This Time, I'll Be the Villain's Favorite Daughter novel Chapter 146

This Time, Be the Villain’s Favorite Daughter

Chapter 146 Bye Means Bye

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

People around her?

Finished

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.

me.”ľ

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

hey 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?”

13

Chapter 146 Bye Means Bye

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

Alfred considered this. “That was mockery?”

Next time, he’d make sure to say goodbye to Lawrence too. He’d mock him right back.

Finished

Toby finished icing Alfred, who was emotionally stunted, and immediately turned to study Maya’s face.

She’d been carrying this faint, tangled tension for a while now. But right now, she looked lighter than he’d seen her in ages.

“Meeting your long–lost brother made you that happy?” he asked. There was an edge of something in his voice that even he didn’t seem to notice.

“That’s not it.” Maya breezed past him, the hem of her dress swaying with her quickened step. “It’s got nothing to do with that.”

What made her happy was that they’d finally talked. All those things crammed inside her, all those knotted–up threads, she’d finally been able to lay some of them out in the open.

The party had mostly cleared out by now. Waiters drifted through with trays, picking up the aftermath.

Toby was already in a bad mood, and then some guy came sidling up to him with a grin, reaching for his shoulder like they were old friends.

Toby didn’t even look at him. He took the drink he’d been holding and splashed it in the man’s face.

“Get lost.”

The man wilted under Toby’s cold stare and slunk away.

Before the next wannabe buddy could make his approach, Toby had already had enough. He cut through the hall toward the exit.

Two steps later, he glanced back at the two kids still trailing behind him and snapped, “Are you two planning to move in here?”

Maya blinked. “You’re really mad, huh?”

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.

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