"Who?" I asked.Jean patted my shoulder excitedly. "Turn around and see for yourself!"I turned around, completely unprepared to see Soren!He was walking into the canteen with several of the academy's faculty deans, drawing all eyes to him.My former coursemates greeted the faculty deans respectfully, and the latter waved back in acknowledgment.At that moment, Soren noticed where I was sitting and curled his lips into a smile.I was so shocked to see him heading in my direction that I quickly waved my hand to stop him.He seemed to understand what I meant, as his smile turned into a helpless expression.Just then, the vice-rector struck up a conversation with him and gestured for him to head up to the second floor.After shooting me another glance, he complied, making me heave a sigh of relief.Canteen No. 5 served slightly higher-quality food at a slightly higher price point than the other cafeterias in the academy. It also had a VIP room on the second floor.That space w
I bet any other woman would have gone weak in the knees if they received such treatment.A sudden ring from my phone snapped me out of my "drunken" stupor.It was a text from Jean.Jean: [Are you sure you don't want a man as perfect as him?]I grabbed my phone, my fingers trembling slightly from the excitement bubbling inside me.After pondering for a while, I couldn't hold it in any longer and replied.Me: [I'm the one who designed that suit he's wearing.]Jean instantly responded with a barrage of screaming emojis.Jean: [Are you seriously still going to say there's nothing between you two when there's obviously love in the air?!]I shook my head and pursed my lips, trying to remain calm.Amanda frowned and stared at me for a moment before asking probingly, "Do you know him, Taylor?""Shh, I'm listening to his speech."I tried to change the subject, but Amanda's eyes suddenly widened as realization dawned on her. "Is he the owner of that Rolls-Royce? Is he the one who spe
Edward, for the life of me, was one of the second batch of distinguished alumni!Moreover, he had donated 13,000,000 dollars to the academy for its 100th anniversary.Honestly, 13,000,000 dollars was a very significant amount, but the impact it caused was nothing compared to Soren's contribution.Even so, I was slightly astonished.In the past, I had tried to ask Edward for money to buy back the bracelet that had been pawned off—out of desperation. Yet, he had told me he wasn't able to gather that much cash.In the end, though, he had been able to spend millions of dollars at an auction just to make Maddison happy.And now, he'd spent a whopping 13,000,000 dollars on the academy. So, at the end of the day, he had the money—but refused to spend it on me, even if I had only asked for a loan.I sneered, feeling nothing but disgust as I watched him walk up to the podium, as handsome as he was.To my surprise, Soren, who was a VIP guest, had been asked to hand out certificates to th
I rolled my eyes at them and said, quite rudely, "Are you blind, Candy? The academy sorted us by faculty for seating.""Why are you yelling at me?!" Candy snapped, tilting her head in annoyance. "Edward ran into me and asked where you were, so I thought I'd help him out of kindness."Edward met my gaze and said, "I came to see you—and to say hi to my old coursemates while I'm at it. After all, we were all so close in the past."He was clearly hinting at something. Everyone at the academy knew that he and I had once been lovers, and we even became a kind of legend after I went to great lengths to care for him when he fell ill.Thus, technically, he wasn't wrong—my coursemates had been our audience.Before I could say anything, Candy, as always, butted in. "Why are you two acting like strangers? Aren't you a couple? You were so madly in love back then, you probably would've died for him."I shot her a cold glare and said, dripping with sarcasm, "How thick-skinned and shameless can
Like a puppet master pulling the strings, I got up and followed Soren without even asking what it was about.Behind me, I could faintly hear the others in an uproar."Isn't that the distinguished alumnus who gave a speech just now? The one who donated 195,000,000 dollars? That's him!""Oh my god… He seems so familiar with Taylor! I never knew they were acquainted.""Tee-hee! He's even more handsome up close! And tall! He's literally the most handsome man I've ever seen in my life!"They were still talking, but their voices faded into the background. My mind was completely taken over by thoughts of Soren.He led me to the front, where the main table was.As we walked, he explained, "The faculty deans were saying that this year marks the 30th anniversary of your fashion design major, along with the science, arts, and fashion faculties."They're planning to organize an academic and cultural exchange event, and I immediately thought of you. They'd like to have a chat and see if you
