Chapter 16

With her bag slung over her shoulder, Tiffany was walking past the field when she heard people around her talking in soft voices. She was at the center of their conversation. In just a few days, the rumors about Tiffany spread like wildfire throughout the university. People were saying that she had failed the entrance exam many times and that she got into the university through connections. Her photo was posted on the student forum, and because of that, Tiffany was now well-known among her peers. It did not matter if it was a freshman, a sophomore, or a junior. The whole school knew about her. Tiffany was thinking about the message she received earlier today. It had been one month, and Micah was still not back yet. He told her that he was in Orleana for a business trip. He did not tell her when he was coming back. Tiffany was not sure if Micah was avoiding her or Grannie Blake. Perhaps he was too disappointed in his family, causing him to feel emotionally detached from the city. For Micah, his home was no longer a safe haven but rather a battlefield where he had to remain vigilant at all times. Deep in her thoughts, Tiffany was suddenly hit on the head by something. She rubbed her head in pain as she turned over to see what hit her. The basketball bounced and rolled before stopping at a boy's feet. A handsome face soon came into view. He was dressed in a red basketball jersey, and his hair was dripping with sweat. A hint of aggressiveness was seen in his eyes as he stood in the sun. Tiffany guessed that he was an upperclassman. The boy picked up the basketball and said with an apologetic smile, "Sorry about that." At first sight, he looked like the type to fool around. Tiffany rubbed the back of her head in pain. The ball hit her right on her head. Yonah Quinn walked toward her and eyed her closely. He then whistled and said, "Hi there, junior. What grade are you in? You look a little familiar, like my next girlfriend." Tiffany replied with a serious expression, "Did you do that on purpose just now?" Slightly stunned, Yonah looked at her flirtatiously and said, "What do you think?" "I think you did it on purpose." "If it's true, what will you do about it?" "Give me the ball." Tiffany took the ball from him, tossed it around, and started walking slowly in his opposite direction. Yonah turned to face her, and before he knew it, the ball was flying straight toward him. Due to the short distance and speed, Yonah could not dodge it in time and was knocked to the ground. He looked as if he were about to lose consciousness. Satisfied, Tiffany dusted her hands and left. Yasmine was waiting for her at the university's entrance. She was driving a modest-looking Volkswagen and was wearing a singlet paired with a pair of hot pants. She also wore a beret. Coupled with the cigarette between her fingers, she gave off a cool vibe. Spotting Tiffany, Yasmine winked at her and said, "I've got some big news. Interested?" "Nope." "It's about your husband." "State your price." "A full-course dinner." Tiffany nodded in response. "He's cheating on you." Yasmine's expression was dark, and a hint of pity flashed across her eyes. She then continued, "Micah Blake didn't go on a business trip alone. There's a lady accompanying him. If you ask me, I’d say he's having a vacation with the girl instead of a 'business trip'." Tiffany also found out about this earlier today. Back when Micah went on a business trip to F Continent, Tiffany felt that he was acting secretive. Not many knew about his schedule, so Tiffany had a difficult time getting hold of his whereabouts. However, when Tiffany checked her WhatsApp this morning, she saw that Jocelyn had gone on a trip to F Continent as well. Jocelyn had posted a few photos on her WhatsApp status while she was there. Below the photos was a caption that wrote: [Next stop, O Continent.] Her schedule matched perfectly with Micah's. Tiffany trusted Micah and felt that he was not somebody who would cheat on her. She then said, "You're overthinking it. It's likely that Jocelyn matched her schedule with his so that she could meet up with him. Micah isn't someone who'd have an affair, especially now that he's married." "Oh well, I never knew that you were so forgiving." Yasmine parked the car and brought Tiffany to a restaurant. She then ordered a king crab, a few lobsters, and some salmon. Tugging her sleeve, Tiffany said, "You know that I come from the countryside, right? I'm actually quite poor, you know." "Maybe you are, but your husband definitely isn't." Yasmine ordered another few dishes of seafood and said, "Do you know who's Jocelyn Gardner?" "Oh come on. I was born and bred in South City. Of course, I've heard of the Gardner family." Yasmine rolled her eyes and said, "Everybody knows that Micah isn't interested in women. Countless women have tried to approach him, but only one succeeded in getting his attention. "It’s Jocelyn Gardner. She’s one of the most famous women in South City. She's rich, beautiful, and talented. Both the Blake and Gardner families had been planning their marriage since a long time ago, and Micah dated her for a couple of years too. If Micah hadn't gotten into an accident, they would already be engaged.” 