Chapter 53: What Kind of Person
Several months passed, and Chloe’s hair had grown longer. She got ready and went out for a meal with Mia, who was bubbling with excitement. As they were heading downstairs, they coincidentally saw Wyatt returning with a young student, who looked bright and cheerful.
It wasn’t clear what they were talking about, but Wyatt’s expression remained cool and detached. After exchanging a few words, the two men parted ways.
Seeing her brother, Mia quickly ran over to greet him.
“Hey, bro! You’re back!”
Wyatt nodded. “What brings you here?”
“I came to hang out with Chloe and grab some food. That guy you were talking to, is he one of your students?”
Mia, trying to hide her curiosity, subtly shifted the conversation. But standing nearby, Chloe saw right through Mia’s intentions, as did Wyatt.
“He’s a student from another school. He came over with some questions. Don’t bother with your little schemes,” Wyatt replied.
Embarrassed, Mia scratched her nose and stayed quiet.
“If you’re heading out, you better get going,” Wyatt added, preparing to leave. Mia, however, stopped him.
“Why don’t you join us for dinner instead?”
“No, thanks. I need to get back to the lab and continue with my experiments,” Wyatt declined.
Seeing that Wyatt had a lot on his plate, Mia didn’t press further.
As the siblings finished their conversation, Chloe finally had a chance to speak with Wyatt. “I still haven’t returned your jacket from that day.”
Chloe had been meaning to return his jacket but hadn’t found the opportunity, as Wyatt had been incredibly busy. Wyatt, noticing her outfit, saw that Chloe was dressed in a long dress paired with heels, with a light touch of makeup. She looked stunning yet simple and fresh.
For a moment, Wyatt almost didn’t register what Chloe was saying.
“I’ve been swamped with work lately, basically living in the lab. I haven’t had time. Let’s handle it another time,” Wyatt responded. The exhaustion in his eyes was clear; the toll of long hours in the lab was evident.
Chloe nodded, not wanting to disturb him further. She figured she’d return the jacket when he had more
time.
Just as Chloe passed Wyatt, she suddenly twisted her ankle and started to fall. Wyatt quickly reacted, grabbing her hand and placing his other arm around her waist to steady her.
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, realizing she wasn’t used to wearing heels after so long.
A fresh scent from Wyatt lingered near her nose. Looking up, she found herself almost face–to–face with him. If it hadn’t been for Wyatt’s quick reaction, she would have fallen for sure.
Once she regained her balance, Chloe quickly stepped back to put some distance between them. The closeness had been a bit too much, and she didn’t want to risk anything awkward happening.
“Thanks,” she said.
Chapter 53 What Kind of Person
“No problem. Be careful in heels. If you’re not comfortable, flats look just as good on you,” Wyatt offered, uncharacteristically giving more advice than usual.
Chloe smiled and thanked him again. Meanwhile, Mia, who had been busy texting and hadn’t noticed what happened, finally looked up and realized Chloe and Wyatt had been talking. She called out, “Chloe, let’s go!”
Chloe said her goodbyes to Wyatt and followed Mia.
Later, at the restaurant, Mia started venting about her recent experience with a blind date, growing more frustrated as she recounted the events.
“I honestly don’t know what my parents were thinking, setting me up with these guys. Each one acts like they’re such a big deal, it’s ridiculous.”
Being from the same social circle, Mia knew that people were aware of her lively lifestyle. Now that she was suddenly going on dates, many people were eager to gossip.
Some of the guys on these dates had once pursued Mia but hadn’t succeeded. Now, they took the opportunity to make snide remarks and taunt her. But Mia wasn’t one to back down. She had exposed plenty of the skeletons in their closets in return.
“So that’s why there were all those rumors going around recently,” Chloe said, piecing things together. What had been a minor scandal in their circle had turned into quite the spectacle.
“Yeah, serves them right for thinking they’re something special. My family is one of the most prominent, not to mention my brother. Even then, my parents keep pushing me to settle down,” Mia grumbled.
She didn’t think she had done anything wrong. In fact, her family had even supported her in calling out those jerks. Mia then brought up her cousin Wyatt.
“My cousin is a whole different story. My family is practically desperate for him to get married, but he doesn’t seem to care at all,” Mia added, surprising Chloe. She couldn’t quite imagine Wyatt being tied down by the idea of marriage.
Wyatt seemed like someone who would dedicate his life to science and research, so the idea of him getting married felt strange to Chloe.
“But my brother is barely ever home. He doesn’t have much chance to meet someone. I wonder, if he ever did fall in love, what kind of person she’d be. I’m so curious,” Mia pondered aloud, musing about her cousin’s potential love life.
Chloe also couldn’t help but think about it. Wyatt seemed distant and cold on the surface, but in reality, he was kind and thoughtful. Whoever Wyatt ended up with would have to be someone special–someone who could connect with him on the same wavelength.
Before they knew it, the end of the year had arrived, bringing colder weather and exams. Chloe bundled up in a heavy coat, scarf, and gloves before heading out. She triple–checked to make sure she had everything she needed for her exam.
Mia had promised to come and see Chloe off, but knowing how busy Mia had been recently, Chloe didn’t expect her to show up. As Chloe arrived at the exam venue and didn’t see Mia, she realized she had been right not to count on her.
