Chapter 4 He's Back

The bus that carried the finance students who went to the competition stopped before the campus gates at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The news about Blake's return spread across campus faster than the forum could update.

More than 200 people showed up in the plaza. Jessica was in a white dress, holding a bouquet of flowers. She was even standing right in front, while the rest of the student council held a banner behind her. "Welcome back, winners!"

It was a complete spectacle.

I stood on the stairs on the edge of the platform. Some were taking photos. Some were livestreaming, and the comments probably read, "Here comes the gold digger."

Blake was the third one to disembark. He had a backpack on his back, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Jessica quickly welcomed him.

"Congratulations on the victory, Blake!" She handed him the bouquet and stood by his side. "Something happened here while you were gone, but I handled it for you."

She took her phone out and showed him the forum's posts. "A freshman girl has been swiping your card and telling everyone you share a special connection. The chat history is exposed."

She kept scrolling. "She told you to give her five grand and even said she was sleeping over at your place. She'd ruin your reputation. So, I've taken the card back, and the campus has canceled her nomination. Don't worry. She'll never harass you again."

She took a deep breath and raised her head, her gaze earnest. "This is the perfect chance to clear things up and kill any misunderstanding that might hurt your reputation."

The plaza went silent, and everyone looked at Blake. His eyes moved past Jessica and went straight to the edge of the crowd, where I was standing. Our eyes met almost instantly even though there were a lot of people between us.

His expression turned from calm to confusion.

Then, his gaze went down and saw the scab on the back of my hand. He saw how pale my lips were and how thin my face had become. His gaze turned darker and darker. Eventually, he was sporting a look I was all too familiar with.

The last time he had that look on his face was when Grandma found out he was keeping a cat in secret. She chased him across town because of it.

Someone was getting it. Jessica followed his gaze and saw me. Sure enough, a smile curled her lips as she held Blake's arm and said to the crowd in a bell-like voice, "Tell her who you really are to her, Blake."

Everyone's phones went up, and all the cameras were on me. He handed the bouquet to his teammate and cut through the crowd, approaching me.

Jessica followed him, raising her voice. "Don't be shy, Blake. She's harassed you for a while now. You should let everyone know the truth."

Blake stood before me and turned my hand over. He looked at the red mark. "Who did this?"

She was delighted, thinking Blake was going to go after me. So, she promptly took all the credit. "It's alright, Blake. It's my job to make sure everyone on campus is upstanding. Besides, she harassed you…"

She trailed off, and her face went red. Then, she bashfully hung her head low. The whole plaza was watching.

He let my hand go and turned to Jessica. His expression was colder than the winter winds. "You're claiming that she harassed me?"

Jessica nodded vehemently.

He scanned the crowd and their phones. His face was deadpan as he declared, "Yvonne is my niece. I'm the one who gave her that card and told her to spend my money. How dare you butt in my family's affairs! Who do you think you are?"