He inhaled deeply. "Yes, t-there is something else.""What's up?"Being stuck in this room with Sean just felt so awkward for Liliana."Charles knows about this."Liliana was surprised at first, but then she felt a sense of relief. "Okay, thanks."Given how close Sean and Charles were, and considering she was in Sean's hospital after her accident, Liliana was not surprised that Sean would tell Charles, even if he had issues with her.Sean squinted. "Are you annoyed?"Liliana looked up and pressed her lips together. "Not at all.""Okay." Sean hesitated. "You don't have to worry about the bills. He's taken care of them."Liliana nodded. "Got it."Then, there was another one of those weird silences between them.Liliana did not know how to act around Sean anymore. Ever since that incident, it felt like they had drifted apart, maybe too far to ever come back.Liliana knew it was not Sean's fault. If she had to blame someone, it was herself for her silly daydreams.Liliana's qu
"What are you doing?"The stern voice from behind made Joanna jump. Her hand shook, and she accidentally knocked over the photo frame with a loud snap.Joanna spun around to see Sean standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the light. His face was shadowed and hard to read.She quickly pulled her hand back, feeling flustered. "Sean, I-I was just waiting for you and thought I'd take a quick look around."Sean's lips were tightly pressed together, his face an icy mask. His eyes flashed with a fierce light for a split second, sending a shiver down Joanna's spine.Joanna had known Sean for ages, but she had never seen him like this before.Sean had always seemed distant to Joanna, but he had never been harsh with her.She felt her face pale. Her mouth opened to speak, but no words came out.Sean's gaze left Joanna, and he moved to the desk where Joanna had accidentally knocked over a photo frame. With a graceful motion, his fingers picked it up and slid it into a drawer.He looked
Sean's eyes were icy as he stared at Joanna. She was so surprised by his words that she froze, unable to move or speak. She just stood there with a look of hurt in her eyes.She had always thought Sean was a loner, but she thought she was the exception. It hurt that he had shut her down so completely without even hearing her out.Joanna had dreamed up so many scenarios of slowly but surely winning him over, as long as he did not push her away. She never expected him to be so harsh.Her sad, hopeful face did not change how Sean felt. He just watched her with the same unemotional eyes he used for strangers or acquaintances. Joanna bit her lip and squeezed her hands tight. It took her a while, but she finally shook off the sadness. Looking straight at Sean, she said with determination, "Sean, I'm not giving up. I'll make it, and I'll show you what I'm capable of with my own strength!" Sean replied indifferently, "Do whatever you want." To him, Joanna was just a younger student an
Liliana smiled gently. "Okay, I get it. You've been through a lot because of me. What would you like to do?""You promised, remember? Once you're better, you owe me a big meal to make up for all the trouble I've been through!""Can you really eat that much?" Liliana asked with a light smile. "Tania, you've been working so hard lately.""Ugh, stop it. You're getting so mushy!" Tania shivered a bit. "I only said that to make you get better faster. You don't really think I'd expect anything of you, do you?""Of course not. I know what kind of person you are!" Liliana said, pausing for a moment. "Oh, did you say the school has already kicked that girl out?"Liliana thought back to Tania's earlier words.Tania nodded. "Yeah, but I have no idea how they did it so fast. They said they'd wait until you were better, right? I wanted to ask her myself what happened, but she was nowhere to be found. Then I learned that not long after your accident, they found out she pushed you down the stai
Liliana frowned, finding Joanna's words somewhat odd.In truth, she and Joanna were not close, nor did they have much interaction. The fact that Joanna had come to visit her was already strange enough.Now that she was bringing up that incident, Liliana could not quite figure out Joanna's intentions, but something about it felt off."Thank you for your concern, Joanna," Liliana said lightly. "Tania, bring a chair for Joanna.""No need to trouble yourselves," Joanna replied with a soft smile. "I'll just stand for a while. I've already been sitting with Sean for quite some time."As she spoke, her eyes never left Liliana.Liliana was momentarily stunned before clenching her fists slightly. However, she maintained a composed expression, revealing nothing of her thoughts."You and Sean seem to have a great relationship," Liliana said with a faint smile. "It looks like you're not here to see me but rather to talk to Sean."Her tone carried a teasing lilt, smooth and pleasant to the
