 1 misspoke, my apologies.”

If you’re not spoiling her, would you be holding her?

If you’re not spoiling her, would she have you this riled up?

If you really weren’t spoiling her, Elysia wouldn’t dare to throw a tantrum in front of you, let alone slap you.

“I treat her differently, all because of Elijah. If it wasn’t for him, she’d have been gone a hundred times over!”

Lowell nodded. “Yeah, yeah.”

Whatever you say is right. But from what I know about you, even for Elijah’s sake, you wouldn’t let a woman get away with that. Last time at the bar, it was Elysia who made the move on you, you were caught off guard. But this time, you held her of your own accord, didn’t 10:10 you? You’re the one holding her, and you’re the one getting worked up about it! If it were someone else, say Nola, you’d probably steer clear!

The onlooker sees tho of the game, you might think your special treatment of Elysia is all because of Elijah. But actually? Your body know what I mean, Lowell thought clearly doesn’t reject Elysia. A kiss here, a slap there, and getting up close and personal – ahem, you silently.

Lowell can’t figure it out. Isn’t this what falling in love looks like?

Calling it love might be a stretch since someone is still in denial, but saying love is on the way? That sounds about right.