Chapter 7

When Hannah returned from the restroom, the female companions of Darren's friends had arrived.

They started playing drinking games.

She'd thought today was some kind of job, but it turned out to be a party scene.

Still, Darren and his friends were the main guests, while she and the other girls were essentially decorations.

Since she was already there, it would be awkward to leave.

Hannah didn't know Darren's background, but her survival rule was never to offend people, especially rich boys like Darren.

After dinner, Darren's group had plans for the rest of the night.

She checked the time. "The dorm closes soon. I should head back."

Carter deliberately blocked her way. "Why go back so early? Keep playing."

Hannah's heart raced, but she kept calm. "The dorm locks at 10:30."

Carter poured her a drink. "Tomorrow's Saturday. We'll get you a hotel room. Go back tomorrow."

Hearing "hotel room," she suddenly understood Darren's real purpose in bringing her out. She stood up with deliberate irritation. These guys might be players, but they were still classmates who wouldn't push things too far.

Darren caught her attitude and stood too. "I'll drive you back."

Carter clicked his tongue. "Darren, I'm trying to help you. No sense of romance. Fine, go, go."

Halfway through the drive, she spoke up.

"Could you stop at that Evergreen Pharmacy ahead?"

She couldn't afford fruit lately. The lack of vitamin C was making her gums bleed.

She needed medicinal vitamins—a few dollars a bottle, cheaper than fruit.

Darren parked near the pharmacy.

"Sorry, I'll be quick."

Darren got out too but didn't enter the pharmacy, leaning against his car watching Hannah's retreating figure.

Her proud silhouette had the feel of camellia blossoms in winter.

He wanted to see if she was buying contraceptives or actually just medicine.

Hannah soon returned with only vitamin C.

Seeing Darren eyeing her purchase, Hannah explained without embarrassment, "I'm broke lately. Haven't eaten fruit, so I need vitamin C."

Darren looked away. He'd heard from Carter and the others that girls sometimes overspent on things they liked, leaving them short on living expenses.

At the school gate.

Darren checked the time. The girls' dorm would close in half an hour.

Hannah tried to open the door but couldn't.

She turned nervously to Darren, imagining scenes of rich boys toying with girls.

Seeing Hannah's tension, Darren opened the car's roof. "There's still half an hour before the dorm closes. Let's sit for a bit and look at the stars."

With the roof open, her feeling of being trapped disappeared.

Just then her mother called.

She didn't avoid Darren and answered directly. In the confined space of the car, Darren could hear everything.

"Mom, why are you up so late?"

Laura: "I miss you."

"Are you feeling sick?"

Laura: "No, just checking up on you."

"Well, now you've checked. Go to sleep. If you really can't sleep, maybe start dating again."

Laura: "Just wait. One day I'll find you a stepdad..."

...

Darren silently listened to Hannah's conversation with her mother.

Though it was an ordinary mother-daughter chat, he found himself feeling envious.

She seemed to have nothing, yet she had a mother who loved her.

In that moment, Darren suddenly dropped his playful gaze, looking at Hannah with genuine interest.

When Hannah hung up, he quickly turned his eyes to the sky.

Following his gaze, she also looked up.

But there were only a few bright stars, nothing like the countryside sky back home.

As Hannah looked up, Darren's gaze returned to her face. The dim streetlight bathed her in soft yellow, the night breeze lifting strands of her hair, her clear eyes reflecting the night sky.

Those eyes seemed magical, making him want to know more.

She was like the only normal person in a world full of schemers, approaching everything with complete sincerity, without hidden agendas.

Like now—when she looked at stars, her entire focus was solely on them.

When Hannah looked down, she met Darren's gaze.

His eyes burned bright in the darkness, now with an added layer of possessiveness.

Darren's eyes held too much intensity. She couldn't handle such heat.

She quickly looked away.

Fumbling with her purse, she said, "I... I should go."

This time Darren didn't stop her.

Hands behind his head, leaning back in his seat with a smile playing on his lips, he watched Hannah's figure disappear through the campus gate.

His stagnant heart seemed suddenly alive with something new.

Darren returned to Carter's private room.

Finding a corner, he texted Hannah: Back at your dorm?

After a minute with no reply, he thought about their usual transaction-based interaction.

He transferred her two thousand dollars.

Knowing her pride, he worried sending too much would make her refuse.

Hannah: ?

Hannah: Why so much?

Darren: I'm booking all your future time.

After locking his phone, Darren met Carter's mischievous grin. "Oh my, oh my, someone's got it bad. Patrick, come look at our boy Darren."

Patrick put his hand on Carter's shoulder. "Just said he didn't like her, but looks like someone's experiencing his first real crush."

Darren stood and pushed past them, heading to the balcony for fresh air to cool the heat in his chest.

From inside, Carter called out deliberately, "Who'd have thought the heir to Lansworth Capital, who's dated countless socialites, would fall for Hannah, this small-town girl."

Patrick chimed in, "Thought he'd go for some heiress, not a regular girl like this."

Carter clicked his tongue. "Hannah dresses simply, but she's genuinely beautiful. Classic features, natural beauty."

Hannah lay in bed looking at the two-thousand-dollar transfer, thought about it, then accepted.

She wasn't too proud for money. She needed it.

As long as it was legitimate, she'd take it.

Early the next morning, she took a three-hour bus ride to her hometown.

Walking in, she saw her mother lying on a recliner. Years of illness had left her painfully thin, but her elegant bone structure remained visible.

Her aunt Sarah was beside her, scolding in frustration. "I told you not to marry that man, but you insisted. Now look—he's gone, and you were..."

Laura replied stubbornly, "Good that he left. Otherwise I'd be like Mrs. Porter next door, getting beaten every day."

Sarah had more to say but stopped when she heard the door.

Seeing Hannah, she smiled. "Hannah's back. Now that you're here, I'll head home. Take good care of your mom."

"Will do. Thanks, Aunt Sarah."

Her family was broken, but at least their relatives still cared for them.