Page 46 of One Nightstand With My Ex's Uncle

EMILY’S POV.

“That’s not the story. I didn’t end things with John because I slept with Lucas. I already intended to. Why would you modify the story in such a horrible way?” I asked, seeing how she interpreted the story in her own way, which was totally not acceptable.

“You didn’t end things because you slept with Lucas, so you say. Then why did you end things? You just woke up one morning, and decided you were tired of John?” She asked, making a face, and I sighed.

“No, I can’t tell you why.” I said. I knew she liked Katie, and it would be weird if she knew Katie slept with John.

“Well, I can guess why, judging from all you’ve said today, but if you get in the way of my matchmaking, this is the story I’ll tell everyone. Emily slept with Lucas, and fell in love with him. Because of that, she broke up with John.” She said, arranging her hair around her shoulders delicately, and I bit my lip hard, wishing she was someone I could smack.

Sadie got up from my bed, with a smile, and left the room, slamming the door with a loud bang. Damn, she was annoying.

In all the Grangers, I’d single her out as the most dangerous one. She was just too crafty.

I returned to the kitchen after a while, and sat with Katie, who was writing something on a notepad. She didn’t bother looking up as I sat, and didn’t say anything either.

When the food was ready, the maids served it, and we all went outside to sit with the family. There were two spare chairs next to each other for me and Katie, and I wished we didn’t have to sit together.

However, before I could sit, someone waved at me, and I froze as I saw Mandy sitting between Derel and Jude.

“Hey Mandy, what are you doing here?” Katie asked, with a pleased smile.

“I came to help you with some of the work. Then, I got invited for breakfast. I heard you did the cooking.” Mandy replied, flinging her hair over her shoulder.

“Yeah. Emily and I cooked.” Katie said, settling down in her seat.

“You haven’t been around much, Mandy. Were you on a business trip?” Lady Genevieve asked, and Mandy laughed.

“I’m glad you recognize that I must have been busy, unlike someone else here who chases away clients.” She said, and everyone definitely knew she was talking about me. “I was stuck in my office, helping John.” She said, then glanced quickly at Lucas, and at me.

“Does Emily perhaps work for Alpha Lucas?” She asked, and I bit my lip slightly. Why the hell did she have to show up?

“No.” Alpha Raymond and Lady Mira replied.

“Is she working for you?” Lady Genevieve asked Lucas.

“They took me to school.” Sadie said to Mandy, somehow understanding perfectly what Mandy was up to.

“At a Café, drinking latte?” Mandy asked, with a smirk.

“I guessed as much that you were dumb because of what you look like. When was the last time you went to school? Don’t you know coffee is a must-drink in the morning for school kids?” Sadie shot back, with disgust, and Mandy laughed.

“Unfortunately, your cute little face wasn’t with them.”

“Obviously I was in the restroom.”

“Emily left first. Without taking you to school.” Mandy pointed out, and I wondered why she would have watched Lucas and I for so long. Was she also interested in him? And why was Sadie standing up for me? Was it so I’d comply fully with her matchmaking scheme?

“Because Lucas took me to school. Not only are you dumb, but you also seem to be a stalker. How come you watched Lucas and Emily drinking Latte for so long? Are you interested in Lucas? You shouldn’t be because he’ll never be interested in hopeless cases like you, Mandy. You arrive at someone else’s house for breakfast, and you’re acting like some boss. Sit still, Lady, and stuff your face with chicken. We do not need to hear your voice.” Sadie spat, leaving me a little shocked, but overly pleased.

I had always wondered why they never stopped Sadie when she was being rude, but at the moment, I loved it.

“Well, I’m sorry if I offended you. You should show some manners.” Mandy said, beginning to look uncomfortable, and a little annoyed.

“Maybe you should. You’re the only one dressed inappropriately here. It’s not like you’re here to snatch a man, are you?” Sadie snapped.

“Sadie.” Lady Genevieve called sharply, breaking the l0ng chain of exchange of words. “I believe that’s enough.” She said, and Sadie looked like she would cry.

Maybe that was why no one stopped her. Because she would cry.

Mandy looked satisfied, and I saw her throw a smirk Sadie’s way.

Then I decided if I couldn’t deal with Mandy, maybe someone else should. I only needed to tell Sadie that Mandy was sleeping with John, and that Sadie was free to blackmail her all she wanted.

Just as if she read my thoughts, Sadie got up from her seat, and came to me.

“Let’s swap seats. The wind is freer here.” She said, looking like she was sulking, and I knew she was starting her matchmaking because her seat was right next to Lucas.

