Chapter 12

Mayra let out a sigh. What a dummy. With his gaze fixed on the scenery outside, Gordan said, "From now on, pay attention in class. After school, I'll wait for you at the school gate. I'll help you with your revision." Mayra couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, but she still accepted the apology letter. Somewhere along the line, she seemed to have started taking Gordan's kindness for granted. Mayra asked, "Are meals provided?" "Yes. What do you want to eat?" "Anything is fine, as long as it's made by you." Gordon's life had always been rough, so he had to learn to be self-reliant. In this sense, he was quite similar to Anderson, as they were both extremely independent people. Before Anderson returned to the Barlow family, they, too, had been through difficult times. That said, he always treated her well and never let her suffer or starve. After escaping from the orphanage fire, they were forced to live on the streets for a while. It wasn't until she was a little older that she realized how hard it was for Anderson to raise her. Since then, she slowly started to take care of him. She learned how to cook and clean to reduce Anderson's burden. Besides her own biological family, no one had the responsibility to raise her. Deep down, Mayra was always aware that the reason Anderson took her under his wing was because her father had once saved his life. Now that Anderson had returned to the Barlow family and assumed the role of the Everton Corporation's heir, they were destined to be people from different worlds. In her past life, she had tried Gordan's cooking before. It was exquisite and was on par with Michelin-starred chefs. Even when he rose to success, he continued to learn new dishes and would always cook for her. Upon arriving at school and getting off the bus, Gordon deliberately slowed his pace and followed behind her. Mayra headed to her classroom for her morning class and then made her way to the teacher's office to hand in the apology letter. Her homeroom teacher, Ms. Nina glanced at it briefly, not noticing anything amiss. She asked, "Are you aware of the upcoming parent-teacher meeting after the mock exams?" Mayra felt her heart sink. "It's mandatory that all parents attend. However, I'm aware of your situation, so try and have your brother come if possible. If he really can't make it, then you can just take that day off. "But remember, you must perform well in the upcoming mock exam, understand? Focus more on your studies." Mayra replied with a nod, "I understand, Ms. Nina." "You may return to your morning class." As soon as Mayra stepped into the classroom and set her bag down, Emily immediately hurried over. She said apologetically, "Mayra, Gordan suddenly called me last night. Don't get mad, but I accidentally told him about your situation. He offered me two vouchers for a barbecue restaurant and I just couldn't resist." To her surprise, Mayra calmly took out her books from her bag and replied nonchalantly, "It's fine. I have to thank you instead." Emily was taken aback. "Thank me? Why would you need to thank me? Did you and Gordan get together?" Mayra simply remained silent. Emily continued, "To be honest, I think you and Gordan would make a great couple. The two of you are just like the characters in a romance novel that I recently read. Do you wanna see it? I'll send you the link." Mayra shook her head. "No thanks. I'm not interested in such things." Emily's greatest hobby was reading novels. In her past life, she was one of the best-selling authors, and all her novels topped the charts. Despite not making it into university, the royalties she got from her novels brought her considerable wealth. She became the top romance novelist and money was never a concern for her. Throughout the day, Mayra diligently took notes. She didn't let her mind wander and paid full attention in class. Overall, she had quite a fulfilling day. In the blink of an eye, it was soon time to go home. Mayra stayed behind until she was the last one left in the classroom. Upon reaching the school gates, she spotted Gordan patiently waiting for her. There were teachers on duty at the school gate, so they couldn't openly walk side by side. Hence, Mayra walked slowly behind Gordan. As soon as they left the school premises, she quickly ran to his side. "Where are we going, Gordon?" Gordon asked, "Would you like some juice?" "I don't drink juice, but can you get me a bottle of water? I'm a little thirsty." Mayra had always been straight with him. A cup of juice would cost him seven dollars. Therefore, to help save him some money and not hurt his feelings, Mayra would only request a bottle of water. Gordon bought two bottles of water and even got her an extra cup of warm milk. "I can't take you to my place today. But if you want to try my cooking, you can come by some other time! Today, I'll take you someplace else." Mayra beamed. "Sure! I want pasta with meatballs!" Gordon took a sip of water, his Adam's apple bobbing sexily. "Okay." They headed to a pasta restaurant located inside the mall. Mayra had brought Anderson here a couple of times before, but he could never get used to the taste. After just two visits, they never came back. Most of the customers here were students. Despite meeting her schoolmates, Mayra wasn't the least bit intimidated. After placing their order, Gordon paid while Mayra took out her workbooks. She asked, "Can you help me with this question? I've tried doing it twice, but I just can't seem to get it right. "The first time I tried, I got the wrong answer. The second time, I'm not sure which step went wrong, but the answer I got somehow was correct." Gordon took the workbook from her and immediately spotted the problem. He pointed at the formula and said, "You used the formula wrong here. The calculation below is incorrect. You just happened to get the right answer." Gordon's words left her feeling a little foolish. "Why are you looking at me? Do I have the answer written on my face?" Mayra grinned. "No, I just think you look good, that's all." Gordon awkwardly cleared his throat. "Focus." "Fine," Mayra replied obediently. Gordon only needed three minutes to teach her the question. Since their order wasn't ready yet, Mayra continued working on her other workbooks. "Ms. Fisher, do you want to buy some pastries? You could have just asked your servants to get them for you. You didn't have to come on your own. It's almost an hour-long queue. Won't you feel tired?" "It's no trouble. I saw Andy having pastries from this place once before. But I haven't seen him have them for a while now. I figured he must be too busy with work and hasn't got time to buy them. "Since I had some time, I thought I'd come get some and take them to the company for him." Upon hearing the familiar and gentle voice, Mayra turned around to see Isabel. She was dressed in elegant clothing and was holding two intricate boxes of pastries in her hands. As she spoke about Anderson, a sweet smile adorned her lips. As an heiress from a wealthy family, Isabel exuded sophistication and grace. Everyone who passed by couldn't help but steal glances at her. As if she sensed someone looking at her, Isabel glanced in Mayra's direction and the both of them locked gazes. With a faint smile on her lips, she gave Mayra a slight nod. Mayra nodded back with a smile. "Who are you looking at, Issy? Is it someone you know?" a young girl beside Isabel asked. Isabel replied, "It's nothing. Why don't you head back first? I have to stop by Andy's company. I'm sure he hasn't had his meal yet." The young girl suddenly asked, "Issy, I heard Anderson is having an affair. Is that true?"