YM778.TV Chapter 196: Will anyone believe Rick?
At first, Rick tried to brush off the tension with a joke, hoping to lighten the mood and ease the palpable strain in the air. With a nervous laugh, he quipped, "Are you staring at me because I\'m looking particularly dashing today?"
He expected a chuckle or at least a hint of amusement from Evelina\'s grandmother, but instead, her expression remained unchanged, her eyes widening ever so slightly. It sent a shiver down Rick\'s spine, the air around them suddenly feeling heavier, as if weighed down by an invisible force.
As the silence stretched on, Rick couldn\'t help but feel a growing sense of unease. He shifted uncomfortably, the feeling of being under scrutiny becoming almost suffocating. And amidst it all, he couldn\'t shake the nagging suspicion that there was more to Evelina\'s grandmother\'s stare than met the eye.
The room seemed to constrict with tension, each breath feeling heavier than the last. Rick found himself at a loss for words, unsure of how to navigate the sudden shift in atmosphere. And then, breaking the silence like a crack of thunder, Evelina\'s grandmother\'s voice cut through the stillness.
"Why are you here, Rick?" she asked, her tone sharp and accusatory, her face betraying no hint of recognition.
Rick felt a jolt of surprise at her question, her aggression catching him off guard. He knew her well enough to sense that something was amiss, but he refused to let it shake his composure. With a calm exterior masking the turmoil within, he rubbed the back of his neck, searching for the right words to explain his presence.
Rick was unsure of how to respond, he found himself at a loss for words, the silence in the room became even more prominent. After a moment of hesitation, Rick finally spoke, to dispel some of the tension in the room.
"Um, well," Rick began, his words stumbling over each other in his haste to break the awkward silence. "You see, it\'s kind of a funny story, really. I was just, uh, wandering around, minding my own business, when I stumbled upon this place completely by accident."
He tried to offer a reassuring smile, but it felt strained even to his own ears. Evelina\'s grandmother continued to regard him with a cool detachment, her silence weighing heavily in the air. Rick could sense her expectation, the unspoken demand for a more satisfactory answer.
"I swear, I didn\'t mean to intrude or anything," Rick rushed to explain, his words tumbling out in a nervous stream. "I was just curious, you know? I didn\'t realize anyone else was here. Honest mistake."
As he spoke, Rick knew himself that his explanation fell short, but what is she going to do? Bite him... Well she could actually, after all the damn old witch wasn\'t actually a witch but a vampire.
But the old lady didn\'t really care about his answers. Before Rick could add on any extra topping to his pizza of thoughts; the old lady spoke unhesitatingly.
"What about that girl upstairs? Was it just another accident?" she asked, her gaze piercing, her tone demanding answers.
Rick\'s mind raced, trying to process the unexpected interrogation. His heart hammered in his chest like a jackhammer, each beat echoing his growing panic. He struggled to maintain his composure, his thoughts tumbling over each other in a frantic scramble.
"Uh, well, you see," Rick began, his voice faltering slightly as he searched for the right words. "It\'s not exactly what it seems. There\'s more to it than meets the eye " Rick muttered, his mind racing to piece together a story.
"That was also an accident." Rick\'s heart pounded in his chest as he mustered up the courage to spin his tale of deception. With a voice that could cut through steel, he began his carefully crafted narrative.
"You see, old matriarch, it was all just a big misunderstanding," Rick started, his words laced with a sense of urgency. "Megan, she\'s always had it out for me, you know? So, she calls me into the office that day, acting all innocent-like, saying she needs my help with some \'urgent\' matter."
He paused, his gaze darting around the room as if searching for validation. "But when I walked in," he continued, his voice gaining strength with each word, "she... she tried to make a move on me."
Rick\'s stomach churned with guilt as he spun his web of lies, each word feeling heavier than the last. He knew he was treading on thin ice, but he couldn\'t bear to face the truth. So, he embellished his story, painting himself as the victim in a twisted game of manipulation.
"I swear, old lady, I tried to resist," Rick pleaded, desperation creeping into his voice. "But she was relentless, pushing me against the wall, her hands wandering where they didn\'t belong." Rick tried to act all innocent and all.
As Rick spun his web of half-truths, he couldn\'t shake the feeling of Evelina\'s grandmother\'s eyes boring into him like laser beams, her curiosity palpable as she listened intently. Her expression remained inscrutable, leaving Rick to wonder what thoughts lurked behind her unreadable facade.
