"What do you mean by forget about it?" Julian''s gaze softened as he looked at Elena with a tenderness I hadn''t seen before. "If she had just misspoken, maybe she could be forgiven. But bullying you? That''s uneptable."


    The 150 thousand dors had really done its job. I took a deep breath and asked, "Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe she wasn''t acting this way before you showed up? Perhaps her attitude only changed after you arrived?"


    "Elena wouldn''t do that," Julian replied confidently.


    From the moment Elena stepped through the door, everything had been falling perfectly into ce.


    A hint of helplessness flickered in my eyes as I gazed at Julian with a mix of affectionate pity. "Why don''t we check the surveince footage?" I suggested, spreading my hands. "It just so happens that there are cameras in this area, and they even record audio."


    "You bullied Elena, and you still have the nerve to suggest checking the surveince footage?"


    "There''s no need for that. It was just a minor issue."


    Julian''s and Elena''s voices ovepped.


    Julian looked all righteous while Elena remained unusuallyposed, but her eyes flickered nervously around the room.


    "Julian, there''s no need for that," Elena said softly, slipping her arm through his. "Let''s just go home. Besides, this is the coffee shop where Serena works. It wouldn''t be right to get her fired."


    Julian''s expression softened with concern as he looked at her. "Elena, you''re so kind. Even after everything, you''re still protecting her."


    Seeing the tension between them, I quickly stepped in, putting some space between them. "Stop!"


    Julian gave me an unhappy look. "Serena, what''s your problem now?"


    "Nothing much," I said, meeting his gaze firmly. "I just want to check the surveince footage. And for the record, I''m not the type to hold grudges."


    Then, turning to Elena, I added, "And I won''t let anyone nder me. I''m not some pawn in your little love drama, and I refuse to be part of your games."


    I walked over to the counter and pulled up the surveince footage from earlier.


    "Julian," Elena said, panic creeping into her voice. "Let''s go. I don''t feel well."


    I stared at them coldly. Finally, the big idiot, Julian, seemed to catch on. His eyes widened in disbelief as he turned to Elena.


    Without warning, tears began to spill down Elena''s cheeks. She looked at Julian with a pitiful expression. "Julian."


    Julian''s expression shifted. It was as if he were seeing a whole new side of Elena, noticing the crack in her perfect facade for the first time.


    "Julian, I..." Elena hesitated, taking a step forward and nervously tugging at


    Julian''s sleeve. "I''m just so scared of losing you."


    I couldn''t help but be amazed at how effortlessly Elena yed the victim.


    ncing at Julian, I wondered how he would respond.


    As expected, with just a few words, Julian forgave her.


    I rolled my eyes and watched them walk away.


    When I got back to the dorm, L noticed my annoyed expression and couldn''t


    help butugh. "What''s wrong? Who pissed you off?"


    "That jerk and that pretentious bitch really do belong together!" I muttered before recounting the day''s events to L.


    Lughed so hard she was rolling around in bed. "You''ve gotta be joking, Serena. Julian is such a moron!"


    "At least I got my 150 thousand


    dors back said, ncing at my phone screen. The long string of numbers lifted my spirits. For once, I didn''t mind not being able to fully grasp the magnitude of such arge sum.


    "Good thing you were smart enough to have Elena sit in a spot with


    surveince, Serena. Otherwisel


    you''d be the one at a loss t