The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1647

Shirley hugged her backpack tight and bolted down the street, giving it everything she had. She only managed a few steps before someone grabbed the back of her collar. In an instant, she stopped short, her back crashing into a solid wall—Andrew.

Her heart skipped a beat.

“What are you running for? Do I look like I’m going to eat you?” Andrew pulled her around to face him, looking seriously annoyed.

Shirley had no choice but to glance up at his face. She looked away almost immediately, her eyes dropping as she mumbled, “You’re the one who said if I had guts, I should try running away.”

“If I don’t run, doesn’t that just mean I’m a coward?” she added, voice barely above a whisper.

That logic actually made Andrew pause. For a few seconds, he was completely stumped. Then he stretched out his hand and, not quite gently, pinched her cheek. “Since when did you get so clever?”

Ever since Shirley stopped stuttering, she’d been talking back faster and sharper every day.

“Ow.” Shirley frowned. She grabbed Andrew’s wrist and tried to pry his hand off. “Andrew, let go.”

Andrew caught a glimpse of her slim fingers wrapped around his wrist. Without meaning to, he felt his cheeks grow warm. He let out a little cough and finally released her collar and face.

Not trusting her not to run again, Andrew yanked her backpack out of her arms and held it to his chest. “Why are you avoiding me?” he grumbled under his breath.

“I’m not avoiding you.” Shirley watched this childish move and pressed her lips together, her voice small and guilty. “So… did you need something? You appeared out of nowhere.”

“We’re getting food, what else?” Andrew muttered, rubbing the back of his head and sneaking glances at her. He tried to sound cool, but it came out more like a complaint. “You don’t answer my calls, and you don’t reply to my texts. Shirley, are you getting bold now?”

Shirley just bit her lip in silence. She never could win an argument with Andrew.

“My family—” she started.

“Poor little shorty,” he teased, watching her bounce up and down beside him. His eyes softened, and he couldn’t help but smile.

The sun was setting, casting gold across the street. The two of them, running and laughing, looked like something out of a movie—playful, young, and perfect together.

But neither of them realized that someone was watching.

In a parked car across the street, a housekeeper spoke up from the passenger seat. “Dorothy, I guess Pandora was telling the truth. Andrew really has gotten himself mixed up with another girl.”

Dorothy’s eyes were cold as ice while she watched Shirley and Andrew. Her lips twisted into a hard line. “Give me the file on her.”

The housekeeper handed over the documents she’d prepared. Dorothy flipped through a few pages, her face growing darker with every line she read.

“Terrible girl,” she spat under her breath, her expression more frightening than before.