A commanding voice cut through Julian's words. The sound was unmistakable, and I instinctively looked up.

It was Alex.

For once, he was dressed casually, yet his commanding presence was as unshakable as ever. His effortless confidence seemed to silence every conversation around us.

Alex strolled over, his gaze locking onto the necklace in Julian's hand. His brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "The Blakes from Grandview... Are they really that broke now?"

The casual remark hit like a slap, and Julian's expression darkened instantly.

He had a knack for subtly flaunting his wealth at the university. Though he never openly discussed his family background, his wardrobe was a constant display of designer labels. The sympathy he garnered from his classmates came from their obliviousness to his true status. 

Upon hearing Alex's words, a local classmate from Grandview raised an eyebrow. "T

"What are you doing? I have class!" I frowned.

A sleek black Bentley was parked at the university gate, its license plate clearly indicating its high value. I knew instantly that the car belonged to Alex.

Without a word, Alex grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the car. Once we stopped, he turned to face me, his eyes filled with confusion. "When you were skipping class every day to earn money for that guy from the Blake family, you didn't seem to care much about your education. So why does it suddenly matter now that I'm here?"

I was furious that he called me out like that.

"Get in the car," he ordered, opening the passenger door and shoving me inside.

I was even angrier now.

Alex slid into the driver's seat and glanced at me, his brows furrowing slightly when he caught my dark expression. "Are you upset because I interrupted that jerk's little confession?"

I took a deep breath, t

Back then, I was blinded by love and didn't heed Lila's words.

Looking at her angry outburst now, I realized how spot-on she was when she called Julian a jerk and said I'd regret it.

It finally hit me that she had only meant well. With a heavy heart, I set my luggage down and sat on the bed.

"You were right, Lila. Julian is a jerk," I murmured, thinking of everything I had done for him. The realization left me feeling deeply sad.

When Lila saw how upset I was, she hesitated for a moment before walking over to me. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes were filled with concern, and her genuine worry was comforting. Unable to hold it in any longer, I poured out everything that had happened.

"Julian is such a jerk!" Lila said, wiping away my tears. Her expression darkened with anger. "Who does he think he is, acting like that just because he has a little money? Let's go confront him."

I stopped her as tears streamed down my face. "No, Lila. I just want to cut all ties with Julian. I never want to see him again."

Lila pulled me into a tight embrace, her voice heavy with emotion. "But you've been through so much."

I cried silently.

I couldn't deny that I was hurt and upset.

Everything that happened with Julian was undeniably real, and it was not just some bad dream. I had poured so much of myself into him, only to discover that I was nothing more than a toy to him.

Every time I thought about it, bitterness and grief swelled in my heart, and the tears would stream down like a river.

Lila pulled me into her arms. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't cry. You're beautiful, Serena. You deserve someone so much better. Julian's just a guy with a bit of money; he's nothing special."

She gently patted my back before adding, "Do you know what the most attractive thing about Julian is?"

I sniffled. "What?"

"He's as ugly as a toad, yet he managed to make a beautiful girl like you fall for him. If it weren't for you, who would even know about Julian?"

I couldn't help but laugh.

The truth was, Julian wasn't ugly at all. In fact, he was kind of... handsome.

"Cry it out," Lila said with a sigh. "It's not too late. You'll feel like a new person tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Lila. I used to argue with you because of Julian." Guilt weighed heavy on me as I spoke. I had hurt someone who truly cared about me, all because of a jerk like him.

"Yeah," Lila said, patting my head. "But you know better now."

We exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.

…

Early the next morning, Lila and I headed to class together. With graduation fast approaching, I had decided to focus entirely on my studies and forget about that jerk, Julian.

But fate had other plans. As I was walking toward the dorm building, I ran straight into him at the entrance.

Lila rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Look, it's the ugly guy who thinks he has a shot with someone way out of his league. Let's go this way, Serena."

She tugged at me to walk around Julian, and I nodded in agreement.

