Chapter 150: Have you heard anything from Aaron

[Daffodil Academy]

Mia sat across from John and Leo, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she stared at them with narrowed eyes.

Her gaze shifted from one boy to the other, but both of them stubbornly avoided eye contact, acting as though they hadn’t noticed her scrutiny.

"Okay, you two," Mia finally said. "What exactly are you hiding from me? And what’s with that Theo guy bringing you chocolates and cookies?"

She pointed accusingly at Leo.

Leo stole a quick glance at her before immediately looking away and scratching the back of his head.

Ever since Leo had stood firm on keeping his promise, not a single student had learned what had truly happened at the academy.

The matter had been handled discreetly.

The school administration had taken Theo’s parents’ plea into consideration and decided to give their son a second chance.

For Theo, the meeting had been heartbreaking.

Watching his parents humbly ask for leniency had forced him to confront the consequences of his actions. For the first time, he truly understood how wrong he had been to drag an innocent person into his problems just to save himself.

Fortunately, the principal had chosen not to pursue the matter further and allowed Theo to remain at the academy.

That decision, however, didn’t restore his friendship with Nate.

If anything, the distance between them had only grown.

Theo went out of his way to avoid crossing paths with Nate and spent most of his time alone.

Until today.

Earlier that morning, Theo had approached Leo during recess and awkwardly handed him a small container filled with homemade cookies.

"My mom made these," he had said, avoiding eye contact. "She wanted me to thank you."

It was his way of showing gratitude—and perhaps extending a hand of friendship.

Leo had accepted the container but hadn’t quite decided how he felt about the gesture.

And then Mia had walked in and witnessed the entire exchange.

Now she was determined to get answers.

"Well?" she demanded.

John immediately looked at Leo.

Leo looked at John.

Neither spoke.

Mia narrowed her eyes further.

"Oh, that’s it. You’re definitely hiding something."

"We’re not hiding anything," John said a little too quickly.

"Right," Mia replied dryly. "And I’m the principal."

John winced.

Leo let out a groan and dropped his head onto the desk.

"Mia, can you just let it go?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because mysterious cookies don’t just appear out of nowhere."

"They’re not mysterious cookies."

"They absolutely are mysterious cookies."

John couldn’t help but laugh.

Mia immediately pointed at him.

"And you! Stop laughing and start talking."

"Sorry," John said, still chuckling. "But honestly, if we told you there was nothing interesting going on, you wouldn’t believe us anyway."

"That’s because there is something interesting going on."

Leo sighed heavily.

He was beginning to realize that getting information out of Mia was impossible. Keeping information from her was even harder.

"He’s just showing his gratitude because I helped him. If that’s the answer you’re looking for," Leo finally said, carefully avoiding any details.

Mia studied him for a moment.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, she realized that was probably the only answer he was willing to give.

"If that’s what you say, then I’ll believe you," she replied without pressing further.

Ever since learning the truth about Nate, Mia had begun seeing him in a completely different light. It was hard for her to imagine that his friends wouldn’t feel the same way if they knew everything.

Deciding not to push the subject any further, she changed topics.

"Anyway, have you two rehearsed your lines? We’re performing in front of the teachers today."

A hint of nervousness crept into her voice.

"What is there to rehearse?" John said lazily as he grabbed one of the cookies and took a bite. "I’m literally playing a tree. My entire role is standing there and doing nothing."

Mia rolled her eyes.

"That’s exactly the problem. You’ve taken your role so seriously that you’ve become a tree in real life."

John nearly choked on his cookie.

Leo snorted, trying—and failing—to hide his laughter.

"I’m serious!" Mia exclaimed. "Do you know how embarrassing it’ll be if everyone remembers their lines except you?"

John pointed at himself in disbelief.

"Me? Forget my lines? I don’t even have lines."

"Then don’t forget to stand there."

"I think I can manage that."

"You said the same thing during practice and somehow ended up facing the wrong direction."

"That happened once."

"It happened three times."

John opened his mouth to argue but quickly realized she was right.

