Chapter 9

The next day, she asked Aunt Sarah to look after her mother and returned to the city.

She'd asked Uncle Henry to help sell their old house.

She searched for apartments near campus but found nothing suitable, mainly because she didn't have enough money. She only had about two thousand dollars—the money Darren had given her.

Finally, she rented a tiny attic room near school.

A shabby studio with a kitchenette and bathroom.

Without Darren's two thousand dollars, she wouldn't have known how to solve her housing problem.

Though Darren saw her as entertainment, he had helped her.

She had nothing to offer in return, but the rental came with equipment from previous tenants, so she baked some pastries.

On her way back to the dorm, she decided to bring them to Darren.

She waited at the finance department dormitory.

After about ten minutes, Darren returned from outside.

"Thank you for the money. It meant a lot to me. I made these pastries for you. Hope you don't mind."

Darren stared at the pastry box in disbelief. His family never had homemade things like this.

"You made these yourself?"

"Yes. I don't have many talents, but I can cook. Call me if you need anything. I should go now."

Laura had kidney disease for years. Since her diagnosis, Hannah had tried to keep her from doing housework.

So she'd always done the cooking. Years in the kitchen had honed her skills.

Laura used to love life's little ceremonies. To maintain that sense of occasion, Hannah learned to bake, making special treats for holidays and celebrations.

Darren suddenly caught her wrist. "Let's have dinner together."

Hannah looked down at his elegant fingers gripping her wrist.

She had a thing for beautiful hands and couldn't help staring.

Without thinking, she said, "Okay."

Hannah led the way to the cafeteria, joining the familiar line.

Looking back, she saw Darren seemed out of place, like it was his first time there.

"You don't like the cafeteria?"

Darren shook his head. "It's fine."

She didn't think much of it, got her food, and found a seat. Darren fumbled at the serving window for a while before getting his meal.

Lucky he was handsome, or the cafeteria lady would've lost patience.

Darren sat across from her with his tray.

It was peak dinner hour. Many students found Darren's presence in the cafeteria fascinating.

Some even secretly took photos.

Hannah chewed her food, glancing around. "You seem pretty famous."

"Does it bother you?"

"Not really. I don't care."

Whether they took photos or posted online, whatever people said about her, she didn't care. Her only concern was survival.

After paying rent, she had only a few hundred dollars left. She didn't even know where next month's rent would come from. Food for her and her mother was already a problem, plus the upcoming hospital bills remained unsolved.

She wouldn't care if World War III started—she had no time for news.

Darren clearly didn't enjoy the cafeteria food, but his upbringing seemed to prohibit wasting, so he finished everything.

She quickly finished her meal. "I should go. Call me if you need anything."

She left before Darren could respond.

Darren took the pastry box to the golf club.

Patrick looked at the plain box and asked, "Don't tell me that little nobody made these for you?"

Carter snatched it and opened it eagerly. "They look professional. She's acting like a real girlfriend now. But this gift is so...cheap. Have your fun, but don't let your family find out."

Darren grabbed it back. "Hands off."

He took a piece and tasted it.

He'd only meant to try it out of politeness, not wanting to waste Hannah's effort, but it was surprisingly delicious.

Carter and Patrick each sampled one.

Carter said, "Well... you probably can't marry her, but keeping her as a mistress would give you that cozy homey feeling."

After getting the apartment fully furnished, Hannah had no classes Tuesday, so she went home to bring Laura to the city.

Her Aunt Sarah came along, worried about Hannah managing alone.

After settling in, Sarah discreetly slipped her two thousand dollars.

Hannah knew her aunt was struggling financially too, but she was desperate.

She didn't refuse, instead recording the amount.

"Thank you, Aunt Sarah. Including this, I owe you $5,300 now."

Sarah bit her lip, looking at her with concern. "Sweetheart, why are you keeping a ledger?"

"I should."

With Laura there, Hannah cooked for her when possible. When busy, Laura ate at the cheap diner downstairs.

That evening, the campus forum exploded. Photos of them in the cafeteria had been posted.

Caption: Perfect match! Business school beauty lands the Lansworth heir.

Carter forwarded it to Darren.

Darren stared at the photo pensively. It looked like any normal couple having dinner.

He messaged Hannah: There are photos of us on the campus forum. Thoughts?

Hannah saw Darren's message before bed.

More photos on the forum?

She couldn't be bothered checking what they'd posted this time. Throughout college, she'd been featured regularly. Initially it bothered her, and she'd contact administrators to remove photos.

Eventually, she stopped caring.

Hannah: I don't mind. If it bothers you, ask admin to delete them.

Darren: You really don't care?

Hannah: No. As long as you're okay with it.

Darren: Let's go out tomorrow.

She knew Darren's invitation meant being his arm candy again, but selling her dignity seemed the fastest way to get money.

She knew it was wrong, but it was her only solution right now.

After deliberating, she replied: Okay.

She didn't dare let Darren pick her up at the apartment, meeting him at campus instead.

Darren drove them downtown. When they arrived, she struggled with his sports car's door.

Darren came around to open it, taking her hand as she stepped out.

When she stood and tried to pull away, Darren held firm.

His palm's warmth traveled straight to her heart.

Looking up, she saw Darren's gentle eyes. He asked with his tender voice, "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

She'd never seen this soft side of Darren.

Feeling dazed, she let Darren lead her into the nightclub.

His usual crowd was there, plus many new faces.

This time several people called her "Darren's girl," and he didn't bother correcting them.

These party boys seemed to love labeling any girl someone brought as their girlfriend.

Darren pulled her to the center of the VIP booth.

Though born into wealth, Darren was focused during lectures, not obviously a trust-fund kid.

But in this hedonistic setting, he was completely at home.

He partied hard, like this was his domain.

When the club atmosphere peaked, bottle girls brought sparkler-topped champagne.

The DJ announced: "Congratulations to Mr. Lansworth for tonight's biggest spender!"