On the first day of the new semester, Era felt that her life was beyond redemption. No matter how hard she tried to avoid Seth, he persistently followed her. Everywhere she went, Seth was there.
Era stopped in her tracks. For a moment, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She mentally counted to three, then turned around. She saw Seth pretending to read an article on the bulletin board.
"Seth."
Evidence that Seth was pretending became apparent as he immediately looked up when Era called out. A moment later he approached Era enthusiastically.
"What's up?" Seth asked eagerly, ignoring the confused looks of some of the onlookers. "Do you need anything? Do you need my help? Just say the word and I'll do whatever you say."
Era hoped her patience would last a little longer. "No, Seth. I don't need anything. I just, um, you know?" She glanced around and found that her uneasiness was justified. People were looking at her with obvious confusion. "I
"Oh, come on, Oscar. Could you at least tell Seth not to follow me around? You know? He even waited for me in the toilet."Oscar's laughter echoed, and Era had to take the phone away from her ear for a moment. She did not want her eardrums to burst from Oscar's disgusting laughter."Well, it seems he took my order literally. I told him not to take his eyes off you."Era slapped her forehead and reflexively sat down on the sofa. "That explains his behavior."Oscar laughed again."So how about it? Can you change your order to Seth a little bit? Oh, please, Oscar. I don't want to be the center of attention. Seth has been making it really hard for me to breathe this past week."Oscar's laughter faded and was replaced by a rhythmic sigh. "Does this mean we have an agreement?""What do you mean?""Your request earlier, does that mean you no longer object to Seth's presence and duties? Is that true? Because that'
Eyes closed. Body pushed back. Era ignored the slight pain when her head hit the toilet wall."You and Gerald have no relationship anymore, Era. So don't act like a little girl. Stop tempting Gerald," Barbara said, her forehead furrowed as Era took a long breath and opened her eyes."I'm tempting Gerald? Ck. Don't be ridiculous, Barbara. I'm not tempting Gerald. So let me go."Era decided that she did not need the toilet at that moment. She wanted to leave immediately and avoid trouble as much as possible.However, it seemed that Barbara did not share the same thoughts as Era. She grabbed Era's chest and pushed her back against the wall."I didn't tell you to leave. I'm not done talking to you," Barbara said.Era tried to ignore Barbara, but she couldn't. Even when she didn't respond and tried to leave again, Barbara insisted on her anger and trapped her."What else, Barbara? I told you, I'm not seducing Gerald at all. In fact, he cam
All the laughter stopped. Everything froze and they exchanged glances, then looked at Barbara, who was in shock."W-what did you just say, Era?"Era's jaw stiffened. She stared at Barbara sharply and without blinking. "Bitch.""You—""Only a bitch would act like that," Era cut in quickly, then continued. "You're a low girl. You have no manners at all. You and Gerald are a perfect match. You're both like animals."Barbara's friends were astonished. They were shocked by Era's words. Some of them even had to swallow their spit. Barbara must be really angry.More than expected. Barbara had never been cursed like that. People were always afraid of her. But Era dared to curse her to her face, as if she wasn't afraid at all."It seems like you really want trouble with me, Era."Era growled. "I'm not afraid of you, Barbara.""Oh, good," Barbara grumbled as she handed her phone to one of her friends. Her hand was free and s
Oscar's feelings were restless. He could not put it into words, but he was sure that his fear was real. So, he looked around with an uncertain focus. His mind was spinning, trying to figure out what could be wrong at this moment.Era!The voice of the wolf' spirit echoed in his head. Oscar froze. He absorbed the sensation of this name and then examined the restlessness that plagued him. His heart felt uncomfortable as it beat.There was a knock at the door. Anne entered with a file. However, Oscar immediately raised his hand and signaled for Anne to leave.Anne understood and nodded. She promptly obeyed Oscar's order and the door closed again.Oscar did not waste any time. He grabbed his cell phone and immediately called Seth."Hello, Alpha."Oscar did not need a formal greeting when his mind was in turmoil. So, he bombarded Seth with questions. "Seth, where are you right now? Are you with Era? How is Era? Is she oka
Gerald walked quickly to the toilet. He entered and found Barbara sitting on the floor with tears streaming down her face. She was crying miserably."Gerald."Gerald's eyes widened. He hurriedly approached Barbara in panic and confusion. He saw the source of Barbara's pain—her palm. "Barbara, what happened to you?""Era, Gerald," Barbara replied, still holding her right hand. She showed Gerald her bruised palm. "She's the one who made my hand like this."Gerald snarled with a hint of disbelief. "E-Era?""Yes, Gerald. She stepped on my hand. She's really cruel and heartless.""How dare Era do that to you, Barbara. I won't forgive her," Gerald roared angrily. It seemed like he had an additional reason to teach Era a lesson. "Calm down, Barbara. I will avenge you for sure. Era will bear the consequences for hurting you like this."Barbara nodded. "Thank you, Gerald.""Now, let's go to the hospital right away. Your hand needs
"Remember what I said, contact me immediately if anything happens. Do you understand?"Era rolled her eyes. "I understand, Oscar. Now, can we finish this conversation? I can't stay away from the cash register for too long, and besides, if Seth told you everything, I'm sure he also told you that I'm fine. Isn't that right?"Silence. Oscar did not answer and Era didn't really need an answer."So please, Oscar. Stop calling me about trivial things. I have a lot of activities and I can't answer your calls all the time."Only Oscar's growl echoed in Era's ears, nothing else."Fine then. I'll end this conversation, Oscar. Have a nice day."Era ended the call without saying more. She quickly put her phone in her pocket and left the toilet stall. She took the time to wash her hands at the sink before actually leaving the restroom.As Era returned to the counter, Seth stepped forward from the line and pulled out his wallet. He glanced
The bright morning sun was the perfect start for Era. She got out of bed and immediately began her activities, accompanied by the rhythm of the music. Occasionally, a humming sound escaped her lips, a sign that her mood was good.By nine o'clock, Era was ready. A backpack slung over her shoulders, she walked to the bus stop. She wanted to go to the campus, and reflexively her thoughts turned to Barbara.Era's cheerfulness and enthusiasm for the day immediately faded. When Barbara's name came to her mind, she had only one question. Was Barbara okay?Era did not feel guilty about Barbara. After all, it was all because of Barbara's own actions. But that did not mean that she did not think about it at all. On the contrary, she wanted to know about Barbara's condition. She also hoped that Barbara had not suffered any serious injuries, and that would be a warning for her.Arriving at the campus, Era hurried. She looked around the parking lot and could
"We have formed an additional research team to support the organic food industry project. According to the plan, the additional research team will join the main research team early next month. So—" Oscar raised a hand, signaling Donald to stop his explanation. Donald fell silent, worried, wondering if he had just made a mistake. Sweat began to form on Donald's face. He looked at his colleagues, then at Anne, but no one could give him any clue as to what was going on. Was Oscar angry about his latest explanation? Donald tried to dismiss the frightening possibility. Making Oscar angry was the most dangerous thing in the world, especially if his anger was caused by incompetence. So, he always made sure to do his job as well as he could. Just like this time, although it seemed that Oscar did not see it that way. Oscar's expression showed anger. His face looked stern and his jaw was set. Veins began to bulge on his forehead as sweat slowly trickled down.