Chapter 164

“What the hell is going on?”

No one answered Alicia.

She stormed over to the man, stepping protectively before him as she glared at me. “Elise, I get that you have a problem with me, but what gives you the right to boss my friend around?”

Before she could finish, I shoved her aside and stepped forward, fury burning through my chest. I stared straight at the man in front of me.

“Michael! Don’t make me repeat it! Get the hell out!”

“You know him?” Jonathan pulled me back, brows drawn low, voice tight. “What’s going on?”

I yanked my arm from his grip and glared at Michael Yates. “Should I spell it out in front of everyone, or do you want to tell them yourself?”

Michael looked rattled. His eyes darted away from mine. “I…”

Alicia glanced between us, clearly irritated. “What exactly happened between you two? Say something! Michael, do you know her or not?”

“I know her…”

He shot me a brief, guilty look, but in the next breath, he straightened up and forced his voice steady.

“Ms. Sawyer, whatever happened back then is ancient history. I was young and made mistakes. Is it really necessary to keep dragging it out?”

“Dragging it out?”

I let out a sharp, bitter laugh, then punched him hard in the shoulder.

“You think this is just some ancient mistake? I’ve never let it go. Not for a single damn second. And if I ever get the chance, I will make sure you pay for what you did.”

My voice trembled with fury as I stared at him with every ounce of hatred I felt.

Jonathan had never seen me like this before. He frowned, his gaze darkening, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind him, his voice calm. “Elise, take a breath. Just tell me what happened.”

He stood protectively in front of me, and to me, it looked like he was shielding Alicia.

I yanked my hand free, my tone sharp and cutting. “Jonathan, shut up! I stayed quiet when you used to take her side, but if you defend Alicia again this time, I swear, I won’t hold back.”

Jonathan’s voice dropped, icy. “How am I supposed to stand up for you if you won’t tell me what’s going on?”

Alicia’s expression twisted. She bit her lip, glanced between us, and reached for Jonathan’s sleeve like a sulking child looking for backup.

“Jon, maybe Elise is just overreacting again? You know she’s never liked me. Now she sees me with a friend, and she’s making it a whole thing. I bet nothing serious even happened.”

I turned my eyes on Michael, the disgust in my voice razor-sharp. “Go on, Michael. Tell them what you really did.”

He looked rattled, and his eyes darted.

After a beat, he managed, “It wasn’t anything serious. Back in school, I just had a thing for one of Elise’s friends.”

Rage burned through my chest, and my hands balled into fists.

“A thing? You sure know how to sugarcoat it. You stalked her, harassed her, and you almost assaulted her. That’s not ‘having a thing’ for someone, that’s being a predator.”

Michael’s eyes widened, and he raised his voice in panic. “That’s not true! You can’t just throw that out there, she never even pressed charges-”

“You know exactly what you did,” I snapped, eyes blazing.

“You said you liked her, but all you really wanted was to get her drunk and drag her to a hotel. You paraded around campus in that flashy car, trying to lure girls in like some desperate show-off.

“Everyone knew what you were about. And when no one gave you the attention you wanted, aside from a few girls with no self-respect, you went after Gabrielle.”

Chapter 165