Chapter 66 When Jealousy Strikes

Chapter 66 When Jealousy Strikes
Mayzie went back and forth with herself from the second she stepped into her apartment. Picking an outfit to meet Donny was proving to be a nightmare. She didn't want to wear anything too revealing — she didn't want to send the message that she was overly eager — but she certainly didn't want to look out of touch, either.

Eventually, she settled on a black lace Blumarine dress. It had a delicate scoop neck, a small bow at the center of the collar line, and subtle cap sleeves. The back was what really sold her, featuring a ruffled sash that draped down to a matching hem, alongside a round lace panel detailed with subtle floral patterns. Even in the car, Mayzie kept second-guessing herself, muttering under her breath that the hemline was still a bit too short.

When she pulled up to Ristorante Amalfi, a valet was already waiting to open her door and take her keys. She grabbed her matching black purse and took in the view of the high-end restaurant, which sat just down the road from the local country club and luxury shopping district. Slinging her purse strap over her shoulder, she made her way toward the entrance. She wasn't sure if Donny would be waiting inside or outside, though a guy of his background would likely already be seated at a reserved table. Pushing the heavy doors open, she found the maître d' standing behind his podium. The well-dressed, middle-aged man offered her a polite smile.

"Good afternoon, ma'am."

"Good afternoon," Mayzie said. "I'm here to join Mr. Donny Nereo."

He glanced down at his ledger. "Ah, yes. Mr. Nereo arrived about ten minutes ago. Right this way."

He led her out onto a quiet veranda that had been mostly empty for late afternoon. Ivy trailed up the surrounding trellis, dotted with early-season blooms. The maître d' stopped at a table, set a menu down in front of a young gentleman, and pulled out the opposite chair for her.

Donny stood up as she approached. He was much taller than she had expected — probably right around Dalton's height. His skin was tanned, and his long black hair was pulled back into a neat, low ponytail. He looked surprisingly different from the photo his grandfather had shown her; she figured that picture must have been taken years ago. She gave him a polite smile, sat down, and thanked the maître d'.

Donny took his seat and returned the smile. Dalton was definitely broader and more muscular, but Donny was, without a doubt, striking. Mayzie caught herself comparing the two and gave her head a tiny shake to clear the thought.

"A pleasure to finally meet you in person, Miss Kollins," he said, reaching across the table.

She shook his hand. "Mayzie, please. It's great to meet you too."

"Mayzie, it is, so long as you call me Donny."

She nodded, and a quiet moment settled over the table.

"So, you're interning?" she asked to break the ice. "Which hospital?"

"Ravenfield Hospital, the city hospital," he replied.

"Oh! Do you happen to know Doctor Saunders?"

"I do, actually. Wait, do you know him? Dumb question, obviously you do, or you wouldn't have asked."

Mayzie chuckled. "Yeah, he's my best friend's dad."

"Bellatrix or Darwin?"

"Bellatrix. But I know Darwin, too," she added with a grin.

"Ah, right, Bellatrix. My grandfather mentioned you both go to Ravenfield University. What are you studying?"

"Psychology," she said, her smile fading just a bit. An unexpected wave of discomfort washed over her, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

Before the conversation could go further, their waiter approached. Mayzie realized she hadn’t even opened her menu yet — she was so used to Dalton just ordering for her without asking.

"Do you mind if I order for us?" Donny offered.

"Oh, go right ahead." She watched as he selected a few dishes, thoughtfully checking in with her after each one to make sure she was okay with his choices.

"Wine?" Donny asked next.

"I'm actually underage," she said, trying to mask her slight embarrassment.

Donny blinked, suddenly flustered. "Sparkling water for both of us, then." He turned to the waiter with an apologetic wince before looking back at her. "I'm so sorry. It completely slipped my mind that you're only a sophomore. Of course, you're not legal drinking age yet."

"It's really fine," she waved off his concern. "It must be weird for you, hanging out with someone almost ten years younger."

"It wouldn't be if you actually looked the part."

Mayzie looked down at her dress. "Is it too much? I tried to find something modest, but every outfit he bought me either shows off too much top or too much leg. I basically had to choose between my chest and my legs. Legs lose out, since you mostly just see my top half at the dinner table anyway."

Donny chuckled at her sudden burst of honesty. "I didn't mean the dress was bad. But... who is 'he'?"

"Dalton. He bought me a whole new wardrobe for my job," Mayzie explained, looking up. "I'll give it all back when I quit, though. So if we end up being friends, don't get used to this look. I'm strictly a T-shirt and jeans person."

