The Queen's Back

Just as Mona was about to say that there was no need to look for adhesive bandages, Haley had already run forward. Then, she seemed to have thought of something and hurried back to Mona's side. Looking into her eyes, she said seriously, "Mona, I'll be right back. Just stay put."

Mona instinctively nodded. Haley then quickly walked ahead.

Throughout the entire process, Mona was bewildered. Haley was really swift and decisive in getting things done.

She recalled what Haley had said before she left, finding Haley's words sound so similar to what Maxwell had told her when she came to Noretin.

She thought, 'It seems that Maxwell not only reminded me, but he also reminded Haley. He's too concerned about me, treating me like a minor that he needs to look after.'

While Mona was thinking, an adhesive bandage and a hand with well-defined knuckles suddenly appeared in front of her.

Mona instinctively looked up and met Brendan's gaze, which held a subtle hint of amusement.

For a moment, she didn't know if she should put down her hand or accept the adhesive bandage he handed her.

"What's wrong?" Brendan said. "Mrs. Carter, you don't know how to call me Brenny when you see me, huh?" As Brendan spoke, he spontaneously placed the adhesive bandage in Mona's hand and sat across from her.

Being reminded of this, Mona felt a wave of shame wash over her. When she recalled what she said about calling Brendan "Brenny" if she had the chance to meet him in the future, she felt so awkward that the awkwardness seemed to stretch all the way from where she was to the entrance of the ball.

"What's wrong?" Brendan said, looking into Mona's eyes. "Could it be that you don't keep your word?"

His eyes were deep blue. At a glance, they were like the night sky, making it difficult to discern his feelings.

"Brenny!" Mona called out somewhat reluctantly.

After calling out, she felt like sitting here with Brendan was almost unbearable due to the awkwardness. She had no idea why she would run into Brendan at a ball.

The corners of Brendan's lips curled up slightly. "Yes, that's more like it. If you see me again in the future, don't forget to call me 'Brenny'. If anyone bullies you in Noretin, just mention my name, and I'll stand up for you."

Mona had called him "Brenny," so he would not let her do it for nothing.

"You're overthinking things. I didn't provoke anyone in Noretin. Why would anyone bully me then?" Mona rejected Brendan's good intentions without hesitation.

She thought, 'Besides, I have Haley. If anyone were to bully me, Haley would definitely pay them back double.'

Mona outright refused, but Brendan wasn't upset. "I'm just giving you a form of assurance. It's up to you whether you need it or not."

She looked ahead and happened to see Haley walking toward her, so she immediately said, "Thank you for your kindness. Someone is looking for me. I'll take my leave now. See you again."

Despite saying that she would see him again, she thought, 'I'm not seeing you again.' She really did not want to see Brendan again and call him "Brenny" anymore.

But the reality was different from what Mona expected. She ended up calling him "Brenny" for a long time.

As soon as Haley arrived, she saw Brendan sitting on the sofa. She shot him a wary glance and happened to meet his expressionless face.

She immediately felt that Maxwell was right. Brendan was not someone to be trifled with, so she carefully pulled Mona to the side and walked away.

What the two of them did not know was that Mona and Brendan's conversation had been observed by someone hiding in the corner. This person was none other than the person who had bid against Mona at the auction. He was now intent on pleasing Brendan, thinking it would be just right to use Mona to achieve his goal.

"Mona, how come the moment I'm not by your side, you run into a bad guy?" Haley said, now fully considering Brendan as the enemy.

"He just came over to give me an adhesive bandage," Mona said. She then thought, 'And he had me call him "Brenny" while he was at it.'

"I have it," Haley said. "Mona, I brought you an adhesive bandage. Use mine."

Glancing at the adhesive bandage in Mona's hand, Haley still felt that the one she had was better.

"Okay, I'll use yours," Mona said.

As they spoke, the two of them had already walked toward the restroom.

Mona was wearing a dress, so bending down to apply the adhesive bandage like this would somewhat affect her image.

"Mona, do you want me to help you put it on?" Haley asked after they reached the restroom.

Mona shook her head and took the adhesive bandage from Haley's hand. At the same time, she casually placed the adhesive bandage that Brendan had given her into her handbag.

"It's okay," she said. "I can do it myself. Wait for me outside for a while."

In her heart, she saw Haley as a younger sister, so this was something she preferred to handle herself.

After Mona entered, Haley walked around outside the washroom, feeling a bit bored.

A moment later, a strange man walked over and loitered around the women's restroom. He even looked inside with a lewd look.

Haley noticed him twice. After the

second time Haley directly looked at

him, raised her fist, and shot him contemptuous glance, indicating that he should not go inside. Otherwise, her fist would come crashing down on him.

"What are you looking at?" the man said angrily. "You want to beat me, huh?"Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

"If you dare to look inside with your sleazy eyes again, I'll beat you," Haley said bluntly.

Mona was still in the restroom. Haley needed to protect not only Mona's safety but also her purity and reputation. She wanted to keep all harmful things away from her.

"I just looked. What can you do about it? Do you really dare to hit me?"

When the man spoke, he did not take Haley seriously at all. He looked down at Haley with a glance. Then, he immediately walked toward the women's restroom.

Haley could not tolerate that. She grabbed the back of the man's shirt, yanked him back, and then threw him to the ground.

"This is what happens if you continue to watch. Get lost, or I'll beat you to a pulp."

"Alright. Okay. I'll leave now. It's my fault."

As soon as the man finished speaking, he got up while trembling. Taking advantage of the moment when Haley was thinking, he snatched the handbag from her hands and ran away. There were a lot of things inside, including Mona's phone.

Once the handbag in her hand was gone, Haley instinctively chased after him.

She silently thought, 'This guy has a chance to do the right thing but still chooses to mess it up. Once I catch him, make sure he knows my strength, and I'll give him a severe beating.'

After Haley left, two more sneaky people emerged near the restroom.

"Hurry up. They've left."

"Shh, I'm coming. I'm coming."

As soon as the daze-inducing smoke was blown, it immediately dispersed in the women's restroom.

After putting on the adhesive bandage, Mona opened the door and walked out. As soon as she stood up, she inexplicably felt a little dizzy.

Mona thought that it was because

she had squatted for too long and

her hypoglycemia was acting up, so she didn't pay much attention to it. After standing for a moment to clear her head, she walked toward the restroom door.

Barely walking two steps, Mona felt that her vision was getting more and more blurry. The path ahead slowly became two paths, and she seemed to be unable to see the path clearly.