Chapter 3
I was floored.
That rule? Lucas was the one who drilled it into me.
Back then, even when I was starving and my stomach was in knots, he'd just shoot me a cold text:[Next time, wake up half an hour earlier and eat before we leave.]
Talk about double standards.
Outside the car window, I caught my own face staring back at me in the glass.
Wow. What a clown.
The driver kept glancing back at me, clearly shocked. I knew exactly what he was thinking.
Honestly, I never saw it coming either.
Lucas, who'd been silent for years, finally spoke up the moment he met Chloe.
And he only ever spoke to her.
They say being special to someone is how love begins.
Even Arthur, who'd ruled the business world for years, could still get it wrong sometimes.
I felt a little relieved, but also a bit guilty. That money was supposed to be Chloe's.
The smell in the car was getting overwhelming.
I started feeling dizzy, so I rolled down the window a bit, trying my best to hold it together. By the time we finally reached the school gate, I couldn't take it anymore—I bolted out of the car, retching.
Once the burning in my stomach faded, I turned around and saw Chloe biting her lip, her eyes red and swollen with tears, while Lucas was looking seriously annoyed.
He angrily tapped out a message on his phone: [I know you don't like Chloe, but did you really have to make her feel so bad?]
[When did you get so sensitive?]
[Back at the orphanage, you were way tougher than this.]
Chloe gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
"Whoa, Emily, is it really true what everyone says? Did the Bennett Family actually adopt you just to be Lucas's little maid?"
She asked, her big, round eyes blinking with curiosity.
She had no clue she'd just touched Lucas's sore spot.
Back in middle school, when the class bully confessed to me and I turned him down, he freaked out and started yelling, calling me a "maid" and a "simp."
The next day, his parents transferred him out of school.
After that, nobody dared call me that again.
Finally, people started calling me by my real name.
But this time, Lucas didn't say a word. He just carefully wiped the oil stain from Chloe's lips with a tissue.
I read the room and said to Lucas, "Sorry, I ate too much this morning and got a bit dizzy. Starting tomorrow, I'll start taking the subway to school."
When you're the third wheel, you gotta know when to step aside.
Besides, Lucas was insanely picky about food, and he banned me from eating junk food. Every day, I had to head home with him right after school.
I've been dying to try the street food outside school for ages.
Word on the street is there's a new pancake master at the food truck park!
But Lucas's face looked even more sour than when he was sticking up for Chloe earlier. He tapped out a message: [Why are you throwing a fit?]
[It's not like the Bennett Family's car is too small for you.]
I made my suggestion.
He shot it down.
I just don't get it.
When I got to school, I went straight to the homeroom teacher's office to sort out my transfer, then headed back to my old class to pack up my desk.
My classmates were whispering among themselves.
"I used to think Lucas was spoiling Emily. For a second, I really thought she'd managed to climb the social ladder and snag herself a rich guy."
"Spoiling her? Please, he just sent her straight to the worst class in the whole school."
"I heard that class is full of spoiled heirs who just mess around all day. If she gets transferred there, she'll probably get bullied so bad she'll have to drop out."
"Serves her right! She was acting all high and mighty, scolding Chloe for feeding Lucas in the car, but Lucas didn't even blink before eating the special breakfast Chloe brought for him!"
A basketball came flying out of nowhere, scattering the gossipers.
Lucas strode over, towering above them, his gaze cold and unyielding.
His icy stare sent a chill down everyone's spine.
I just didn't get it. He was the one who wanted to kick me out, but now he was actually standing up for me.
"Forget it," I said, pulling Lucas aside. "The break's almost over. I need to get back to my new class."
My backpack, stuffed with textbooks, was weighing me down.
Lucas frowned, and with his long, graceful fingers, he effortlessly hoisted the backpack that had been making my shoulder ache onto his own.
He kept texting instead of talking: [The SATs are coming up soon. You only have to stay in Class 13 for a month—it'll be over before you know it.]
[I just wanted Chloe in the class because the focused environment will help her catch up faster. You've got a stronger foundation than her, so you'll do fine wherever you are.]
[Once the SATs are over, I'll personally come get you.]
By the time the SATs were over, I'd already be on a flight to Britonnia.
But I didn't say anything.
I just looked into Lucas's eyes, saw the guilt there, and like always, tugged at his shirt and smiled up at him, trusting as ever.
"Okay, I'll wait for you," I said.
I had to keep up the act until I left for Britonnia.