Chapter 5

Kiera lay flat on her stomach on the night-sky-themed bedsheet, a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of her nose as her eyes focused on the laptop screen before her. A string of strange code filled the screen.

She paused and glanced at the old diary beside the laptop. She flipped to a new page and read the first line.

ECHO, it won't just show what a person looks like; it reflects it.

She paused, staring into nothing.

Just then, a knock came at the door, followed by Victoria's gentle voice.

“Kiera, are you awake?”

Kiera closed her laptop and diary before getting to her feet and walking toward the door. As she pulled it open, Victoria's face came into view. She was holding a plate of breakfast, along with a cup of tea and an omelette.

“You missed breakfast, so I brought some for you,” Victoria said.

“Thank you,” Kiera muttered, taking the plate from her.

Kiera walked back into the room, and Victoria followed.

“I thought you were tired from last night's party.”

“Just going through my programme,” Kiera replied, settling onto her bed to eat.

“You're so hardworking. When I was your age, I hated college. I hated schoolwork. I wondered every day, Why can't I just stay home and sleep? I must say, I was very grumpy as a young adult.”

Victoria settled onto the bed beside her.

Even though Kiera hated participating in conversations, she couldn't help but mumble, “Doesn't seem true.”

“You don't think I'm lying, do you?” Victoria asked.

Kiera said nothing, but her expression said enough.

“I’m not,” Victoria murmured. “I just realized how boring and stressful life was when I lived like that. That's why sometimes I pity Liam.”

Kiera couldn't help but sneer.

“He's not to be pitied.”

He had a good life. A rich father, a caring stepmother, and everything money could provide. Yet he chose to be a jerk.

What was there to pity about him?

Victoria let out a sad smile, but it soon disappeared as she changed the subject.

“Have you packed your bag? You know you're leaving for college this evening. I'm really going to miss you.”

Kiera's fingers paused around her fork.

Miss me?

The thought felt strangely unfamiliar. She had only been here for a few days. There shouldn't have been anything to miss.

Her gaze shifted toward the suitcase sitting in the corner—the same old suitcase she'd brought from the orphanage.

“It's packed,” she said quietly.

Victoria followed the direction of her finger.

“Is that all?”

Kiera looked at her shocked expression and couldn't help but ask, “Shouldn't it be?”

“Of course not. You're spending a whole week at college,” Victoria stated as a matter of fact.

Kiera's eyebrow rose.

That bag contained everything she'd used for eight years. Why wouldn't it be able to hold everything she needed for a week?

“Can I rearrange it for you?” Victoria asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

Kiera didn't have the heart to tell her no, so she nodded.

Victoria jumped up in joy and ran toward the suitcase. She wasted no time dragging it into the walk-in closet.

Kiera watched her leave and shook her head in amusement.

She lay back on the bed and continued her work.

An hour later, Victoria came out of the closet dragging a large pink suitcase, twice the size of Kiera's original one.

Before Kiera could say anything, Victoria rushed back into the walk-in closet and returned with another equally large ash-colored suitcase.

She stood beside the suitcases and clapped her hands, her face beaming with pride.

“All done!”

“Just for a week?” Kiera asked in shock.

“Yes, for a week,” Victoria replied with a wide smile.

---

Later that evening, Kiera stepped out of her room dressed in a tracksuit and biker shorts. A servant followed behind her, dragging her luggage.

The moment she stepped into the living room, Victoria tapped John on the shoulder.

“I have good taste,” she said proudly.

“Ready to leave?” John asked.

Kiera nodded.

“Yes.”

“Sit,” John instructed.

Kiera sat down.

“I guess we haven't talked much since you got here,” John said.

Kiera remained silent.

“You remember the rules, right?” John asked.

Kiera nodded.

“Uhm.”

“Before you do anything, remember you're a Cole. That's the most important rule,” John continued.

Kiera nodded again.

John went over the rest of the rules, and Kiera simply listened.

“Can't you say something other than nodding?” John asked.

Kiera frowned.

Victoria immediately pulled at his hand.

“Don't force her.”

John took a deep breath.

“Just speak more when you get to college. It helps with building connections and—”

Victoria let out a loud sneeze, interrupting him.

