Chapter 104
Elbert laughed the loudest. “Scared now, huh? All talk and no action–look who’s eating crow.”
Adrienne snapped, “Enough already. Just shut the hell up.”
“Cut it out.” Meredith shoved Jasmine hard. “What’s so damn funny about mocking people?”
Jasmine laughed gleefully. “Hell yeah, it’s hilarious.”
Another wave of laughter swept through the crowd.
Adrienne was seething, her eyes blazing. “Fine. How about a bet? Do you dare?”
Jasmine folded her arms and sneered, “Why the hell not? If this turns out to be true, I’ll apologize on stream.”
Elbert declared, “I’ll apologize upside down.”
Another student stammered, “M–me? I’ll do a backflip while apologizing.”
The crowd’s interest was piqued to the fullest.
The argument was so loud it drew a huge crowd, some already filming with their phones. Someone shouted, “It’s starting. Valerie, make the call now.”
Valerie pulled out her phone, gave the speaker a sidelong glance, tilted her head, and said with mock concern, “In such a hurry to apologize to me?”
Adrienne hadn’t expected Valerie to say something like that–she couldn’t help herself and burst out laughing.
The guy choked on her words, flushing crimson.
“Big talk. Get on with it already,” he said.
Valerie was just about to unlock her phone when she heard a loud shout from the campus security guard. “Make way.”
The place was packed. The security guard pushed his way in, frowning in annoyance, and snapped, “What’s going on here? This is a school, not a damn
circus.”
Right behind the security guard was someone Valerie recognized instantly. “Lennox?” she blurted out in surprise.
Lennox pushed up his glasses and said formally, “Mrs. Walker, Aiden is waiting for you.” His tone was cool and clipped, every word measured and precise.
Those words detonated like a bomb, instantly sending shockwaves through the crowd.
“Wait? What? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Mrs. Walker? Who the heck is Aiden?”
“Are you dumb? In all of Reano City, who else could Aiden be? There’s only one Aiden Walker.”
“Wait? Aiden–the one who just gave us the lecture–that’s him, right?”
“That’s right.”
Valerie hesitated. “He hasn’t left yet?”
Lennox nodded and said, “He’s waiting for you to join him for dinner and sent me to escort you.”
“Okay,” Valerie muttered under her breath, “then why didn’t he just call me?”
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Lennox’s face remained impassive. He replied, “He called. You didn’t answer.”
Valerie blinked and checked her phone–sure enough, there were three missed calls, all from him.
Lennox said, “Aiden asked me to tell you that he’ll be giving you a thorough punishment later.”
Valerie thought, ‘Punishment? What kind of punishment? Did he really have to say that in front of everyone? Seriously?‘
‘Giving a punishment sounded serious enough–so why does it suddenly make it feel so suggestive now?‘ she wondered.
Valerie’s face flushed crimson instantly. “It wasn’t on purpose,” she protested.
To everyone watching, the whole scene looked way too suggestive, with people whispering and exchanging knowing glances.
“Whoa, did I just hear something dirty?”
“Holy shit. What is this? Punishment play?”
Valerie’s face turned beet red in an instant. She glanced at Adrienne, who was practically glowing with excitement. “Go on,” Adrienne urged, waving her off. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll grab a proper meat myself.”
Valerie’s face burned with embarrassment. “I–I should go now,” she stammered. “Don’t bother arguing with them anymore.”
Adrienne clapped a hand over her mouth, giggling gleefully. “What’s there left to argue about? Go.”
Valerie could feel every eye in the crowd on her, like needles pricking her skin. Flushed and flustered, she hurried away, desperate to escape the awkward
stares.
Valerie followed Lennox to the front of the academic building, where a Rolls–Royce was parked–the very same limited–edition stretch model from the viral post.
Seeing the car, Valerie couldn’t help but recall Lennox’s pointed words, and for some reason, her cheeks flushed all over again.
As she approached the car, the rear door swung open before she could even get close.
The door swung open, revealing an enormous bouquet of crimson roses.
The breeze swept the floral scent to her nose, carrying a subtle wildness.
Valerie froze, transfixed by the crimson roses for a heartbeat before her gaze lifted to the man emerging from behind them.
The man stood tall and imposing in a perfectly tailored bespoke suit, his face expressionless. Yet the sight of him holding a bouquet of flowers created a stark dissonance with his usual commanding presence.
Aiden was clearly out of his element with this kind of gesture. Under Valerie’s astonished gaze, he felt an uncharacteristic flush of embarrassment–the tips of his ears burning hot–though his expression stayed as impassive as ever. “I’ve been waiting,” he said coolly.
Without another word, Aiden thrust the enormous bouquet into Valerie’s arms.
Valerie instinctively hugged the bouquet to her chest. In that moment, a strange warmth quietly welled up inside her.
This was the very first time Valerie had ever received flowers. ‘Such exquisite red roses, such an enormous bouquet. The fragrance is i. wondered.
ating,‘ she
Her cheeks warmed slightly, a smile blooming on her lips. She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering like a sky full of stars. With a rosy flush and a starlit glow in her gaze, she said earnestly, “Thank you.”
She thought to herself, ‘Thank you for standing up for me. And thank you for giving me the very first bouquet of my life. It’s so beautiful.‘
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Valerie’s smile was radiant and pure, filled with heartfelt tenderness.
Aiden’s deep eyes flickered with something for a moment, but he quickly averted his gaze and, in his usual cont tone, said, “Thanks are nice, but grating my calls? You’re still in for a punishment.”
Valerie’s face flushed as her mind instantly conjured up some rather naughty images. She quickly composed her expression. Mugging the massive bouquet of roses to her chest, she slipped into the car.
The sight made the onlookers who had quietly followed behind gasp in surprise.
The commotion outside Valerie’s classroom had been too loud to ignore–a crowd had gathered, many already aware of the viral post, and even more now burning with curiosity about Valerie herself.
The crowd that had followed her was simply dying to see whether her claims would turn out to be true or fiction.
Everyone watched as Valerie exited the academic building and made her way to a sleek black Rolls–Royce parked out front.
The license plate was an insanely cool string of digits. That insanely flashy license plate had many people sucking in a sharp breath.
The Rolls–Royce’s license plate in the post was blurred out, so no one realized the actual number was this insanely flashy.
Having just witnessed that insanely cool plate speed away, all that remained was shock, regret, and a tinge of relief.
While some breathed a sigh of relief, others felt nothing but dread.
Jasmine and the rest of the self–proclaimed apology brigade now looked utterly mortified, each face paler and more miserable than the last.
They had just witnessed the whole scene unfold before their eyes.
Lennox led Valerie away through the crowd, all eyes following as she left. He led Valerie through the crowd until they reached the waiting Rolls–Royce, all eyes on her.
The Rolls–Royce’s door swung open, and out stepped none other than Aidén.
Aiden handed her the bouquet, then, to everyone’s astonishment, that impossibly out–of–reach man swept her into his car.
Elbert, who had been tag–teaming with Jasmine, opened his mouth to say something–but before he could, someone drawled lazily from the crowd, “So who was it just now that said they’d apologize?”
AD