Donny leaned across the table and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Good. Because I'm strictly a T-shirt and jeans guy, too. My co-workers swore I had to bring a date here to make a good impression. If I knew we were on the same page, we'd be eating hot dogs at a minor league baseball game right now."

Mayzie leaned in, matching his conspiratorial tone. "Honestly? I would've preferred that."

Donny laughed, leaning back in his chair. "Duly noted for next time."

"Oh, so there's automatically going to be a next time?" she teased.

He offered a sheepish grin. "Did I jump the gun? Have you already decided against it?"

She exaggeratedly looked him up and down, tilting her nose up with a playful smirk. "We'll see."

He laughed again. "Fair enough. Tell me about your family."

"My family? Why?"

He shrugged. "I just assumed the background and family tree were big deals to rich girls."

"If I were a rich girl, do you think I'd need to work for Dalton or have him buy my clothes?"

"Touché. Guess I failed at basic math on that one." He paused as the waiter set two wine glasses filled with sparkling water on their table. "Alright, so if family history is off the table, what should we talk about?"

"Whether or not it matters to a rich boy," Mayzie said, taking a sip of water. "Which you clearly are."

"I'm the youngest of five boys. I get a bit of an allowance, so yeah, on paper, I'm well-off," Donny admitted. "But I work for my own living. I earned straight A's without my parents throwing money at my school, and I got into med school on my own merit. So please don't write me off as a spoiled rich kid. I grew up with money, sure, but the last few years have given me a massive reality check."

"How come? Just real-world experience?"

He shook his head. "My oldest brother married someone my parents disapproved of. I took his side and helped them get hitched, so my dad kicked us both out of the family."

"Wait... didn't you just say you get an allowance?"

Donny smirked. "Yeah, well, after watching me struggle through med school, my mom softened up a bit. She sends me money behind my dad's back."

Mayzie nodded slowly, taking that in.

"It must be nice to have parents who don't try to dictate who you can and can't love, right?"

"I don't have parents anymore," she said quietly. "Or any other family, for that matter. So... yeah, I guess so."

Donny's smile instantly vanished. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something painful."

"No harm done," she reassured him with a soft shake of her head. "People usually assume my parents are around, so I'm used to explaining it."

Relief washed over his face, and his smile returned as he picked up his glass.

"Do you always smile and laugh this much?" Mayzie asked, amused.

"Normally, I'm pretty stoic. A no-nonsense guy," he confessed. "I guess it's just you. You're completely different from what I expected when my grandfather set this up. I figured I'd be sitting across from some snobby heiress looking for a payday — someone who'd sprint for the exit the second she found out I was cut off from the family fortune."

"Sorry to disappoint," Mayzie grinned. "I'm actually just an overly proud, working-class girl who judges rich people way too quickly."

Donny's smile flickered as she spoke, but she quickly added, "The more money someone has, the less I tend to like them... unless they actually worked for it, of course."

His smile bounced right back. "So that total honesty over the phone wasn't an act, huh?"

"Not at all."

"I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine," Donny said. "Don't you?"

"So far, so good," Mayzie replied. "The chances of a second date are definitely rising."

Donny let out a genuine laugh. "Good. You had me worried for a second."

· · ─────── · 𓅪 · ─────── · ·

Across town, Ember smiled over at Clyde as they walked into the mall together. She was genuinely surprised he had agreed to come with her, especially after she’d caught him waiting for Bellatrix outside the school gates. But as soon as she mentioned that they were just friends, he’d given in to her request. Thelma was still busy trying to get on Dalton's good side, so she couldn't make it. Thanks to the generous allowance from her new boss, Ember was able to shop at such a high-end mall for the very first time in her life. Clyde had even mentioned on the way over that his own family never shopped anywhere this fancy.

As they crossed the threshold into the main concourse, Clyde stopped dead in his tracks. Ember collided right into his shoulder. She stumbled back, looking up just in time to see a guy about Bellatrix's height pulling Bellatrix by the hand into a nearby boutique. 

Ember glanced up at Clyde, whose eyes immediately locked onto hers.

"You brought me here on purpose, didn't you?" he snapped, his voice sharp. "This was your plan all along! Did you set her up with him?"

Ember threw her hands up, taking a quick step back. "I swear, Clyde! I had no idea she’d be here!"

He glared at her for a few tense seconds, weighing whether she was telling the truth. Deciding to drop it for the moment, he marched over toward the boutique window and peered inside. Through the glass, he watched as Irvin placed a large sunhat on Bellatrix's head. Bellatrix giggled at how absurd it looked, playfully swatting at his arm when she tried to take it off and he stopped her. When she finally managed to pull it off, she shoved it onto Irvin's head instead, laughing out loud as he smiled down at her.

