Andrew shoot Mathew a sharp look. “You’re going to back me up, right? Tell my dad exactly what you told me—Sebastian broke up with me.”
Matheww leaned against the wall, crossing his arms with a bemused smirk. “Sure, why not? I’ll play along.”
Andrea narrowed her eyes at his tone but didn’t have time to argue. She answered the call and cut her father off before he could speak. “I’m not marrying that pathetic liar, Dad! Forget it. And just so you know, I have a witness—someone who saw Sebastian break up with me ruthlessly.”
There was a brief silence on the other end before her father’s cold voice sliced through.
“You’ve got a witness?”
“Yes,” Andrea snapped, holding her chin high. She turned to Matheww, gesturing for him to talk. “Here, tell him what you saw.”
Matheww raised a brow, his lips twitching with suppressed laughter. Andrea’s eyes widened as she jabbed the phone toward him, her expression saying, Don’t you dare back out now.
Sighing, he finally leaned toward the phone. “Hello, Mr. Steel,” he began casually, his tone carrying a hint of mischief. “Yeah, I was at the restaurant. I saw her slap Sebastian, clear as day.”
Andrea’s jaw dropped. “What the—”
“Quiet,” her father commanded through the phone, his voice as sharp as glass. “So, you’re saying you didn’t see him break up with her?”
Matheww shrugged, still smirking. “All I saw was the slap, sir.”
Andrea’s face turned red with fury as her father chuckled darkly. “Andrea, do you think you can deceive me by paying someone to lie? This changes nothing. You’re getting married next weekend. Be ready.”
“Dad, I forbid it!” Andrea shouted, but the line went dead. She stared at the phone, seething, before turning on Matheww. “Are you out of your mind?! That’s not what you told me earlier!”
Matheww grinned, completely unfazed. “Technically, it’s the truth. I only saw the slap.”
“You... you—ugh!” Andrea growled, throwing her hands up in frustration. “You’re useless.”
“Hey, don’t blame me because your plan backfired,” he said, chuckling. “You came here looking for backup without even checking if I was on your side.”
Andrea glared at him, her fury bubbling over. “You think this is funny?”
“Kind of,” Matheww admitted with a shrug. “But seriously, you should’ve thought this through before dragging me into your mess.”
She huffed, turning on her heel. “I don’t have time for this.” She stormed out of his apartment, slamming the door behind her.
Matheww shook his head, laughing to himself.
“What a character,” he muttered, returning to his laptop. Truthfully, he hadn’t seen much of the confrontation between Andrea and Sebastian.
The slap was what had caught his attention, and he’d intervened to prevent Sebastian from retaliating.
Everything else? Not his problem.
Andrea burst into her apartment, still fuming. She stomped to the fridge, yanked it open, and grabbed a bottle of water. She drank it in one long gulp, trying to cool the fire raging inside her.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered, slamming the empty bottle onto the counter. “First Sebastian, now this idiot. What’s wrong with men?”
She moved to sit on the couch, but something felt... off. Her steps slowed, and her brow furrowed.
A sudden chill ran down her spine as she realized she didn’t unlocked the door before she entered the house.
Her heart raced. She distinctly remembered locking the door before leaving for Becky’s place. How had it been open when she came back?
Her breath hitched as her eyes scanned the room. Everything seemed normal—until her gaze landed on the couch.
A nylon bag sat there, slightly crumpled. And peeking out from inside was a pair of glowing eyes. Andrea froze, her throat tightening as the creature emerged. A cat.
Her worst nightmare.
She stumbled back, her skin crawling. “No, no, no,” she whispered, shaking her head. She was deathly allergic to cats. How had one gotten into her apartment?
The cat meowed softly, tilting its head as if mocking her.
Andrea let out a piercing scream when she saw trails of blood, her voice echoing through the apartment.
She spun around and bolted out the door, her heels clicking loudly against the floor.