Kieran stopped the beating and jogged over, glancing at Callie leaning against the car. “That guy’s been dealt with. He won’t dare cause trouble for at least six months.”
Nelson stood in the night, extending his hand. “Car keys.”
Kieran made a sound of realization, belatedly finding and handing over the car keys. Nelson turned and got into the car.
Callie walked towards the passenger seat, whistling at Kieran before she left. “You should see a doctor about that eye.”
Last time, she had sprayed pepper spray on him, and it was still red.
Callie hadn’t taken a good look at the city in a long time.
Nelson always drove fast. In his youth, he enjoyed thrilling activities like racing, mountain climbing, and gambling. It wasn’t until he took over the Oconnor Group that he had to settle down and give up many of his hobbies.
Callie propped her face on her hand, gazing at the side profile of the man in the driver’s seat.
“I grew up in Ylosea from my teens. I finished middle school, high school, and university here. Then I started working and met you. This city has witnessed everything about me,” she said slowly.
“A few short years are not enough to summarize a lifetime.”
Callie nodded. “But I’ll never have another few years like those.”
The car passed by Ylosea’s best middle and high schools. Nelson had studied and graduated from here. The decor had changed drastically since then. Callie looked out the window. “I finished middle school here. The school was divided into two groups: the wealthy nobles and us poor students who studied hard.”
She calculated the time. When she enrolled, Nelson had skipped grades and left the school. Fate had kept them apart until now.
Nelson’s long fingers gripped the steering wheel; he occasionally glanced over with a somber expression.
“Back then, my family is poor. My stepmother hated me, thinking I was a burden to them. Only Reuben was good to me, attending parent-teacher meetings and always being especially proud,” Callie said with a smile. “Those days were tough. I often wondered if my biological parents knew my situation, would they feel sorry for me.”
“After the college entrance exams, I worked part-time in a supermarket to earn money. I was worried about whether I would get in or not because my family couldn’t afford it. Looking back, it was a very long summer.”
The Maybach sped down the empty road, Nelson unconsciously pressing harder on the gas pedal.
He remembered that year’s college entrance exams because Marilyn had pestered him to return from abroad once. He had picked her up from school, surrounded by students in uniforms. What had he been thinking then?
He had wondered if Maeve was among them, how she was doing, and if she was struggling.
The car drove past Ylosea University, the only university in the country built by the sea.
“Fortunately, I got in with a full scholarship, but I still had to earn my living expenses,” Callie said with pride in her voice. “But fate played many jokes on me. My first love abandoned me, and Reuben had a car accident. From then on, to sustain the livelihood is the topic of my life.”
She ended with a bitter smile, looking at Nelson. He was so handsome, a man who grew up in luxury, always strong and confident.
What was even more incredible was that he was once the bright boy who grew up with her.
“At that time, I desperately wished for someone like you to save me.”
Nelson’s eyes softened as he glanced at her briefly. After a moment, he said, “The process was complicated, but I still came, didn’t I?”