Chapter 14

Chapter 14
Ned’s post was flooded with comments. Most of them were shocked, while some of them suspected something fishy going on.
Some comments called Ned a huge jerk for spreading Angeline’s nudes online. They even encouraged Angeline to sue him.
There were also people commenting who heard about Ned’s and Angeline’s past. They said that this was just Ned’s way of trying to save some of Angeline’s dignity for the sake of their past relationship. Some other people asked Ned what he was going to do about Angeline’s nudes that had already been leaked online. Many male students had the photos saved on their devices, with some even reposting the photos to other platforms.
The silver lining was that the incident was barely one week old, meaning that it hadn’t gone that viral before Ned’s public apology came out.
Angeline sincerely hoped that the scandal would soon blow over.
As she was going to leave tomorrow, Angeline didn’t unpack her stuff from her suitcase. She only took out her pajamas and toiletries from it. Her body was still covered in cuts and bruises, so she couldn’t shower.
After washing up, Angeline thought of going downstairs to grab a glass of water before going to bed. Just as she was descending the stairs, she saw Sean standing at the refrigerator in the kitchen, talking on his phone.
Sean’s tall figure stood in between the shadows and the light. His hair was still wet and dripping onto the towel draped over his neck. He wore a dark green shirt over his shoulders with its buttons undone, showing his flawless complexion and unmistakable chest and abdominal muscles.
He looked handsome without his glasses on. In fact, he looked cozy and comfortable.
“I’m still grateful to the Lawsons for nurturing and bringing me up. I didn’t reject the arranged marriage with the Scott family because I was being ungrateful. It’s just that I don’t think the Scotts are a suitable marriage partner.”
Sean lit up a cigarette. He spoke in a low, scratchy voice that Angeline couldn’t tell how he was feeling at that moment. “Also, instead of giving Lawson Global to an adopted son, don’t you think it’s better to leave it to someone who is actually blood-related to the Lawsons? If
+15 BÔNUS
you’re willing to to make the effort, you’ll realize… that Angeline Emmerson is a very distinguished person.” (1
Angeline couldn’t tell what the other party on the line said. Sean pulled the ashtray closer and tapped his cigarette against it, a frown forming on his face.
He suddenly realized that someone else was there. Sean looked up. His calm eyes met with Angeline’s stare.
Angeline stood at the foot of the stairs, not knowing whether she should continue toward the kitchen or head back into her room.
Sean didn’t think that Angeline would still be awake at this hour. He shifted his gaze and put out his cigarette in the ashtray. Then, he held his phone between his head and shoulders as he started doing up the buttons on his shirt.
He spoke into the phone, saying, “Alright. I’ll be at the Regalia Hotel at 7:30 pm tomorrow. Rest well.”
After hanging up, Sean took off the towel hanging around his neck and looked at Angeline. Why are you still up?”
Sean’s voice was low and scratchy. Angeline didn’t know if it was because he smoked.
“I came down for some water,” Angeline said, walking toward the refrigerator.
Sean threw his towel onto the tabletop and opened the refrigerator to take out a bottle of water for her. Angeline hurried forward and took it from his hands. Then, she bid him good night and fled upstairs.
2 Y
As Angeline disappeared up the stairs, Sean finally averted his gaze and put another cigarette between his lips. He turned around and leaned back against the kitchen island. His face was briefly illuminated when he lit up his cigarette with a lighter.
The refrigerator door showed a reflection of Sean being surrounded by a cloud of white smoke. The past started playing in his head like an old film.
The first time he met her, he was 15 years old, and Angeline was ten.
It was a rainy day at the police station. Angeline, conveniently forgotten by the Lawsons, was hiding behind a tree as she watched her mother being bundled up into a luxury car. She refused to live with her mother at the Lawsons’.