Charles's face took on a more serious look. "Alright. You should head back first."Liliana let out a relieved smile and nodded. "Okay, I will.""Liliana," Charles called out to her again. She stopped and turned to face him. "Yes? Is there something else?"Charles narrowed his eyes and said, "Make sure you come home when you have the chance."Liliana tensed up when she heard that. She bit her lip, looking a bit troubled, but Charles did not wait for her to respond. "Go ahead!"She let out a sigh of relief and quickly left.Charles watched Liliana walk away for a long time before he turned around. Suddenly, he heard a clear, beautiful voice nearby, "Xavier, I've already told you I'm busy today. I can't hang out with you!"Charles paused because of the voice. A cute girl walked by him, sounding slightly annoyed but happy, "Yeah, I've already made plans with Rowena and Teresa. Let's leave it at that!"After the girl ended her call, she felt someone watching her, making her uneasy.
On Wednesday, Liliana and Tania got a message from their mentor. The school wanted to make sure their graduating class had some guidance as they started their new lives in the real world. Thus, they had planned a special talk in the school auditorium with some super successful Vista University grads sharing their tips.Liliana and Tania had jobs lined up, but they knew some advice from the pros could still be a big help. They showed up at school bright and early."Wow! I thought our class was pretty sharp, but look at all these people here to learn more," Tania said, surprised by the crowd.Liliana chuckled. "Being smart doesn't mean you can't learn something new," she teased.Tania gave her a playful look. "Oh, come on. Don't call me out like that!" she said, giving Liliana's arm a gentle tug. "Hey, look over there! Isn't that Joanna from the med department?"Tania did not really remember Joanna all that well, but she knew her as one of the girls who had won the title of pretties
Liliana felt Tania's eyes on her and bit her lip. "I guess!" She tried to act normal and quickly looked away from where Sean was.Liliana could try to hide all she wanted, but Sean had already seen her. He did not just see Liliana but also noticed Tania next to her. When his eyes landed on Tania, a subtle spark flashed through them, but he quickly looked away."Sean, I really didn’t think you would come." Joanna was genuinely surprised to see Sean. She had mentioned the talk to him before, but he had not made any promises.Joanna had her own ambitions too. She had been studying medicine for five years, and this was her final year. With graduation just around the corner, she really wanted to land a great job. It just so happened that Sean was the dean of his own hospital, and thanks to some school gossip, everyone thought she was Sean's girlfriend. They all expected her to work at Sean's hospital after graduation.Joanna was quite proud of her skills in her field.However, she was
Joanna did not think much of it. She just found it a bit unfortunate. Still, she knew this was not the time to reveal any reaction. Instead, she simply turned her head and smiled, poised and gracious. "Sean, do you still remember those two juniors?"Sean only seemed to notice Tania and Liliana then. "Who are they?"He spoke in an unemotional tone. They were not very close, but they were not too far away either.Liliana's face went white when she heard Sean's voice, but she took a deep breath. Her heart fluttered when she saw Sean and his friends approaching, but she managed to keep her face calm."Hey, do you remember me?" Joanna asked, looking at Tania and Liliana with poise. In her mind, she saw Tania as a serious competitor and hardly gave a second glance to the girl at Tania's side, missing Liliana's anxious look.Tania was not someone to underestimate. She did not have any issues with Joanna, but Joanna's challenging look made it clear. Was she trying to start something?Eve
"This is my best friend and roommate, Liliana. Liliana, meet Sean," Tania introduced, not missing a beat to bring Liliana into the spotlight. Liliana, who had tried to make herself invisible when Sean walked over, was suddenly the center of attention.Feeling two pairs of eyes on her made Liliana squirm. She mustered all her courage and said, "Hello, Sean, Joanna," in a voice barely above a whisper. She quickly looked down, wishing for nothing more than for Sean and Joanna to go away. Tense all over, Liliana missed the shadow that crossed Sean's face.Tania watched Liliana's stiff behavior with a frown. She knew Liliana was not usually this shy—no, it was caution, not shyness.Tania knew her friend well after so many years. Liliana was never this guarded, even with strangers. However, she was all nerves and tension now.Tania snuck a peek at Sean and saw he was still watching Liliana. She giggled and teased, "Are you looking at Liliana?" Liliana looked up at Tania's words, and so
Autumn had painted Brookville in shades of gold and crimson when Noelle Shaw stepped off the plane. She grabbed her suitcase and walked out into the crisp air, a familiar sense of home wrapping around her.A whole year had passed since she left to pursue a corporate training program overseas, and now, she was back just in time.Her third anniversary with her boyfriend Xavier Harris was just days away, and she had been working nonstop to make it back early enough to surprise him.She hailed a cab and headed straight for Xavier's office. The moment she walked through the front doors, Alice, the receptionist, gave her a look of total shock. "Ms. Shaw? You’re back? Are you here for the CEO's engagement party?"Noelle's brow creased in confusion. "The CEO's engagement party? What are you talking about, Alice?""It's Mr. Harris's engagement party with your sister!""What?" Noelle's heart skipped a beat, and the happiness drained from her face. "Whose engagement party?"Alice seemed to
