Tania had more to say, but she could tell Liliana was not in the best mood, so she stopped talking.They both left halfway through the speech because Jamie was looking for Tania. Tania went with Jamie, leaving Liliana alone to walk around the school.Liliana wandered around for a bit but soon got bored and decided to head out. Just then, someone stepped in her way.She looked up to see a tall boy in a basketball jersey. She frowned a little, then tried to walk around him, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Liliana!" he called.Liliana did not like being grabbed and felt annoyed, but she did not let it show. She just looked at him distantly. "Do you know me?"The boy seemed surprised by her chilly reaction. He blushed, scratched his head, and gave her a sheepish smile. "Uh, I'm Keith from the computer science department.""Oh…"Liliana nodded. "Cool." She paused and gave him a look. Keith got the hint, let go quickly, and looked at her, a bit embarrassed. "Hey, I didn't mea
Liliana was usually the shy type, except when she was with her bestie Tania. She had never met anyone as bold as Keith before.She did not know how to tell Keith she was not interested, but Tania thought Liliana's life was too boring. Liliana did not have many friends besides Tania, so Tania encouraged her to hang out with Keith.Liliana did not say yes, but she did not say no to Keith hanging around either.They were not dating, but Keith was super nice. He always seemed to know what Liliana needed, even before she did.One day, when things were slow at the office, Liliana needed to stop by the school. There was some survey going on between departments.She and Tania had signed up for extra classes to get more credits, but they quickly grew overwhelmed. Liliana had come to school today to fill out a survey. She first stopped by the director's office to discuss her tutoring sessions. Since Tania was not there, Liliana ended up doing Tania's survey too. By the time she was done w
Jamie was really good to Tania and always happy to do whatever she wanted.Liliana smiled to herself. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her.Keith asked, "What's so funny?"Liliana stopped smiling. "Oh, nothing." She saw that Keith had brought back her favorite dishes. "Thanks," she said with a smile.Keith ran his fingers through his hair and gave a shy smile. "No need to thank me. I actually wanted to take you out for a meal.""It's okay. The food here at our school's cafeteria is pretty good too." Liliana was not fussy about food. She could eat anything, even if it was not tasty.She had no choice. The time she spent with the Hoffman family was the toughest in her life.She never joined the family at their dining table. She had meals that were even worse than what the Hoffman family's servants ate. Liliana was just happy to have food nowadays and never complained.Keith watched Liliana as she ate quietly, her head down. He could not take his eyes off her, thinking everything sh
Liliana blushed as Keith and a few roommates watched her. "Sorry, I'll just be a moment...""You really can’t come?” Keith asked.Keith had not mentioned his feelings to Liliana for a while, but he had not given up. He thought Liliana was a great girl, and he had decided she was the one for him. He had been doing everything he could to make her happy.Liliana felt really confused by Keith's hopeful look. She remembered Sean's face and his distant voice. That was the first time she felt so unsure. She remembered Tania's advice to give Keith a chance. With a helpless smile, Liliana thought she should give herself a chance with someone new too.If she stayed stuck on Sean, she would only end up hurting herself. However, she did not really like Keith that way, and she did not want to be unfair to him by using him to forget someone else.Keith did not know what was going on in Liliana's head. He just hoped she would accept him. Even if he could not be her boyfriend right now, he wanted
"No worries!" Keith thought it was awesome that Liliana had even come at all. He did not really care about the light stick. "Alright, Liliana. Go grab a seat. I-I'm going to win this one and give you a good show!""Haha! Just do your best!"Liliana took her light stick and found a spot to sit. She did not know much about these things, but she had talked to Tania on the phone earlier about Keith's basketball game that afternoon, and Tania had suggested she get a light stick to show her support.Since she had promised to be there, Liliana was ready to cheer him on with everything she had.When Keith joined his teammates, they all gave him teasing looks. "Wow, you moved fast, didn't you?"Keith shot his roommate a look. "Behave.""Okay, okay! You're pretty impressive. I've heard Liliana and Tania from the business school are the toughest to win over. Now that Tania's taken, everyone's wondering who Liliana will end up with. Looks like you've got the upper hand.""Me? I'm just being
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
"No worries!" Keith thought it was awesome that Liliana had even come at all. He did not really care about the light stick. "Alright, Liliana. Go grab a seat. I-I'm going to win this one and give you a good show!""Haha! Just do your best!"Liliana took her light stick and found a spot to sit. She did not know much about these things, but she had talked to Tania on the phone earlier about Keith's basketball game that afternoon, and Tania had suggested she get a light stick to show her support.Since she had promised to be there, Liliana was ready to cheer him on with everything she had.When Keith joined his teammates, they all gave him teasing looks. "Wow, you moved fast, didn't you?"Keith shot his roommate a look. "Behave.""Okay, okay! You're pretty impressive. I've heard Liliana and Tania from the business school are the toughest to win over. Now that Tania's taken, everyone's wondering who Liliana will end up with. Looks like you've got the upper hand.""Me? I'm just being
