Chapter 31
I was a little taken aback. When he steadied me, I already knew it was Leonardo.
What surprised me was that he actually lent a hand.
Then again, it made sense. With so many people watching and him standing so close, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
Without a word, I let Amelia pull me out of the dorm
“That was close. You almost gave me a heart attack! If Leonardo hadn’t caught you, you would’ve fallen off the ladder for sure,” Amelia said, still sounding flustered.
Another roommate chimed in, “Jules didn’t even thank Leonardo.”
Amelia quickly came to my defense. “She must’ve been scared out of her wits and forgot. I thanked him several times on her behalf. Leonardo’s a nice guy; he wouldn’t care about something.
like that.”
I smiled faintly but said nothing. Through the reflection in the fire extinguisher glass, I caught a glimpse of myself–slightly disheveled hair with a few strands sticking to my face, flushed
cheeks, and moist eyes.
This was what I looked like earlier? This was the mess they had all seen?
Amelia pulled me aside and carefully tidied my hair
The student council finished their inspection of our dorm and moved on.
I saw Leonardo glance at me inexplicably before heading to the next room.
My roommates began whispering.
“Leonardo rarely comes to the women’s dorm for inspections. It’s usually that other annoying senior. Why is he here today?”
“I don’t know, but he’s so handsome! Up close, he’s flawless!”
“I’m so jealous of his girlfriend!”
I kept a natural expression as I grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom to change. When I
came out, I reached for my jacket and slipped it on.
Amelia spoke up again, “Jules, do you want to switch beds with me? I’m on the bottom bunk, diagonally across from you. It’ll be easier for you.”
“It’s fine. There’s no need,” I replied.
There was only a month left in the semester. I wouldn’t be staying here much longer anyway.
my
Grabbing my cane, I tapped my way out of the dorm and headed downstairs. At the entrance, I saw
Leonardo on the phone
This was the third time I had seen him today. I lightly tapped my cane on the ground, catching bits of his conversation.
“Your pet ran off. I have no obligation to help you find it,” he said before hanging up.
I felt his gaze lingering on me as I passed.
Thinking back, I realized that among their group of friends, only Yvette kept a pet. But there was no way Leonardo would talk to Yvette like that.
It didn’t take long for me to figure out what the pet was
Leonardo answered another call. Though he was some distance away and the area was noisy, I still caught his cold tone. “She’s not in her dorm.”
I immediately understood. The pet he was referring to was me.
The caller was probably Samuel.
I should’ve been used to this kind of demeaning language by now, but at that moment, standing on campus, I still felt a sharp sting of humiliation Leonardo had seen me and blatantly referred to me as a pet in my presence.
Taking a detour down a side path, I pretended to tum back casually. Leonardo wasn’t on the phone anymore but was staring at me, his expression cold and unreadable.
I avoided meeting his gaze.
It didn’t surprise me that he didn’t reveal my whereabouts to Samuel. From the beginning, I had sensed his hostility toward me. It wasn’t the typical kind of disdain but rather the kind born from looking down on someone from a lofty height.
I ignored it. Following the directions, I made my way to Harborton’s most upscale lounge, the Ornamental Lounge.
