Josie still remembered Delilah’s appearance at that time. Her face was weary, and her eyes brimmed with helplessness. It was a kind of despair where even giving one’s all couldn’t change the situation. Just a single glance was enough to send a chill through the heart.
Now that she thought about it carefully, wasn’t she also an accomplice in all of this? The success of David’s team would not have been possible without her. It was precisely this success that had given David the confidence to confront the Reedshaw family.
In fact, even in this life, Josie still could not understand why David hated the Reedshaw family so much. Or rather, why did the members of the Reedshaw family dislike David so much? ‘What exactly are the irreconcilable conflicts and grievances between them?’ she wondered.
“We will make money!” Sean assumed that Josie’s concern about finances stemmed from childhood poverty. Feeling a surge of compassion, he reached out, took Josie’s hand in his, and squeezed it.
Josie lowered her head and saw their two palms overlap. ‘Did anything go wrong?’ she thought. ‘Pinching my face is fine. After all, both Claire and Zoey like to do that. But pinching my hand?’ Come to think of it, Sean seemed to have held her hand quite frequently.
‘Does he really treat me like a little child and needs to hold my hand wherever I go? It doesn’t seem like it. The key point is that I don’t seem to dislike physical contact with him,’ she thought.
Before Josie figured out what was happening, Sean had already withdrawn his hand. Josie’s gaze followed his hand to his face.
‘Sean, known as the brooding campus heartthrob, is just as attractive as Colby, who probably only holds his title because he smiles a lot. Otherwise, he might not have been the campus heartthrob,’ Josie reflected indifferently.
The campus heartthrob drove with full concentration, his expression unusually serious and proper, as if that hand-squeezing just now had been nothing more than a simple gesture of comfort, carrying no other meaning at all.
I must have been overthinking! Josie thought, and could not help but feel contempt for herself. ‘How could a man of Sean’s family background ever be attracted to a girl like me? All that he’s done is solely due to his kindness, compassion, and sympathy; he is a good person, a truly good person.' Thinking of this, Josie was even more determined to ensure the success of the research.
However, things did not seem to be as simple as she had imagined. As soon as they arrived at the Clem family residence, they saw Jaden and his group.
When Jaden saw her, his hand on the car door paused. He then walked over with Tina.
“What are you doing here?” Jaden asked, sweeping a displeased gaze toward Josie. “The Clem family is not someone like you, a country girl, can associate with. Don’t blame me for not reminding you. High society is governed by numerous rules, particularly for prominent families such as the Clem family, which places the utmost importance on etiquette and protocol. The people coming and going here are all leading figures of Aloville. If you inadvertently offend someone, even having ties with the Reedshaw family won’t be able to protect you.”
Josie felt unlucky and thought to herself, ‘Why do I run into them wherever I go? What bad luck!’
“I’m not asking you to save me, so why are you butting in?” Josie rolled her eyes at him and turned to leave.
Jaden seized her and said, “Josie, when did you become like this? You’re so sharp-tongued and arrogant, displaying no manners or decency. I must have been blind before to have ever liked you. Take a look at Tina.” He pulled the girl beside him closer and said, “If you were even half as good and well-behaved as Tina, we wouldn’t have neglected you. Are you aware of the status and position that Aiden and I hold? Once you graduate, whichever research institute you wish to join, we can help you. Otherwise, if you leave David’s team, you might not even be able to find a decent job in the future!”
“That’s quite a bold claim, Jaden,” Sean walked over from the rear of the car, carrying a gift box, and said. “I just found out that you and Aiden can intervene in the research institute’s selection process solely based on your status? I’m very curious. What exactly are you guys‘ identities?”
Jaden did not see him at all just now because the car’s body was blocking his view. Only now did he realize the car before him was the only one in all of Aloville, and it belonged to Sean.