Chapter 41 On the other end of the phone, Noah let out a long sigh.
âItâs not gonna be easy, man. Aliceâs really hurt.â
He had tried to comfort Alice during this time, but nothing seemed to work. Even today, Alice left the dining room and hadnât returned home or replied to any messages. In the past, he would have sent someone to find her, maybe even threatened to call the police. But now, Noah was terrified of pushing Alice further away and just waited for a reply. Mostly, he was wary of that mysterious school nurse. No wonder he couldnât find Alice before.
Luke didnât believe it.âNoah, Alice has always had a good relationship with us. Isnât she closest to us brothers? I believe that as long as I clear up the misunderstandings and comfort her properly, itâll be fine.â
Noah frowned.âDonât show up around her before her exam.â
âI know my limits.â Luke said, hanging up. He knew exactly how to handle Alice. He just hadnât wanted to bother. It was a piece of cake.
Luke pulled out his phone, opened his text thread with Alice, and typed:âAlice, meet me at the coffee shop across from the school after classes tomorrow. I need to talk to you.â
After logging out of her game, Alice showered and prepared for bed. She saw an unread message. She figured it was Noah.
Instead, it was Luke. She read his message, then remembered the slap. She deleted Lukeâs contact, feeling a sense of sweet revenge and slept soundly. The next day, since Jack wasnât working, Alice took a cab to school alone. A crowd gathered. outside the school, surrounding a flashy sports car parked at the curb. They werenât wearing he schoolâs uniform.
As she got out of the cab, someone shouted, âAliceâs here!â The group around the car scattered. A guy in a private school uniform, handsome but with a somewhat unsettling gaze, stepped out. Alice recognized him immediately: Garrett, from the rival private school, and the secret crush of affections of Chloe. She never expected him to show up.
Garrett smirked.âYouâre Alice? Youâre...pretty hot.â
Alice raised an eyebrow, her expression cool and composed.
Garrett grinned, pleased.âIâm Garrett Yates. Iâd like to be friends with you.â
A chorus of squeals erupted from the surrounding girls.
âDamn, he is so direct; heâs so handsome!â
âHis girlfriends only last a month, though! Heâs gone through a ton of them. But still girls fall for âHis girlfriends only last a month, though! Heâs him.â
âBut his his family is rich and generous;
many ordinary girls canât resist.
âBut Aliceâs rich, too! Though not as rich as the Yates family back in Washington.â Hearing this, Aliceâs mouth twitched. Because in her past life, Garrett had said the same thing. but to Chloe. It was ridiculous!
Just then, Chloe got out of the car and her face twisted when she saw Garrett talking to Alice. Alice was clearly harboring such thoughts!
Chloe rushed over.âAlice, you were out all night! Noahâs worried sick. You canât be out all night 14.29 < Chapter 41 with that school doctor, given your unclear relationship.â
After hearing this, Garrett frowned, seemingly unable to believe that Alice, who looked so innocent, had such an open private life.
Alice looked at Chloe with a smirk that made Chloeâs skin crawl.
âAlice, are you angry? Iâm just worried youâre being taken advantage of, Chloe said, her voice trembling slightly.
Aliceâs expression remained impassive. âSave your fake concern.â She saw through Chloeâs attempt to smear her, but this was perfect, she didnât want anything to do with Garrett either. After saying that, Alice walked straight towards the school. With her backpack on, her fair features showed no expression, yet somehow exuded pressure. The crowd parted for her, as Alice had made a name for herself with a twelveâhit combo; she was now the darling of the eâsports scene, with many teams eyeing her for recruitment. However, since she was from the Welch family, those teams didnât dare to poach didnât dare to poach her due to Lukeâs influence. students buzzed about her amazing accomplishments.
Even after Alice left, the Chloe bit her lip, addressing Garrett with feigned sweetness. âYouâre Garrett, right? Alice has this kind of temperament; please donât be upset.â
âDoes she often stay out at night?â Garrett asked.
âNot often, her familyâs strict. But recently, sheâs been getting close to a school doctor, which has caused some family conflicts, leading to her staying out. Chloe added with a hint of regret, âPlease donât tell anyone, it would ruin her reputation.â
Garrett glanced at Aliceâs retreating back, his expression shifting.
Chloe lowered her eyelids, hiding a flash of malice.
When Alice got to class, more boys were crowding around her desk. After sitting down, she found even more love letters in her desk than last time. She took a look and tossed them all into the trash can.
Outside the classroom, someone wailed, âYour love letters got at them!â
âIâm not the only one; yours got tossed too.â
thrown away; she didnât even look âYeah, so did mine... and everyone elseâ s,â another voice sighed.
Alice found the noise distracting. She had other things on her mind.
When Chloe entered, she felt a pang of jealousy seeing the discarded letters. She used to be the most popular girl in class. Now, Alice had surpassed her.
Later, Alice felt a stomach cramp and went to the restroom. It was probably her period starting.
As she left the restroom, Chloe approached her. Alice, what do you think of Garrett?â
Alice replied coldly, âI donât know him.â
âBut I think heâs pretty great, Alice...â
âAre you seriously bothering me with this? If you like him, go for it, but donât drag me into your drama!â
Chloeâs eyes welled up. Thatâs not what I meant.â
Her sidekick chimed in, Alice, donât think Garrett actually likes you. The Yates family is way out of your league.â
Alice scoffed. âNot me, then who? You guys?â
The surrounding classmates nodded in agreement. That makes sense; after all, Alice is the eldest daughter of the Welch family, while Chloe is just an adopted daughter; theyâre not the same.â âStop talking; be careful not to be overheard.â
But Alice ignored them and walked away. Chloeâs hatred simmered; she wouldnât give up on Garrett.
Near the end of the school day, Alice noticed an even larger crowd than before at the school gates. She had a bad feeling about this. As she stepped outside, she saw Garrett leaning against his sports car, a massive bouquet of roses and candles spelling out her name in front of him. âAlice! Alice! Alice!â chanted the crowd.âSay yes! Say yes! Say yes!â
Alice turned, grabbed a fire extinguisher from the security guardâs booth, and walked directly towards the display. She aimed the extinguisher at extinguisher at the candles and sprayed.