Liliana blushed as Keith and a few roommates watched her. "Sorry, I'll just be a moment...""You really can’t come?” Keith asked.Keith had not mentioned his feelings to Liliana for a while, but he had not given up. He thought Liliana was a great girl, and he had decided she was the one for him. He had been doing everything he could to make her happy.Liliana felt really confused by Keith's hopeful look. She remembered Sean's face and his distant voice. That was the first time she felt so unsure. She remembered Tania's advice to give Keith a chance. With a helpless smile, Liliana thought she should give herself a chance with someone new too.If she stayed stuck on Sean, she would only end up hurting herself. However, she did not really like Keith that way, and she did not want to be unfair to him by using him to forget someone else.Keith did not know what was going on in Liliana's head. He just hoped she would accept him. Even if he could not be her boyfriend right now, he wanted
Jamie was really good to Tania and always happy to do whatever she wanted.Liliana smiled to herself. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her.Keith asked, "What's so funny?"Liliana stopped smiling. "Oh, nothing." She saw that Keith had brought back her favorite dishes. "Thanks," she said with a smile.Keith ran his fingers through his hair and gave a shy smile. "No need to thank me. I actually wanted to take you out for a meal.""It's okay. The food here at our school's cafeteria is pretty good too." Liliana was not fussy about food. She could eat anything, even if it was not tasty.She had no choice. The time she spent with the Hoffman family was the toughest in her life.She never joined the family at their dining table. She had meals that were even worse than what the Hoffman family's servants ate. Liliana was just happy to have food nowadays and never complained.Keith watched Liliana as she ate quietly, her head down. He could not take his eyes off her, thinking everything sh
Liliana was usually the shy type, except when she was with her bestie Tania. She had never met anyone as bold as Keith before.She did not know how to tell Keith she was not interested, but Tania thought Liliana's life was too boring. Liliana did not have many friends besides Tania, so Tania encouraged her to hang out with Keith.Liliana did not say yes, but she did not say no to Keith hanging around either.They were not dating, but Keith was super nice. He always seemed to know what Liliana needed, even before she did.One day, when things were slow at the office, Liliana needed to stop by the school. There was some survey going on between departments.She and Tania had signed up for extra classes to get more credits, but they quickly grew overwhelmed. Liliana had come to school today to fill out a survey. She first stopped by the director's office to discuss her tutoring sessions. Since Tania was not there, Liliana ended up doing Tania's survey too. By the time she was done w
Tania had more to say, but she could tell Liliana was not in the best mood, so she stopped talking.They both left halfway through the speech because Jamie was looking for Tania. Tania went with Jamie, leaving Liliana alone to walk around the school.Liliana wandered around for a bit but soon got bored and decided to head out. Just then, someone stepped in her way.She looked up to see a tall boy in a basketball jersey. She frowned a little, then tried to walk around him, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Liliana!" he called.Liliana did not like being grabbed and felt annoyed, but she did not let it show. She just looked at him distantly. "Do you know me?"The boy seemed surprised by her chilly reaction. He blushed, scratched his head, and gave her a sheepish smile. "Uh, I'm Keith from the computer science department.""Oh…"Liliana nodded. "Cool." She paused and gave him a look. Keith got the hint, let go quickly, and looked at her, a bit embarrassed. "Hey, I didn't mea
Once Joanna had gone, Liliana grabbed Tania's hand. "We're going to head out too, okay?"Sean watched them with narrowed eyes but said nothing and merely watched them walk away.Seeing Liliana's erratic steps, a flicker of anger crossed Sean's calm gaze.Haha!She was walking really fast. Was she trying to avoid getting mad?She had taken the words he once told her to heart and followed them to the letter.Sean looked down, his eyes catching the glint of tiny, shiny things on the ground. He bent over and picked them up.A flicker of color passed through his deep, dark eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.Liliana did not lead Tania very far before finding a quiet spot to sit. Puzzled by Liliana's sudden reaction, Tania noticed that Liliana seemed distracted. She frowned. "Liliana, what's wrong with you? And what about earlier...""I'm okay, really. The show's about to start, right? It's a chance of a lifetime. We can't miss it!" Liliana said, nodding towards the stage.
"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