Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow in Madelyn's room. Her long hair was all messy as she stood there. Her gaze seemed hollow.On the bed, her phone kept flashing with bright light, accompanied by a ringing tone that echoed through the room. The caller ID showed: Ethan.Madelyn watched as the call was rejected by itself, time and time again, only to start ringing once more. She didn't pick it up. After a while, she eventually walked over, switched it off, and tossed it aside. Resting in one corner of the room was the crystal crescent pendant necklace.The following morning, Madelyn descended the stairs to find Hayson, Jasmine, Zach, and Jadie already having breakfast.At the dining table, Hayson seemed oblivious to anything unusual. He was engrossed in discussing company matters with Zach, just like any other day.Listening to their talk, Madelyn realized that Hayson had gradually delegated most of the significant responsibilities of his company to Zach. Man
Jadie unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. Just before stepping out, she couldn't hold back her words, "Zach, don't you have anything to say to me?"Zach didn't look at her. He stared out the car window and said, "You have exams soon. Don't worry about this stuff."Tears welled up in Jadie's eyes. Biting her lip, she wanted to say more, but the words stayed inside. She had been prepared to hear Zach's explanation, even if it was just one sentence, but he didn't offer any.Feeling let down, Jadie left the car, wondering, 'What do I really mean to him?'Meanwhile, instead of heading to Class Six, Madelyn went straight to the office to meet her new homeroom teacher.After she completed the process to change classes, it was almost time for class.Madelyn went back to Class Six to gather her textbooks and practice books from her desk. As soon as the students saw her come in, the classroom suddenly became noisy."Wait, is Madelyn seriously leaving our class?""Look, the Cl
The students in Class One were always busy studying. They spent their days learning lessons and didn't have much time for anything else. Even though they came from important families and had great talents, they worked really hard. Madelyn really liked this kind of learning environment.Suddenly, Madelyn's table moved a bit as a girl sat on it. She had a long ponytail, curly brown hair, and a slim body. She was almost as tall as Madelyn. The girl peeked at Madelyn's chest and asked, "Why is your cup size so big? Do you eat a lot?" Then she remembered and said, "You're the new kid in our class, right? Your name is... Madelyn, isn't it?"Madelyn was surprised. She hadn't expected anyone in Class One to remember her name because no one really paid attention when she introduced herself. They were all busy with their own things."I'm Yvonne Young. Let's be friends! We can eat lunch together. What food do you like? It's on me."'Yvonne Young?' Madelyn thought, 'It sounds so familiar...' T
Madelyn didn't have many friends, in fact, she didn't have any close friends. She preferred being by herself and didn't spend much time socializing. Whenever she felt bored, she found joy in activities like reading books or watching shows. Yvonne's interest in being her friend puzzled her a bit, but she thought she might uncover the reason soon.Right now, they were sitting in the school cafeteria together.Madelyn's beauty would instantly catch everyone's attention. She took after her mother, who was once known as the most beautiful lady in Ventropolis. Yvonne was pretty in a different way – the more you looked at her, the prettier she got. She had nice eyes with double eyelids. Madelyn could even see a small mole on one of her upper eyelids when Yvonne closed her eyes.Yvonne asked, "Do you want to try my spicy braised chicken? It's my favorite." But Madelyn didn't like spicy food, so she ordered risotto instead.When Yvonne added more chili flakes to her chicken, Madelyn shook h
Propping her head up with her hand, Yvonne listened attentively to what Madelyn was saying."I know that girl, Jadie, right? She transferred to our school from Ventropolis High School after a fight," Yvonne said.Madelyn took a few bites of her risotto, which had vegetables and meat on the side. The dining area was nice, and the veggies were fresh. The meat, though, didn't taste very good; it wasn't seasoned well."Zach moved out and now lives with Jadie. If you want to know more about him, Jadie's the one to ask," Madelyn said carefully, watching Yvonne closely.Yvonne twirled her hair and made a face, "Don't you think she's kinda fake. You don't like Zach in that way too, right?"Without hesitation, Madelyn denied it, "No, he's my brother. I can't like him that way."Yvonne looked relieved and patted her chest, saying, "Oh, good! You scared me. I thought you were like Jadie. Now you're my best friend! Maybe we'll be family in the future."Madelyn smiled but stayed quiet. She t
Now that Forrest wasn't targeting Madelyn anymore made them felt odd.Forrest lost interest in playing basketball and left the court, grabbing a water bottle on his way....Finishing a math test in just thirty minutes was really tough, especially because the questions were harder than what they usually studied. Madelyn found them a bit tricky, but she took her time to solve them.The final class bell rang, and Hailey packed her books. "I've got good news. It's Yvonne's birthday today. I'm sure you all got invitations to her party, right? So, no evening classes. Have fun at the party!"Yvonne, who was very active in the class, shouted, "Thanks, Miss Hann! You're the best!"Cancelling evening classes was a rare thing for Class One."You're welcome," Hailey replied and left the classroom.Then Yvonne looked at Madelyn, who was still working on math problems. She went over to Madelyn. "Hey, Madelyn, stop studying. Let's go together!"Madelyn finished the last question and closed
Jadie bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. She turned to see Madelyn in the back seat. With a muffled voice, she said, "Sorry, Madelyn. I looked at your schedule today, and I thought you had evening classes, so I..."Madelyn didn't want to bother with this right now. She had no interest to see Jadie's expression either. Her cold had left her feeling a bit dizzy. With her eyes closed, she said, "It's okay, my fault." She then added, "Jordan, let's take Jadie to Zach's apartment.""Okay, Miss Jent."Jordan dared to speak his mind because he had worked for the Jent family for a long time; he was a reliable, diligent, and hardworking employee, and that was why Hayson kept using him.Jadie looked upset. "Jordan, just take me to Zach's office. I'll wait for Zach there. We have something to do."Jordan didn't directly answer Jadie. Instead, he glanced at Madelyn through the rearview mirror and asked, "Miss Jent, should we change the destination?"Madelyn murmured "uh-huh".Jadie looked do
'Is Zach taking me to the party as his date?' Jadie wondered, her hands clenched nervously but full of anticipation.Meanwhile, Madelyn went to the mall to pick a gift for Yvonne. Since she was going to the party, she couldn't go empty-handed. They were just casual friends, so Madelyn simply chose a silk scarf. To her surprise, it cost over four hundred dollars. She thought about returning it, but the salesperson had already taken off the tag, so she couldn't do that.Luckily, Hayson had given her a shopping card that entitled her to a fifty-percent discount. Even with the discount, the scarf was still expensive – it cost two hundred dollars.Madelyn could not help but wince at the price.When Madelyn got back home, she thought about which nightgown to wear for the birthday party. She searched through her closet and found a white box in the bottom drawer. Inside, she found a black backless dress.'This should be good,' she thought. Since it was her first party, she didn't have man