Only a few minutes after the man left, Nora heard the honking of a car horn behind her.
She thought it was another idiot. But when she looked, she saw the familiar face of Jayla, her senior and roommate from Onistead University, behind the wheel with her boyfriend Derrick beside her. They looked like they had just won a battle as they beamed at Nora standing alone on the street.
Jayla’s surprise was evident as she asked, “Nora, what are you doing here?”
Not wanting to tell them about what happened at home, Nora gave an evasive answer. “I just needed some fresh air; my house is too stuffy.”
Seeing that something was off with Nora’s demeanor and that she wasn’t dressed for the cold weather outside, Jayla guessed that there might be some trouble at home causing this behavior.
“Come on in,” Jayla said kindly. “It’s too cold out here; we’ll give you a ride wherever you need to go.”
Normally Nora wouldn’t even consider getting into such an ordinary car but now her feet were so cold it felt like they weren’t hers anymore. Without hesitation, she got into their car’s back seat while Jayla pulled out one of Derrick’s jackets from under his seat for Nora to wear.
“I’m sorry if it smells like sweat,” Jayla apologized awkwardly with a small laugh. “We’ve been busy these past few days.”
“It’s fine,” replied Nora as she put on the jacket gratefully.
Feeling much better now with something warm covering her body again, Nora asked curiously as Derrick drove them towards Onistead University,
“So where did you two go during this long weekend?”
Jayla’s face lit up with joy as she couldn’t help but share her excitement with Nora. “We went to pick up the car, the one I told you about last time. We used all our savings and got it for only $180, 000. What a deal!”
$180, 000.
A new car.
These words undoubtedly touched on Nora’s sensitive nerves. A hint of naked jealousy arose in her heart and quickly disappeared from her eyes.
Looking at Jayla’s soulless praise, she said, “Wow, you two are amazing! You’re buying a car before even graduating.”
Derrick blushed for the first time being praised by such a beautiful girl. “It’s nothing really; our parents gave us some down payment or else we wouldn’t be able to afford it ourselves.”
Relying on their parents… Nora didn’t know what to think and had an unpleasant expression on her face.
The car soon fell into silence as Jayla may have been too tired after waking up early this morning and fell asleep leaning against Nora’s shoulder. She had slight nasal congestion which caused her to snore rhythmically in the car which made Nora feel annoyed several times wanting to push her away but refrained from doing so.
Derrick smiled helplessly at this situation and said meaningfully towards Nora: “She is always like that; there is nothing we can do about it.”
“Not like you though,” he continued teasingly,”You sleep quietly when you doze off; very cute.”
Nora frowned upon hearing his words,”When have you seen me sleeping?”
“Last time at KTV when you drank too much and I sent you home.” He was referring to when she was humiliated by The Prince Family causing upset feelings leading her later alone drinking heavily at a bar where she woke up next day finding herself lying in bed with Jayla thinking that Jayla brought back home but instead it was Derrick who did so instead.
“I’m sorry for troubling you again,” she apologized feeling embarrassed about what happened last night.
“It’s no problem; I’m happy to serve.” Derrick’s gentlemanly demeanor combined with knowing boundaries made Nora appreciate him more than before since senior sister was rude & vulgar person who doesn’t deserve him wondering how he could put up with someone like that for many years now?
Derrick drove them all the way towards their school while they chatted along the way until they arrived Onistead University within minutes whereupon getting out of his vehicle noticed everyone around them looking coldly or disdainfully or mockingly etc., making eye contact showing disapproval of their arrival here together as if they were not welcome here.
She stood there, stunned for a moment, before walking into the campus with a gloomy expression on her face and tightly clenched her fists.
Occasionally, she heard whispers from her classmates around her. Though their voices were low, they still managed to reach her ears clearly.
“How dare she show up at school?”
“Who knows? Her family has gone bankrupt. Miss Lawrence, who used to be high and mighty, has become a homeless beggar. Do you think Stephen Prince will still like her?”
“Even if Master Stephen likes her, the Prince family would never allow such a woman to live with them.”
In an instant, Nora felt as though all of the blood in her body was flowing backwards and blanked out completely.
How did they know about my family’s bankruptcy? Who leaked this information?
Just then, Jayla noticed something extraordinary ahead of them.
She pointed towards the crowded bulletin board and shouted at Nora, “Nora! Come take a look over here!”
Upon hearing this, Nora’s eyes narrowed and she immediately strode forward towards it without any hesitation or concern for those blocking in front of her who grumbled as she pushed past them roughly.
Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the information posted on the bulletin board – news about her family company going bankrupt along with pictures of herself standing outside their house which had been seized earlier that morning by authorities.
Nora became furious upon seeing this; tearing down all of these pieces one by one before stomping on them fiercely while asking through gritted teeth, “Who did this?”
“Come out! If you have guts to do it, why not admit it!”
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a female voice sounding behind her.
“Who said I don’t have guts to admit it? I did it! What are you going to do about it?”