*Ring Ring*

The serene yet somewhat stifling atmosphere inside the car was disrupted when the loud ringtone of a phone was heard.

Wayne's attention was diverted from the ongoing traffic as he gazed at the purse which was the source of the noise.

'Why is this person so annoying!?' Jeanette cursed in her mind because she was already aware of who it might be.

'I did not answer twice earlier which could only mean that I am busy handling something else! Does she not understand such a basic thing?' She scowled at the person who was trying to reach her once again.

"It's the third time you've received a call. Answer it, it might be urgent." Wayne suggested as he smiled while peeking through the rearview mirror.

His deep and enchanting blue eyes almost caused her to drown in them but was rudely yanked out when she heard him clearing his throat.

"What's wrong? Answer it." He repeated when he noticed that her attention was back on him.

In response, Jeanette's smile was rigid after she heard his kind words and then she silently glimpsed at her phone.

*Mandy*

Reading the name of the person who was spoiling her rare chance to be alone with Wayne Luo made Jeanette's anger increase.

But how could she ever display her inner feelings of animosity when she was in his presence?

Therefore, she adjusted her expressions before raising her head and looking back at him through the rearview mirror.

"It's a routine call to remind me about the salon appointment, Brother Wayne. I can just text them and let them know I will not be keeping my appointment." She replied with a meek smile.

Wayne nodded his head in understanding and then paid attention to the road.

Jeanette hurriedly switched her phone to silent mode before sending a short and precise text to the woman who was hindering her time alone with her beloved.

*Urgent business so I had to leave. Please forgive me, Mandy boo! Tell the others I am sorry!*

She hit send and then shoved the phone back inside her purse.

The joy that was overwhelming her heart at the moment did not appear on her face for even a single second.

In its place were grimaces and soft groans of agony as she rubbed her ankle every few minutes.

Wayne would glimpse at her every time he heard her grunt in pain and a deep frown sat on his face when he recalled what he had witnessed earlier.

Soon the hospital that he had been driving towards was in sight and he took a turn to enter its premises.

'Nana, what exactly have you done!?' He shook his head in annoyance and then carefully drove into the parking lot of the hospital.

Getting down from the driver's side, he rushed to open the backdoor to help this injured lady out.

Jeanette played the part of a damsel in distress to perfection.

Wayne did not want any scandal to arise in case a paparazzi caught sight of him carrying her in his arms.

So he flung her arm over his shoulder and escorted her inside the private hospital.

'He could've just princess carried me inside, I wouldn't mind.' She pouted when she noticed his actions but did not let him know about the grievances in her heart.

'Don't get greedy! You still have a lot of time to make him yours and only yours!' She chided her gluttonous heart which desired for more than what it had received.

She stole silent glimpses at his face as they walked together into the hospital room for a check-up.

____

Inside a private room back at the restaurant that Wayne and Jeanette had just left in a hurry,

"Where exactly is that annoying little bitch?" A woman with bright pink hair scowled at the woman sitting opposite her seat.

The root cause for the small confrontation between Lina and Jeanette, Mandy Rong nervously chuckled when that question was thrown at her.

She gave the two women sitting on the other side of the table an apologetic phone before dialing the number once again.

But just like the previous two times, this one was also hung up in the matter of a few seconds.

Her feet were shaking due to the nervousness of sitting in the same room as these women who could effortlessly make or break any socialite's image and reputation with just a few words.

*Ding*

The sound of the text notification felt like the saving grace for Mandy at that moment.

She did not waste any time to pick her phone up and check the message that she had received.

The smile on her face which had appeared when she read the name of the sender vanished when she read the contents of that text.

'What does she mean by 'urgent business'? What could be more urgent than this!?' She bellowed inwardly but did not say a word out loud.

The nervous sweat under her armpits was intensifying with each second and now she was panicking much more than she had been before she read that text.

'How would I be alright on my own!?' She lamented while cursing her best friend for abandoning her in her time of need.

But that best friend of hers was right now hugging her crush as they walked into the hospital room.

The pink-haired woman glared at Mandy's awkward face after she placed the phone on the table and then turned to her side, glancing at the one who sat next to her.

"Talia Jie, I think that stupid bitch abandoned us here and went her merry way. Most probably chasing after some man." She sneered as she hit the nail right on her first try.

Mandy's irises shook when she felt the two sisters watching her like a hawk to see what her answer might be.

The two women sitting on the other side of the table were none other than the Zheng sisters, the Queen of the socialites, Talia Zheng and her faithful younger sister, Valerie Zheng.

Talia raised her chin as she inspected her recently manicured fingernails before throwing a single glance at Mandy Rong.

"The two of you were called here for a purpose and not to waste my precious time." Talia muttered in arrogance to which Mandy nodded her head, fearing to speak a word against her.

She and Jeanette had been shopping merrily when Jeanette had received a call from an unknown number.

Answering which, they received an address and were asked to arrive within 15 minutes.

Jeanette zoomed her car through the streets and they reached this extremely exclusive restaurant ahead of the appointed time.

Mandy had been kept on the down-low about the person who had called them there until they entered the room they were in right now.

Jeanette knew that her friend would chicken out so she refrained from filling her in on all the details before she was brought here.

However, that plan had backfired because Mandy was now sitting alone before these two women without a single idea of what the purpose of their appearance was.

Valerie rolled her eyes when she saw Mandy's clueless face and then leaned closer to her sister.

"Jie, I don't think that Jeanette has informed this idiot about the discussion we had last night." She whispered in Talia's ears and got a nod from her.

Talia had called Jeanette last night and had informed her of the plan she had come up with but it looked like she had failed to fill in Mandy, the main pawn in their scheme about the details.

She sighed and glanced at Valerie who nodded as though she understood what that gesture meant.

"Your stupid friend may not have told you about our talk from last night." Valerie haughtily declared with her nose raised in arrogance.

Mandy's brows furrowed for a second when she heard the derogatory words being aimed at her best friend.

'If your sister wasn't here then I would have given you a piece of my mind!' She scowled but managed to keep her mouth shut by grinding her teeth together.

Valerie's eyes glinted when she saw the anger that flashed in the other woman's eyes.

"What? You got something to say?" She taunted with a smirk on her face as her head tilted to the side.

Mandy did not answer her mocking words but turned her eyes towards Talia, asking for her help.

In return, Talia gave her an indifferent nod of the head before shooting a swift gaze at her younger sister whose mouth had been working in the wrong direction.

Valerie instantly shut up and cleared her throat to fulfill the task that was handed over to her.

"Does your mother know that you are doing this?" She interrogated with a firm voice to which Mandy shook her head in fierce denial.

"My mother is too kind. She would definitely try to stop me if she knew what we are planning to do." Mandy was quick to speak words of praise in her mother's defense.