Chapter 74

Chapter 74:
Candice didn’t wake up until dawn.
She got up and went to the living room. There was a faint smell of cigarette smoke in the air.
The room was empty except for an ashtray on the coffee table, which held a half-smoked cigarette and several cigarette butts.
The half-smoked cigarette was still warm. Greyson obviously hadn’t left until just before first light.
Candice frowned. Had he been smoking in the living room all night? He didn’t smoke—or at least she had never seen him light a cigarette before. But he was the only person who could have smoked here.
She glanced at her bag sitting on the sofa—it seemed to have been moved. Suddenly, she remembered the test report was in her bag.
She immediately picked up her bag and checked her belongings. The test report was still there, and nothing appeared to be missing.
She breathed a sigh of relief and set the bag down. Was she overthinking?
At that moment, the door swung open and Bettina walked in, carrying a brown paper bag.
Seeing Candice, she said, “Hey, you’re up. Are you feeling better? Do you still have a fever? I brought breakfast for you.”
Candice picked up the thermometer on the table. “I’ll take my temperature now, but I already feel fine.”
“See, my fever’s gone.”
Bettina moved closer, looked at the thermometer, and chirped, “Well, that’s good.”
Then she went to the dining room and set down the brown paper bag. “I brought your favorites—omelets, coffee, and a simple sandwich.”
Candice sat at the dining table and began eating the sandwich.
Bettina went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and exclaimed, “Wow. Your fridge is full. That’s a bit of a shock.”
She took out the milk and poured herself a glass. “I always thought your fridge was just sitting there empty.”
Hearing that, Candice was slightly surprised but said nothing. Greyson was the one who fully stocked her fridge.
Bettina sat down beside Candice and said, “Greyson’s apartment is in a nice place. These days, it’s very difficult to find a perfect place even if you have all the money in the world. It’s also close to my place. Why don’t you ask him to sell his apartment to you? That way, it becomes your place, and you won’t feel uncomfortable staying here.”
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“But I don’t want it,” Candice replied, casting a glance at Bettina. “I’ve always wanted to buy my parents’ old villa, but the new owner doesn’t want to sell it. I’m sure I’ll be able to buy it back sooner or later.”
After Candice’s parents passed away, the Blake family went bankrupt, and their villa was repossessed. Over the years, Candice had been saving money to get it back, but the person who acquired the property was unwilling to sell.
“I suppose you’re right,” Bettina nodded. “Why are you eating so little? Don’t you like what I brought? Have your preferences changed? What do you want to eat?”
Hearing that, Candice couldn’t help but think of the breakfast Milton made for her. She had a new understanding of the importance of the first meal of the day.
She had always thought breakfast should be simple—a sandwich, some toast, salad, and coffee. She didn’t realize the first meal could also be a little extravagant.
After breakfast, Bettina went to Candice’s room. She opened the wardrobe.
All the clothes inside had been placed there by Bettina. Today, Bettina chose a dark blue dress and a white shawl for Candice.
Confused, Candice cocked her head and asked, “What are you doing? These clothes were supposed to be returned to Mr. Lopez.”
“If you returned them, he would just throw them away. He has no use for them, so you might as well keep them. Don’t let them go to waste.”
Bettina patted Candice’s shoulder and added, “No one really knows how rich he is. I bet he has trillions of dollars to his name.”
“Does it have anything to do with me how much money he has? Why are we talking about this?”
With an expressionless face, Candice hissed, “I don’t care.”
“Wilmint High School is holding its annual alumni homecoming tonight. You’re going to attend in this.” Bettina held the clothes out in front of Candice, gauging how they would look on her.
Raising her hand and pushing the dress and shawl aside, Candice replied, “No, I’m not.”
She never went to those kinds of events. Besides, Wilmint High School didn’t exactly hold great memories for her.
Except for getting trapped in the cold frame with Greyson and becoming friends with Bettina, there was nothing special about that place for her.
She would really love to spend the rest of her life never setting foot in that school again.
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