âThe durian is also soft inside and sweet in taste,â Jonah disagreed. He playfully touched the tip of Alyssaâs nose âDoesnât that sound just like you?â
She looked away, adorably feigning anger and letting out a snort.
âAnyway, Lyse, you really shouldnât fall into Jasperâs trap again. Men are all scumbags!â Liam advised Alyssa, worried that his sibling might reignite her relationship with Jasper.
âExcept for me, Liam,â Sean timidly stood up for himself.
âMe too,â Jonah chimed in.
âRight, right. The guys in our family are pretty decent,â Liam hurriedly added.
âWell, not all. Thereâs this one old man who tarnishes the reputation of Taylor men,â joked Alyssa. She crossed her legs.
The three men exchanged knowing glances. Winston Taylor immediately came to their minds.
âI donât give a damn!â Mandy scowled when she was being asked to help Jasper. She had always yielded to Alyssaâs wishes, but this time, she staunchly refused Alyssaâs request for the medications.
âMandy, listen to meâ¦â Alyssa pleaded in desperation.
âThereâs nothing more to talk about.â Mandy waved at her and reminded her coldly, âIâm well aware of how he mistreated you in the past. Lyla and Colette would have remembered it, too. Isnât he the president of the Beckett Group? Let him figure it out himself with the power he has!â
âMandy-â
âOh, right, doesnât he have a couple of lovers around him? I donât see them shedding tears for him, though, Mandyâs tone remained hostile and unrelenting when discussing Jasper.
H âHe is a jerk, but heâs saved my life this time,â explained Alyssa. She took Mandyâs hand and led the latter to the couch, looking like the parent figure instead.
Mandy frowned. âWhat do you mean?â
Alyssa recounted her ordeal of getting into danger while saving someone at Crater Mountain. She also detailed how Jasper got hurt while rescuing her.
Mandyâs hand went cold as she heard about the harrowing experience. She scolded, âLyse, if you were my daughter, I would have grounded you and given you a good beating! Youâre quite the daredevil!â
âOnly Jonah, Liam, and Sean knew about this. Winston is still in the dark.â Alyssa placed a finger between her lips and whispered, âPlease keep this a secret from him. Iâm scared his blood pressure might skyrocket if he finds out.â
âGod, Iâm tired of keeping secrets for you. Weâve gathered enough secrets to fill a dossier from your marriage to Jasper Beckett,â Mandy grumbled, poking Alyssa lightly on the temple.
She added, âI should have told your dad about the mountain incident and have him discipline you!â
âHe-he! Even if you did, he wouldnât be able to do much. He would have disciplined me earlier if he could have,â Alyssa teased.
After some persuasion, Alyssa finally convinced Mandy to help.