Chapter 3

Ethan didn't show up for our nighttime revision session. Leah left quickly too. Ethan had already received a spot in a top university. In fact, I heard he got an offer from an overseas university too. He didn't even have to come to class. Everyone knew he only came to school for Leah. He even gave up the chance to go overseas. Looking at their empty seats filled me with bitterness. My emotions were a mess. Combined with all the strain of doing practice questions, I wasn't in a good mood when I got back home at night. Moreover, seeing my lousy father, Jack Wiley, and my stepmother, Ivy Simpson, didn't help. I didn't even look at them. I just wanted to go upstairs straight away. Jack asked, "Evelyn, how's the matter I asked you to talk to Mr. Grayson's son about?" I scoffed, "What? Does Ethan owe me his life or something? You expect him to sign a million-dollar contract with you just because I asked?" Jack's expression darkened when he heard this. Ivy tugged on his arm before he could lash out. She said with a smile, "Your dad doesn't mean it. He wants you to help us get friendly with the Graysons! Aren't you and Mr. Grayson's son on good terms? Perhaps invite him over for a meal sometime?" "Not happening," I refused. "I'm the one pestering him. He hates me. Just give up." "Watch your mouth!" "Evelyn! Don't provoke your dad! He's been working hard to give you a good life. Surely you don't want his company to go bankrupt." I chuckled darkly, "How I wish it would go to shit." I wasn't going to let him keep the company running by wasting his daughter's life over and over. "Evelyn Wiley!" Ignoring Jack's furious outburst, I went back into my room. Closing the door, I took out my phone to look at my savings. When I was in elementary school, my biological mother, Kayla Hubbard, learned that Jack and his secretary, Ivy, had a secret child who was half a year younger than me. The divorce case took a whole year, but Kayla ended up getting a large sum of property. She left the country, remarried, and had mixed-race twins. Ivy took her secret child and became Jack's wife, and the three of them soon became a proper family. I, however, was tossed about like trash. I didn't belong anywhere. The only good thing about these horrible parents was that they were generous with my allowance. With all these zeros, I could rest easy. Jack's only merit was taking good care of his mistress. His work life was a mess, and he'd been making all sorts of shady plans too. In my past life, I was just chasing after Ethan. Yet, Jack told others I was Ethan's girlfriend. He used this to suck up to the Graysons, keeping his company running for a few more years. Afterward, he used Mr. Grayson's name to invest a large sum of money. He lost a lot and shamelessly got Ethan to cover the losses. Though Ethan never said anything to me, the matter with Jack led to me being made fun of by the Graysons umpteen times. It became harder and harder for me to face Ethan, and the relationship between us became strained. So, in this lifetime, I was going to stay as far as I could from Ethan. I wasn't going to be Jack's lifeline anymore. Two days later, our second trial exam was over. My best friend, Lyla Cobb, brought me to karaoke. "We're finally done with the exam! We'll celebrate your birthday tonight since we missed it. Let's relax and have some fun!" Lyla said. Then, she pulled a party popper with a bang. "Happy birthday, Evelyn!" I couldn't help but laugh upon seeing all the confetti flying about. Lyla and I were childhood friends. In my past life, I strove to get into St. Nicholas University for Ethan. Lyla also got her act together and studied hard. However, after graduating from university, Lyla studied overseas and took over her family business. I, however, did as Ethan's mother, Julia Heather, told me to. I quit my job and became Ethan's wife. At the time, Lyla chewed me out harshly. "Is this worth forsaking all your hard work in senior year of high school? You're going to regret this, Evelyn!" To think her offhanded comment was right… Just then, Lyla said mysteriously, "I've prepared a surprise for you." Then, she pulled open the door to the karaoke room. A crowd of students came in and shouted, "Happy birthday, Evelyn!" Just as I was about to speak, someone entered. An aura of elegance radiated off him. It was like the entire karaoke room became fancy just due to his presence. Ethan? Why was he here? My smile stiffened. In my previous life, I had been rejected. I had pleaded with Ethan to come to my birthday party. Though he showed up, he did so empty-handed. He was cold and indifferent. Even so, I was already on the edge of my seat. I used the fact that I was the birthday girl to sit beside him. My heart fluttered all night. But this time, I didn't even invite him. Upon seeing his dark, cold gaze, I just averted my eyes and pretended to mind my own business. I sat as far away from him as I could. Lyla prodded me rapidly. "What's with you? I've invited him here! Go on!" So she was the culprit! I gritted my teeth and said, "Thanks a lot. Why, it must've been tough to get Ethan to come, right?" "Oh, not at all! He was open to the idea. He accepted immediately when I asked him." "Huh?" In my past life, I had to beg him to even respond. How could Lyla have invited him so easily? Seeing that I didn't do anything, Lyla was shocked. "No way! Are you seriously giving up? You used to have a huge crush on him!' she said. I was silent. I didn't want to explain further and fudged an answer. "Enough about guys! To get into St. Nicholas University, I'm done with crushes and love!" The surroundings were noisy, so I spoke loudly. It was just my luck that the song ended right as I said that. So, my voice rang throughout the karaoke room like a declaration. The whole room fell silent, and the atmosphere grew cold. The people around Ethan glanced to see his reaction. A chill ran down their spines. I came back to my senses, but I didn't dare to look at Ethan. I scrunched my toes and said, "Uh, I need to head to the toilet." Then, I ran. Lyla quickly broke the tension. "Whose song is up next? Come on and sing!" The karaoke room became lively once again. However, Ethan's expression seemed off. He got up and left too. As he did, some other boys around him followed suit. "Is Evelyn playing hard to get? She's inviting you and then ignoring you? To think she'd do something like this." "Maybe not. She didn't confess to Ethan last time. Didn't she say she had made amends? Surely she isn't actually giving up on Ethan, is she?" "Just like that? I guess she didn't really have feelings for Ethan after all…" Antoine Greer, who was beside Ethan, interrupted them quickly. "Could you stop guessing blindly?" Could they not see Ethan's expression darkening? Antoine was Ethan's childhood friend. Of course, he could tell that Ethan was in a bad mood. He cleared his throat and said, "It's not like you don't know how much Evelyn likes Ethan. She's been chasing after him for two whole years! There's no reason for her to suddenly give up. "Didn't Ethan tell her to wait until the college entrance exams were over before saying anything? I bet Evelyn's just worried she'll be separated from Ethan if she doesn't get into St. Nicholas University. That's probably why she's focusing on her studies." The group of boys nodded in understanding. "I see…" Antoine saw Ethan's expression loosen up. He wiped some sweat off his brow and wanted to chuckle in relief. I dawdled in the toilet for some time before coming out. I was afraid that Ethan would still be there when I came back. However, judging by his personality, he probably would've left in annoyance long ago. With all these thoughts cluttering my mind, I lifted my head and saw a familiar figure. He seriously didn't leave?