This Time Hi Be the Villain’s Favorite Daughter novel Chapter 146

Chapter 146 Bye Means Bye

“By the way, are the people around you… okay? Personality-wise?”

People around her?

Maya tapped her chin, giving her honest assessment. “I feel like everyone around me is kind of insane. But honestly, being a little crazy probably makes it easier to be happy.”

The only people who managed to be happy in this bizarre world were people like Toby, Alfred, and George. Classic extreme-self types. Zero self-doubt, did whatever they wanted, and if something went wrong, it was always someone else’s fault.

Lawrence thought of Alfred, all quiet menace and low-key chaos. Then he thought of Toby, who’d generously treated a roomful of classmates to live ammunition.

He had to admit it. The Clarks and their pure externalize-everything energy were a perfect fit for Maya.

He hugged her, burying his face in the curve of her shoulder. His voice dropped to almost nothing.

“I’ll come find you at school soon.”

“Okay.” Maya still had a question. “What’d you come to this birthday party for anyway?”

Lawrence had never been the socializing type.

He played dumb. “Just wanted to make some friends.”

So he could deal with them later.

Maya hadn’t expected Lawrence to develop a social streak in this life. She patted his head, a little proud.

“I’ve gotta go,” he said, nuzzling into her palm. “The driver’s been waiting outside forever. If I don’t head back soon, Thomas is probably gonna come drag me out of here himself.”

He could feel Thomas’s grip on him tightening lately. He was terrified he’d do something reckless.

Maya leaned in and nuzzled him back, blinking. “Okay. Don’t forget to come find me.”

“I won’t.”

The two of them pressed close for a moment, then pulled apart.

When the door opened, Toby was leaning against the hallway wall, staring straight at the two of them as they walked out. His face was flat. His mood was worse.

Lawrence passed the two Clarks with a little smile and a breezy, “Bye now.”

Toby’s face went blank. Alfred had even less.

Alfred tilted his head. “Was he saying goodbye to us?”

“He was mocking you, idiot,” Toby said flatly.

Alfred considered this. “That was mockery?”

Toby almost never dropped the act in public like this. He usually cared about his image. Which meant most people had no idea how cutting he actually was underneath.

His anxiety was written all over him right now.

Alfred, by comparison, was far more emotionally regulated. He could tell Toby was spiraling. He only stayed rational when the situation didn’t involve anyone he cared about. The second it did, he turned spectacularly stupid.

Edric had apparently been unhappy about this particular weakness for a long time.

“I’m not mad.” Toby gave a thin smile.

It was painfully fake, but Maya pretended not to see it. She grinned. “Great!”

“You actually believe I’m not mad?” Toby saw her trying to play dumb and stopped in his tracks. He fought

down the urge to glare and settled for sounding flat and irritable. “Where did that kid even come from? Why do you have a brother?”

Maya grabbed onto his arm. “A brother is a brother. Just like how a brother is a brother.

“You two are my favorite brothers ever.” Laying it on thick.

But the word “two” triggered something. Toby’s eyes dropped, and he suddenly remembered what he’d been forgetting.

“Alfred, have you seen George lately?”

He had been off the radar for a while now. If he’d been this quiet for this long, he was either up to something or on his way to being up to something.