Chapter 443
Mandy gazed blankly upward, her eyes once again seeking out Mirabella in the distance. The restaurant manager, who had been so cold to her moments ago, was now tending to- Mirabella with a smile that was all reverence and eagerness to please.
Mandy lifted her hand to rub her eyes, convinced she was witnessing an illusion and that
this couldn’t be real.
If the Davis family really were wealthy, how could her biological daughter Summer be in the dark about it? Why hadn’t she mentioned a word? It had to be a sham, all of it.
Mandy’s expression grew stiff, her circle of well–to–do friends momentarily forgotten.
Unaware of the turmoil inside Mandy’s mind, her high–society friends, all notable figures in their own right, were now too distraught by Mandy’s scene to linger any longer, let alone confront the restaurant staff. Before long, they left the establishment, clearly disheartened.**
By the time Mandy came back to her senses, she was already seated in her car, being hailed by her driver. Mandy turned to the driver and muttered, “Take me back to the Gilbert residence, before pulling out her phone.
She shot a message to her daughter on Messenger. [Are the Davises rolling in dough?]
When Summer saw the message, she was in the middle of a workout at the gym, trying to keep a low profile since the Twitter debacle, just hoping to quietly get through this embarrassing phase.
After reading her mother’s text, her sweat–drenched face turned cold as she typed back, [No idea.]
What did it matter whether the Davises were rich or not to the Gilberts? Even if they knew the Davises had money, were they supposed to fawn over them?
A sneer curled on Summer’s lips as she tossed her phone onto the wooden floor, then popped on her headphones and resumed her stretching exercises.
Mandy’s eyes darkened slightly upon receiving the response. After a moment of silence, she scrolled through her contacts and dialed a number. The call connected almost instantly, and Mandy didn’t bother with small talk. “I need you to dig up some information for me…”
***
After Mirabella and Zach finished their meal, they left the restaurant. As the car pulled up to the house, Mirabella unbuckled her seatbelt, preparing to get out and open the gate.
Zach, who had been deep in thought during the drive, suddenly called out to Mirabella, “Hey, Mira, I’m going to be swamped at the office for a while, so I won’t be staying at
1/2
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home.
Mirabella paused in the act of opening the door, turning to look at him with bright eyes, “Oh, Zach, you have to work overtime?”
Zach cleared his throat, his gaze fixed outside the car window at his own villa, and nodded. “Yeah, you should come hang out at my place when you get a chance. You haven’t been over there yet.” While he couldn’t see his sister every day, he could try to persuade her into staying over at his place.
Mirabella didn’t think much of it and hummed in acknowledgment. After a moment, she added, “Don’t stay up too late with work. Take care of yourself.”
Zach touched his nose. “…Yeah.” Right now, working overtime seemed the only way to keep his neck out of the noose.
In no time, Mirabella stepped out of the car. Instead of heading straight for the gate, she waited for Zach to drive away before turning around. As she was about to enter the gate code, a thought struck her, and she hesitantly withdrew her hand.
Looking up at the neighboring villa, Mirabella stepped aside and pulled out her phone, sending out a message on Messenger. [Hey. Does your offer from this morning still stand?]
