Love My Friends with Benefits novel Chapter 56

I really wanted to applaud her.

On the surface, Phoebe was saying that it was all her fault. In fact, her every word was secretly pushing the blame onto me. I was the one who'd insulted Gail and had cursed Gail.

If Bell were here, he probably would've already pounced on me to give me a beating.

"Queena, you can scold me or hit me!" Phoebe wiped her tears away and looked at me. "As long as you stop scolding and cursing my mother, I'll take anything that you throw my way."

Thanks, but no thanks.

I was just about to shoot her down when Leonard said, "That won't do."

Phoebe's eyes widened with joy.

He continued, "Queena has a concussion. She doesn't have the strength to hit anyone. How can that compare with the way you treated her yesterday?"

Her expression stiffened.

I was confused by his brisk, professional-sounding tone. I couldn't understand what he was up to.

After a while, Phoebe asked cautiously, "You... weren't you telling her not to cross the line?"

This almost made me laugh out loud.

Phoebe was probably on the verge of breaking down. She was so close to exposing her true intention by asking this question.

Leonard opened his mouth to speak. Suddenly, his face turned red and he coughed.

It seemed that he'd caught a cold from the cold showers he'd taken the night before.

Phoebe cried out in surprise and patted him on the back. "Leonard, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

He stopped coughing and said, "Yes, I told her not to cross the line, but I don't think an eye for an eye is going overboard."

"I... I..."

Phoebe spluttered as she looked at him dazedly.

She probably couldn't understand why the person who'd still been so protective of her just the day before had suddenly changed so thoroughly. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't get it either.

However, I wasn't in her shoes. I watched them indifferently and saw exactly what was going on.

Leonard was like an onion. On the surface, he was a b*stard that would make one cry. If you were to peel him open layer by layer, you'd realise that that really was all he was.

I used to think that he was sincere towards Phoebe. Now, I felt like she didn't really matter to him either.

Phoebe was rooted to the spot for a long time. Leonard gradually lost patience and spoke to her commandingly, "Go and get her forgiveness."

Phoebe wasn't someone to be trifled with, after all. She gritted her teeth and asked him, "What should I do?"

"Ask her."

Leonard nodded at me.

Phoebe mumbled something in acknowledgement and walked towards me hesitantly.

I looked at her with a smile on my face.

This time, it was a sincere smile.

The moment Phoebe had her back turned to Leonard, her expression changed into a murderous one, but her tone remained pitiful. "Queena, what do you want me to do?"

What did I want?

This was a good question.

My spirits lifted at the sight of her face twisted in anger.

I turned away and gave it some thought, then said innocently, "I don't know, really."

Her face became even more twisted.

"Drop the act!" Leonard said. "Queena, just get this over with. I don't have time for this."

"Oh, fine."

I shrugged and said indifferently, "Since you slapped me yesterday, I want to return the favour."

Phoebe glared at me and closed her eyes, looking like she was walking to her death.

I continued, "I don't want to do it myself, though. I want you to do it."

I wasn't a kind soul. There was no way I'd let Phoebe off the hook.

Since Leonard had personally delivered Phoebe to me on a silver platter, how could I let the opportunity to shame her slip?

She let out an ear-piercing shriek. "What did you say?"

I saw Leonard looking a little displeased. Perhaps he didn't like seeing his woman suffering such humiliation. If not for Leonard, there was no way Phoebe would do as I said.

I didn't insist and tried to think of something else.

Sure enough, Phoebe turned to him and said pleadingly, "Leonard, I don't want to do it!"

He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. "Don't beg me, Phoebe. I already told you that you're the one at fault."

Surprisingly, his attitude was one of indifference.

Even though I'd long since known that he was a jerk, I was still a little taken aback.

Phoebe turned back to me, trembling all over as she slapped herself over and over again.

She didn't take mercy on herself. With a few slaps, her face had already started to swell.

I didn't ask her to stop. I wanted to see how long she'd stick it out and how long it would take for Leonard to save her.

However, Leonard's bottom line was obviously a lot more out of reach than Phoebe had expected.

After more than twenty slaps, she finally couldn't take it anymore and stopped. Her face was so swollen that she was almost unrecognisable and there was even blood trickling down from the corner of her lips.

She opened her mouth and said with difficulty, "Queena, is that enough?"

I nodded.

She turned around and threw herself into Leonard's arms. She started to weep again.

Even at a time like this, she still remembered to turn to him.

I was starting to admire her, even.

"Alright." Leonard patted her on the back and took out a card from his pocket. "The clinic's on the first floor. Use this to pay the bill, the pin's six ones."

"Okay." She wiped her tears and left the ward obediently.

...

She had her back to me so I couldn't see her expression.

Once Phoebe was gone, Leonard sat down next to me and asked nonchalantly, "Are you happy now?"

Was he trying to get back at me on Phoebe's behalf?

"Sure," I said equally indifferently. "How can I not be, when you were the one who got revenge for me."

I was reminding him that he was the root cause of this whole matter.

He smiled, seemingly not getting my insinuation. "That's good, then."

He was so calm that it piqued my curiosity. I couldn't help asking, "Aren't you mad at me for treating Phoebe like that?"

"Why should I be?" His tone was completely unaffected. "She needs to learn how to pick up after herself. My wife needs to be a responsible, obedient woman who can support me. At least she won't be so rash the next time."

At the end of the day, he was just paving the way for Phoebe to become his wife.

I immediately lost interest in this.

Leonard reached out and pulled me into his arms.

He had nothing but a thin shirt on, and I could feel the warmth of his skin underneath it.

It made me feel uneasy. I was just about to push him away when his phone rang.

I took the chance to break away from him. "Your phone."

He glanced at me before answering it.