Chapter 30
Behind me, I heard a woman’s surprised voice. “Leonardo, your clothes… Are you going to change?”
“Yeah, I’ll just head back to my dorm.”
“That woman was so rude! She spilled milk on you and just walked away!”
Leonardo responded lightly, “She’s blind. It’s fine. I handle it,”
“Wow, you’re such a gentleman!”
I kept walking, pretending not to hear any of it.
The difference between Leonardo and Samuel was that Leonardo wore a mask of civility while Samuel didn’t even bother. Either way, beasts were beasts–whether or not they disguised themselves.
With no second lecture that afternoon, I returned to the dorm. Once in bed, I pulled the blanket over my head and opened my phone. I navigated to Gideon’s WhatsApp profile and tapped into his status.
It was completely blank.
Nothing.
When I first added him, I had checked his status. Two days later, it was still the same–bare and untouched. It seemed he rarely used this feature.
I exited the app and transferred him a hundred dollars through Venmo.
Moments later, the notification showed he had accepted it.
I quickly typed a message to him, “Sorry, I only have a hundred dollars right now. Once I get paid at the tennis club, I’ll send the remaining 400 dollars.”
I didn’t know how much dry–cleaning would cost for Gideon’s clothes, but based on my father’s tailored suits, it was at least 400 to 500 dollars. Gideon’s clothes were probably even more expensive.
The transfer wasn’t just about paying him back–it was about making sure he wouldn’t forget about me.
As for promising the extra 400 dollars? That was insurance, to keep him from blocking me.
Soon, I saw the “typing” indicator appear.
But no message came through.
Had he forgotten who I was?
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I hurriedly replied, “I’m Juliet Sutton, the training partner from the tennis club.”
Finally replied with a single word, “Okay.”
It was clear he hadn’t saved my contact or remembered me.
Then again, it made sense. With so many admirers warming around him, how could he keep track of every name?
After replying to Gideon, I pulled off the blanket and sat up, taking deep breaths.
I had hidden under the covers while messaging to avoid exposing the fact that I wasn’t blind.
But as soon as I tossed off the blanket, I froze.
I was face–to–face with Leonardo and a few senior members of the student council, all of whom were staring directly at me–or, more accurately, at my face.
Their expressions were strange, almost unnerving
Leonardo, too, looked momentarily stunned. Then, he frowned and said, “You knew we were coming to inspect the dorms, and you’re dressed like this?”
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. Shocked, I gasped, “Who is there a
are you? Why guy in the girls‘ dorm?”
Amelia finally snapped out of her daze, her face flushed as she grabbed a blanket to cover my legs. “Jules, I forgot to tell you! There was a group message about dorm inspections today, but I know you don’t get those notifications!”
Turning to the student council members, she quickly added, “I’m so sorry! Jules just got back to the dorm, and she’s blind.”
A female senior spoke up, “Juliet Sutton? I think I’ve heard of her. Come on, freshman. Climb down.”
“Thank you,” Amelia said graciously before turning back to help me.
Dorm inspections meant I had no choice but to get off the bed. Slowly, I began climbing down the ladder.
Suddenly, my foot slipped on something. I instinctively shifted to avoid it, nearly falling off the ladder in the process.
Before I could hit the ground, a hand grabbed my waist and steadied me.
Amelia quickly took over, helping me the rest of the way down. Then, she turned to Leonard and caid, “Thank you, Leonardo!”
Chapter 31
