Chapter 390: What Happened?
Hayley’s POV:
Tanner grinned at me and said, “Our studio has received several large orders, and the clients specifically requested that you design for them personally.” He paused before continuing, “Since it’s summer break, would you consider coming to my studio? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the salary is more than fair.”
Ah, so that’s what this is about! I had been worried about having too much free time during the summer, but now it looks like I’ve got something to keep me busy.
“Sure! I’m totally fine with that,” I replied without hesitation.
Upon hearing my answer, Tanner couldn’t contain his excitement and jumped up, grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you, Hayley! You’re really helping me out.”
I smiled back. “No problem! I can come to your studio tomorrow.”
“That’s fantastic!” Tanner said, beaming. “I’ll have someone set up your workspace right away, so you’ll be comfortable when you start.” He gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Henry, who had been watching from the side, widened his eyes in shock. “Boss, you’re incredible! You can design clothes too?!” He looked at me, bewildered, and asked, “Boss, aside from being amazing at games, songwriting, academics, tennis, the Math Olympiad, and designing clothes, is there anything else I don’t know about you?”
I gave him a mysterious smile. “Oh, there’s plenty you don’t know.”
Henry paused, furrowing his brow. “Why do I feel like there’s a deeper meaning behind your words? What do you really mean?”
I didn’t respond, letting the silence hang in the air.
“Tap, tap, tap…” The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the room. Henry and I immediately looked up. Christopher came rushing downstairs, wearing a coat, clearly in a hurry.
“What’s going on? Why the rush?” I asked, puzzled.
“My parents and Ben’s plane are landing today,” Christopher replied, his excitement evident. “I’m heading to the airport to pick them up!”
“They are coming back?” Tanner asked, while Henry, looking surprised, chimed in, “I’ll come with you!”
“I’ll come along as well,” Tanner said, then turned to me. “Hayley, do you want to join us?”
I nodded. “Let’s go together, then.”
The four of us hurried to the airport. As we drove, a sense of nervousness started to settle in. I glanced at my reflection in the rearview mirror. Benjamin still didn’t know what I really looked like. Would he be frightened if he saw me like this? Or would he see me as someone manipulative? Hiding my true appearance and deliberately making myself look less attractive – would that make him lose trust in me or even push him to dislike me like he once did? Had the image he had of me in his mind shattered completely? Would he reject me on the spot and say he no longer wanted me as his mate? The thought of all these possibilities made me uneasy, while Hera seemed eager to see Benjamin. But I had intended to reveal my secret; surely, Benjamin wouldn’t blame me, would he? I was feeling conflicted as we finally reached the airport. We stood waiting near the exit, and I purposely put on a mask to hide my face. My eyes were locked on the exit, scanning for any sign of them.
Suddenly, two unfamiliar little girls approached and, spotting Christopher, gasped in excitement. “Wow, no way! It’s Christopher!” they shouted, thrilled. Christopher immediately motioned for them to lower their voices. The two girls nodded eagerly, pulled out their phones, and started moving closer to snap pictures of him. “Ho! Stop taking photos!” Christopher said, frowning as he stopped them. “Come on, just one picture! I won’t post it anywhere,” the girl begged. Before he could respond, the other girl glanced at me and screamed, “Harmony! It’s Harmony!” “Where? Where is Harmony?”
I felt a wave of embarrassment and hurriedly adjusted my mask. I really didn’t want to be recognized at this moment! But it was already too late – the two fangirls, completely ignoring Christopher, rushed over to me. “Harmony, we’re your fans! Could you sign something for us?”
I felt a bit irritated. I had worked so hard to hide my identity, yet they still recognized me. “Please don’t tell anyone I’m here, alright?” I asked, hoping they would keep it quiet. “We won’t, we won’t!” they said together, then eagerly handed me their notebooks.
I took them and quickly signed my name for them. The two girls left, practically bouncing with excitement, completely forgetting about Christopher standing beside them. Left behind, Christopher seemed a bit down, feeling ignored. I was just about to say something comforting to him when Hera’s sudden reaction made me realize something. Benjamin, the one I had been missing, was getting nearer! As expected, just a few minutes later, I glanced up and saw Benjamin wheeling his father, Axel Southwell, toward us at the exit.