The scene was set at an artificial lake on Riverside University's campus, quite a trek from the dining hall. By the time Mirabella arrived, Summer, who had been waiting with dwindling patience, was on the verge of losing her cool.
"I half-expected you to chicken out," Summer chuckled, her voice laced with mockery. With no prying eyes around, she dropped her pretense entirely.
"Hand over the phone," Mirabella demanded, her gaze icy and unwavering.
Summer couldn't hide her delight at seeing Mirabella drop her usual indifferent act. "What's with the change? Aren't you always playing the saint, looking down on the rest of us?" she teased.
Mirabella's response was a withering glare, but Summer wasn't fazed. She knew exactly why Mirabella was rattled.
Taking her time, Summer pulled out a bulky black phone from her pocket. The sight of it sent Mirabella's anger into overdrive, her eyes narrowing in a blaze of fury. It was the phone Catherine had used before her passing, the one that had eluded Mirabella the previous year.
Feigning ignorance to Mirabella's fury, Summer tossed the phone lightly in her hand. "Feeling pissed? Dying to get your hands on this?" she taunted.
"Do you have a death wish?" Mirabella's eyes were slits, stray windblown hair brushing her lashes, adding to her fierce demeanor.
Summer, far from intimidated, found the situation even more satisfying. She relished seeing Mirabella lose her cool. The more riled up Mirabella got, the more amused Summer felt.
With a smirk, Summer took a few steps toward the lake, then paused to throw a parting shot. "Oh, almost slipped my mind. There's a recording from Catherine on this phone," she said, feigning an offhand remark. "Or should I say, her last words?"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella)