Mandy suddenly understood why Capone couldn't refuse her, but unfortunately, he wasn't Capone.
Feeling agitated, he decided he needed to be resolute. He abruptly pulled his arm away and pushed her, saying, "It's none of your business!"
His weight was only supported by one leg, and he didn't control the force well. The push made Sophia stagger backward and fall to the ground. The two cans of beer she was holding hit the floor with a bang, rolling far away, and her hand fell back onto the broken shards of the vase.
Sophia let out a small cry. The sound was not loud, but the pain was piercing, and blood immediately started to flow.
"How are you? Are you okay?" Mandy, clearly not expecting to knock her down and cause her injury, hurried over to check her wounds. Unfortunately, he was also clumsy, and as he crouched down, he ended up sitting on the floor, pulling at her fingers and making her pain worse.
"What's going on, tearing down a building?"
Joey, having put the drinks away, went outside to smoke and called Lucy to clean up the mess in the living room. When he came back, he saw Mandy and Sophia sitting on the floor, with Sophia's palms covered in blood.
"Oh, really… what happened? How did Sophia get so hurt? Come on, get up quickly, I'll get the first aid kit!"
Lucy, feeling sorry, helped both of them up and rushed to get the first aid kit.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! Does it hurt a lot?" Mandy was a bit flustered as he grabbed Sophia's hand and pressed a clean handkerchief against her wound.
Sophia shook her head, unable to speak. The pain was so intense that she had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out.
Lucy brought the first aid kit over, and Mandy took it from her. "I'll handle it!"
Basic wound treatment was something their group of friends had learned from a young age, so Mandy wasn't fazed by it.
His hands were large but not clumsy. He carefully cleaned Sophia's wound with alcohol and used tweezers to remove the tiny shards of ceramic embedded in it. Sophia trembled slightly from the pain, and he gripped her other hand a bit tighter.
"Hang in there, it'll be over soon!"
Mandy was unusually calm and patient, as if he had reverted to the Mandy she had met when she first arrived here.
He carefully wrapped the gauze around Sophia's wound, stopping the bleeding, applying medication, and wrapping it layer by layer with a secure knot. The pain eased a bit, but Mandy didn't let go of her hand.
"I'm sorry!" He looked into her eyes and said it earnestly once more. Sophia, however, deliberately wore a grievance-filled expression, refusing to accept his apology. Instead, she chided him with red eyes: "Look at this—this is the result of your stubbornness. You can't even take care of yourself, and you end up hurting those around you! You can't control your strength, and you need help just to stand up properly. Rehab is only temporary; do you want to remain this negative forever?"
Mandy fell silent, then looked up at Joey and Lucy standing nearby. They all had approving expressions, even Joey, who usually found Sophia disagreeable.
"I'm sorry!"
Mandy didn't know how else to express himself, so he kept repeating this phrase. Sophia, feeling a bit exasperated, heard him continue, "I will keep doing rehab until it works!"
Sophia felt that Mandy's injury was worth it. Mandy really did start going to the hospital for rehab on time and practicing diligently at home. To avoid tripping over things or injuring himself in the living room, Lucy had set up a guest room with a thick carpet over wooden floors, so even if he fell, it wouldn't hurt too much.
Sophia would come over with Lucy to watch him practice. When he fell or struggled to take steps while holding onto the wall, she pretended not to see and would only bring him hot water and freshly baked cookies during his breaks.
"I told you I don't like sweet things!" He said it without blame or impatience, just stating a fact.
Sophia thought Mandy was easier to get along with than Capone. He wasn't the type to be moody or burdened with heavy thoughts. Although he was aloof, his directness was somewhat endearing.
"I know, so today's cookies are savory. Try them!"
Mandy took a bite. The cookie's crisp texture was quite pleasant, perfectly baked with a mild saltiness—it was the kind he liked. Yet, he couldn't help but miss the sweet treats she had made for him before, with their dense, sugary taste and rich flavors of rum and coffee.
"Do you only like savory snacks? There aren't many options, though…" Sophia counted on her fingers, "The New Year is coming in a few days. I want to make more snacks for everyone. If you like these, I'll add them to the mix!"
"No need, I'm fine with the same as everyone else!"
"But don't you love these?"
"Last time… what was the name of that one with alcohol you made?"
Sophia paused, "You mean tiramisu?"
"Yeah, will you be making it for the New Year?"
Sophia nodded, and Mandy's eyebrows lifted, "Then I'll be happy with these!"
Sophia smiled, "So you like tiramisu? I do too, and I'm quite good at making it!"
Mandy nodded absentmindedly and then shifted his gaze away.
Her smile was so dazzling, like the most beautiful pearl he had ever seen in the sea farm, irresistibly attractive, as if it had no place in his dark life.
He had felt something similar once in his youth, but unfortunately, he never got a good look at that person; the only memory he had was of the comforting feeling of being close in the darkness.
She was a girl with a beautiful profile, her voice as clear and pleasant as Sophia's, with long, soft hair that reached down to her waist…
"What are you thinking about?" Sophia noticed he was lost in thought and felt a bit curious.
"Nothing much, just that you remind me of someone!"
Sophia's heart skipped a beat. Was she overthinking it? Cronus had also told her she resembled someone.
"Who do I remind you of? Who is this person?"
Mandy shook his head, "You don't know her!"
Sophia felt a bit disappointed. Unlike Cronus and Capone, who kept their words deeply hidden, she had hoped to learn about a person or a story from Mandy, but he had said nothing more.
She had a vague sense that the girl they mentioned, whom she resembled, was a very significant person, but she couldn't quite pinpoint why.
Mandy's rehab treatment showed much better results than expected. Although there were many setbacks at first, after almost a week, some encouraging improvements were evident. Lucy was even more thrilled than Mandy himself and kept telling Sophia it was all her doing, promising to cook a special meal to reward her.
That day happened to be Christmas. Capone had been gone for a week and hadn't returned yet; things seemed to be going poorly. Sophia occasionally heard Joey on the phone with him on speakerphone. Although Capone's voice was cold, it carried a hint of helplessness and exhaustion.
On Christmas, Joey took an early flight to join Capone, hoping to help share some of the pressure and make it back in time for the New Year. So, on this Christmas, the only people left on the island besides Sophia were Diana, Cronus, Mandy, and Lucy.
Diana and Cronus didn't work that day. Diana and Lucy spent most of the day in the kitchen, preparing a feast. The table was filled with dishes: chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, seaweed, the best fillet steak, and lively Chinese dishes in the center. The steak was topped with traditional black pepper sauce, accompanied by red wine apple puree at each place setting. The dessert was a hot cheese cake baked by Sophia, with a rich cheesy aroma that seemed to capture the essence of Christmas.
Cronus chose the lowest alcohol content red wine to go with the meal, so even Mandy, whose wounds had just healed, could enjoy a few sips.
"Come on, let's make a toast. Merry Christmas!" Cronus raised his glass, and the clinking of glasses created a lively sound.
Sophia felt that this day seemed almost unreal. Not long ago, she had been unaware of the existence of this small island in the South Sea, and now she had been here for so long that the calendar was almost about to turn a year.
Each person present seemed to be her enemy yet treated her as a friend and family. The man who had hurt her the most was not there with her at this moment.
"Sophia, a toast to you. Thank you!" Mandy's glass clinked with hers. His eyes held a rare softness as he drank it all in one gulp.
"Cheers! You will recover, for sure!"