Chapter 31

“Mr. Hastings Sr. did ask me for help, but I want you to go back home,” I said, lowering my gaze.

“Well…” My hands nervously gripped the edge of my clothes. “Mr. Hastings Sr.’s health is quite bad. He looks so haggard. You’re his only child, so I think you should go back.”

“I might consider it if you agree to follow my arrangements,” Alex said almost immediately.

I looked at him in surprise. I couldn’t discern his expression through the haze of cigarette smoke. But Mr. Hastings Sr. was suffering, and I felt Alex using that as leverage was childish.

“Are you really so against going back to the Hastings residence?” Alex asked in a gravelly voice, flicking his cigarette butt away.

I looked down and said, “It’s not that I’m against it. It’s just that I was never meant to be a part of the Hastings family.”

My eyes were stinging, and I was choking up. I didn’t say anything more; I didn’t want to show weakness in front of Alex.

There was a long silence before Alex took a deep breath and said, “I’ll drop you off at your dormitory.”

“No, no,” I hurriedly waved my hands in rejection. He slowed slightly.

When he’d come to the university to support me last time, it caused a huge commotion. It made me a campus sensation. Even now, other students whispered when they saw me. If it happened again, I’d probably become a celebrity. I didn’t want that.

“I don’t want the whole campus watching me,” I coughed slightly before telling him the truth. “I’m about to graduate soon. Just let me graduate peacefully, okay?”

I got out of the car and stood by the gate, watching him drive away. Then, I turned around and went back inside.

But as soon as I turned, a chill ran down my spine. I quickly turned around again. It was late at night, so there weren’t many people around the gate. The surroundings were dimly lit, and those walking around were all Grandview University students. Was I being too sensitive?

In the dormitory, Lila was already anxiously waiting for me.

“How did it go? What did Mr. Hastings want from you?” Lila asked, scrutinizing me.

“It’s nothing much. But I guess I’ve completed the task,” I replied, sitting on the bed.

She sighed with relief. “As long as he didn’t scold you. By the way, I’ve been thinking about it, and I realized something serious. I feel that Kevin has some strange obsession with you.”

I suddenly recalled the eerie feeling at the university gate.

“When I was at the gate earlier, I felt like someone was watching me,” I said. Suddenly, all my fatigue was gone.

“At the university gate? Was it the one by the coffee shop?” Lila’s eyes widened.

Alarm bells were ringing in my mind. Kevin had been working the same shift as Lila, but she was already back, so I assumed he’d left work too. But he hadn’t left his shift and instead waited at the university gate. He must have been watching me the whole time—even while I was in Alex’s car.