Chapter 13: She Got It Wrong
The last time they met, Professor Lauren didn’t sense much ambition from Ella. She thought Ella was a promising student who could be nurtured. But today, Professor Lauren realized she had been wrong
It seemed her judgment of people wasn’t always as accurate as she thought, especially when it came to the girl standing in front of her.
“As for the spot, talking to me won’t change anything. Everything is based on merit. If you have the skills and can earn it, I won’t stand in your way,” Professor Lauren said, her tone suddenly much colder.
Ella hadn’t expected this shift in attitude. She remembered that durin Lauren wasn’t overly warm, she certainly hadn’t been this distant. Wh
last meeting, while Professor
gone wrong?
“Professor, did I do something wrong? If I did, please tell me, and I’ll correct it as soon as possible,” Ella said, her heart pounding with worry. She was desperate to secure this opportunity.
“You haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, you’ve done well. But I need rest. You should leave now, and take your gifts with you–I don’t need them.”
With that, Professor Lauren shut the door, making it clear that the conversation was over.
Ella was left standing there, confused. What had gone wrong? Why had the professor’s attitude changed so drastically?
As she turned to leave, she bumped into Chloe, who was holding a black garbage bag and wearing a gray apron–clearly in the middle of cleaning.
“Chloe? What are you doing here? Did you come to work as a maid or something?” was Ella’s first
reaction.
Chloe hadn’t expected to run into Ella here, and it was obvious that Ella had misunderstood the situation.
Before Chloe could explain, Ella continued, “My brother must be out of his mind. Is he seriously not giving you any money? This is ridiculous.”
him a cle
“Don’t worry, Chloe. I’ll give of my mind. How could he treat you like this? A boyfriend who doesn’t give his girlfriend money is just trash. I’ll call him right now and set him straight.”
Ella pulled out her phone, clearly intending to berate her brother. Whether her actions were truly out of concern for Chloe was questionable. It seemed more about family pride. To Ella, it was shameful that her brother wouldn’t even give his ex–girlfriend money to live on.
As she dialed, Ella muttered, “A maid? At least be a high–paid one!”
On the phone, Ella chastised her brother, “Julian, are you kidding me? Even if you’re having issues, you still have to give her money. You’re making our whole family look bad! What are people going to think when they find out?”
Julian, who had no idea why his sister was calling, was greeted with her accusations
“What are you talking about?” Julian snapped, annoyed.
“I’m talking about Chloe! Do you even know she’s working as a maid now? I wasn’t a big fan of hers, but this is just too much. How can you be so heartless?” Ella continued, oblivious to Julian’s mounting frustration.
The only words Julian caught were “Chloe” and “maid, and those two together didn’t make sense to him. Yet, oddly, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.
Suddenly, Julian remembered the 80 million yuan check Chloe had cashed. He had assumed she’d use the money to live comfortably, but perhaps she hadn’t touched it at all. Maybe she wasn’t as decisive as he had thought..
The thought amused him, and Julian chuckled. He had overestimated her. After leaving him, she was clearly struggling, and in a way, it was satisfying. She claimed she didn’t need him, yet here she was, living a worse life without him.
Smirking, Julian hung up the phone and stood up to leave.
Daniel, who had been watching him, looked surprised. “Leaving already?”
“Yeah, I have something to take care of,” Julian replied,
“But you said earlier you were free tonight.” Daniel said, confused.
Julian didn’t respond, already heading out the door.
Julian sat in his car, waiting for Chloe to call him and apologize, just like she used to during their past arguments. But as he sat there, the only calls he received were work–related–nothing from Chloe.
She was probably just too proud to call first, Julian thought. So, he decided to go find her at Mia’s
apartment.
Chloe only had one close friend–Mia. Despite his belief that Mia was a bad influence, Chloe had always refused to sever ties with her. Julian had tried many times to convince her otherwise, but Chloe had always been firm in her loyalty to Mia.
In hindsight, Julian thought it wasn’t so bad. At least he knew where to find Chloe when they argued.
As Julian parked his car outside Mia’s building, he saw Mia arriving with a young man by her side.
The tension between them was immediate.
“What are you doing here?” Mia snapped. She had never liked Julian, and now she had even less patience for him.
“I’m here for Chloe. Is she upstairs? Tell her to come down. I’ll wait here,” Julian said dismissively.
Mia’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait a minute, did you forget something? You and Chloe are done. You have no business seeing her.”
Julian sneered. “You know as well as I do that we’re not done. No matter how many times we fight, she always comes crawling back, like a dog. So, be a good friend and tell her to come down.”
His words were dripping with arrogance and contempt. Even Mia, who usually held her composure, felt her blood boil.
“You’ve lost it, haven’t you? You were the one who treated her poorly, and now you think you can just waltz in and demand to see her? Even if she were upstairs, I wouldn’t let her see you. Get over yourself and stop with this pathetic fantasy,” Mia shot back.
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Chapter 14: Losing Control
