Chapter 6

Under the envious gazes of the others, Michelle walked over to Jonathan's side. Jonathan blinked, momentarily taken aback. In his past life, Michelle had never transferred into his class. Could this be the butterfly effect? He snapped back to reality, standing up to make space for Michelle to slide into the seat by the window. As Michelle settled into the chair, Jonathan was struck by a sweet and soothing lavender scent. He slowly returned to his own seat after Michelle took a seat. Soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Perhaps because of his past experience in the factory and the fact that this wasn't the first time they had met in his life, Jonathan didn't feel awkward with Michelle. He glanced sideways at her and asked, "What made you transfer into my class?" "To see the handsome guy," Michelle replied, leaning in a little closer. Her bright, sparkling eyes were fixed on his handsome face. Jonathan was at a loss for words. "I'm just kidding." She laughed lightly as she took her textbooks out of her bag, then explained seriously, "I couldn't keep up with the pace of the lessons abroad, so my parents transferred me here." Jonathan paused to think for a moment. "So you don't like studying?" "I guess." Michelle propped her chin up with one hand, looking a little frustrated. "Studying is so boring." Jonathan couldn't help but smile. No wonder in his past life, Michelle's parents had sent her for a "factory reform program" to get her under control. He gently reminded her, "You better study hard, or your parents might force you to work at a factory." Michelle froze. Working at a factory? Her parents did own a lot of factories under their group, but she brushed it off, thinking Jonathan was just gently encouraging her to focus on her studies. In her mind, Jonathan was her future husband, so she would listen to his advice. However, as she flipped through the high school math textbook and saw the example questions, she quickly felt drowsy. Wasn't this the stuff she had learned when she was seven? Michelle sighed in defeat. "Jonathan, I don't understand any of these example problems." With nothing better to do, Jonathan said, "I'll teach you." Michelle's eyes lit up. "Okay!" The rest of the class was self-study, and the two of them whispered back and forth as they worked through the problems. Michelle wasn't thinking of studying at all. For the longest time, she wanted to hug Jonathan, but she couldn't do it. How troublesome! By lunchtime, Stella and Owen returned. Owen's head was wrapped in white bandages, and he could only glare at Jonathan and seeth in silence. Frederick immediately walked over to Stella and handed her a beautifully packaged lunch. "Stella, I've prepared this lunch for you." Stella smiled as she accepted the meal. "Frederick, you're as thoughtful as always." Frederick shook his head, lips curving shyly. "It's nothing, Stella. So, which box lunch tastes better, mine or Jonathan's?" The sudden question drew all attention to Jonathan. Stella spoke up, clearly displeased. "He's never given me one." She cast a quick glance toward Jonathan, only to see him walking out of the classroom, side by side with the new transfer student. They were so close, and they even ignored her, Jonathan's fiancée. Stella was instantly annoyed. Jonathan was so rude—he had no sense of boundaries! Frederick's eyes glinted with satisfaction. The reason he had asked that absurd question was to make sure Stella saw Jonathan and Michelle walking out together in such a familiar way. He was hoping that seeing them so close would make Stella dislike Jonathan even more. Though Jonathan had severed ties with the Campbell family, it made no serious threat to his status as the heir. What if this was part of a calculated move? What if Jonathan was playing a game of hard to get? What if he was doing all this so that Frederick would relax his guard? Frederick wasn't about to take any chances. He had to stay ahead of any potential problems, especially since Stella was still his target. Even so, the thought of Michelle getting too close to Jonathan didn't sit well with him. He had always been the pride of Gracefield High School, and Jonathan was nothing but a disgraced nobody. But then Frederick reconsidered. Michelle might be prettier than Stella, but her family background was nowhere near as prestigious as the Cooper family's. At first, he thought she was the daughter of the top-tier Johnston family, so he discreetly had someone look into her background. To his disappointment, the investigation revealed that she wasn't part of the Johnston family at all—she just shared the same last name. Michelle had grown up in an orphanage, the same one as Jonathan. Frederick's resentment deepened as he thought of how close Michelle and Jonathan seemed to be, but he quickly pushed that aside. They probably knew each other from the orphanage. With this thought, a sense of superiority grew in his heart. Frederick's eyes darkened with a fierce look as he called his parents and three sisters. … At the entrance of the Fifth Cafeteria, Jonathan and Michelle had just finished lunch and were walking out when they were surrounded by Gregory, Eleanor, and Jonathan's three sisters. Michelle instinctively hid behind Jonathan in fear. Gregory's stern face was clouded with anger as he scolded, "Jonathan, I'm extremely disappointed in you! You're already promised to someone, and yet here you are, getting close to another girl. What's the meaning of this?" After Jonathan had left, Gregory immediately began to regret it. The marriage contract between the Campbell and Cooper families was official. It was written in black and white and couldn't be easily changed. It was an arrangement made by the elders, and as the younger generation, how could they change it on a whim? If it had been so easy, Gregory would've pushed for Frederick and Stella to be together a long time ago. Winona was furious. "Jonathan, stop being so selfish! Have you even thought about the Coopers' reputation?" "Jon, you're putting us Campbells in an awkward position. Keep your distance from this girl. You two are not suited for each other," Eleanor said, her voice breaking. Jonathan was becoming increasingly disobedient and cold. Jonathan only found it laughable. He had severed ties with them, yet the Campbells still felt entitled to interfere with his life. They even tried to dictate who he could be friends with. Even if they no longer cared about him, distanced themselves, and despised him, they still wanted to extract whatever value they could from him. They wanted to ensure they could use him as a pawn in a marriage alliance. What right did they have to do that? Gregory's gaze turned dark and menacing. "Jonathan, I'm not here to negotiate. I've already looked into her background—she's average and has no future prospects. You have no future with her." In Gregory's eyes, Jonathan shouldn't have any female friends. He was meant to remain absolutely loyal to Stella. Unless the marriage contract changed and Frederick became Stella's fiance, Gregory wouldn't allow Jonathan to show any interest in any other girl, not even as a friend. Jonathan's tone was icy. "End the engagement. I'm not interested." Gregory's face twisted with rage. He was his father, yet Jonathan had no respect for him and always went against him. "It seems we've been too lenient with you. You hit your brother at his birthday party, cut ties with our family in front of all the guests, and now you're breaking off the engagement out of spite!" Gregory was furious. "Do you realize you're ruining your own future, Jonathan? I'm not just disappointed in you—I'm beyond despair!" His voice was full of rage as he pointed at Jonathan, his finger shaking with anger. Eleanor was in tears. "Jon, I've told you before that both you and Frederick are my sons. You don't need to be jealous of him, and you shouldn't be going against us like this. "You carry the Campbell family blood. Of course we care about you! Just the same, Frederick has been with us for 18 years. Isn't it natural for us to treasure him?"