'What a pity.' "Now it seems that they’ve rekindled the spark between them and are happily spending time together. Tsk, tsk, tsk." Yasmine looked at Tiffany and could not help but pity her current situation. To her, it was obvious that Tiffany was cheated on by her husband. Thinking back to the night when she first met Jocelyn, Tiffany thought to herself, 'Ah. So that was her.' Tiffany's hand fell, and the hammer that she was holding made a dent in the crab's shell. Afraid that Tiffany would further ruin her meal, Yasmine snatched the hammer over and started peeling the crab meticulously. Laying on the bed at night, Tiffany tossed and turned but was still unable to fall asleep. Later in the night, she took out her phone, went on Instagram, and found Jocelyn's Instagram account. Jocelyn had used a photo of herself as her profile picture, so Tiffany was sure that it was her account. Tiffany later found out that Jocelyn was a fashion designer who had won the grand award for many fashion competitions. Jocelyn also built her own clothing brand that targeted middle and high-income groups, making her quite popular in the country. Tiffany had to admit that Jocelyn was indeed a talented and outstanding woman. Unlike Jessie, who got her social status through family connections, one could see that Jocelyn had indeed worked hard to get to where she was today. Tiffany originally planned to look for evidence proving that Micah was having an affair, but she ended up admiring the clothes designed by Jocelyn instead. As Tiffany was going through Jocelyn's account, a photo suddenly showed up on her Instagram feed. It was uploaded just two minutes ago. In the photo, a woman dressed in a hazel-blue blouse was seen taking a selfie. A man's arm was also seen in the photo, and one could see that he was wearing a classic Philippe watch. The watch caught Tiffany's attention. She knew that its master loved it very much and that he had worn it many times when he was invited to interviews hosted by business magazines. The watch alone had revealed the man's identity. It was common for people to go on their phones even until late at night, so the comments section was soon filled with comments. [Looking gorgeous tonight too!] [Who's the owner of that watch? His arm is so toned! My eyes are pleased.] [Is that your boyfriend? I heard that you have a boyfriend.] Jocelyn replied to the last comment by saying: [Nah, don't be silly. He'll get angry if he hears that.] After her reply, more comments popped up, but Jocelyn did not reply to most of them. She only replied when her followers started speculating about her relationship with the man, saying that they were just friends. Tiffany seemed to smell the fishiness through the screen. Something was definitely going on between them. Jocelyn posted yet another photo at daybreak. Due to the time difference, it was only starting to get dark over there. The photo was also a selfie of Jocelyn. This time, it showed that she had checked into a hotel. She had just taken her shower and was taking a mirror selfie. A man's figure was reflected in the mirror. However, the post was deleted not long after that. After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, Tiffany forced herself out of bed, washed up, and went to school. When she reached the university's entrance, she stopped and turned around. The guard shouted at her, "Hey you! You're gonna be late for class if you don't hurry up." "I'm skipping class today." ... On the other side of the world. Micah was dressed formally in a suit. oupled with his cold and distant personality, he was no doubt the center of everyone's attention. Lots of people were eyeing him closely. Most of them were women. Everyone knew that there was something special about him. Otherwise, he would not have been invited to this banquet. It was hosted by the royal family of Yorkville. Only the rich and powerful were invited to attend. Given Micah's handsome appearance, it was not surprising that many passionate women were dying to spend a night with him. However, the women soon found out that he was not an easy target. A total of 23 women had tried to get his attention, but they all failed miserably. Everyone shook their heads when they saw yet another woman walking toward him. However, to their surprise, Micah did not brush her away as she leaned in close, her arms linking with his. Dressed in a red strappy dress, Jocelyn looked beautiful and seductive. She asked Micah, "I think I drank a bit too much. Do you mind sending me back?" Glancing at his watch, Micah realized that the banquet was coming to an end. He was also done with his work matters. He agreed to send her back. Micah accompanied Jocelyn to her hotel room. He was about to leave when Jocelyn suddenly grabbed his arm and said, "Micah, don't go. Stay with me tonight, please?"