The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1645

“Is that it, then?” Andrew shook out his jacket, wearing a practiced, fake smile. “If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. If not, it’s time to see yourself out.”

He gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes and turned away, making it clear he wasn’t sticking around.

“Andrew!” Dorothy called after him, frustrated, struggling to keep up before he disappeared from sight. She had no choice but to turn to Pandora, who looked as pale as a ghost.

“Pandora, you know how Andrew is. He just…”

“Dorothy.” Pandora lifted her chin, hands curling into tight fists at her sides. There was a glimmer in her narrowed eyes and a sly grin crept across her lips. “You don’t think Andrew’s acting this cold with me because there’s another girl hanging around him, do you?”

Dorothy froze for a moment. Honestly, she’d wondered about that too.

“With Andrew’s background, there’s always going to be girls chasing after him. If they truly liked him, maybe I could understand, but…” Pandora let her lips curve into a very understanding smile as she added, “I just worry they only care about the Blair family’s money and influence, getting close to him for all the wrong reasons.”

“Pandora, do you know something?” Dorothy reached out, squeezing her hand. Her brows knitted with concern.

Pandora lowered her gaze, looking crushed, her voice barely above a whisper. “Andrew’s friends have been sticking pretty close to him lately. Especially this one girl, Shirley.”

“Shirley?” Dorothy echoed, eyes narrowing as she dug through her memory.

Andrew didn’t keep many friends. Besides Charlotte and Parrish, there were only a couple other girls. Suddenly, Dorothy’s mind flashed with an image—one of the girls she’d seen on Andrew’s phone. She looked just like the girl Pandora mentioned.

It had to be Shirley.

Dorothy remembered hearing bits and pieces about her. Both parents gone, living in the worst part of town with a grandmother on her last legs. The family was dirt poor, struggling to put food on the table.

Anne helped Patricia settle down on the bed after what had just happened. She hesitated, then brought it up. “Patricia, what do you think of Pandora?”

Patricia gave a little huff, slid on her reading glasses, and opened her book, clearly annoyed. “Gallagher’s a decent man, but the way that family’s raised their daughter… I really don’t know. She’s all smiles on the outside and scheming underneath.”

“Dorothy seems pretty determined to match her up with Andrew,” Anne said, shaking her head.

“Andrew has much better judgment than that scheming mother of his ever will.”

Thinking of the situation, Patricia’s mind drifted to Shirley. She actually smiled a little and asked, “Did you get the report on Shirley yet?”

“You ordered it as soon as you got in the car,” Anne replied. “No one would dare drag their feet on something you wanted.”