?Chapter 451:


    Marisa didn’t really care whether the rumors were true or not. All she wanted was to see the look on Mnie’s face when she apologized to Maia and Ethan again — in public. Just imagining it made Marisa want tough out loud!


    For a split second, everything came to a standstill. Ethan’s gaze shot up, utterly stunned, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. He opened his mouth slightly, but the words just wouldn’te. He couldn’t even begin to figure out what Marisa was nning.


    Right then, the ssroom exploded into a chaotic buzz.


    “Wait, what’s Marisa doing?”


    “Is Marisa standing up for Ethan because of what happenedst time?”


    “Seriously! Why is she being so nice to Ethan? Don’t tell me she actually likes him?”


    “Look at Ethan’s face! It’s bright red!”


    Marisa casually nced over her shoulder, and sure enough, Ethan’s face was ming red, even the tips of his ears were burning.


    Marisa, who remained perfectlyposed, couldn’tprehend why he was blushing so quickly. Still, she had to admit, seeing him get all flustered like that was unexpectedly adorable.


    The moment their eyes met, Ethan instinctively turned his gaze aside.


    Off to the side, Mnie stood frozen like a statue. A few secondster, she snapped out of it and shouted angrily, “Marisa, are you insane?”


    Marisa answered casually, “You’re the one who wanted to make a bet. If you’re scared now, just say so. No need to be so dramatic.” With a careless shrug, she turned and walked off,pletely unbothered.


    “Hold it right there! Do you think I’m scared?” Mnie snapped, her teeth grinding together as she shot Marisa a murderous re. “Fine! Watch and see. I’ll beat you and make you ept your punishment with a smile!”


    Dive into fiction with gα?ησν????s


    Marisa didn’t even bother turning around. She simply threw up an “OK” sign over her shoulder and kept walking.


    As she passed Ethan’s desk, she tapped it lightly with her knuckles. “See you around,” she said with a wink.


    “Hmm…” Ethan mumbled under his breath, his face somehow managing to turn an even deeper shade of red.


    Without a care in the world, Marisa popped a lollipop into her mouth and left ss One, still chuckling over Ethan’s adorable reaction.


    Once the bet was officially on, it was like gasoline had been poured on a fire. The news spread like wildfire across the sses, and soon enough, almost everyone in the three sses had heard about it. A few girls from ss Three even made a trip to ss One, all just to steal glimpses of Ethan.


    Meanwhile, Ethan remainedpletely baffled by the sudden attention. As expected, Marisa came over every break, eager to hang out and y the mobile game.


    Not one to admit defeat, Mnie threw herself into the same mobile game every single break.


    Watching the two of them go at it, Ethan couldn’t make sense of it at first, but before long, he found himself drawn in too. It didn’t take long before the entire ss One was hooked, turning break times into lively gaming tournaments.


    Things around Wront had been unusually quiettely. The acquisition of Aurora Apparel Company by MCN, along with a few other business coborations, went along smoothly. It actually left Maia a little surprised. She had fully expected Kolton to stir up trouble behind the scenes, but so far, he had stayed oddly silent.


    Meanwhile, Maia had been working hard in the kitchen, determined to replicate Chris’ mother’s famous strawberry cake. After several frustrating failures, she had finally perfected it. Yet, as Maia gazed down at the freshly baked cake, a heavy sadness pressed against her chest.


    This was Chris’ favorite cake, yet he still hadn’te back or even bothered to send a message.


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