Chapter 22
‘Is this girl out of her mind? How dare she call Mr. Snee by his first name?‘ everybody wondered.
As everyone stared at Nina, she quickl.”
realized her mistake and started thinking of a way to cover it up.
But to everyone’s surprise, Clifford didn’t seem bothered at all. He just squatted down in front of Nina, totally unfazed, and tied her shoelace as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The sight left everyone speechless.
Oh my god, what did they just witness? The infamous, supposedly asexual Clifford–who was known for avoiding wo was calmly squatting down and tying a female student’s shoelace?
Just then, Oliver came running back, panting heavily as he approached the instructors. He froze when he saw what was going on.
He thought to himself, “Clifford… actually squatted down in front of Nina and tied her shoelaces? She only got back a few minutes before me. What on earth happened during that time?”
Once Clifford finished tying the lace, he stood up, still smiling, and said to Nina, “All done.”
His demeanor was so casual and polite, it was like he was just helping out a younger family member.
But for everyone watching? Their minds were racing.
“Why is everyone just standing there?” Clifford asked, flashing a smile and looking around.
The others exchanged unsure glances, wondering, ‘Had we overreacted? Was it really nothing out of the ordinary?‘
“Uncle Clifford,” Oliver finally said, walking over after setting down his heavy pack.
11-
Clifford greeted him with his usual warm smile, like the friendly older relative. “Nice job on the weight run today. Want to try some different training drills with us?”
Oliver hesitated. He wanted to join in, but he was also worried about Jessica. She might struggle with the training, and he wasn’t sure if she could handle it.
Before he could respond, Nina jumped in. She straightened up, looking all business. “Of course he’s going! He has to. For the next seven days, he’s my errand boy. How else is he going to bring me coffee and give me massages?”
Clifford raised an eyebrow, shooting Nina a playful look. “Since when did he become your errand boy?”
Nina pointed to one of the instructors, chin held high with pride. “It was the instructor’s idea! Whoever wins the weight run gets to make the other person their errand boy. I won, so now Oliver’s my errand boy!”
“That’s absurd!” The instructor immediately glared at the other one. “This was supposed to be a physical test, not a bet!”
“This is a mess. Oliver is Mr. Snee’s nephew. Errand boy? What’s Mr. Snee going to think of that?‘ the instructor thought to himself.
The other instructor quickly backed down, apologizing, “Sorry, sir. I didn’t think this through.”
“Go write a two–thousand–word reflection,” came the stern response.
“Yes, sir…” The instructor muttered under his breath, cursing his own mouth.
Clifford laughed softly, shaking his head. “Let’s call it off. Adding a bet to the test wasn’t the best idea.”
“Oh?” Nína pouted, clearly unimpressed. “So no errand boy for Oliver? Clifford–Mr. Snee, you can’t just let him off because he’s your nephew. That’s favoritism!”
The others froze, their faces going pale.
She had absolutely no fear of crossing Mr. Snee. Though she was fearless, others most certainly were not.
Everyone held their breath, hoping Nina would stop talking.
Clifford’s smile didn’t fade, but his eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh? You really want Oliver to be your errand boy?”
The instructors exchanged panicked glances. ‘Oh no, oh no, they thought. ‘Mr. Snee is furious. That little missy, she’s gotten way too comfortable. Just wait until she feels the heat!‘
Oliver quickly stepped in, sensing the growing tension. “Uncle Clifford, I already agreed. I’ll take the loss. You don’t have to get involved.”
Clifford studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable, then his gaze softened just slightly.
After a brief pause, he gave a small smile. “It’s your
With that, he turned and walked awa
call.”
As soon as Clifford left, the tense atmosphere quickly dissolved. Everyone else let out a collective sigh of relief and hurried to follow him out. Nina, oblivious to the shift, kept walking along.
Oliver caught up to her, casting a glance at Clifford, now surrounded by others ahead. He warned, “Don’t mess with Clifford. He doesn’t lose his temper often, but when he does, it’s bad news.”
“I’m not worried about him,” Nina replied casually. She wasn’t fazed–after all, she’d gotten him mad before, and he always cooled down and came back.
“You’re something else…” Oliver chuckled, amused by her boldness. Still, he thought about how Nina and Clifford would probably never cross paths again, so his warning didn’t seem to matter. He decided to drop it.
He looked at Nina again, curiosity in his eyes. “What exactly did you do before? That weight run… you must’ve broken the record.”
Oliver wasn’t someone who couldn’t lose gracefully. Despite Nina’s knack for riling people up, there was something impressive about her.
He figured as long as she didn’t stir trouble, they could get along after all, she was Jessica’s sister, and it would be awkward if he didn’t get along with her.
Nina shrugged. “I worked on a farm.”
“Farm work?” Oliver paused, clearly unconvinced. “Nina, do you really think I’m that gullible?”
Nina threw up her hands in mock surrender. “Well, you asked, and I answered. Now you’re saying I’m fooling you? Seriously, errand boy, you have zero respect for your boss!”
Oliver almost lost it. She was the one holding back, yet somehow it felt like it was his fault, like he wasn’t catching on. She was seriously good at flipping things around.
After a moment, Oliver’s frustration melted away. He smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna tell me, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out on my own.”
Nina blinked at him, her tone unbothered. “Go ahead. Take your time.”
Up ahead, Clifford had been walking but was clearly aware of the two of them. Seeing Nina act like nothing was wrong, casually chatting with his nephew, he couldn’t quite figure out how he felt, but he was definitely irritated, and it left him in a bad mood.
“Oliver.” Clifford stopped suddenly and called out.
“Yes.” At the sound of his name, Oliver quickly approached. Nina followed, but just as she neared, Clifford turned to her, offering a polite smile. “We need to have a word, just the two of us. Is that alright?”
Clifford had just brushed her off! He’d never done that before–no matter how important things were, he always included her. But now? It seemed like family took priority.
