Chapter 54: Unwelcome Surprises

“Wait, don’t leave. Do you need anything?” Ellis jogged after Casey, blocking his path. Since he was a head taller than her, she had to tilt her chin up. “Your mother arranged for me to assist you. Whatever you need, I’ll handle it.”

Casey gave her a once-over. “You look pretty dumb. What exactly can you do?”

Ellis’s expression stiffened. She suddenly had the urge to punch him.

“Forget it. I won’t argue with an idiot. Go to my lab and organize my data,” Casey said before turning to leave.

Lab? Here?

Ellis followed, wondering why a high school senior—or a college freshman, at most—needed a lab. Then, as suddenly as he had walked away, Casey stopped and turned to face her. Ellis blinked, confused.

“What’s your education level and major?” he asked.

“I have a master’s degree from a 985 university. Both my undergraduate and graduate degrees are in economics,” she answered confidently.

Casey scoffed. “Liberal arts. I knew you were an idiot.”

“What? You think studying humanities makes me dumb? That’s academic discrimination!”

“I have a PhD in science and engineering.”

Ellis’s eyes widened. “How old are you?”

“Twenty. Just graduated.” Casey turned back around. “An idiot like you doesn’t deserve to enter my lab. Just clean whatever needs cleaning.”

Ellis rubbed her temples. So what if he graduated with a PhD at twenty? Unless he’s making groundbreaking contributions to human civilization, stop acting so high and mighty.

She mentally trashed Casey, then abandoned the idea of following him upstairs. Instead, she wandered around the second floor and eventually stepped out onto the massive open-air balcony. The cool night breeze helped her relax. She leaned against the railing, enjoying the view. It was summer, and the sky was still tinged with the warm hues of a sunset. The scattered clouds glowed in vibrant shades of orange, pink, and purple. The longer she looked, the more she liked it. She decided to stay for a few more minutes before checking if anything needed tidying up.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed movement from a nearby house. On the second-floor balcony of the house across from hers stood a man. Morty.

His brows furrowed. Wasn’t he just a kid? He had seen the boy yesterday. So why was Ellis there today?

Puzzled, Morty pulled out his phone. He raised it slightly, aiming the camera at Ellis. Just as he was about to press the shutter, the glass door behind her slid open. The boy he had seen before stepped out, walking straight toward Ellis.

Morty watched as they exchanged a few words. Ellis, who had been leaning against the railing with her back to it, shifted to a side position. After the boy left, she ran a hand through her long, wavy hair in frustration before tilting her head up to look at the clouds.

On the other side of Stonebridge, Easton received a WeChat message. He had just ended a call and was about to lock his phone when the notification popped up. It was from Morty. There was no text, just a photo. At first glance, it seemed like a generic landscape shot—just a summer sunset. He frowned slightly. Why the hell was Morty sending him scenery photos? His finger accidentally tapped on the image, expanding it to full screen. Beyond the vibrant colors of the evening sky, a house’s balcony came into view. It wasn’t just a sunset photo. It was a picture of people. A man and a woman stood on the balcony. The woman was leaning against the railing, her long curls swaying slightly in the wind. Though her face was turned away, Easton recognized her instantly: Ellis. The man next to her was dressed casually, his figure lean with the distinctive frame of a young adult. His facial features were blurred, but his sharp jawline hinted that he wasn’t unattractive. Who was he? Why was Ellis standing there with him? Where had Morty even gotten this picture? Several questions ran through his mind in an instant.

Before he could study the image more closely, it disappeared. A system notification popped up—The sender has retracted a message. Then, a text followed: “Sorry, I sent that by mistake!” Morty wrote.

Sent by mistake?

After a few rings, Morty finally answered. “I saw the photo. Where did you get it?” Easton asked directly.

“Uh…” Morty hesitated.

“Don’t ‘uh’ me. Just answer.”

“Well, the photo was…” Morty stalled again, making Easton’s expression darken. “Can you speak properly or not?”

“…I took it at my place,” Morty admitted. He glanced back at the opposite balcony, where Ellis seemed to be shifting her stance, as if preparing to head inside. A moment later, she stepped back into the house, closing the glass doors behind her. “I just happened to look outside and saw her standing on my neighbor’s balcony. I thought maybe you had bought a new house in this area.”