Soren hadn't drunk much and was still conscious, but his face had already started to turn slightly red. His eyes also glistened with a new intensity."Do you still want to spend some time with your former coursemates?" Soren asked me when he noticed the crowd beginning to leave, some still chatting with their friends.My heart raced as I looked at him. "I need to go back to my table to collect my stuff.""Okay, go ahead. I've still got some things to take care of, but I'll call you when I'm ready to leave later."Once again, I insisted, "I can go back home myself if you're busy. You don't need to trouble yourself.""It's no trouble," he replied. "I'm just going to spend some time with my coursemates."Soren looked straight into my eyes with a faint smile as he asked, "Are you worried I might do something unthinkable because I'm drunk?"My face flushed instantly, and I shook my head. "No, I know you're not that kind of person."His smile grew wider as he stared at me even more i
Amanda and I both sneezed as a cold breeze hit us when we left the party.The snow from a few days ago had come and gone quickly, followed by sunny days. Still, it was inevitable that the cold would return soon enough.Amanda, dressed too lightly, was shivering from the chill.She asked, "How are you heading back?""I am—"At that moment, someone emerged from the gym and called out to me, "Taylor."We turned toward the voice. Lo and behold, it was Edward, again.He was such a pain in the ass!I could already tell he reeked of alcohol as he approached, something that immediately rubbed me the wrong way.Although I didn't care about his life anymore, I still felt a deep anger whenever I thought about all the effort I had put into saving him years ago."I'll take you two home," he declared. "My car's right at the entrance."He then turned to Amanda and asked, "Which hotel are you staying at?"Amanda looked at me for a moment before replying, "It's okay. We're about to find som
I got into the car after saying that, with Amanda following behind me.Soren had moved to the other side of the door to give Amanda and me enough room to sit, putting some distance between himself and Edward.Unexpectedly, he leaned forward slightly and said, "Kennedy, do yourself a favor and don't do anything you might end up regretting later."I was shocked to hear this from Soren!It may have sounded like friendly advice, but it could easily be mistaken for a threat!Yet, Soren delivered it so nonchalantly and politely that it still felt surreal to me.Amanda was also a bit taken aback, but she turned to look at me with a pleasantly surprised expression.I had no response to that, so I figured it was better to keep my mouth shut.Soren's car was so spacious that there was still plenty of room left with the three of us inside.Besides, Amanda didn't deliberately push me toward Soren like his sister had.Even so, Soren had such a commanding presence that I could still feel m
"Hello?""When are you coming back?" Soren asked in a low voice.I stood and left the lively private room. "I'm having lunch with some old colleagues. What's up?""Wow. So while I was trying to handle our son, you went out to have fun," he whined.Please. He wanted Silas with him—he was just being dramatic.The wine gave me enough courage to respond, "Weren't you the one complaining about missing out on your son's childhood? I'm just being considerate.""Fine. Where are you? I'll bring Silas to you. He wants his mom now—no one here can calm him down," he replied.Just as I had expected.I figured lunch was nearing its end anyway, so I gave him the address. "Call me when you arrive. I'll meet you at the entrance.""Got it."I returned to the room and quietly told Amanda, "I have to leave soon. You guys go ahead."She checked her phone. "Nah, we should all start packing up. We still have to work this afternoon!""Oh, right."I paid for our meal while the others chatted.Whe
The company had seen some new hires, but many were familiar faces.Case in point: Cherry Birkin. Now Amanda's assistant and principal secretary, she was ecstatic to see me."Tay-Tay! You're back!" she cried, rushing over to grab my arms. "It really is you! I'm so glad you came to see us. After disappearing for two years, I honestly thought you'd never come back!"Amanda, who had been the one to welcome me, stood beside me, smiling. "See? Your old colleagues have been complaining about you being heartless.""Aww, I'm sorry for being gone so long! How about this? Lunch is on me! Cherry, gather the old crew and invite them over!""You got it!" she replied eagerly.I stepped into Amanda's office—the same one where I used to work.A lot had changed in the interior, but everything felt warm and welcoming. The company was thriving under her and Jamie's leadership.There was a knock at the door. I turned to see the man himself."So, you really are back, Taylor," he said with a grin. "
I was irritated. If I were being generous, I'd say Soren was being proactive. If I were being honest, though, I'd call it disrespectful—he was undermining my agency!"I haven't even agreed to this yet!" I snapped, straightening my back and glaring at him as the seniors watched. "Who gave you the right to make decisions for me?!"Soren barely reacted. "You overthink everything. You hesitate more than you need to, so I thought... why not just ask your grandmother and aunt?"Turning to Sarah, he added, "What do you think, Aunt Sarah? Do you approve of us being together?"Sarah blinked, stunned, then shot a quick glance at my grandmother. My grandmother raised her hand, as though she had something to say. I leaned in immediately. "I'm listening, Grandma..."She took a deep breath, grasped my hand, and said, her voice raspy, "I can tell… Ren really loves you… You have a child now… It's good for you two to just get married."She paused, then added, "That way, I… can finally let go...
