The unselected Hope, Ashton, Drew and Albert were shivering on the side while Bailey remained motionless with a natural expression on his face. After Sophia served him a cup of tea, he thanked her before casually drinking it as if nothing was happening.
The water in the cup was extremely calm, just like his heart at the moment, even though the scene had been turbulent and tense.
He was now bearing all the hostility from Carmenâs male relatives as her uncles and brothers looked as though they really wanted to peel off his skin, but he remained calm as ever.
However, Sophia was not worried for him at all.
This old son-in-law of mine is stronger than Michael. After all, he sells insurance. Look how cool and calm he is. What a talent!
At the moment, Bailey was sitting on the âold son-in-law seatâ that Michael used to sit on when he was facing Cooper. Even so, Bailey still maintained his composure, as if it was made for him.
Cooper stared furiously at him.
I take you in as my little brother but now you are flirting with my granddaughter?
Yet, Bailey seemed unfazed by Cooperâs gaze as he kept on drinking his tea indifferently.
If Cooper doesnât open his mouth, neither will I. I shall not make the first move until my enemy makes his.
A storm was brewing in the house but Bailey was the only one with a smile as he was at ease, merging himself with his surroundings so that he wouldnât be disrupted by the outside world.
Although everyoneâs eyes were full of hostility, they knew clearly what kind of a person Bailey was.
He was someone that could even make Cooper flinch. Cooper had stated openly on more than one occasion that Bailey was the only person he saw as someone with limitless potential. Ever since Bailey was in his teens, Cooper knew instantly that he would become a somebody after he grew up and his future would be boundless.
Looking back, one could see that Cooper had a very high standard.
Other than Baileyâs various successes, his appearance was also outstanding. Not only did he have handsome features, he also had a pair of rare green eyes. Whether he was in the West or East, he would perfectly fit into everyoneâs beauty standard. Also, the men who were present at the scene would never forget that New Yearâs Eve ten years ago which they celebrated with Bailey.
At that time, they peed together and realizedâ¦
That fear had followed them for many years afterward.
Although they only saw it ten years ago, there was still room for improvement. The only problem was that they didnât know how huge it had now becomeâ¦
The strange atmosphere continued until Carmen came down after her bath; she had already changed into casual attire. When she realized that Bailey and everyone was still here, she took a glance at the time and realized that it was already eleven at night.
Donât these people need to sleep?
âBailey, donât you need to go to work tomorrow? Why arenât you going back home to rest?â
Bailey poured himself a cup of tea while answering her, âItâs the weekend so I can afford to sleep late.â
The reason he refused to leave was probably because he was waiting for an explanation.
Didnât we decide to choose Carmenâs true love today? Since Iâve been chosen, they need to give me an explanation. If not, I wonât leave.
Naturally, Cooper knew what Bailey was thinking but he refused to give him an explanation, so he just continued to stare at him.
Just like that, a bunch of people kept on staring at each other while Sophia served them tea enthusiastically.
âBailey, you will be staying in Bayside City for a while, right? Remember to come to our house for dinner if you have the time. Recently, Carmen is busy with her senior year revision so she only takes a break on weekend afternoons. Therefore, every weekend afternoon, Iâll make something delicious.
Your house isnât that far away from us, so please visit us often.â
Bailey hummed in response.
Beside him, Carmen exclaimed, âHave you really moved into a house near us?â
âYes. Iâve bought it from Mrs. Fletcher for a long time now.â
Back then, Sophia kept on buying many houses with the money she earned and she had sold Bailey his house long ago.
In the entire house, there were only the three of them who kept on chatting. At midnight, Bailey finally stood up to leave, so Sophia asked Carmen to escort him out of the community.
As soon as Bailey left, everyone else silently left too because the atmosphere was too weird and frightening.
Cooper also left angrily afterward.
Bailey really is a flawless old grandson-in-law.
However, Cooper was still unsatisfied deep down.
My daughter was taken away by that old son-in-law, Michael, when she was just 18. Am I really going to stand and watch while that old man, Bailey, tries to snatch my granddaughter away from me at the age of 17? Never! Iâm having none of this!
The moment Cooper returned to his courtyard house, he felt even more unsatisfied so he made a call at midnight. âTell the Michel, Winston, Fletcher and Mitchell Family to come up with a list of talented young boys aged 18 to 22 this very instant. I want to choose one of them to become my granddaughterâs partner at the dance party.â
Meanwhile, Carmen had brought Bailey to the community gates. The journey wasnât that long so the two of them didnât seem to converse much on the way. In the meantime, she was wondering why everyone was acting so weird today. As for Bailey, he was already standing by the gate while pointing to a single villa directly across the road from the community. âThat is the house I bought long ago. Itâs now fully renovated, so feel free to come visit me.â
âHuh?â Carmen was shocked.
Is he actively inviting me to his house?
Sadly, Bailey already walked out of the community while reminding her. âGo get some rest. You still have class tomorrow.â
She stood by the community gate and watched as he casually took out the Imperialâs access card before crossing the road and returning to his home.
While walking back home, she felt that today was a little too fantastical.
The cold Bailey Adams isnât cold at all today.
Truth was, he had always been a gentle person in Carmenâs mind.
That coldness is just his outer persona.
Although the next day was a Saturday, it was still a day filled with classes for the senior year students.
From seven to half past nine in the morning, they were buried in an endless wave of books and assignments.
Today, as soon as Carmen arrived at school, she could feel that there was something wrong because everyone in class was looking at her weirdly. The moment she stepped in the class, she instantly saw the defeated Flynn sitting at his desk.
Upon seeing her, he quickly rushed up to her.
âCarmen, how could you be so depraved? I canât believe you are willing to be someoneâs mistress. Do you know how shameless you are? If you need money, I can lend some to you!â
He grabbed her shoulder and shook her vigorously to a point where she was in a daze.
What happened?
Amidst Flynnâs cries, many students in class started whispering about her being someone elseâs mistress.
âYouâre crazy!â
After that, she sat back on her seat and ignored the insane Flynn.
Last night, someone posted a photo of Carmen in a sports car on the schoolâs forum and student website, so everyone assumed that she had become someone elseâs mistress.
Not only that, she was also the niece of the class teacher, Hope Fletcher, so everyone accused her of enrolling into the school not because of her academic results but because of her connections. They said that she wasnât able to get good grades, which was why Hope would transfer the answer to her during every examination by abusing his power. Moreover, they accused Hope of taking away Flynnâs name in the recommendation list and replacing it with Carmenâs.
During the morning self-study period, Hope, who would usually peep in through the backdoor silently to watch everyone study, didnât show up today. In the afternoon, everyone suddenly received the news that he was fired.
Not only was he fired, the security guard at the gate, Theo, was also released by the school. As for Carmen, she was also lodged in a joint complaint by the parents association for being someoneâs mistress.
At the moment, members of the parent association were all gathered in the principalâs office to cause a ruckus. In the end, the school couldnât handle the pressure so they fired the people mentioned in the complaint. After all, they were a prestigious school and they couldnât afford any scandals happening.
In the afternoon, Carmen began to pack up her stuff while Theo silently came to help her put away the things on her desk. As for Hope, he was also packing up his stuff in the office. And so, the three of them were expelled from the school.