Chapter 164

”

Propping her head up with her hand, Yvonne listened attentively to what Madelyn was saying.

“I know that girl, Jadie, right? She transferred to our school from Ventropolis High School after a fight,”

Yvonne said.

Madelyn took a few bites of her risotto, which had vegetables and meat on the side. The dining area was nice, and the veggies were fresh. The meat, though, didn’t taste very good; it wasn’t seasoned well.

“Zach moved out and now lives with Jadie. If you want to know more about him, Jadie’s the one to ask,” Madelyn said carefully, watching Yvonne closely.

Yvonne twirled her hair and made a face, “Don’t you think she’s kinda fake. You don’t like Zach in that way too, right?”

Without hesitation, Madelyn denied it, “No, he’s my brother. I can’t like him that way.

Yvonne looked relieved and patted her chest, saying, “Oh, good! You scared me. I thought you were like Jadie. Now you’re my best friend! Maybe we’ll be family in the future.”

Madelyn smiled but stayed quiet. She thought to herself, ‘Should I tell her about Zach’s true colors? If she falls for him harder, he might hurt her, just like he hurt me.’

Madelyn understood that feeling too well. When she had fallen for Zach, she felt like she was losing herself. When they got married, she lost her freedom, like a bird trapped in a cage.

‘She might end up like me, trapped in pain.’ She thought, ‘But then again, I’m on a tightrope now. I can’t take care of other people’s business. Whoever Zach chooses to marry doesn’t matter to me.’

After they finished eating, Yvonne ordered a bubble tea for Madelyn.

Someone called Yvonne’s name from behind. Yvonne waved, “I’ll be right there.”

Then she turned to Madelyn, “Madelyn, I need to practice for Olympiad Maths. If I get first place, I can go to Ventropolis University with a scholarship. Let’s go to the same university. And don’t forget about my party.”

When Madelyn got her bubble tea, Yvonne had already joined her friends. Madelyn thought Yvonne was amazing. ‘She’s so happy and friendly. She treats everyone nicely. Who wouldn’t like her?’

As Madelyn turned around, a basketball suddenly came flying toward her. Surprised, she dropped her bubble tea. She saw Forrest and some boys on a basketball court nearby.

One of them wiped sweat off his face with his shirt and shouted, “Hey, Madelyn, toss me the ball!”

In her mind, Madelyn lamented, ‘My bubble tea… I didn’t even get a sip yet.’

Deciding to ignore the boy’s request, Madelyn turned and walked away, her thoughts continuing, ‘If Forrest wasn’t here, I might have kicked the ball back to them. Sorry, guys, I’m just not in the mood right now.”

The boy turned to Forrest, saying, “Wow, Forry, she’s acting like you’re invisible. Should I get some guys to teach her a lesson?”

Forrest retorted, “You got nothing better to do?” In his inner thoughts, he added, ‘Ungrateful girl, maybe I shouldn’t have saved you from drowning’ a Back then, these same boys, under Forrest’s lead and with his silent approval, had treated Madelyn unfriendly.

Even though everyone knew Forrest was a bastard child, no one dared to speak out against him.

The last person who had stood up to Forrest had strangely disappeared from Ventropolis.

The Arnold family held significant power in Ventropolis, and they commanded both respect and fear.

Even their pet dogs were treated with high regard. This was the way things worked; not everyone had the same standing. Money and influence carried great importance.