Ember watched Clyde's posture stiffen. His hands balled into tight fists, his jaw clenched tight. "Clyde, calm down," she urged softly, placing a hand on his arm. "They're just messing around. Friends do that stuff all the time." He yanked his arm out of her grip.

A moment later, Bellatrix made a quick purchase and headed out of the boutique, completely oblivious to Clyde standing near the doorway. Irvin took her hand again, leading her toward the food court to meet up with the rest of their group. Seeing Irvin hold her hand was the final straw. Clyde stormed between them, violently breaking their grip apart.

"Are you serious right now?" he snarled at her.

Bellatrix spun around, startled. The color drained from her face the second she recognized him. "What?" she managed, just as Ember rushed up to Clyde's side.

Irvin, despite being a good foot shorter than Clyde, didn't back down an inch. "Excuse me?" he snapped, stepping directly between Clyde and Bellatrix. "What did you just say to her?"

"This doesn't involve you, shorty. Get out of my face." Clyde grabbed Irvin's shoulder and shoved him backward.

"Clyde, stop! You're making a scene," Bellatrix pleaded under her breath, painfully aware of the passersby turning to stare. "We can talk about this later. Whatever you think you're seeing, it's just a misunderstanding."

"Oh, just like Blake was a misunderstanding?" he spat back. "You already have a habit of dropping me for other guys. What, did you need a backup plan for when Blake dumps you? Is that what this is?"

He reached out to grab her arm, but Irvin slapped his hand away before he could touch her. 

"Don't lay a finger on her, and don't talk to her like that," Irvin hissed.

Clyde glared down at the smaller guy. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Who I am isn't your concern. Like Bellatrix said, you're jumping to conclusions. Why don't you take your girlfriend and get out of here?" Irvin gestured dismissively toward Ember. "Bellatrix will talk to you later."

"There isn't going to be a later." Clyde turned his cold gaze back to Bellatrix. "You hear that? We're done. I'm not playing these games with you anymore."

Bellatrix let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh, shaking her head. "Fine, Clyde. If you honestly think I'm just some liar who runs off with any guy who gives me attention, then I don't want you around either. You clearly don't care to hear the truth, so whatever. Go be miserable somewhere else."

She turned to Irvin. "Come on. The others are waiting."

"Others?" Clyde repeated, catching the word.

"Yeah, the Destitutes," she said flatly. "I came here with everyone. Irvin and I just stepped into this boutique while the rest of them went ahead." She gave him a disgusted look. "Unlike you, I didn't come here on a date."

Irvin took her hand again, leading her away from the scene. Bellatrix walked alongside him without looking back, leaving Clyde standing in the middle of the corridor with Ember. Ember bit her lower lip nervously. This wasn't how things were supposed to go — breaking them up this early was going to ruin everything.

"Clyde... you completely misread that," she said gently.

He glanced down at her, exhausted. "Why do you care?"

"Because I'm your friend, remember?" she said softly. "Irvin was clearly the one grabbing her hand, and they were just goofing around in a boutique. Was it really necessary to go off on her like that?"

Clyde ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long, heavy exhale. "I don't know... I guess seeing them like that just brought out every ugly thought I had pushed down. I didn't even realize I felt that way until the words started coming out." He pressed his lips together, staring at the floor. "I guess we're done here."

"With shopping, or with Bellatrix?"

"Both." He turned to head for the exit.

"Wait!" Ember caught his sleeve. "Look, you made a mistake. You spoke out of anger and jealousy, not facts. You need to give yourself a break, and then you need to apologize to Bellatrix. Besides... I haven't even bought anything yet!" She gave his arm a gentle tug. "Come on."

"I really don't want to bump into her again."

"It's a huge mall. We won't." She yanked his sleeve again, pleadingly.

"Ember?"

"Yeah?"

He looked back over his shoulder at her. "Was I... a complete idiot just now?"

She gave him a wide-eyed, sympathetic nod.

Clyde dropped his head with a groan. "What am I supposed to do now? After everything I said, there's no way she's going to forgive me."

"You have to be honest with her," Ember advised gently. "Tell her you panicked out of insecurity and jealousy. Honestly, you have a right to feel insecure — she's walked away twice without giving you a straight answer, so your reaction makes sense. She should be able to understand that. But Clyde, you have to realize she's hurting too. You can't just assume the worst of her."

He sighed, pulling out his phone. "I need to call Mayzie about this."

"Later," Ember insisted, gently pushing his hand down before he could unlock the screen. "Right now, lunch is on me. Pick whatever you want."

She flashed him a bright smile and began pulling him toward the food court.