Chapter 391: Forgetting About Sylvie

"Why isn't Sylvie's name on the list?" Carlos mused, surprised after his dream. He felt compelled to defend Sylvie's absence; she deserved to be included.

The dean shook his head helplessly in response. This triggered Carlos's suspicion. The dean had personally compiled the list. Could it be…?

Carlos's mind raced. Penelope's incident had made him wary of students harboring feelings for him. Was Sylvie excluded for the same reason?

Just as he pondered this, the dean explained, "Ah, Ms. Ziegler applied for and was accepted into a foreign music academy exchange program. She leaves in a few days. I was going to mention it, as she could have benefited from your guidance, but she declined."

Carlos's heart skipped a beat. Why had she declined?

Christopher and Rosalie, who had briefly visited to ask about something, looked confused. She was really leaving? They knew about Sylvie's relationship with Carlos from Isabella. While Sylvie initially denied any romantic involvement, they believed, given her fondness for Carlos and the possibility of his memory returning that day, that their story was far from over.

Isabella thought, Wow, seriously? This girl… she's pretty decisive. Studying abroad was her first choice, but she had a better opportunity to be Carlos's student and still chose to leave! If I hadn't seen how much she likes Carlos, I'd think she didn't like him at all!

Christopher and Rosalie, hearing Isabella's thoughts, were equally baffled.

Carlos emerged, looking bewildered.

"Carlos, what happened?" Christopher asked urgently.

"It's nothing. The dean gave me a leave of absence," Carlos replied.

"Oh? Did the incident affect you?" Rosalie asked with concern.

"No, it's just a short break," Carlos assured them. "Next term, they even want me to take on more students."

Christopher and Rosalie exchanged meaningful glances.

[Time Stamp: 12:55 Sun, Oct 20]

So, was this the situation Isabella had described? Carlos might take on new students, yet Sylvie had proactively declined? What was going on?

Isabella thought, Carlos, I can't believe he… he's actually curious about why Sylvie rejected him. Why didn't he ask and just let it go?

It was over. Carlos felt only perplexity. He wouldn't bring up Sylvie, especially since she had rejected him. He wouldn't seek to become her teacher, and the embarrassing dream made the prospect incredibly awkward. He decided to avoid her.

Ignoring his friends' expressions, Carlos began packing. He had left some belongings in the building where the incident with Penelope occurred, where he had been teaching.

Walking down the corridor, Christopher gossiped with Rosalie (who hadn't been present that night) about the incident. "If Penelope had chased after him and found him, he'd have been in big trouble," Christopher said casually, pointing to the room where Carlos had hidden.

Rosalie quickly hushed him; gossiping loudly about their cousin was inappropriate.

Isabella smirked, listening to them. Ahead was the rehearsal room. She glanced at Carlos, expecting embarrassment or anger, but he seemed listless, staring at the rehearsal room.

Just then, the rehearsal room door swung open. Everyone was stunned.