Chapter 6
"Exactly! She's clearly trying to frame the officer by touching him in public. People like her are just bad news!" A man who wasn't in a hurry to catch his train pointed at Wendy.
"Yeah, call the police! Report her for harassment and get her locked up! We need to reform scum like her before she hurts any more innocent people!"
Someone nearby threw peanuts at Wendy in disgust.
Xyla felt a surge of satisfaction. She didn't want Wendy to join her in Bellmire City. Wendy should be marrying that old bachelor from the village, who was well into his 40s. It would be even better if Wendy got arrested for harassment.
Just then, Wendy coldly smirked. She pinched her thigh hard enough to hurt, and her eyes instantly reddened.
With a sweet, quavering voice thick with emotion, she grabbed Xyla's hand and sobbed. "Xyla, you're my sister! And you weren't there just now. How could you misunderstand me like this?
"I just got knocked over by a man carrying a basket and lost my balance. I didn't even realize that Mr. Horton was right in front of me. I just saw someone in a military uniform.
"Out of trust for the military, I grabbed him to avoid falling. That's all. Mr. Hudson can vouch for me."
As Wendy spoke, tears cascaded down her cheeks like dew on flowers, making her look exceptionally pitiful.
"She's right, Captain Horton. You really misunderstood Ms. Wendy. She didn't mean to do anything wrong." Wyatt quickly jumped in to explain and recounted the earlier events in detail.
He had kept a distance from Wendy. Since everything happened so suddenly, Wyatt didn't have time to react, but he immediately called out to that man.
"Yeah, I'm really sorry. My kid called for me, and when I turned around, my basket bumped into this lady," the man in the straw hat said apologetically.
Sean glanced at Wyatt, who nodded earnestly, as though he were saying, "You've wronged Ms. Wendy, Captain Horton. She's innocent."
Xyla hadn't expected such a turn of events. Her face turned guilty and remorseful as she said, "I'm sorry, Wendy. I saw Sean push you down and warn you to keep your distance from men, so I thought you still liked him and wanted to date him. It's all my fault."
"Xyla, even though I went on a blind date with Mr. Horton first, I didn't agree when Dad and Mom asked him to marry me. You heard me say that in the kitchen last night, didn't you?
"If I wanted to date Mr. Horton, why would I have said that to them? Why do you keep misunderstanding me?" Wendy spoke clearly. Her teary eyes were filled with hurt and confusion as she looked at Xyla.
It felt like they had been deeply bonded sisters until Xyla's betrayal struck her hard.
Wendy knew Xyla would use this against her, so she intentionally waited for her to dig her own grave. To deal with someone as scheming as Xyla, she needed to appear more vulnerable and more innocent.
"It turns out she was the one who dated the officer first. She didn't like him, so it was her sister's turn. I knew there had to be more to it. She's much prettier than her sister and looks like an angel! How could she ever do something like that?"
As people around her heard this, they immediately began to defend Wendy.
"Yeah, she and the officer make a great couple, while her sister seems a bit immature. Maybe the officer isn't interested in her, and that's why she's saying that on purpose. What a scheming young lady!"
When Xyla heard the crowd's murmurs, her face fell from earlier delight to one of pure humiliation.
Instantly, she put on a pitiful act. She grabbed Wendy's hand and struck her own face. "I'm sorry, Wendy! It's all my fault! You can hit me if you want. I shouldn't have misunderstood you."
"It's okay. Now that we've cleared things up, you won't misunderstand me again, will you, Xyla?" Wendy said gently as she pulled her hand away.
There wasn't a hint of blame or anger. Instead, she was incredibly understanding and friendly. Not only did she prevent Xyla from successfully playing the victim, but she also made her seem reasonable and protective of her sister.
That made it difficult for Xyla to use this as an excuse to cause trouble again.
Xyla froze for a moment. She tightly clenched her fists, and a flicker of unwillingness crossed her eyes. Then, putting on a guise of meekness, she shook her head. "No... I won't."
At this moment, Sean tightened his jaw and stepped forward. Softening his usually cold tone, he said, "This was my mistake, Ms. Wendy. I'll ensure that you receive a written apology. The train's about to leave, so let's get on board first."
He focused on Wendy's eyelashes, which held glistening tears that threatened to fall. He sincerely admitted his fault.
The pressure from public opinion was indeed effective. The typically aloof man was now humbling himself.
"Alright, no worries." Wendy wiped the tears from her cheeks and gave a small smile.
She got up from the ground, brushed off the dust from her clothes, and walked back to where they had parked.
Wyatt was ready to step in and persuade Wendy to let it slide, but he didn't expect her to be so gracious and composed.
She had a great temperament, too. If it had been any other woman misunderstood like that, they would've been crying and would not have given Sean a pleasant response.
Wyatt couldn't help but wonder why Sean had such a strong animosity toward women. Was it because Wendy wasn't interested in him?
Wyatt found that hard to believe. After glancing at Sean, he quickly stepped in to help with the luggage.
Meanwhile, Xyla limped over to Sean. "Sean, I was worried Wendy would throw a fit like she usually does at home. That's why I misunderstood her. It's all my fault," she said miserably with her head hung low.
"It's not your fault. Let's hurry up," Sean replied.
He recalled how when Wendy had lunged at him earlier, her hands landed directly on his…
His eyes narrowed. He hoped it had truly been an accident and not a deliberate attempt to take advantage of him.
Wyatt had bought the train tickets that day. Since they had to rush, there were no sleeper seats left. They ended up in coach class, where they had four seats together.
Still, it was better than standing or sitting in economy class. After all, they would be on the train for two days and one night.
Once on the train, Wendy pulled out the eggs that Victoria had given her. It was hot outside, and they couldn't keep the food uneaten for too long.
Since there were four eggs, she divided them among the four of them.
Even though Sean had pushed her away and scolded her fiercely, leaving her both furious and agitated, she had accidentally touched something she shouldn't have.
In the conservative 1980s, that was quite shocking. It was understandable why he had reacted so strongly.
Moreover, he seemed to be a virgin. He was so sensitive that he had an erection almost immediately.