“Are you okay?” John immediately turned toward her in concern.

“I am,” Victoria assured him.

Before John could continue, Victoria changed the subject.

“When you get to college, make sure to call me. A maid will go with you and help arrange your things.”

Kiera knew Victoria was trying to help, so she chose to play along.

“I will,” she muttered. Then she added, “I should get going.”

Victoria nodded with a smile, and John could only give up on the topic. He let out a sigh of frustration.

Together, Victoria and John accompanied Kiera to the underground garage.

When they reached it, a car was waiting with the chauffeur standing beside it.

“You could have gone with a ride, but you don't know how to drive,” Victoria stated.

“You should learn during your next break,” John suggested.

“Uhm.”

Kiera proceeded to enter the car, ignoring the change in Victoria's expression. She assumed Victoria was simply going to miss her.

As Kiera stepped her left foot into the car, someone suddenly grabbed her arm from behind.

Kiera recognized the grip immediately.

She followed the hand wrapped around her wrist until her gaze landed on the face.

It was none other than the Cole asshole.

“What now?” Kiera asked calmly, even though she was seething with rage.

The memory of him dumping his drink on her dress was still fresh in her mind.

Liam didn't even look at her. Instead, he faced John.

“I'm taking her.”

This only made Kiera angrier.

The way he was asking John for permission as if she wasn't a person with a say in the matter irritated her.

“And why is that?” John asked.

“Do you have an explanation for why she shouldn't go with me?” Liam asked in return.

John's eyes narrowed slightly. Victoria's did too.

Kiera understood perfectly what they were thinking.

If word got out that she hadn't arrived at college with Liam, people might start questioning their relationship.

“Don't even think about it. I'm not going with him,” Kiera said.

With that, she slapped his hand against the car door, causing Liam to release her wrist, and she slammed the door shut.

“Drive,” Kiera instructed.

The chauffeur hesitated.

Kiera looked out the window and saw Liam say something to John. He then turned toward the car and knocked on the window.

As much as Kiera didn't want to roll it down, she eventually did.

“Kiera, you have to follow him.”

Kiera opened her mouth to interrupt, but John stopped her.

“Listen to me first. You have to go with him. You're smart, and you understand me. I know Liam might be a jerk, but just bear with him. I'll increase your allowance.”

Before Kiera could reply, she heard a voice from the driver's seat.

“I'm not a jerk.”

It was Liam, already seated behind the wheel with no care in the world.

“Please,” Victoria pleaded.

“Fine,” Kiera muttered under her breath.

Won't disagreeing make me seem unreasonable?

Victoria and John smiled.

Victoria leaned forward and kissed Kiera on the cheek.

“Love you, baby.”

Kiera was left in shock, but she wasn't given time to react before she was suddenly jerked forward.

Liam had started the car, and judging from his expression, Kiera knew he hadn't done it intentionally.

“Asshole,” she muttered.

Kiera expected a silent ride, but Liam broke her expectation.

“In college, we keep to the deal. You stay away from me.”

“I have done nothing but that. But I can't say the same for you,” Kiera replied with a sneer.

Liam grumbled something, but Kiera couldn't hear him.

“What?”

“My words are none of your business, orphan,” Liam said coldly.

“My bad, asshole,” Kiera replied sarcastically.

The atmosphere became silent after that, with both of them focusing on their own activities.

Thirty minutes into the journey, the car suddenly came to a stop, causing Kiera to jerk forward.

“Liam!” Kiera exclaimed, calling his name for the very first time.

Liam glanced at her.

“Get down.”

“Why?” Kiera asked in confusion.

“Something seems wrong with the back tyre,” Liam explained.

Kiera pushed open the door and got down. She walked toward the back tyre.

She bent over to examine it, but nothing seemed wrong with it. She even gave it a kick to check if it was flat.

Still, there was nothing wrong.

Kiera moved forward to tell Liam that nothing was wrong with the car.

To her surprise, Liam started the car and drove away.

“Hey! Hey!” Kiera called, running after him.

But he didn't stop.

Kiera could only stand there, watching the car disappear into the distance with a dumbfounded expression.