Chapter 39
“I just saw Josie’s name on the competition registration website. Did you guys run into her? Aiden, did you talk to her? Did she agree to help me?” Vincent was practically beaming as he looked at Aiden. In his mind, as long as Aiden spoke, Josie wouldn’t be able to say no. It seemed his graduate school application was finally moving forward—he wouldn’t have to ask Jaden for help, and he wouldn’t have to stay up late working on it anymore.
Aiden’s face darkened, clearly irritated. He didn’t want to engage with Vincent, who seemed to have lost his mind. “I’ve already told you, she’s no longer part of the team. I told you to stop bothering her, so why can’t you just let it go? Do you really want me to tell Professor Lawson that you’re not up to it?” “No, no, no! Aiden, don’t tell Professor Lawson! I won’t bother Josie anymore!” Vincent turned pale, completely confused about what had gone wrong.
He thought, ‘Why is Aiden so upset? Could it really be Josie? No, no, that can’t be it! How could Josie refuse Aiden? Maybe Aiden hasn’t actually asked her?’
After Aiden left, Vincent mumbled irritably to himself, “He’s the one who promised to help me. If he’s not going to, fine, but why is he blaming me?”
Natalie pouted and tugged at Vincent’s sleeve. “Vincent, don’t blame Aiden. He really did try to talk to Josie, but she wouldn’t listen. She even said a lot of harsh things. It’s only because of Aiden’s good manners that he didn’t snap.” “That’s impossible!” Vincent couldn’t believe it. “Josie would never say anything like that to Aiden. She always listens to Aiden.”
Natalie’s expression turned complicated, and she looked a little uncomfortable. “But she’s changed… If you don’t believe me, you should go ask her yourself. I’m not lying.” Her face showed the kind of hurt someone felt when they’d been wronged. “But honestly, don’t get your hopes up. She’s really different now. Even her style has changed.
“She’s wearing makeup, a dress, the kind of look that any guy would probably like. Honestly, Vincent, she’s even more beautiful now. But I’m really worried about her. I’m afraid she’s going to get taken advantage of. Back when you guys protected her, she was always low-key, and no one dared to cause trouble. But now… Pretty girls tend to attract the wrong kind of attention.”
It was almost like she was saying that Josie was dressing provocatively to get attention.
“Forget it, I won’t get into that. If you want to talk to her, go ahead. If you can convince her, great. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to Josie. I have to focus on the innovation competition. Aiden said I should concentrate on my studies, keep a low profile, and aim high in my work. It would be great if I could make a big impact in the competition.”
Natalie noticed the growing gloom on Vincent’s face and knew her words were having an effect. She didn’t push further, giving him a worried but gentle glance before heading upstairs. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t stress too much about the competition. I’ll think it through carefully.”
Vincent felt a bit ashamed. He’d been so distracted by Josie’s situation the past few days that he hadn’t focused on the competition at all. He wasn’t even keeping up with Natalie, the new team member. He shot Natalie an apologetic look and turned to leave.
He swore that this would be the last time he tried to convince Josie. If she wouldn’t listen, it was no longer his problem. From now on, he would put all his energy into helping Natalie.
He thought, Josie is ungrateful—she really doesn’t deserve my help! The thought that Josie had ignored Aiden’s advice made him wonder why he was still even considering reaching out to her. Maybe it was because he still couldn’t let go of her, after all these years of friendship. He had always thought of her like a sister.
Natalie returned to her desk.