"Serena," Julian called out as we turned, blocking our path.

"Move aside, Julian," Lila said, her annoyance evident. "You'd be better off staying far away."

Julian's eyes flickered with anger at Lila's words. "Do you even know who I am? Watch yourself—"

"Lila's right," I said, meeting his gaze steadily. "Julian, there's nothing left between us. Just get out of the way."

"Serena," Julian said, handing me a package. It contained peanut butter bagels.

I glanced at it before looking up at him. Seeing that I wasn't taking it, he shoved the bagels toward me again and said sincerely, "Serena, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me?"

I looked at his earnest expression, but inwardly, I couldn't help but scoff.

Julian and I were in the same finance program, but now, I realize he had picked the wrong major. Acting would have been a much better fit for him.

"What if I don't forgive you?" I asked coldly.

Julian looked taken aback by my response. His tone shifted, becoming sharp. "Serena, there's only so much of your temper I'm willing to tolerate. Don't think I'll always be this patient."

Lila suddenly burst out laughing, which sounded completely out of place. Julian shot her a glare.

I stared at him, and he quickly softened his expression.

"An apology is something you offer after you've truly reflected on your mistakes. You should be humbly asking for forgiveness, not trying to force someone to forgive you," Lila said, her gaze fixed on Julian. "What you're doing right now is emotional blackmail."

"You..." Julian stared at her in disbelief.

I didn't want Lila to get involved, so I was about to step in and confront Julian myself, but she was determined to stand up for me. She held me back and stepped forward instead.

Julian took a step back.

"You said you want Serena to forgive you, but you're not showing any sincerity. I called you an emotional blackmailer, and you denied it. Serena is allergic to peanut butter, yet you brought her peanut butter bagels?"

Julian glanced at the bagels, then back at me. After a long silence, he mumbled, "Why didn't you ever tell me you were allergic to peanut butter?"

I scoffed. "Because you've never cared about me."

A crowd of students had gathered, their eyes fixed on Julian. It was clear he was feeling the pressure from the gossip and the pointed stares.

Then, as if struck by a sudden epiphany, he pulled a small box from his pocket. "Serena, look, I got you this Tiffany & Co. necklace. Isn't it beautiful?"

I frowned slightly.

"I know I was wrong about what happened before, Serena. Please don't be mad anymore. Can you forgive me?" Julian pleaded, his eyes filled with genuine regret.

The onlookers were shocked by the sudden turn of events and began whispering among themselves.

"A Tiffany necklace? That's not cheap!"

"Julian has always been mooching off Serena. Where did he get the money for something like this?"

"Of course, Serena must've blackmailed him. Nothing comes for free."

Ignoring the gossip, Julian held out the necklace with a smug look in his eyes.

I stared at him in silence. He always played the victim, even when he was clearly in the wrong. It was obvious he was trying to use public opinion to pressure me into giving in. He was such a jerk.

Anger began to well up inside me.

"Serena, this necklace is a token of my sincerity. Please accept it," he said, trying to use public opinion to his advantage.

"The Hastings family's heiress wouldn't settle for something as cheap as this."


A commanding voice cut through Julian's words. The sound was unmistakable, and I instinctively looked up.

It was Alex.

For once, he was dressed casually, yet his commanding presence was as unshakable as ever. His effortless confidence seemed to silence every conversation around us.

Alex strolled over, his gaze locking onto the necklace in Julian's hand. His brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "The Blakes from Grandview... Are they really that broke now?"

The casual remark hit like a slap, and Julian's expression darkened instantly.

He had a knack for subtly flaunting his wealth at the university. Though he never openly discussed his family background, his wardrobe was a constant display of designer labels. The sympathy he garnered from his classmates came from their obliviousness to his true status. 

Upon hearing Alex's words, a local classmate from Grandview raised an eyebrow. "The Blake family? As in the one in the electronics industry?"

Julian's face went pale. 

While the n

Chapter 8