Chapter 9

I carefully observed Ethan's expression. As soon as I finished speaking, the look of disgust that quickly appeared on his face was the same as before. See? This was what men were like. It was not surprising at all. I wouldn't believe it either if someone who'd loved me for a long time and clung to me without any regard for their dignity, suddenly claimed they didn't love me anymore. That was why he couldn't accept my sudden change and why he showed disgust when I asked him, "Who are you to me?". It was just a small test. I chuckled softly and took two steps back. "See? You can't answer, can you? "I wasn't lying when I said I don't like you anymore. Everything I've done recently wasn't some kind of reverse psychology. "Ethan," I called his name seriously. "Believe me, I won't cling to you anymore. "There are only five days left. In five days, we'll graduate, and after graduation, we'll have nothing to do with each other. "This city is actually quite small. In fact, it's so small that if we intentionally avoid each other, we won't run into each other." With that, I turned to leave without looking back at him. "If you don't like me anymore, then who do you like?" I had barely taken two steps when Ethan suddenly grabbed my wrist, yanking me around to face him. His hands gripped my shoulders as he stared at me angrily. "Is it Liam that you like?" He suddenly let out a mocking laugh, his tone dripping with disdain and sarcasm. "I heard that the Tyler family gave a project to the Wiley family this morning." With that, Ethan released me and turned away coldly. "Evelyn, you and your family are really something, huh? You couldn't sell to the Grayson family, so you turned around and sold to the Tyler family, right?" The rain suddenly poured down, the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella filled my ears with a constant patter. All I could hear was Ethan's words echoing in my head. "You couldn't sell to the Grayson family, so you turned around and sold to the Tyler family." What had Jack done this time? "Eve, are you okay?" Lyla ran up to me with an umbrella after seeing Ethan leave, her steps quickening as she reached me. I opened my mouth to speak but found myself unable to say anything. All this time, I'd been focused on distancing myself from Ethan, trying not to become a stepping stone for the Grayson family. But I'd forgotten that while I could distance myself from Ethan and stop liking him, who I liked didn't matter to Jack at all. Liking Ethan was something he supported and even facilitated because Ethan came from a powerful family. My affection for him was just a convenient stepping stone, a way to avoid unnecessary trouble. But if I didn't like him, and if I didn't have my own means, he could easily control me anyway. It didn't matter if the Grayson family wasn't interested in me. There were always other wealthy families. As long as I was Jack's daughter, as long as I was Evelyn, he could use me to gain benefits. A chill spread from deep within, making me shiver uncontrollably. Noticing my shivering, Lyla quickly hugged me and guided me back inside. "It's okay, Eve. It's just one guy, right? If you don't want him, there are plenty more. "I'll find you ten hot guys tomorrow. You can pick whoever you like, and we'll go have some fun." "Yeah," I replied, finding a bit of my composure as we got inside. I smiled at her. I glanced at the scattered test papers on the table but found I didn't have the focus to continue. "I'm feeling cold. I think I'll take a hot shower." I wasn't really wet, but I felt icy cold inside. Lyla touched my hand, immediately noticing how cold it was. Then, she quickly pushed me upstairs. "You are cold! Go take a hot shower right away. The college entrance exams are only a few days away. You can't afford to get sick." As she nudged me along, she called out to the kitchen, "Vera, please make something hot for Evelyn. She's freezing!" She didn't leave until she saw me reaching the door of my room. Once inside, I closed the door and collapsed onto the floor. Jack had never neglected my material needs. Before my rebirth, I always thought he just didn't love me, which was why he never cared for or looked after me. I thought that aside from not loving me, he was at least a decent father who didn't stop feeding me, clothing me, or start abusing me because of my stepmother. In terms of material things, I was treated the same as Elene. He was never biased. But to the Grayson family, I was nothing more than a disposable pawn. I closed my eyes and felt a sudden urge to contact Kayla. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I acted on it. I pulled out the phone Lyla had given me and inserted my replacement SIM card. I found Kayla's number in my contacts and dialed. No answer. I called several times, but it was always the same. The urge to find Kayla quickly faded. I put the phone down and undressed for the shower. The warm water cascaded over me, slowly helping me regain my resolve. Now that I knew what Jack was planning, I had to be prepared. I was already 18, so I could act independently now. As long as I got into St. Nicholas University and didn't return to the Wiley residence, he wouldn't be able to control me. The most important thing now was the college entrance exam. I couldn't afford to make any mistakes. After my shower, I went downstairs. As soon as I reached the bottom step, Lyla set down her papers and ran over to me, carefully holding my hand. "Are you feeling better? Still cold?" She led me to the couch and added, "Vera cooked mushroom soup for you. I didn't bring it up because I thought you'd want to soak for a bit." "Thanks." Seeing Lyla's bright, lively face filled me with warmth. There were still people in this world who loved me. Lyla was so kind, and I couldn't let her down. After drinking the soup, I dove back into studying with Lyla. For the next few days, I stayed at Lyla's house, skipping school. I didn't want to get involved with the Grayson family anymore, and I couldn't be bothered with whatever deal Jack had made with Liam. The day before the college entrance exam, I told Lyla that we should take a break from studying and asked her if there was anything she wanted to do for fun. Lyla's face lit up with excitement. We brainstormed a bit and decided to go out shopping and enjoy some good food. At the mall, Lyla made a beeline for the designer stores. However, I held her back and glanced at a nearby affordable women's clothing store. "The clothes in here look pretty nice. Why don't we take a look?" If I was going to break away from the Wiley family, I needed to start getting familiar with living like the average person. Even though the Wiley family was just an empty shell now, the dying camel was still bigger than a horse. Ever since I was little, I had never bought clothes that cost less than five figures. Lyla, looking unenthusiastic, followed me into the store, her head drooping. "The clothes here aren't very cute. I saw a dress at Milando that I really liked. Can we go buy it first, and then come back?" Just as Lyla finished speaking, we suddenly heard a mocking laugh. We looked up to see Leah and her usual group of lackeys.