Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Normand chuckled, scratching his head as he explained, "Hey, remember when you promised you'd be my girlfriend for $10,000 a day? Well, here's $100,000— how about you be my girlfriend for ten days? What do you say?"

A faint, mischievous smile flickered at the corners of Mandy's lips, her eyes dancing with amusement. For the first time, she found Normand's awkwardness almost endearing.noveldrama

She stepped right up to him, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him down so their eyes met.

Normand's heart skipped a beat at her sudden move. His face flushed crimson, the blush spreading all the way to his ears.

"M-Mandy, what are you doing?" he stammered, his mind running wild with possibilities. Was she about to kiss him? Oh God-he wasn't ready for that! But then again, if Mandy wanted to... Well, bring it on.

He closed his eyes, puckered up, and waited, nervous and giddy with anticipation.

Mandy tried not to laugh at how utterly clueless he looked. "If you still need a girlfriend after these ten days,” she said, “as long as the money's right, I'm always available."

With that, she released his collar and pushed him away.

Normand's daydream crashed and burned, leaving him feeling hollow inside. He looked at Mandy with puppy-dog eyes, as if he'd just been wronged.

He'd forked over a hundred grand to have her as his girlfriend for ten days- couldn't she at least give him a kiss?

Just then, the others started arriving at the finish line.

Normand spotted his longtime rival and let a mocking smirk curl onto his lips. He raised his eyebrows and taunted, "Looks like you lost."

The man sneered and shoved Scarlet toward Normand. "She's yours."

Scarlet stumbled and landed awkwardly in Normand's arms.

He recoiled like he'd just touched something filthy, shoving Scarlet away. "Why are you giving her to me? I never said I wanted her."

The man shot back, "We had a deal, remember? If I lost, Scarlet goes back to you; if you lost, your girl comes to me."

He then let his gaze linger shamelessly over Mandy, whistling in a sleazy way. "Hey gorgeous, what's your name?"

Mandy didn't even acknowledge him—not a glance, not a word.

His face darkened, irritation flashing across his features. "I'm talking to you. Are you deaf or something?"

Ever since she'd learned Claire was hard of hearing, Mandy had become sensitive to that word. The moment she heard it, she spun around, her eyes like ice daggers. "And why exactly should I tell you my name?"

The man paused, surprised, but then a sly, amused grin crept onto his face.

"Mr. Lewis, this one's got some fire. How about you let me have her? You like Scarlet, right? Let's just swap."

Normand turned red with rage. "Who the hell told you I like Scarlet? What, you think I collect junk? Don't go dumping your trash on me!" he snapped.

As he spoke, he yanked Mandy behind him protectively, shielding her from the man's stare. Then he shoved Scarlet back toward her previous companion. "She's your problem, not mine. My girlfriend is a thousand times better than her."

Scarlet's eyes filled with tears, her expression pitiful. “Norm, how could you say that?"

Normand rolled his eyes. "You really think I joined this stupid bet because of you?" "Didn't you?"

"Not a chance! I wanted to show you just how amazing my girlfriend is. Don't flatter yourself."

Scarlet went red, then pale, biting her lip as tears spilled down her cheeks. "Hans, did you hear that? He's being so mean to me."

Hans clicked his tongue and glared at Normand. "Mr. Lewis, that's out of line. We had a deal—if I lost, Scarlet's yours. If you refuse her, you're making me look bad."

"I never said I wanted her. Give me a break. We're leaving."

Normand had no patience for more nonsense. He grabbed Mandy and the other two friends, ready to go.

Hans narrowed his eyes. "Who said you could leave?"

Normand shot back, "Since when do I need your permission?"