Chapter 4

The table fell dead silent.

It was obvious Julian had never told Gemma a single thing about who I was.

My dad broke the awkward silence with a chuckle. "It's wonderful that you're so career-driven at your age, Gemma. But our Chloe is planning to continue her studies. Otherwise, I’d have handed over the keys to the family enterprise the day she walked across the graduation stage."

Gemma's eyes darted around the luxurious dining room, her face pale.

She turned to me, her voice cracking. "Chloe... your family owns a corporation?"

Julian immediately shot me a murderous glare from across the table.

Right. He thought I was deliberately embarrassing his precious charity case.

Whatever. In his eyes, everything I did was an offense anyway.

Gemma spent the rest of the summer break staying at the Hayes residence as Julian's guest.

Seeing how much Julian seemed to care for her, my parents finally stopped nagging me to ‘repay’ him.

It was a blessing in disguise. I threw myself entirely into preparing for grad school applications. Even though my desk was buried under prep books and online lectures, at least I didn't have to walk on eggshells around Julian.

One evening, Gemma surprisingly messaged me, inviting me to a late-night stargazing camping trip organized by our high school alumni.

I found it bizarre—she hadn't even attended our private prep school.

I was about to decline when my mom yelled from downstairs, "Julian and the others invited you out! Go get some fresh air, Chloe. You'll lose your mind cooped up with those books all day!"

Unable to argue with my mother, I dragged my feet out the door.

The moment I arrived, Julian greeted me with his usual icy scowl.

"I didn't want to invite you," he muttered. "Gemma doesn't know anyone from our high school, so she needed someone familiar around."

Right. I was brought along as an unpaid chaperone.

I didn't care. Looking up, the night sky was crystal clear, dusted with thousands of stars.

The alumni gathered were all heirs and heiresses from our old social circle. The event was hosted by our high school valedictorian, Ethan Scott, who was currently doing his graduate work in astrophysics.

When Julian showed up with Gemma on his arm, the guys instantly teased him about finally bringing a girlfriend around. Gemma beamed, basking in the flattering attention.

Until someone casually dragged me into the spotlight.

"Man, we all thought Julian would end up with Chloe back in the day. He wouldn't give any other girl the time of day."

"Guess that leaves the door open for Ethan! Hey Chloe, are you single?"

I shook my head in utter bewilderment. Beside me, Ethan’s ears flushed bright red.

A lightbulb flicked on in my head.

That anonymous love letter left in my locker back in senior year... it wasn't from Julian. It had been from Ethan.

Before the peak meteor shower window, someone suggested playing a staring contest game. Two people paired up randomly, staring into each other's eyes without smiling; the first one to laugh lost.

My name was drawn alongside Ethan’s.

Out of nowhere, Julian shoved his way in and demanded to swap with Ethan.

His excuse? "Staring at someone I don't know well makes me dizzy."

Did anyone actually buy that ridiculous lie?

Sitting across from me on the picnic blanket, Julian broke the silence. "You're applying for grad school?"

"Yeah."

"Gemma is pursuing higher ed too."

"Cool. I didn't ask."

Julian exhaled a tight breath. "The dean gave me an exclusive recommendation letter. But since I'm taking over my mom's firm after graduation, I don't need it."

"Nice. Give it to Gemma, then."

Julian narrowed his eyes, a dangerous storm brewing in their depths.

I kept my face completely blank.

Suddenly, he let out a frustrated, mocking huff of laughter.

"Fine, Chloe. Don't come crying to me later."

"You lost," I said calmly.

"What?"

"You laughed. That means you lost the game."

I think I managed to drive him completely insane with a totally straight face.

Over the next few weeks, I buried myself in admissions prep.

Because our villas were separated only by a low hedge, Julian started showing up unannounced in my house.

He would push open my bedroom door without knocking.

"Stop wasting your time. You won't get accepted."

"The slots for our local university are extremely limited this year."

"You'd be better off just taking a desk job at your dad's firm."

I covered my ears, pretending to be glued to my practice tests.

He was clearly trying to sabotage my confidence. How petty.

"Thanks for the advice," I deadpanned.

I knew the local university slots were tight, but I never planned on staying in this city anyway.

He probably assumed I would, remembering a naive promise I made years ago about never wanting to move far from home.

People grow up, and plans change. I wanted a fresh map to explore.

By the time our university graduation ceremony passed, Eleanor insisted on throwing a celebration dinner for us at the Hayes villa.

Martha had prepared an elaborate feast. Julian showed up with Gemma on his arm.

Dinner was about to start, but even after my parents arrived, I was nowhere to be seen.

Julian remarked with subtle disdain, "Chloe sure loves making an entrance. Making everyone wait on her."

Right then, my dad propped his phone up on the table and initiated a FaceTime call with me.

"Chloe had an interview at USC today," my dad announced proudly to the table. "Her flight doesn't get back until tomorrow morning. Let's not wait on her—we can celebrate through the screen!"

Julian jumped to his feet, knocking his chair back. "What? She applied to USC in California? Did she already get accepted?"

My dad beamed. "Her test scores were through the roof. If the interview went well, the offer should be in her inbox soon."