She remained silent, eyes wide with surprise. I leaned back in my chair and spoke softly. I said again, "Javier is a meticulous man. There's no way he'd leave the dashcam on. You turned it on, didn't you?"
"Was Javier's mood bad today? Because I'm upset, he gave you the cold shoulder too, didn't he? You're smart. You must've guessed that I saw the footage, so you arranged this meeting to stage a little drama, right?" As soon as I finished speaking, Danielle's face turned pale.
She hesitated, then finally spoke, her eyes red with tears, "Yes, it was me! Why should you get all of Mr. Lloyd's love? What's the difference between us? I'm even younger than you, aren't I? You're just a housewife, with no job or career. What makes you worthy of Mr. Lloyd's love?"
I said nothing, simply watching her with indifferent eyes. The sound of familiar footsteps approached.
Danielle's lips curled into a victorious smile as she glanced at the steaming cup of water on the table. Her intentions were clear.
I smiled, indulging her and picked up the cup, not to throw it at her, but directly onto her face.
"Ah! It's so hot! It hurts!" Danielle screamed in pain as tears streamed down her face.
Behind me, Javier's anxious voice rang out. But the name he called was mine, "Mandy, are you okay?"
Javier may not love me anymore, but he couldn't completely let go of fifteen years of feelings.
He shielded me in his arms, carefully checking me over. When he finally looked at Danielle, his eyes held a complicated emotion.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
Danielle covered her flushed face, her eyes red. "I don't know, it was Mrs. Lloyd who asked me to meet her," she said. "I only said a few words to her and she threw hot water at me."
Javier pursed his lips, remaining silent.
Tears spilled from Danielle's eyes, dropping onto the table while she said, "Mr. Lloyd, even though I come from a poor family, no one has ever humiliated me like this."
Javier looked at me again, his expression still tender and caring, "Mandy, you have your prenatal checkup today. Let me take you to the appointment first."
He didn't directly address Danielle's accusations, but I could sense a shift in his emotions. I didn't confront him about it, opting to leave with him instead.
As we reached the car, a girl suddenly rushed out, panicked, "Mr. Lloyd, something's wrong! Danielle has fainted!"