Noelle bolted from the hotel, her previously defiant face now streaked with tears.Out of nowhere, a black Cayenne screeched to a halt, its tires screaming against the pavement. Caught off guard, she tumbled to the ground.The driver gulped, his eyes darting to the man in the back seat, "Sir... Sir?"The man in the back, unfazed by the nearby accident, merely glanced at the passenger seat beside him. "Ronald, go see what happened.""Right away, sir." Ronald was out of the car in a flash, checking the front for any damage.About six feet ahead of the car, a woman sat on the ground with her eyes wide open, looking totally freaked out. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, and she had obviously been crying. "Miss? Are you okay? Do you need a ride to the hospital?"Noelle was scared out of her wits. She just gazed at Ronald, lost in shock, until she finally managed to pull herself together and stand up. Without a word, she tried to sidestep him, eager to get away.Ronald was puzzled
Trapped in the man's grip, Noelle struggled to break free, her body refusing to cooperate. Her vision was blurry as she glared at him. "What are you trying to do?""Just having a bit of fun..." He chuckled, his voice dripping with sleaze as he steadied her. "Let's go somewhere more entertaining, shall we?"Noelle might have been out of it, but she could still sense the danger in the man's tone. However, her whole body ached, and she knew she was no match for them. She scanned the area for anyone who could help her, but she was invisible to the passersby.She spotted a figure approaching through her haze. Acting instinctively, she shoved the two men aside and bolted, slamming right into the newcomer. "Save me!" she gasped.Her fingers dug into the fabric of the man's shirt, and she inhaled a sharp, clean scent. "Please, save me," she pleaded.Charles squinted, taking in the woman who had just collided with him. There was a flicker of something sharp in his gaze.Noelle did not let
"This is my best friend and roommate, Liliana. Liliana, meet Sean," Tania introduced, not missing a beat to bring Liliana into the spotlight. Liliana, who had tried to make herself invisible when Sean walked over, was suddenly the center of attention.Feeling two pairs of eyes on her made Liliana squirm. She mustered all her courage and said, "Hello, Sean, Joanna," in a voice barely above a whisper. She quickly looked down, wishing for nothing more than for Sean and Joanna to go away. Tense all over, Liliana missed the shadow that crossed Sean's face.Tania watched Liliana's stiff behavior with a frown. She knew Liliana was not usually this shy—no, it was caution, not shyness.Tania knew her friend well after so many years. Liliana was never this guarded, even with strangers. However, she was all nerves and tension now.Tania snuck a peek at Sean and saw he was still watching Liliana. She giggled and teased, "Are you looking at Liliana?" Liliana looked up at Tania's words, and so
Joanna did not think much of it. She just found it a bit unfortunate. Still, she knew this was not the time to reveal any reaction. Instead, she simply turned her head and smiled, poised and gracious. "Sean, do you still remember those two juniors?"Sean only seemed to notice Tania and Liliana then. "Who are they?"He spoke in an unemotional tone. They were not very close, but they were not too far away either.Liliana's face went white when she heard Sean's voice, but she took a deep breath. Her heart fluttered when she saw Sean and his friends approaching, but she managed to keep her face calm."Hey, do you remember me?" Joanna asked, looking at Tania and Liliana with poise. In her mind, she saw Tania as a serious competitor and hardly gave a second glance to the girl at Tania's side, missing Liliana's anxious look.Tania was not someone to underestimate. She did not have any issues with Joanna, but Joanna's challenging look made it clear. Was she trying to start something?Eve
Liliana felt Tania's eyes on her and bit her lip. "I guess!" She tried to act normal and quickly looked away from where Sean was.Liliana could try to hide all she wanted, but Sean had already seen her. He did not just see Liliana but also noticed Tania next to her. When his eyes landed on Tania, a subtle spark flashed through them, but he quickly looked away."Sean, I really didn’t think you would come." Joanna was genuinely surprised to see Sean. She had mentioned the talk to him before, but he had not made any promises.Joanna had her own ambitions too. She had been studying medicine for five years, and this was her final year. With graduation just around the corner, she really wanted to land a great job. It just so happened that Sean was the dean of his own hospital, and thanks to some school gossip, everyone thought she was Sean's girlfriend. They all expected her to work at Sean's hospital after graduation.Joanna was quite proud of her skills in her field.However, she was
