Chapter 120 Who Taught You
On the tray, a massive bullfrog sat perfectly still, its bulging eyes locked on Quinley.
The waiter had long since vanished.
Shrieks erupted around her. Laughter too, of course.
"Look, look! That girl's holding a giant toad!"
"Doesn't she kind of look like one herself?"
Quinley clutched the tray, barely daring to breathe. She was terrified of frogs and toads—even bullfrogs that only resembled them. At the farmers market, she'd go out of her way to avoid the bullfrog tanks. Yet here she was, forced into a staring contest with one.
From their corner hideout, Lisa and Alicia exchanged gleeful looks.
"Well? Doesn't she look absolutely ridiculous right now?" Lisa's eyes glittered with malice. Her devious mind was already spinning up the next phase of torment.
"Pretty satisfying. Wonder what she'll do next?" Alicia crossed her arms over her chest. She loved causing trouble too, just preferred keeping her own hands clean.
"Let's go see for ourselves."
Lisa was already moving, heels clicking toward Quinley's position. She'd make Quinley the laughingstock of tonight's party. Guaranteed.
"Quinley."
Lisa materialized behind her. Quinley turned, their eyes meeting. Understanding crashed over her in an instant.
"This was you?" Quinley's voice went cold.
The bullfrog kept staring at her with those unblinking eyes. But strangely, her fear suddenly evaporated.
Lisa's shoulders lifted in an exaggerated shrug. "Did what? I literally just got here." Denial, naturally.
"Why are you holding a giant bullfrog? Quinley, I had no idea your tastes ran so exotic. First you go after other women's boyfriends, now you won't even leave ugly creatures alone?"
Lisa pitched her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Vicious words designed to cut deep. The crowd around the pool swelled as people craned their necks for a better view. At Lisa's commentary, they doubled over laughing.
The party guests came for different reasons—some to network, sure, but most just wanted entertainment. Hookups were entertainment. Drunk bragging was entertainment. Guys throwing punches, girls fighting over men—all entertainment.
Where there was drama, there'd be an audience. Here, nobody cared about truth. Nobody cared about what was right.
Quinley's pulse steadied as clarity returned. "Lisa, you're too kind. But since you've never had a boyfriend, I thought I'd help you out. This is your perfect match—made for each other, really."
Lisa was sharp-tongued and around Quinley's age, but she'd never had a relationship. A few attempts at pursuing guys, all epic failures. Of course she craved romance, especially after Helen's recent blind date had turned into something serious. The jealousy ate at Lisa constantly.
Quinley struck back, driving the knife straight into Lisa's most vulnerable spot. But she didn't stop there. With lightning speed, she thrust the tray into Lisa's hands.
The bullfrog, startled by the sudden movement, launched itself from the platter and landed squarely on top of Lisa's head.
"Get it off. Get it off me."
The same Lisa who'd been throwing verbal daggers moments ago now crumbled. She stood frozen, afraid to move, hands flailing uselessly as she tried to shoo the creature away. But the bullfrog seemed to enjoy its new perch. No matter how much Lisa shrieked, it refused to budge.
The poolside crowd realized the tables had turned. Their laughter grew even louder.
"Quinley, you bitch. I hope you rot in hell."
Lisa had meant the frog for Quinley. Never imagined she'd be the one hoisted by her own petard.
Quinley's brow furrowed. Lisa's mouth was as filthy as it was obnoxious. If she didn't teach this woman a lesson, she'd be letting her off way too easy.
"You want it off? I know a trick. Question is—you interested in hearing it?" Quinley's mysterious smile deliberately left things hanging.
With this many people around, she didn't want to draw more attention than necessary. Lisa was awful, but she was David's cousin. Publicly antagonizing The Brown family wasn't something Quinley wanted to be accused of.
"If you've got something to say, spit it out already. Why are you being so cryptic?" Lisa's temper flared. She completely failed to grasp that she was now the one asking for help.
"Never mind. Doesn't seem like you really want to know. Besides, it's not exactly foolproof. You should probably figure out how to handle this yourself." Quinley turned as if to leave.
Panic seized Lisa. Earlier, she'd felt safe on the sidelines, free to mock Quinley without consequence. But karma worked fast—now she was the joke. Being a momentary joke was survivable. Becoming a permanent one? Unthinkable. She despised Quinley, but sometimes you had to bend before you could strike back.
"I want to hear it." Lisa's voice softened a fraction.
She stood there, eyes darting around. Beyond the gawkers enjoying her humiliation, Alicia was nowhere to be found.
"Answer one question first. Then I'll tell you." Quinley crossed her arms, setting her terms.
Lisa had a hot temper and loved a good fight, but she wasn't usually this reckless. Quinley was David's fiancée now—practically half a Brown family member. Making her look bad at a party reflected poorly on The Browns too. Lisa might not care about Quinley's dignity, but she wouldn't dare disrespect the family name. Right? Which meant only one possibility: someone was pulling her strings.
Usually, Lisa and Helen were joined at the hip. But tonight, Lisa had gone solo. For a moment, Quinley had assumed Helen was the puppet master.
"What question? Just ask." Lisa's patience was running on fumes.
"Who put you up to this?" Quinley leaned in closer.
Lisa's eyes flickered away for a split second. She and Alicia had their secret alliance, plenty of schemes hatched together in the shadows. Now Quinley wanted her to sell Alicia out. Lisa hesitated.
"Nobody put me up to anything. You're overthinking this. I just wanted payback for when you hit me last time." A lie.
Quinley stepped back with an exaggerated sigh. "Fine then. I'm leaving." She turned and actually started walking.
"Wait. Come back." Lisa's voice stopped her after only a few steps.
"If you won't say, forget it." Quinley glanced back, rolling her eyes dramatically.
"It was Alicia." Lisa's voice dropped to barely a whisper.
A flash of ice crossed Quinley's eyes. That Alicia really was like a bad penny—always turning up.
"Now tell me—how do I get this thing off?" Lisa was desperate to solve her immediate crisis, completely oblivious that crossing Alicia would bring far bigger problems.
"It likes water. Just jump in." Quinley tossed off the answer casually.
Without another word, she strode away with purpose. Behind her, Lisa's brain completely short-circuited. She'd been hoping some kind soul would remove the frog from her head. Instead, every person who passed by just pointed and laughed. Some even pulled out phones to capture the moment.
Eventually, she actually took Quinley's advice and dove into the pool. The bullfrog abandoned its perch, but Lisa emerged soaking wet, looking like a drowned rat.
Across the pool, beneath one of the umbrella canopies, a pair of dark eyes had been tracking everything. Now, the corner of his mouth curved into an almost imperceptible smile.