I glanced away and stared out the window.Soren chuckled and said, "So, what do you think of my proposal? Your time's up now."Startled, I turned back to his side profile."It's too early in the morning! My brain is still, uh, starting up!" I protested.Soren smiled and, to my surprise, continued driving without pressing me for an answer.When we reached the hospital, I carried Silas in my arms.Soren suddenly produced a basket of health supplements and fresh fruit."You don't have to give her these. She… can't eat solid food or take supplements anymore," I said sheepishly."It's a token of goodwill," he replied as we walked inside. "My parents told me last night. They're happy to help with your grandmother's care. Even with intensive treatment, there are many ways to ease her pain."Gratitude filled me. Lisbeth had mentioned this to me, but it turned out she'd also spoken to Soren. They must have really accepted me to consider this kind of help."I don't think it's necessary
"Nah. With Soren here, no one would dare," Jean remarked.I thought of his marriage proposal. "Soren talked to me about getting married.""What?! He proposed to you?!" Jean exclaimed."I wouldn't call it a 'proposal' in the traditional sense. But he was serious about it. He said we should marry to fulfill our grandparents' wishes and remind them of life's joys or something."God, it sounded more like some speech meant to sound profound than a real proposal. Apparently, Amanda thought so too."He didn't sound serious enough to me. He didn't confess his feelings or say he loved you, did he? There's a gap between the two of you. If love isn't enough, you won't last."I lowered my gaze. "I know. I've been thinking about it too. That's why I didn't accept his proposal. I told him I needed to think and would give him my decision tomorrow."Jean, however, was insistent. "Say yes! What's there to overthink? Carpe diem, Tay-Tay! Don't tie yourself down with all sorts of considerations—th
Soren smiled. "You don't believe in your son's charisma?""They like me now... because they love my son.""You can call it that."I felt embarrassed. This wasn't what I meant. "Did they also think I had Hale to use him as a ticket into the family?"Soren shook his head and sighed. "You've assumed the worst, Taylor. If that were your intention, you could have demanded to join the Kenways when you were pregnant or after he was born. You wouldn't have spent a year or more raising him on your own in secrecy."I relaxed. Soren understood my way of thinking.He noticed the smile on my face and took my hand."Will you marry me?" he asked.Back to this again?!I averted my gaze, looking for anything to focus on. "This isn't a good time!"My grandmother and his grandfather were sick. Wouldn't getting married now seem tone-deaf?"Why not?" Soren asked. "Our grandparents might not have much time left. They'd want to see us happy—to see us reach one of life's most important milestones—w
I stiffened.Soren had changed. He was different from how I remembered him, and that was why he felt so unpredictable to me now.I composed myself and looked back. Silas was still asleep.I straightened my clothes and stepped outside.Soren stood on the balcony, maybe hoping the cool breeze would calm him. Bullet circled his legs, tail wagging.I approached him hesitantly. He didn't turn around. Instead, he said, "Let's get married, Taylor."I was stunned. My mind went blank.What the hell?! Just like that? He decided to throw this at me, all of a sudden?Soren turned to face my bewilderment with calmness. "This is the best arrangement moving forward.""Because of Hale?""Why else?" He smiled. "I wouldn't mind if it were for love too.""You… still love me after all these years?""Don't you?"This wasn't how we used to talk. I was struggling to adjust.Soren had once been mild-mannered, gentle, and patient. Now, every conversation felt like a quiet battle of wits, where he
I was amused. "What do you want for compensation? It's not like we didn't have a good time back then."It took Soren raising his eyebrows for me to realize I might have sounded more suggestive than I intended."Wait, hold on. I didn't mean—""I want those good times again," Soren interrupted, his voice firm.I couldn't believe my ears. "You what?!"Did he have no sense of decency or control? It was still broad daylight! Silas was sleeping right nearby!"I said," Soren suddenly loomed closer, his gaze turning lascivious, "I want those good times again, mm."My hair stood on end. I tensed and shrank into the wall. "Soren, we are st— Mmm."I knew exactly what he meant, but before I could even finish warning him, he closed the remaining distance and pressed his lips against mine. He pulled my wrists forward, circling them around his waist.It felt like we were cuddling. I couldn't fight him—I was trapped between him and the wall.Soren's kiss started soft and curious, as though h
"W-What are you doing?" I stammered, my voice trembling.He stayed silent, his tall, imposing figure advancing and forcing me into a corner.I couldn't retreat any further. His grip on my arm held me in place."What are you doing? Can you not grab me like that?" I tried to sound firm, though my voice betrayed me.Soren didn't respond, merely looking down at me with a near-indifferent expression. Beneath his calm demeanor, though, I sensed a flicker of anger—something unsettling in his eyes.We moved like this—me backing away, him pressing forward—until I was cornered, my back against the wall.I frowned, my heart pounding in my chest."Why did you stop? Aren't you going to back off anymore?" he finally asked, his voice dripping with an almost smug satisfaction, like a cat that had finally cornered its prey.Humiliation burned my cheeks, the sting of his teasing cutting deeper than I wanted to admit.Even a mouse would bite when cornered, and I was no meek, helpless creature.