Liliana only smiled faintly. "Wouldn't it be good for her to be with Sean? They're the perfect match—one's talented and the other's beautiful. They suit each other well."She spoke so lightly as if it did not matter, but Tania gave her a frustrated glare. "Are you trying to drive me crazy?"Liliana remained silent, leaving Tania to sigh. "I really think Sean has feelings for you. Think about it. Yes, you're both from the same university, but there are so many people at that university. If Sean were truly that helpful to everyone, wouldn't he be overwhelmed?""So?""So, I think he treats you differently. You didn't see it happen, but when you needed surgery, the doctor hesitated. It was Sean who immediately stepped in and said he would operate on you himself. "He even said that if anything went wrong, he'd take full responsibility. Who says something like that? A family member would! He was treating you like family!"Liliana frowned slightly. "You're exaggerating. It was probably
"I heard you were injured. I was busy the past few days and couldn't come earlier." Charles offered a brief explanation.His gaze settled on Liliana, assessing her condition. She seemed to be doing relatively well. "Looks like you're fine now.""Yes, I'm fine. It wasn't a serious injury to begin with." Liliana fidgeted with her fingers, feeling slightly uneasy. "Um… It's already so late. Is there something else you need, Charles?"Charles watched her silently, his sharp eyes fixed on her. He did not speak for a long time, merely observing her.Liliana felt restless under his scrutiny, shifting uncomfortably."Injuries to muscles and bones take a while to heal. You should focus on resting for now and avoid any strenuous activities.""But…" Liliana hesitated. She wanted to tell him she was already fine and planned to be discharged in a few days to return to work.She had just started her internship, and this accident happened after only a few days on the job."Don't worry about w
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
"I heard you were injured. I was busy the past few days and couldn't come earlier." Charles offered a brief explanation.His gaze settled on Liliana, assessing her condition. She seemed to be doing relatively well. "Looks like you're fine now.""Yes, I'm fine. It wasn't a serious injury to begin with." Liliana fidgeted with her fingers, feeling slightly uneasy. "Um… It's already so late. Is there something else you need, Charles?"Charles watched her silently, his sharp eyes fixed on her. He did not speak for a long time, merely observing her.Liliana felt restless under his scrutiny, shifting uncomfortably."Injuries to muscles and bones take a while to heal. You should focus on resting for now and avoid any strenuous activities.""But…" Liliana hesitated. She wanted to tell him she was already fine and planned to be discharged in a few days to return to work.She had just started her internship, and this accident happened after only a few days on the job."Don't worry about w
Liliana only smiled faintly. "Wouldn't it be good for her to be with Sean? They're the perfect match—one's talented and the other's beautiful. They suit each other well."She spoke so lightly as if it did not matter, but Tania gave her a frustrated glare. "Are you trying to drive me crazy?"Liliana remained silent, leaving Tania to sigh. "I really think Sean has feelings for you. Think about it. Yes, you're both from the same university, but there are so many people at that university. If Sean were truly that helpful to everyone, wouldn't he be overwhelmed?""So?""So, I think he treats you differently. You didn't see it happen, but when you needed surgery, the doctor hesitated. It was Sean who immediately stepped in and said he would operate on you himself. "He even said that if anything went wrong, he'd take full responsibility. Who says something like that? A family member would! He was treating you like family!"Liliana frowned slightly. "You're exaggerating. It was probably
Liliana frowned, finding Joanna's words somewhat odd.In truth, she and Joanna were not close, nor did they have much interaction. The fact that Joanna had come to visit her was already strange enough.Now that she was bringing up that incident, Liliana could not quite figure out Joanna's intentions, but something about it felt off."Thank you for your concern, Joanna," Liliana said lightly. "Tania, bring a chair for Joanna.""No need to trouble yourselves," Joanna replied with a soft smile. "I'll just stand for a while. I've already been sitting with Sean for quite some time."As she spoke, her eyes never left Liliana.Liliana was momentarily stunned before clenching her fists slightly. However, she maintained a composed expression, revealing nothing of her thoughts."You and Sean seem to have a great relationship," Liliana said with a faint smile. "It looks like you're not here to see me but rather to talk to Sean."Her tone carried a teasing lilt, smooth and pleasant to the
Liliana smiled gently. "Okay, I get it. You've been through a lot because of me. What would you like to do?""You promised, remember? Once you're better, you owe me a big meal to make up for all the trouble I've been through!""Can you really eat that much?" Liliana asked with a light smile. "Tania, you've been working so hard lately.""Ugh, stop it. You're getting so mushy!" Tania shivered a bit. "I only said that to make you get better faster. You don't really think I'd expect anything of you, do you?""Of course not. I know what kind of person you are!" Liliana said, pausing for a moment. "Oh, did you say the school has already kicked that girl out?"Liliana thought back to Tania's earlier words.Tania nodded. "Yeah, but I have no idea how they did it so fast. They said they'd wait until you were better, right? I wanted to ask her myself what happened, but she was nowhere to be found. Then I learned that not long after your accident, they found out she pushed you down the stai