"...Fine. Maybe twice."

"It was three times," Leo corrected.

John shot him a betrayed look.

"I thought you were my friend."

"I am your friend," Leo replied. "That’s why I’m being honest."

Mia couldn’t help but laugh.

The tension from earlier gradually faded, and for the first time that morning, the three friends simply enjoyed each other’s company, and somewhere in his heart, Leo was very excited about his performance.

***

[Later That Evening]

"What exactly is the meaning of this?" Ivy asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Xander. "I thought you were visiting the agency to meet the director. Yet somehow you’ve ended up driving me home."

She knew perfectly well that his visit hadn’t been random.

It had been his excuse to pick her up.

"I already met with him," Xander replied calmly. "And you were finished with your shoot."

His straightforward answer only made Ivy frown.

Hah. Why can’t he just admit that he came for me?

For now, Ivy was determined to keep their relationship a secret. It was the safest choice for everyone involved.

Still, she couldn’t deny the tiny sting of disappointment.

She turned toward the window with a pout.

A few moments later, she noticed something.

"This isn’t the way home."

Her head snapped toward Xander.

"No, it isn’t," he replied.

"Then where are we going?"

"Somewhere else."

The vague answer immediately put Ivy on alert.

Her eyes widened dramatically.

"Xander, don’t tell me you’re kidnapping me."

She pointed a finger at him.

"You do realize our son won’t take that lightly."

Xander let out a scoff.

"Is that what you’re worried about?"

Ivy grinned.

She knew perfectly well that Xander wasn’t kidnapping her. But his mysterious behavior had definitely piqued her curiosity.

Deciding to stop asking questions, she settled into her seat and waited.

About twenty minutes later, the car slowed to a stop.

The moment Ivy looked out the window, her eyes widened. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"A mall?"

She turned to Xander in confusion.

"Why would you bring me to a mall? There are people everywhere."

As a public figure, she was already under enough scrutiny. The last thing she needed was to be photographed shopping with Xander.

The thought alone made her nervous.

"Relax," Xander said as he unfastened his seatbelt. "Everything is under control."

Ivy eyed him skeptically.

Whenever Xander said those words, it usually meant he had already planned everything several steps ahead.

Stepping out of the car, she glanced around cautiously. Fortunately, the area was relatively quiet.

Xander walked around the vehicle and naturally took her hand, guiding her towards the VIP entrance.

***

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mall, Nora was shopping with Olivia and Polly.

The three women had come to buy dresses for an upcoming gathering scheduled for the next day. It was the kind of social event where everyone subtly competed with one another—through their clothes, jewelry, connections, and status.

Naturally, each of them wanted to look their best.

"You know," Polly said with a giggle, pulling a sleek black card from her purse, "my boyfriend gave me his black card and told me to buy whatever I want."

She waved the card proudly in front of her friends.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"There you go again."

"What?" Polly grinned. "I’m just sharing my happiness."

"You’re showing off."

"Maybe a little."

Nora couldn’t help but chuckle.

Unlike Polly, she wasn’t particularly interested in flaunting wealth. Still, she had to admit that her friend’s excitement was genuine.

Polly came from a well-connected and affluent family. Her father held a senior management position at Globe International, while her mother was a respected doctor. Growing up, Polly had rarely wanted for anything.

Even so, she clearly enjoyed being spoiled by her boyfriend.

"Honestly, if I had a boyfriend willing to hand me a black card, I’d probably show it off too," Olivia admitted.

Polly immediately wrapped an arm around Olivia’s shoulder.

"See? Finally, someone understands me."

Nora shook her head with amusement.

"Just don’t spend all his money in one day."

"No promises," Polly replied without missing a beat.

The three women burst into laughter as they continued walking through the luxury boutiques, occasionally stopping to admire dresses displayed in the store windows.

"Speaking of relationships," Olivia said, glancing at Nora, "have you heard anything from Aaron?"

Suddenly the air around Nora thickened, and her grip on her bag tightened. She looked at her friends who were curiously looking back at her.