“There’s not much air here either.” I said, and she glared at me. Then I bent to whisper into her ear.

“Do you want to trade my secret for something better?” I whispered, and she looked at me.

“What’s it about?” She said, in a low voice.

“Mandy.” I said, in my lowest voice.

“Follow me.” She replied, walking away.

“Please excuse me.” I said to the family, and walked away, with a smile. Mandy was doomed. If the family knew she slept with John… Oh, how mad they will be, and maybe it would give cause for Katie to be scared too.

I didn’t mind trading Mandy’s secret even though it was to an eight-year-old.

“So what?” Sadie asked when we got to the poolside.

“If I tell you Mandy’s secret, then you would never tell the family I slept with Lucas, and broke up with John.” I said, and she scoffed.

“Am I dumb? You trade a secret for a secret, not two. Which do you want me to let go of? That you slept with Lucas, or that you broke up with John?” She asked, and I bit my lip.

“Uh… forget about me sleeping with Lucas. Erase it from your brain.”

“Cool. Now, the Mandy secret.” She said, folding her arms.

“She sleeps with John.” I said, and her jaw fell, before spreading into a devilish grin, then she laughed.

“You say what?” She asked, looking amused.

“Yeah.” I said, proud to have amused her.

“Oh my God. Damn, Emily, this is good. You have my word. You’ll no longer hear about your one-time affair with Lucas. Instead, you’ll only have to worry about breaking off the engagement, and falling in love with Lucas.” She said, raising and crashing her eyebrows, with a smile before bouncing away.

“Sadie!” I called in a low, hushed tone. Wow. She was a cheat. Her theory of me liking Lucas was fake, but she was going to use it against me?

I hurried after her, and took her seat next to Lucas. Everyone else was already talking and laughing, and Sadie watched Mandy like a hawk.

“Alright, say cheese.” Sadie said, holding up her phone. “Mandy, you might want to get your big face out of the picture. I need Lucas and Emily for my movie.” She said, and Mandy scoffed.

“It’s breakfast, Sadie. Show some manners.” She shot back.

“Yeah, like you do to John every time. You work for him personally every time he demands it, right?” Sadie asked, with a smile that managed to creep me out.

Katie choked, and was poured a glass of water by Derella. Did she understand Sadie’s well-coded words? Mandy looked a little flustered, but seemed to shrug it off, taking it as nothing.

“Yes. He’s my boss. Bosses are meant to order their subordinates around.” She replied, confidently.

“There’s a movie that’s rampant among teens these days. It’s called Kissing And Hugging My Boss. Do you want to see it with me?” She asked, mischievously, staring at Mandy intently, and Mandy’s face turned pale. She understood.

“Sadie!” Alpha Will snapped, and Sadie clicked her photo.

“Large Mandy, you might want to see me after breakfast. I’m a ticking bomb, you know.” She said, “Emily, smile.” She suddenly snapped in a way that made me almost knock down a jug of water.

I gave a little smile, and she clicked, before sitting, and smiling to herself. Damn, Sadie was scary. I could see Mandy feeling really uncomfortable. Katie also seemed bothered.

After breakfast, I was on my way to the kitchen when Lucas stopped me.

“Good morning.” I greeted, even though it felt too late for that.

“Is Sadie up to something?” He asked, and I looked around.

“With Mandy?” I whispered.

“No, giving up her seat next to me is something she’d naturally never do.” He said, and I sighed.

“Oh, Look, maybe you can stop her, she’s trying to match make you and I together.” I whispered fiercely, hoping Sadie wouldn’t suddenly spring up on me out of nowhere.

“Wait, why?” He asked, with a little chuckle.

Because she thinks I like you, I said in my mind.

“I… I don’t know. She thinks it will be fun.” I said,

“Lucas.” We suddenly heard, and turned towards the sound.

It was Alpha Will.

“Can I have a word with you?” He asked, and Lucas looked a little uneasy.

“Yes.” He said, and left. What if Alpha Will had seen us at the arcade together, or…

What if he had seen some weird moments between us? Wait, did we have weird moments?

Whatever… I just hoped no one was talking about me. I began to hear an odd song coming my way and immediately I recognized it as Sadie singing; I abandoned my journey to the kitchen, and dashed up the stairs, racing towards my room.

I locked the door, and sighed. She was a handful, and I wasn’t ready for her.

I spent the rest of the day trying to draw designs for dresses, and I found out that I actually felt at peace. Adding new, touchy designs seemed to come to me as free as water, and daydreaming about my clothes being worn by top models, and celebrities was one I could never get tired of.

