Chapter 52 The Disney Appointment

Chapter 52 The Disney Appointment

Monica felt like her cheeks were about to catch fire.

Just when she was about to go crazy from this awkward silence, Shane suddenly pulled back his hand and took out two blue cards from his pocket, holding them out to her.

"What's this?" Monica asked instinctively.

"Disneyland tickets." Shane looked at her, the corner of his lips curving into a very faint arc. In those deep dark eyes was something bright and shimmering that she couldn't quite understand.

He extended an invitation to her, his tone as domineering as always, yet carrying a hint of cautious probing.

"Tomorrow, come with me."

Monica's heart skipped a beat.

She looked at those two blue cards printed with a fantasy castle, then raised her eyes to Shane.

In his eyes, it was as if starlight was flickering—an expectation she had never seen before.

"Why... are there only two tickets?" she asked unconsciously, her voice very soft.

The moment the words left her mouth, that bright shimmer in Shane's eyes instantly went out, replaced by rapidly forming frost. His expression darkened, and that faint curve at the corner of his lips disappeared without a trace.

"What?" He straightened up, looking down at her from above, the pressure around him frighteningly low. "Two tickets, is that beneath you? Or are you saying you don't want to be alone with me?"

His voice was cold as ice, each word seeming to squeeze through his teeth, carrying thick displeasure and mockery.

Monica's heart clenched hard.

She knew this look too well—it was the warning sign before his anger erupted.

She had just asked casually without thinking much, but to him, it became disdain and rejection.

Her survival instinct peaked in an instant.

"No!" She shook her head almost immediately, urgently denying it. She was so anxious that a thin blush even spread across her cheeks. "That's not what I meant! I was just... just a bit surprised."

Looking at his still-tense handsome face, afraid he might turn and leave the next second, she quickly reached out and carefully pulled those two tickets from between his fingers, clutching them tightly in her palm, as if afraid he'd take them back.

"I'm willing to go," she lifted her face, meeting his heavy gaze, her voice softening even more. "Of course I'm willing to go with you."

This answer, carrying a hint of placation, was like a strong sedative, instantly smoothing down the sharp edges bristling around the man.

Shane's tense jawline finally relaxed somewhat. Though his face still showed little expression, the thick darkness in his eyes did dissipate a bit.

He said nothing more, just gave a soft "mm," accepting her "apology."

The next day was the day they'd arranged to go to Disneyland.

Monica rarely got up so early. Last night's lingering fear and this morning's ambiguous tension had both been diluted quite a bit by this sudden date.

She stood in front of her wardrobe, looking at the closet full of black, white, and gray professional wear, feeling troubled for the first time.

Going out with him, what should she wear?

She picked and chose, finally selecting an off-white knit dress with a light camel cashmere coat over it.

Both gentle and appropriate.

She even broke with tradition by putting on light makeup, carefully covering the redness and swelling on her cheeks with concealer, and applying a light layer of mauve lipstick to her lips, making her look much healthier overall.

Just as she was looking in the mirror, hesitating whether to let her hair down, the doorbell rang without warning.

She walked over to open the door, and when she saw who was standing outside, the smile on her face instantly froze.

"Moni! Surprise!" Violet, wearing a bright yellow down jacket like a lively parrot, gave her a big hug without asking.

And behind her stood Ryan and Liam.

"What are you guys doing here?" Monica was a bit at a loss from this sudden enthusiasm.

"Of course we're here to rescue you, you lonely soul!" Violet released her and walked in to change shoes without asking, looking around at the interior while speaking loudly. "Let me tell you, our company gave out Disneyland family package tickets. Liam and I can't use them all, so we thought we'd bring you along as our third wheel for some fun!"

As she spoke, she pulled out several tickets from her bag and waved them in front of Monica.

Monica looked at those tickets, identical to the ones in her own hand, and felt completely overwhelmed.

She instinctively pushed her two tickets deeper into her pocket, her mind racing, thinking about how to refuse.

"Um... Violet, I might have something today..."

"What could you possibly have going on?" Violet didn't believe her at all. She leaned close to Monica, lowering her voice and gossiping with raised eyebrows. "I heard that Shane, that big shot, also lives here. We actually wanted to invite him too, but he just said he had something today and refused. Moni, you go, use your charm to convince him! It's more fun with more people!"

Liam joined in the teasing. He turned to Monica, his tone carrying some mischief: "Exactly, Monica, you should persuade him too. We all invited him, but he insisted he had something today and wouldn't do us the honor."

Monica's heart sank.

Of course he had something—his plans were to go to Disneyland with her.

This realization made her cheeks burn, yet a sweetness she couldn't quite describe welled up in her heart.

But given the current situation, how could she explain?

She clutched those two thin cards in her pocket, like clutching a burning secret, momentarily at a loss for words.

"I..." She stammered, racking her brain for the right words, when Ryan suddenly frowned.

His sharp gaze fell on the collar of Monica's light camel coat. There, because of her earlier movement, it had opened slightly, revealing a small patch of fair skin, and on that skin, a mark with bluish-purple bruising that hadn't completely faded.

"You're hurt?" Ryan's voice instantly turned cold. He stepped forward, reaching out to pull at her collar.

Monica was startled and instinctively stepped back, her hands desperately protecting her collar, urgently denying: "No! I'm fine, I just accidentally bumped into something."

She didn't want them to worry, and even more, she didn't want them to see her in this sorry state.

Those marks were a humiliation she didn't want to speak of, but also proof that Shane had protected her.

Either way, she didn't want to lay it all out in front of everyone.

"Fine?" Ryan clearly didn't believe her. His expression grew even worse, his eyes filled with uncontrollable anger and worry. "Monica, don't lie to me!"

He gave Monica no chance to struggle. His strength was surprising—with one hand he gripped her wrist, and with the other he forcefully pulled open her collar.

"Ryan, what are you doing!" Monica cried out, struggling desperately.