Chapter 55
Jennifer and Carina were having lunch together, still griping about Flore
“Can you believe her?” Jennifer said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Buying knockoffs and acting so righteous about it. If I were her, td be too ashamed to show my face.”
Carina listened, a smile unwittingly playing at the comers of her lips. She could only imagine how embarrassed Flora must have been.
Deep down, Carina didn’t really believe that Flom would be foolish enough to buy some pirated albums. But Jennifer spoke with such conviction. It was hard not to be swayed
“You should have seen it. Flora was utterly humiliated,” Jennifer was
is still animatedly speaking when suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she spotted someone. “Isn’t that Aaron over there?”
At her words, Carina also looked over
In just over a month, Aaron seemed like a completely different person. Gone was his usual splitted demeanor, replaced by a look of dejection.
His clothes were pilling, and the edges of his shoes were frayed. He walked with a hunched back, head down, an air of gloom surrounding him. He was carrying several takeout containers, probably picking up food for someone else.
The old Aaron only ever had others fetching food for him. Him doing this errand was unheard of
Without Flora’s protection, he had reverted back to the impoverished student from a small town, subject to others ridicule.
“Aaron’s changed so much, and I almost didn’t recognize him. His grades plummeted in the last mock exam. Jennifer whispered gossip. “And I heard he’s even taken out loans.”
“I see” Carina listened indifferently.
Aaron seemed to have noticed her too, as he started walking towards her
*Jennifer, I just remembered the teacher asked me to see him. You enjoy your meal. Carina stood up and quickly left.
Aaron stopped in his tracks, his hand holding the takeout containers turning slightly pale.
It was break time, and the campus was crowded. A group of girls running past bumped into Carina, who was ascending the stairs.
“Be careful.”
A man’s magnetic voice sounded in her ear. After stabilizing herself, Carina turned her head,
Her gaze
traveled up from the man’s expensive–looking suit, and settled on his face.
His eyes were filled with concern.
“Thank you.” Carina nodded in thanks, withdrawing her arm from the man’s grasa.
The man smiled, “You’re welcome. You’re Carina, right?”
“You know me?”
was invited by your school’s administration to attend the New Year’s Eve party. I was there,” the man explained, his ponytail slightly swaying in the wind.
“Your dance was captivating, one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen”
Carina, sharp as she was, could tell the man was wealthy and influential. If he could be invited by the school’s administration, it meant that he must be a person of status in Cedarvale.
“Thank you, I didn’t perform my best that day.” She said modestly, her cheeks coloring with a blush, her eyes misty and alluring.
The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he chuckled. “You’re too modest. Let me introduce myself. I’m Wade, here’s my business card.”
Saying so, the man pulled out a business card from his pocket.
Carina accepted it, glancing at it from the corner of her eye. Her heart skipped a beat.
Wade of the Brimer family.
The man before her was Wade Brimer the son of the Brimer family.
She had caught the attention of Wade!
Her heart raced with excitement, though she maintained a cool exterior. She knew all too well that these wealthy men preferred a woman who seemed unattainable.
Wade had seen through countless people, especially
ly women, and he saw right through her act as if it were child’s play.
“Tr’s lunchtime. Have you had lunch yet? How about i treat you to a meal? To thank you for that splendid dance at the party that left me
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awestruck.” His voice was smooth and charming.
Carina’s ears reddened. Tve already eaten. I have other matters to attend to and can’t join you for lunch.”
She worried that accepting his invitation too readily would make her seem too easy in Wade’s eyes. “What a pity. That’s alright, you go ahead. My assistant is waiting for me at the door. I should leave.
Carina hadn’t expected him to leave so briskly and was at a loss.
Unseen by her, Wade, turning away, had a playful smirk on his lips.
Hmm, Easier than expected.