Sean's eyes were icy as he stared at Joanna. She was so surprised by his words that she froze, unable to move or speak. She just stood there with a look of hurt in her eyes.She had always thought Sean was a loner, but she thought she was the exception. It hurt that he had shut her down so completely without even hearing her out.Joanna had dreamed up so many scenarios of slowly but surely winning him over, as long as he did not push her away. She never expected him to be so harsh.Her sad, hopeful face did not change how Sean felt. He just watched her with the same unemotional eyes he used for strangers or acquaintances. Joanna bit her lip and squeezed her hands tight. It took her a while, but she finally shook off the sadness. Looking straight at Sean, she said with determination, "Sean, I'm not giving up. I'll make it, and I'll show you what I'm capable of with my own strength!" Sean replied indifferently, "Do whatever you want." To him, Joanna was just a younger student an
"What are you doing?"The stern voice from behind made Joanna jump. Her hand shook, and she accidentally knocked over the photo frame with a loud snap.Joanna spun around to see Sean standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the light. His face was shadowed and hard to read.She quickly pulled her hand back, feeling flustered. "Sean, I-I was just waiting for you and thought I'd take a quick look around."Sean's lips were tightly pressed together, his face an icy mask. His eyes flashed with a fierce light for a split second, sending a shiver down Joanna's spine.Joanna had known Sean for ages, but she had never seen him like this before.Sean had always seemed distant to Joanna, but he had never been harsh with her.She felt her face pale. Her mouth opened to speak, but no words came out.Sean's gaze left Joanna, and he moved to the desk where Joanna had accidentally knocked over a photo frame. With a graceful motion, his fingers picked it up and slid it into a drawer.He looked
He inhaled deeply. "Yes, t-there is something else.""What's up?"Being stuck in this room with Sean just felt so awkward for Liliana."Charles knows about this."Liliana was surprised at first, but then she felt a sense of relief. "Okay, thanks."Given how close Sean and Charles were, and considering she was in Sean's hospital after her accident, Liliana was not surprised that Sean would tell Charles, even if he had issues with her.Sean squinted. "Are you annoyed?"Liliana looked up and pressed her lips together. "Not at all.""Okay." Sean hesitated. "You don't have to worry about the bills. He's taken care of them."Liliana nodded. "Got it."Then, there was another one of those weird silences between them.Liliana did not know how to act around Sean anymore. Ever since that incident, it felt like they had drifted apart, maybe too far to ever come back.Liliana knew it was not Sean's fault. If she had to blame someone, it was herself for her silly daydreams.Liliana's qu
Talk about perfect timing.Tania and Liliana had just been talking about Sean when he showed up.He pushed the door open and stepped in, looking over at Liliana with a casual expression. "You're up?" He spoke casually, like she could have been anyone else.Liliana, who had been feeling relaxed, tensed up the moment Sean walked in. She watched him closely and gave a small nod. "Yeah."Tania jumped to her feet, full of excitement. "Hey, you made it! Come on in and take a seat!"She really liked Sean and welcomed him warmly as soon as she saw him.Liliana tried to speak up, but Tania cut her off. Feeling a bit helpless, Liliana looked down, trying her best to seem calm and normal.Sean kept his composure on the outside, but his eyes, as bright as stars, never stopped watching Liliana. He noticed her eyes looking down and her face a bit pale. His gaze twinkled for a moment before he quickly hid it. "How are you feeling?" he asked like he was talking to another one of his sick patien
"What's wrong?" Tania saw that Liliana looked pale and waved her hand in front of Liliana's eyes. "Are you okay? Do you know who pushed you?"Liliana shook her head, then nodded. "I'm not sure yet, but I think it was her.""Her? Who?"Tania was taken aback. "How could you, of all people, make an enemy?"Liliana shook her head. "I don't know. I think she’s Keith's biggest fan. She was sitting next to me and really didn’t like me.” Liliana strongly suspected that girl of pushing her. Maybe she wanted to remove her competition for Keith.Tania heard that and got really mad. "Some people are so evil, hurting others for their own stupid reasons! We can't just let this go."Tania was known for her quick temper, though she never threw the first strike. However, if someone messed with her, she would definitely stand up for herself."Don't worry, I'll take care of it. But tell me, did you send me here?" Liliana asked Tania."Nope, it was Keith. He had to leave, though, because something