Chapter 31

"I'll take this call," Leia stammered, rushing to a quieter corner as soon as she saw Harley's name flash on her phone screen.

Her heart raced with excitement and disbelief. "Who's she calling? Why's she so excited?" Eli asked, noticing Leia's uncontainable joy.

Damon glanced in her direction, frowning slightly at her visible enthusiasm, but he said nothing.

Leia hadn't expected Harley to call her. After all, their relationship was no more than a fleeting six months as classmates. Even during holidays, when she mustered the courage to send him carefully crafted greetings, his replies were always brief and delayed.

But now, Harley had taken the initiative to contact her. Leia's heart pounded in her chest.

He actually called me! She took a deep breath to steady herself before answering.

"Hello," Leia said.

"Hi, is this Leia?" Harley's cool, slightly distant voice came through the line.

At that moment, Leia's throat tightened, and she felt a lump in her chest.

It was his voice. After all this time, she never expected to hear Harley's voice again.

Since Leia didn't respond right away, Harley asked again, his tone slightly more distant.

Leia snapped back to reality. "Yes! Yes, it's me, Leia!" she said hurriedly.

"Harley, I saw in the group chat that you're coming back to attend Eston University. That's amazing! I'll be going there too. We should catch up once you're back!" Her words tumbled out in a rush, as if she feared he might hang up at any moment.

"Yeah, sounds good," Harley replied, though he was taken aback by her unusual enthusiasm. He remembered Leia as a quiet, composed girl. Why's she so eager now?

"I'm sorry to bother you so late," Harley continued. "I actually wanted to ask you something."

"Of course! What is it?" Leia responded brightly, her excitement undimmed.

"I ran into Nicolas at the mall today," Harley began, his voice cautious. "He was with a girl. If I'm not mistaken, isn't Nicolas your fiancé?"

Leia's breath caught. She hadn't even processed the joy of Harley's return before his question blindsided her. "No, no! That's not true!" she blurted, panic lacing her tone. "Harley, Nicolas isn't my fiancé. I have nothing to do with him. Please don't misunderstand."

"Really?" Harley sounded surprised. "But I thought there was an arrangement between the Sawyer and Anderson families... for an alliance. The Anderson family and the Sawyer family do have a marriage arrangement," Leia took a deep breath. Though she didn't want anyone to know that she wasn't Kimberly's biological daughter, in front of Harley, she was even more determined to avoid him misunderstanding that she had any engagement with anyone.

Making up her mind, Leia finally spoke the truth. "The one with an engagement to Nicolas is my sister, Noelle. She's Nicolas's fiancée."

"What?" At the sound of this, Harley's voice suddenly sharpened. He quickly asked, "Noelle! You have a sister named Noelle?"

"Yes," Leia replied cautiously, sensing something odd in his reaction.

"I thought you were the only daughter of the Anderson family. Where did this sister come from?" Harley asked, confused.

Leia gripped her phone tightly, biting her lip. Though she disliked discussing her status as Kimberly's non-biological daughter, she couldn't risk Harley associating her with Nicolas. Leia tightened her grip on the phone, pressed her lips together, and said, "Actually, Noelle is Kimberly's biological daughter. We were swapped at the hospital, and when she came looking for us, that's when I found out I wasn't Kimberly's real daughter."

As she spoke, Leia tried to keep her voice low, adding an extra touch of sadness and vulnerability, hoping to win Harley's sympathy and affection. But to her surprise, Harley's focus remained on Noelle.

He asked again, "So, Noelle only became Nicolas's fiancée because the elders of the Anderson and Sawyer families arranged the marriage without her consent?"

"Yes," Leia admitted reluctantly. Though his words were accurate, something about Harley's tone irked her; it was almost… gentle when he said Noelle's name. How could they possibly be familiar with each other? Leia's unease deepened.

Leia's frustration bubbled up inside her. Harley was calling her for the first time, and yet, the entire conversation was revolving around Noelle. Wanting to steer the conversation, she said cheerfully, "Harley, since you're back, how about we old classmates meet up! It'd be great to catch up before school starts."

"We'll see," Harley replied noncommittally, his mind still on Noelle.

When Harley learned that Noelle had been forced by family circumstances to become Nicolas's fiancée, he inexplicably let out a sigh of relief. And Noelle is actually the daughter of the Anderson family. That meant there would be plenty of opportunities to see her in the future.

With that thought, Harley felt a spark of joy.

His response, though, was somewhat dismissive, and Leia felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. Unwilling to give up, she forced a smile and tried again, "Actually, several students from our class got into Eston University. Unfortunately, we're in different majors, so we probably won't see each other much, but it'd be great if we could hang out before school starts."

When the topic of school came up, Harley seemed to have a sudden realization and asked, "Since you were swapped at the hospital, Noelle must be the same age as you, right? Is she also going to Eston University?"

Why was he asking about that bitch Noelle again? Leia thought. But in front of Harley, Leia couldn't let her emotions show. She kept up her sweet persona, smiling as she answered, "Yes, Noelle's also going to Eston University. She's in the same department as me – Finance."

"Really?" Harley's voice, previously cold, now carried a noticeable trace of delight. "I'm in Finance, too. How coincidental!"

Leia couldn't hide her excitement. "Maybe we'll even end up in the same class!"

Maybe… Harley's mind was already turning, considering ways to ensure he and Noelle would be in the same class, even if it wasn't by chance. "It'd be perfect if we were in the same class."

Leia eagerly agreed. Leia, oblivious to his intentions, beamed. "If we're in the same class, that'd be amazing!"

Harley then suggested, "To celebrate that we're both Finance majors, let's get together this weekend."

Leia's heart soared. Harley had agreed to meet her! "Great!" she quickly responded, excited beyond words. "We'll meet this weekend…" But before she could finish, Harley added, "Since we're both going to Eston University, why don't you bring your sister Noelle along as well! It'd be nice for everyone to meet beforehand."

Leia froze, words dying on her lips. Why does this always come back to Noelle?