Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom novel Chapter 322

She had barely stepped out of the car when two men jogged over to greet her.

“Mandy.”

“Mandy’s here.”

Mandy recognized them—they were friends of Normand’s. She remembered how, back then, they’d dragged her into a restroom, trying to teach her a lesson, only for her to pull a knife on them. Later, she’d smashed a bottle over their heads at a bar. She couldn’t recall their names, but their faces were burned into her memory.

She gave a noncommittal “Yeah,” her face completely expressionless from start to finish.

Her icy demeanor immediately caught the attention of another group nearby.

They sized her up and down, noting her simple white shirt, jeans, and clean white sneakers—she looked every bit the wholesome college girl who hadn’t yet left campus life behind.

One of the guys couldn’t help but make a crack. “Whoa! Is this Mr. Lewis’s new girlfriend? She still in school or what?”

Another chimed in, egging him on. “Hey sweetheart, don’t let Normand’s straight-laced look fool you—he’s not exactly a saint.”

The men burst out laughing.

A girl in a white dress stared at Mandy, unblinking.

Mandy caught the hostility in the girl’s eyes.

Not that she cared.

She ignored the group entirely.

Her complete indifference only made them more annoyed.

“Hey gorgeous, how about introducing yourself?” One guy, chewing gum, slung an arm around the girl in the white dress and shot Normand a taunting look.

Normand clenched his jaw, fury flashing in his eyes.

Scarlet. Unbelievable.

She’d just dumped him, and now, not even a day later, she’d thrown herself into the arms of his arch-rival.

Normand stepped forward, planting himself protectively in front of Mandy.

“If you want to race, let’s race. Enough with the trash talk.”

The guy across from him seemed even more interested, as if he’d just spotted an entertaining new prey.

“Oh, we’ll race,” he said, grinning wickedly, eyes flicking suggestively to Mandy. “But let’s raise the stakes. This time, each of us brings a girl on the bike. If I lose, I’ll hand over my girl to you. If you lose, you give me yours. Deal?”

Up ahead, a sharp curve came into view. Normand shouted over the roar, “Hold on tight, Mandy!”

Mandy’s grip tightened around his waist.

In a flash, the bike hit the turn. Normand barely eased off the throttle, leaning hard into the curve.

He and Mandy’s bodies tilted with the bike, carving a beautiful, dangerous arc.

He pulled off a flawless pass, leaving the other man and Scarlet in the dust.

The engines thundered down the empty road. Normand, exhilarated, yelled, “Mandy! Is this awesome or what?”

For once, Mandy broke into a genuine smile—hidden behind her helmet, but dazzling all the same.

She was about to answer when a sleek black Maybach suddenly appeared ahead.

She knew that car all too well. It was Liam’s.

As the motorcycle whizzed past the Maybach, Liam caught Mandy in his peripheral vision. His pupils contracted sharply.

He couldn’t see her face beneath the helmet, but he knew that outfit by heart. Just that morning, he’d watched Mandy in that same getup standing at the kitchen counter in the Foster family’s house.