Chapter 113: Missed You So Much

Hayley’s POV

Suddenly, two familiar figures rushed toward me from opposite sides. “Hayley! We’ve missed you so much!” Trista wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace, while Lillian quickly joined in, exclaiming, “I’ve missed you too, Hayley!”

Their unexpected appearance caught me off guard. “What are you doing here?”

With a triumphant smile, Lillian replied, “Didn’t I mention I was transferring to your school? I’ve finished all the paperwork, so now we’ll be classmates!”

Trista added excitedly, “Not just classmates, but in the same class! Can you believe it? They put Lillian and me in your class, so we can walk to and from school together!”

I could hardly wrap my head around it. “You’re not joking, right?”

They exchanged mischievous glances before responding in unison, “Relax! We wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

A rush of joy filled me as I led them toward the school building. “We need to find the principal first, and then we’ll head to class. You go ahead, Hayley! We’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

I waved them off and made my way back to my classroom. Christine spotted me and rushed over. “Hey! Hayley! I just saw you come in with two new faces. Who are they?”

I explained, “Two friends. I’ll introduce you soon.”

Christine raised an eyebrow. Her curiosity piqued. “They look like Betas, and they don’t seem to be from our school. How do you know them?”

Before I could respond, Ms. Susan walked in with Lillian and Trista, causing the class to fall silent. “Everyone, please welcome our new classmates, Trista and Lillian. Let’s make sure we all help each other out and get along well in our class.” The moment she finished, the classroom erupted into enthusiastic applause.

Trista stepped forward with a bright smile. “I’m Trista. I can’t wait to learn alongside all of you.”

Lillian chimed in, “I’m Lillian. I’m thrilled to join this big family, and I hope to make good friends here.”

Ms. Susan nodded approvingly and assigned them seats right behind me.

After class, I took the opportunity to introduce them to Christine. “This is my best friend, Christine.”

Trista extended her hand to Christine. “Hi, Christine! It’s so nice to meet you!”

Seeing the three of us together filled me with excitement. “From now on, we’re sisters! I’m really glad to meet both of you, and I hope we can all learn and grow together.”

As school ended that day, I stepped outside and spotted Irving waiting for me. The moment he saw me, he hurried over. “Give me your backpack.”

I shook my head, smiling politely. “No need for that.” With that, I opened the car door and climbed in. Irving looked at me with an unreadable expression before settling into the driver’s seat.

As we drove, he informed me, “I made reservations at a new French restaurant that has received fantastic reviews. I thought you’d enjoy trying it out.”

I responded with a soft, “Sounds good,” while I shifted my focus back to my homework. By the time we arrived at the restaurant, I had completed most of my assignments and stowed my books away.

The restaurant had an upscale ambiance, lavishly decorated, but when I entered, I was taken aback to find it entirely empty.

Irving, ever the gentleman, pulled out a chair for me. “Please, take a seat. I’ll be right back; need to use the restroom.”

I shrugged it off and casually took out my phone. As I unlocked it, a message from Benjamin appeared.

Benjamin wrote, “Ms. Selena, don’t forget we have class at 8:00 PM tonight.”

It suddenly hit me; today was Monday, and I was scheduled to teach Benjamin Mornant language later. I quickly sent back a thumbs-up emoji.

Just as I hit send, Irving returned. “Hayley, would you like something to drink? Maybe some wine?” he asked. I replied nonchalantly, “Anything is fine.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Since you have class tomorrow, I won’t get you any wine. Instead, I ordered some juice for you.”

“Okay, sounds good!” I replied.

Even though I was with him, the atmosphere felt oddly off. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what was strange; I just wanted to finish my meal and head home.

However, as I was halfway through my dinner, the lights in the spacious dining room suddenly flickered off, startling me. “What’s going on?”

Irving reassured me, “It’s probably just a power outage.”

About five minutes later, the lights flickered back on, but the surroundings had completely transformed. The once-empty room was now filled with vibrant red roses, creating a stunning floral sea.

I stood there, utterly speechless. What was happening?

Before I could voice my confusion, Irving abruptly stood up. “Hayley, I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time.”

I stared at him in disbelief, completely baffled.