The next day, I was given a little work by Katie, and I listened to music as I worked. John not being home was about the sweetest thing I could ever experience in the Granger home.

“Can you transfer these files to the flash?” Katie asked, coming into my office with her laptop.

“Yes.” I replied, curtly.

“Uh… did you do anything to Mandy? She… she came a while ago, and was totally mad. She packed her things from my office, and acted like I told someone something about her that made the person blackmail her.” She said, and I looked down.

Sadie hadn’t even waited.

“She packed her things like she’s not returning here?” I asked, and Katie nodded.

“Did you tell someone something about her? Something nasty?” She asked, gently, but I could see she was really trying to know if I would say something about her too.

She already thought it was me.

“What would I say about Mandy? I think everyone knows pretty much everything about her.” I said, working on the files she presented to me.

Later that afternoon, I was going to my room when Derel suddenly rushed in.

“Hurry, Emily, hurry.” He said, startling me.

“What? Is everything fine?” I asked, but he dashed towards me. I took two steps back, but he managed to grab my wrist, and pulled me with him, leaving me staring at him like a fool.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, but he didn’t reply. He pulled me out of the mansion with urgency, and I couldn’t help, but move along as quickly as I could.

He pulled me into a car, and took a deep breath.

“Okay, I would have opted for Katie, but for some reason, Derella wants me to leave her out, so I think you’ll be the best option for now.” He said, breathing heavily. “Hurry, Mr. Gladys. She might leave.” He added.

“Can I please know what’s going on?” I asked.

“Okay, there’s this crazy girl at school who keeps on stalking me. It’s becoming unbearable, and I wouldn’t want to tell the family or they’ll take everything so seriously that I’ll end up getting embarrassed. Okay, this girl is really creepy. She sends me letters everyday, and manages to sneak absurd snacks into my bag.

“She writes my damn homework for me without me knowing. Isn’t that crazy? Also, if you can recall the test I talked about the day when we ate grilled salmon? Turns out she found a way to get my blank sheet, and filled it with answers. Here I was, thinking Miss Prentiss had to be into me.” He explained, and I almost rolled my eyes.

“Then what do you expect me to do?” I asked, and he smiled.

“Act as my girlfriend.”

“What!?” I asked, and he laughed.

“Relax. That’s only plan B. The main plan is to tell her you’re going to get a restraining order from the court. Act as professional as you can so she’ll know this is no joke.”

“And why am I doing this?” I asked, not understanding why he would suddenly barge in, take me out of the house and expect me to do his will.

“Because Katie’s off limits.”

“I’m a secretary for John, and not for you all.” I said, and he laughed.

“I can always ask John if he’ll let you be my personal secretary for the month. Do you think you’d prefer that?” He asked, and I bit the inside of my lip.

That would be awful.

“Great. You only have to do well, then we would have no cause for Plan B.” He said, and took out his phone which was vibrating. He picked it up. “What?” He asked.

“…”

“Make her stay.” He said, looking irritated.

“…”

“Then try harder. Emily’s on her way.” He snapped, and ended the call.

When we got to the school, I saw lots of students walking around. Some were leaving the school, and some were re-entering it like they weren’t going home.

Derel walked quickly, and I followed, trying to keep up on my troublesome heels. He walked through the halls buzzing with more students, and I almost lost him in the crowd. Then he got to a class, and signalled for me to hurry up.

I walked faster, and regained my breath, before he smiled, and pushed the door open.

We got into the class, and I saw Derella with a girl who was chewing gum. Everyone who was still in the class stopped, and stared at me.

“There she is. Vanessa.” Derel pointed out, and I hated it. That was pressure. If there was anything I hated, it was talking to kids.

“You’re Vanessa?” I asked, and the girl looked at me from up to down, blowing a large bubble from her mouth. I kind of wished I had a mouth like Sadie’s at that moment.

“I’m going to be very brief. This matter is going to escalate beyond what you expect it to if you do not stop stalking Derel, and interfering with his private life.”

“Escalate? She asked in a cold, uncaring voice, with a raised brow.

“Yes. I’m saying it will be taken to court, and Derel will get a restraining order. I’m sure you do know what that means, right?” I asked, and the look in her eyes turned cold. If anything, it felt like she wanted to murder me. It gave me the chills.

Why on earth would Derel make me do such?

“Emily.” Derel called, and I turned around.

He was on one knee, holding a bouquet of flowers up to me.

Damn him.