On Wednesday, Liliana and Tania got a message from their mentor. The school wanted to make sure their graduating class had some guidance as they started their new lives in the real world. Thus, they had planned a special talk in the school auditorium with some super successful Vista University grads sharing their tips.Liliana and Tania had jobs lined up, but they knew some advice from the pros could still be a big help. They showed up at school bright and early."Wow! I thought our class was pretty sharp, but look at all these people here to learn more," Tania said, surprised by the crowd.Liliana chuckled. "Being smart doesn't mean you can't learn something new," she teased.Tania gave her a playful look. "Oh, come on. Don't call me out like that!" she said, giving Liliana's arm a gentle tug. "Hey, look over there! Isn't that Joanna from the med department?"Tania did not really remember Joanna all that well, but she knew her as one of the girls who had won the title of pretties
Charles's face took on a more serious look. "Alright. You should head back first."Liliana let out a relieved smile and nodded. "Okay, I will.""Liliana," Charles called out to her again. She stopped and turned to face him. "Yes? Is there something else?"Charles narrowed his eyes and said, "Make sure you come home when you have the chance."Liliana tensed up when she heard that. She bit her lip, looking a bit troubled, but Charles did not wait for her to respond. "Go ahead!"She let out a sigh of relief and quickly left.Charles watched Liliana walk away for a long time before he turned around. Suddenly, he heard a clear, beautiful voice nearby, "Xavier, I've already told you I'm busy today. I can't hang out with you!"Charles paused because of the voice. A cute girl walked by him, sounding slightly annoyed but happy, "Yeah, I've already made plans with Rowena and Teresa. Let's leave it at that!"After the girl ended her call, she felt someone watching her, making her uneasy.
Liliana froze for a moment, then turned to see Sean and Joanna sitting not too far away.Joanna was facing away, unaware of Liliana's gaze, but Sean was at an angle where Liliana could easily see the look on his face.He always seemed so annoyed when he was with her, but with Joanna, he was all smiles and warmth. Even though Liliana knew where she stood with Sean, her heart still skipped a beat every time she saw him with Joanna.They had to be a couple, right? After all, they were together at Faris, sharing a couple's meal.Liliana was unsure how to feel, but then she remembered she and Sean were nothing to each other, and she chided herself for being foolish.Charles's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and he tapped his long fingers on the table, pulling Liliana back from her thoughts. She turned to see his deep, mysterious gaze and quickly gathered her wits. "Charles!" she called out.Charles glanced in the same direction everyone else was looking and saw Sean with a woman. He notic
"Um… Sir, ma’am, our restaurant has a special couple's meal deal that's quite affordable. Would you like to try it?""Ah, no thanks. We're not a couple, we're siblings!" Liliana said quickly. "The couple's meal wouldn't be right for us.""Oops, I’m sorry about that. In that case, what would you like to order, Miss?"Liliana looked over at Charles, who gave her a quick glance and frowned slightly. "Pick whatever you feel like eating!""Alright!" Liliana nodded, chose a few things from the menu that looked good and were not too pricey, and handed the menu back to Charles.Charles added one more item to the order, then paused and turned to Liliana. "You're graduating next year, right?""Yep!" Liliana responded, almost childlike in front of Charles. "I am.”"Not much time left, huh? How's all the graduation stuff coming along?"Charles's tone was casual, like a relative catching up with a younger family member.However, perhaps because Charles sounded a bit too stern and formal, L
Sean's eyes twinkled as he casually pulled his hand back and glanced at Joanna. "What's up with Darek?" He did not seem too interested in school matters, but he was more patient when it came to Darek. Sean really liked Darek. Even though he was young, he was smart and had already won many awards. Sean was sure that Darek would achieve great things in the future as long as he stayed healthy. Sean did not have romantic feelings for Joanna, but he stayed close to her because of Darek. Joanna's eyes lit up when she heard that. She did not understand what made Darek so special to Sean, but she was happy to let them be close. It meant she had a chance to spend time with Sean too."Darek recently won a big prize in a physics contest and wanted to share his excitement with you! But he's been under the weather lately, and my parents can't decide if they should take him to the hospital. You know how much Darek dislikes hospitals, and the bills there can be really high! "Sean narrowed
Sean could not take his eyes off Liliana. When she turned and left, something inside him cracked. He shoved his hand into his coat pocket and squeezed it into a fist.Joanna's voice, clear and pretty, broke through his thoughts. Sean looked at her. "Yeah?""Sean, what are you looking at?" Joanna tried to see what had caught Sean's attention but found nothing. "Did you recognize someone?""No." Sean did not look back at Liliana. Instead, he faced Joanna. "You wanted to see me for...?""Oh, it's just..." Joanna's cheeks were pink, and she fidgeted with her hands. "Gavin from school told you, right? The school wants to invite some famous alumni to talk to the younger students about jobs. You're so great. They really want you to come back."Joanna had come to convince him today. It had been ages since they had last met, especially since Sean opened his own hospital.Feelings were not Sean's thing—work was. He had not been back to school in three years, making it harder for Joanna to