L rolled her eyes. "Seriously, girl, I''m impressed. Alex is your brother, for


    heaven''s sake. Can''t you put in a bit more effort for him? Can''t you just be a bit more concerned about him?"


    I let out a long sigh and looked at her. "So, what should I do now?"


    "Call him," L said.


    I didn''t move.


    The thought of calling Alex made me ufortable, especially after the conversation we had in the car that day.


    L said without any hesitation, "This watch is worth over a million. If you lose it..."


    I pulled out my phone immediately.


    The call connected quickly. I took a deep breath before blurting out everything in


    one go.


    Alex was silent on the other end for a while. Then, he said in an incredibly gentle tone, "I''m heading out of town for a meeting and won''t have time for now. Just hold onto it."


    I frowned slightly. "But Mr. Hastings, this watch is incredibly expensive. If I lose it, then I might not be able topensate you for it."


    "Thenpensate for it with yourself," Alex replied instantly.


    For some reason, a flurry of images ran through my mind at that moment. Then, my face turned red as I stammered, "W-What... What did you say?"


    Alex cleared his throat and said, "I mean, if you lose it, then you''ll just have to work and earn the money to pay for it."


    I breathed a sigh of relief but felt frustrated at the same time. "Are you joking? I''m supposed to earn enough money for a million-dor watch? How long would I need to make enough money for that?"


    "I''m about to board my flight. Just keep it for now. I''ll call you as soon as I''m back," he said with a tone of finality.


    I was just about to suggest that he send an assistant over to get it when the line went dead.


    Alex Hastings!


    What a bastard!


    I cursed him internally for a bit to vent my frustrations.


    Reluctantly, I brought the watch back to my dormitory. Then, I changed my clothes and headed to the coffee shop for my shift. I ran into Elena as soon as I stepped out of the university gate. It really was a small world. I quickly stepped to the side, not wanting to talk to her.


    "Serena," Elena called out. Her arms were crossed as she walked leisurely toward


    me.


    I stopped and let out a weary sigh. "Why are you here again? What do you want from me this time?"


    "Serena," Elena said as she moved


    closer. She


    Put on that same pitiful


    act again. "I just want to apologize to


    you. Why are you being so cold to


    me?"


    I couldn''t help but sneer, "I''m being cold to you? How do you think I should be


    acting after what you did to me?"


    Elena said innocently, "That''s why I came to apologize. Julian has feelings for you. He really does like you. Won''t you give him a chance?"


    "Why should I give him a chance?" I was really impressed with the way her mind worked.


    She sounded like a lunatic. Yet someone like her managed to capture Julian''s attention for so many years. What did that say about him?


    Neither of them was a good person.


    The only one I could me was myself for being blind.


    (el


    Elena slowly lowered her gaze as she said earnestly, "Julian really does care about you. At first, l- thought that he was just ying around with you. But now, I see that I was wrong. Julian really likes you."