Chapter 15

I didn’t need to turn around to know it was that jerk, Julian. I slowed to a stop and glanced at him.

“Serena, you still love me, don’t you?” Julian called out, hurrying over with gleaming eyes. “I knew you couldn’t bear to leave me.”

I scoffed. “What makes you think that?”

“Well,” Julian faltered, a little embarrassed. “You’re the heiress of the Hastings family, yet you were willing to work so hard for me and give me all your salary. Isn’t that proof of your love for me? Oh, and you haven’t returned the gift I gave you yesterday. If you’re keeping it, doesn’t that mean you want to reconcile with me?”

I was left speechless by his sheer audacity and absurd logic.

Lila popped her head out hesitantly. “Let me explain. We didn’t throw away the gift you gave her yesterday because I forgot to tell Serena when she came back. If you want it, you can send someone to wait outside our dorm later.”

Julian looked unconvinced.

Lila continued, “Serena will probably toss it out herself when she gets back.”

Julian’s expression darkened. “Serena, are you really going to be so heartless?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his words. “Heartless? Julian, how do you even say that with a straight face? I only liked you because I was blind, and I only worked so hard for you because I was an idiot. But let me make one thing clear: I want nothing to do with you now. The only thing I want is for you to pay back every single cent I spent on you over the years.”

Julian looked at me as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “What? You expect me to pay me back?”

I nodded firmly. “I’ve done the math. Over the years, I’ve spent a total of 151,000 dollars on you. I’ll be generous and round it down to 150 thousand dollars.”

The disbelief in his eyes slowly gave way to anger, but I had already grabbed Lila and walked away.

“Julian is such a jerk,” Lila muttered when she caught sight of the gift he had sent after we returned. She picked up the box and turned to me. “Serena, can I just throw this out?” I nodded without hesitation. “Go ahead. I was planning to toss it anyway.”

Hearing my words, Lila tossed the box into the trash without a second thought. “What a piece of junk!” she scoffed. “How could he use that to blackmail you into getting back together with him? He should take a good look in the mirror and realize he’s punching way above his weight.”

I watched Lila fume, but strangely, I felt calm.

“Hey!” Lila marched over to me. “Serena, why are you acting so serious and indifferent? Aren’t you mad about what that jerk said?”

I took a moment to gather my thoughts before shaking my head. “Honestly, Lila, I’m not angry. Julian’s just a passing person in my life. There’s no need for me to be upset.”

It was Saturday, and I had to work at the coffee shop. Lila had offered to cover my shift so I could stay in the dorm and study, but I turned her down.

The weather was pleasant when I left my dorm, and I was in a pretty good mood until I arrived at the coffee shop. My mood soured the moment I saw Julian and his friends sitting inside.

Once inside, I swapped shifts with my coworker, Sylvia Bloom. Leaning in slightly, she lowered her voice. “Serena, they’ve been here for a while. I tried to take their orders, but that group kept refusing to order anything.”

I knew it was Julian without needing Sylvia to tell me. He was the leader of that group.