Chapter 10

"It's my pleasure. Anything else he wanted to say?" Giselle asked. She was feeling flustered, but she managed to keep a sweet smile on her face. "How did you know there was something else he wanted me to tell you?" Aaron happily retrieved an elegant cake box from the passenger seat and handed it to her along with the strip of fabric. "My boss sent this cake as a special gift for meeting you," Aaron explained. Giselle typically steered clear of desserts, particularly cakes, to keep her figure in check. However, her resolve softened when she noticed the logo on the cake packaging—Blissful Bites. The brand "Blissful Bites" was highly esteemed among elite social circles. Their cakes were expensive and highly sought-after due to their limited availability. "Thank you, I love cakes from this brand the most," Giselle said happily as she accepted the cake. Aaron's grin faded into seriousness as he said, "My boss wanted me to ask if you'd be willing to keep in touch with him." It was only then Giselle discovered a small white card with gold edges resting atop the cake box. Upon opening it, she found a handwritten phone number, signed with a bold and elegant "Killian." Her heart raced when she saw the name. Was the person a Killian from the renowned Killian family? This family held the highest prestige among the four most influential families. Regardless of whom Aaron was referring to as his boss from the Killian family, the person's power and status surpassed even that of the Gaskells. "Sure," Giselle replied shyly with a nod, feeling elated. "Okay, I'll pass it on to my boss. I won't keep you any longer," Aaron said before hopping into his car and driving off. Giselle gazed at the cake box in her hand, feeling ecstatic. She glanced at the strip of fabric in her other hand. The embroidered design seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. Without hesitation, she tossed it into the trash. Whose fabric it was didn't matter to her. After all, the mysterious benefactor now owed his life to her, Giselle! … After leaving the Everett residence, Aaron promptly dialed Bernard's number. "Boss, just like you asked, I handed her the strip of fabric and the cake." "How did she react?" Bernard asked. "She was thrilled. She mentioned she loved 'Blissful Bites' cakes the most. She even said she'd keep in touch," Aaron responded. Then, he jokingly added, "Boss, you might want to relax a bit since she still looks underage." On the other end of the phone, Bernard frowned slightly when he heard the words 'she was thrilled.'" Memories of Hera's shocked reaction and her hasty departure when he called her name on the mountain flooded back. Her intense response made Bernard wary of approaching her directly, opting instead to send Aaron to gather information first. He hadn't anticipated anyone being so willing to put herself in harm's way. "You must be mistaken," Bernard asserted firmly. His black Audi drove up to the entrance of Cavenridge International Academy, making its way toward the faculty building. Parked nearby was a Lincoln stretch limo. Aaron, who had been happily teasing Bernard moments before, was suddenly stunned. "What? That doesn't make sense. She claimed she saw me on the mountain that day... Damn!" Reflecting on his conversation with Giselle, Aaron realized he had been too hasty and hadn't noticed something was wrong. "I'll head back there now," Aaron said. As he was about to find a spot to turn his car around, Bernard interrupted, "It's fine." Once Bernard ended the call, his attention shifted to the young woman stepping out of the backseat of the Lincoln. She wore a snug white dress, her long hair braided into a single plait. Her serene profile showed no emotion, and she emanated an air of icy detachment. Bernard's assistant, Douglas Copley, pulled up and stopped the car. Glancing over his shoulder, he addressed Bernard, who was sitting in the back seat, "Bernard, we've arrived." No response came from the back. Douglas exited the car and respectfully opened the rear door, but Bernard remained unresponsive. Perplexed, Douglas bent down to check on him, only to find Bernard gazing intently out the opposite window. Through the glass, Douglas spotted the main entrance of the faculty building, where a man in a suit was escorting a woman in a snug dress inside. A woman? Douglas' eyes widened in disbelief. Was Bernard actually noticing a woman?