Chapter 20: Are You Avoiding Me?

Aurora let out a deep sigh. She couldn’t remember if her father had ever mentioned his name.

"Yes, he didn’t mention your name or identity. My dad only referred to your assistant. He said your assistant, Mr. Alvin Russel, would contact me to arrange our meeting."

A deep sigh echoed from the other end, letting Aurora know he was upset.

"I apologize for making you wait so long and for only reaching out now, Miss Spencer..."

"It’s fine. Sir, can you call me Aurora..." She corrected him. Hearing someone refer to her as "Miss Spencer" felt strange, but she knew she had to get used to it.

"We will discuss that after our meeting, Miss Spencer," Alex insisted. He paused before continuing, "Allow me to introduce myself again. I’m Alexander Graystone. You can call me Alex. I called you today to talk about our marriage."

Aurora was confused about how to react when she learned his full name. If Alex were to talk to Aurora Spencer now, the girl might freak out.

’Should I do that, too? Fangirling over him...?’ she wondered, puzzled.

In the end, she remained silent as she listened to him speak. However, hearing his following words snapped her attention.

"We need to meet to finalize this arrangement, Miss Spencer. I will have Alvin pick you up at your apartment now."

"Sir, not today. I have class and won’t be finished until late this afternoon," Aurora replied, lying. She only had one class and was simply not ready to meet him.

"Okay, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. How?" he suggested.

Aurora tightened her grip on her phone and said, "Sir, I have class tomorrow as well. How about..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Alex interrupted her. "Are you trying to avoid me, Miss Spencer?"

’Alexander Graystone! You are such an impatient old man!’ Aurora silently vented her frustration, but calling him "Old Man" made her heart feel a little lighter.

At least now, there was a significant age difference between them. She was young, at the prime of her life, and he would only get older. The idea made her laugh.

"Miss Spencer, why are you laughing at me?" Alex raised his voice, demanding an explanation.

Aurora froze.

She quickly cleared her throat before responding, "Oops, sorry, Sir. I wasn’t laughing at you; someone else here made me laugh. I only have some spare time tomorrow morning because my class starts at ten thirty. I need to be here before that." Refusing him was not an option now.

"I’ll send Alvin to pick you up at seven-thirty. Would you mind meeting me early in the morning?"

"Okay, no problem."

There was nothing more for them to discuss. Aurora quickly excused herself, mentioning that her class was about to start.

...

After ensuring her phone was not connected, Aurora let out a deep sigh of relief. It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Finally, she could talk to him without worrying about exposing herself. However, anxiety twisted in her stomach as she imagined she would meet Alex the following day.

Another soft sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head lightly, trying to push the worries aside.

As she left the lakeside park and walked to the faculty building, a car suddenly pulled over to the side of the road.freёwebnovel.com

A man’s voice called out her name.

"Aurora, why are you still here? Our class starts in a few minutes. Get in!" David said hurriedly as he opened the passenger door for her.

Aurora had no choice but to get into his car. She would be late if she walked, as their faculty building was still far.

***

David and Aurora felt relieved when they entered the classroom and saw that the professor had not arrived.

However, Aurora quickly realized that many eyes were watching them, mainly focused on her. She ignored the stares and instead concentrated on finding a few empty seats.

Spotting an empty seat at the back of the room, she gestured for David to follow her.

As they walked to the back, she could hear people whispering and talking about her, leaving her slightly confused by the sudden attention.

Aurora glanced at David beside her. "Did I make a mistake? Why is everyone looking at me with such confusion?" she asked, trying to recall what Aurora Spencer usually did in class.

David responded with a light smile, which only deepened her confusion. She dismissed her worries and continued walking, hiding her face under the shade of her baseball cap. She hurried to take her seat, hoping no one would notice her again.

"What’s wrong with you? Why are you sitting here?" David asked, his puzzled expression leaving Aurora even more confused.

She looked into his questioning eyes, her forehead creased in a soft frown. "Then where should I sit?"

"Seriously, Aurora? Why have you been acting so strangely since yesterday..." David’s voice faded as the classroom door swung open, and a middle-aged man entered.

The professor began his lecture.

Aurora remained confused about why David and the others acted oddly; she didn’t ask him again. Instead, she silently focused on listening to the lecturer at the front.

Returning to this class after several years left her uncertain about how to express her emotions. Her eyes were fixed on the professor, and she couldn’t believe her eyes—he was someone from her past; he was her professor.

’You look great, Professor Wallace,’ she whispered, her heart swelling with fond memories of how he had always helped her with her studies. She and Alex had been among his favorite students.

As the class was about to end, Aurora finally understood why her friends had looked at her oddly when she entered the room.

She glanced at the two rows of desks in front of her. Only one person occupied the seats, and the sight of his broad back and short, dark hair made her clench her fist in frustration.

’Why didn’t I remember him?’ Aurora thought as she shook her head slightly and returned her gaze to the professor. To her surprise, she noticed Professor Wallace staring directly at her.