Chapter 102 Misunderstandings and Setups
Breaking up so decisively was exactly the kind of thing she would do.
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Looking at the faint, insincere smile on her face and hearing her mention Lucas’s new girlfriend, Nathan’s eyes flickered slightly. He gently pushed his glasses up and offered her a soft comfort. “Don’t be upset. He’s not doing great right now either.”
Don’t be upset?
She wasn’t upset at all.
People’s assumptions really were like mountains.
Everyone thought that since she’d just started dating Lucas when she time–traveled, she must’ve really liked him.
Ethan thought so. Lucas thought so. Even Nathan thought so.
Maybe it was because she usually made every decision with such caution, and she was known as a top student.
That made everyone believe that she had thought long and hard before accepting Lucas’s confession.
But the truth was–it was a heat–of–the–moment decision.
High school had been stressful. After graduating, she’d just wanted to relax a bit and figured dating wouldn’t hurt.
Don’t ask. If you did, she’d tell you she regretted it–deeply, truly regretted it.
She’d never act so impulsively again.
Now it was on her record, and not easy to erase.
She wanted to say something-
Ding!
The elevator reached the first floor. Several people were waiting to get on.
Stella didn’t say anything else.
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Chapter 102 Misunderstandings and Setups
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The two of them walked toward the parking garage. A cool breeze brushed past them.
The man walked beside her, their shadows overlapping under the streetlights.
She still wanted to ask him why he had held her hand back there.
Technically, that had been her first time really holding hands with a guy.
Her phone buzzed.
Stella glanced down. It was a message from Ethan.
“Did you head back with Mr. Foster?”
She typed a reply: “Just about to head back.”
As her finger swiped up, she saw a message Ethan had sent earlier that afternoon.
He’d said he had something to take care of and couldn’t pick her up.
Stella’s brows furrowed. Something felt off.
Ethan had work, sure–but all his secretaries, even Tina, had something come up too?
They reached the car. Nathan, ever the gentleman, opened the front passenger door for her.
Stella glanced at him. “Thanks.”
Once she was seated, a sudden thought struck her.
Could this have been arranged by Ethan?
He’d probably seen Lucas with Li Huanyu earlier than she had.
He must’ve assumed she was upset–maybe even furious, given her proud personality.
Why should Lucas get a new girlfriend while she was still single?
So he called Nathan in to help out–to pretend to be her boyfriend in front of Lucas?
No wonder Nathan had held her hand the moment they saw Lucas!
Then let go once the elevator doors closed and Lucas couldn’t see anymore.
Oh god.
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Chapter 102 Misunderstandings and Setups
Ethan was overthinking everything!
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And Nathan–how could he be so nice? Just helping with anything, no questions asked?
Ethan quickly followed up with another WhatsApp message.
“I’ve settled things with No. 1 High. Donated a whole building. Tomorrow we’ll go to No. 3 together to help Fourth Brother with enrollment. I’ll pick you up. Don’t go to the hospital.”
See? He didn’t want her going back to the hospital.
He didn’t want her running into Lucas again.
Because Nathan couldn’t keep helping like this. Eventually, Lucas would catch on.
Ethan really was pulling all the strings. Stella leaned her head back on the seat and let out a bitter laugh.
How could she get Ethan to believe her?
She wasn’t in love. She wasn’t heartbroken.
The whole ride back, Stella didn’t say a word. Nathan stayed silent too, not trying to start a conversation.
Back at the villa, once they were inside the living room-
Just as Stella was about to head upstairs, she turned around and looked at Nathan seriously. “Sorry for the trouble today. Thank you for helping me.”
Nathan loosened his tie with one hand. Behind the lenses, his eyes were hard to read. But his tone was as warm and steady as always. “It’s no trouble.”
That night, Stella didn’t come back downstairs.
Because she planned to talk to Ethan and clear everything up.
He’d brought it up once or twice before, and she hadn’t paid much attention.
But now that he’d dragged Nathan into it, she felt uncomfortable.
It was already generous of Nathan to rent her the house. But now he was doing her all these odd favors too. She couldn’t keep pushing.
She took off the little puppy pendant around her neck and placed it on the nightstand.
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Chapter 102 Misunderstandings and Setups
After showering, she laid on the bed with her legs up and called Ethan.
At the same time, Ethan had just gotten home. He was still working.
When he saw the caller ID, his heart skipped a beat.
Stella had been back long enough to adjust to how people communicated nowadays.
Normally, she used WhatsApp. If it was urgent, maybe a WhatsApp call.
Only if it was truly serious would