Undeterred, Rick pressed on, his voice steady despite the weight of his lies. He watched for any sign of disbelief or suspicion from Evelina\'s grandmother, but she remained eerily silent, her raised eyebrows the only indication of her reaction.
"Yeah, so, you see," Rick continued, his tone hushed as if he were sharing a dark secret. "It was all Megan\'s fault."
"And then, things just spiraled out of control," Rick admitted, his voice barely above a whisper now. "I-I ended up slapping her in self-defense, and she fell to the ground. I checked her pulse, and it seemed fine, but... she was out cold."
Evelina\'s grandmother\'s frown deepened as she listened, and Rick could feel the weight of her scrutiny bearing down on him like a lead blanket. But Rick refused to let his facade crack. He was determined to maintain his composure, even as he plotted his next move in this high-stakes game of deception.
"Out cold?" Listening to Rick, Geoffrey could not help but coldly chuckle at his pathetic excuse of a lie.
But to Rick\'s surprise, Evelina\'s grandmother didn\'t utter a word about his rambling excuses. Instead, she shifted the conversation in a completely different direction, catching him off guard once again.
"It\'s good I found you here. I\'ve been wanting to talk to you for quite some time now.", there was a high tone in her voice. She said,her voice carrying a sharp edge, hinting at some hidden motive.
Rick blinked, thrown off by the sudden change in topic. He couldn\'t help but wonder what was on her mind, what mysterious grudge she seemed to be holding against him.
Her next words only deepened the intrigue. "This place is too crowded for what I have to say," she continued, her tone conspiratorial. "Let\'s find somewhere quieter, shall we?"
Rick\'s eagerness to continue their conversation in a more private setting was palpable. He nodded eagerly, grateful for the opportunity to unravel the mystery behind Evelina\'s grandmother\'s cryptic words.
"Sure thing, Grandma," he said, the term slipping out almost instinctively. He noticed the slight raise of her eyebrow at the unexpected address but pressed on nonetheless. "Lead the way."
With a gesture towards the lift, Evelina\'s grandmother wordlessly indicated for Rick to follow. As they stepped into the confined space of the elevator.
Before stepping into the lift, Evelina\'s grandmother cast a cautious glance back at the man lying in the bed, her eyes scanning him with a scrutinizing gaze to ensure everything was in order. Satisfied, she motioned for Rick to follow her, leading the way towards the waiting elevator.
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As they approached, the doors glided open smoothly, revealing the empty interior. Rick, ever the gentleman, held the door open for Evelina\'s grandmother, allowing her to enter first. He couldn\'t help but feel a sense of courtesy was due, given the gravity of their conversation.
Just as Rick was about to follow her into the elevator, he felt a sudden jolt from behind. Turning around, he found himself face to face with Geoffrey, whose expression was anything but welcoming. Rick met his sour look with an impassive stare, refusing to let Geoffrey\'s presence ruffle his composure.
With a determined stride, Rick stepped into the elevator after Evelina\'s grandmother, the doors sliding shut behind them with a soft hiss. As the elevator began its ascent.
After about half a minute or so, as the elevator doors slid open, Rick was met with a sight that left him stunned. The Dean\'s office was in shambles, a chaotic mess that seemed to reflect the turmoil within. Megan lay on the floor, unmoving, her breathing shallow and labored, a clear sign of the toll the situation had taken on her.
The room itself was a scene of destruction. Papers littered the floor like fallen leaves, furniture lay overturned, and tables were smashed to pieces, their fragments scattered across the floor like a puzzle waiting to be pieced together.
But amidst the chaos, Evelina\'s grandmother remained unfazed. She paid no mind to Megan\'s unconscious form, nor did she seem bothered by the wreckage surrounding them. Instead, she cast a disinterested glance around the room, her expression unchanged.
Evelina\'s grandmother strode past Megan\'s motionless form, her posture exuding an air of arrogance that Rick found unsettling. He followed behind her, feeling a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, while Geoffrey trailed along, his expression a perpetual scowl.
As they moved through the room, Evelina\'s grandmother lifted a handkerchief to her nose, as if shielding herself from the stench of the chaos surrounding them. Rick watched her with a sense of disbelief, finding it hard to reconcile her composed demeanor with the chaotic scene before them.
Without a word exchanged between them, the trio made their way towards the door, the silence of the room echoing in their ears. Rick was shocked at one side, while Geoffrey was still frowning at the presence of Rick around him.
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