?Chapter 255:


    Elliana sat through it, finding the scene more ridiculous by the second. She rubbed at her ears again, wondering how these people had grown so numb to Trinity’s transparent games after all these years.


    While she rolled her eyes in silence, she caught Cole watching her with a quiet, knowing smirk. Her hand froze in mid-air. She leaned over and poked him in the side, lowering her voice to whisper sharply, “Why are you always staring at me like that? If you keep it up, people will think we’re flirting. Then, Ruben would clear his throat to keep us in line, and I’d rather not be publicly humiliated, thanks.”


    Cole chuckled under his breath and finally looked away, clearly entertained.


    Trinity didn’t miss their brief exchange. Jealousy red up in her chest, pushing her to speak again. “Milena told me that once I get epted into Ublento Medical University, he’lle to Ublento in person—not just for the mentorship ceremony, but to treat Barbara while he’s here.” With only two weeks left until admission results were due, she added quickly, “That means in only two weeks, we’ll finally have the chance to meet Milena!”


    Ruben paused to calcte the timing, and his entire face lit up with joy. “Trinity, you were raised by the Evans family. Milena epting you as his protégé is a huge honor for all of us. I’ll take care of the arrangements myself. The ceremony will be grand, and I’ll be there to celebrate every moment.”


    The younger rtives all burst in at once, their voicesyered with genuine excitement. “I want to be there too!”


    “Count me in!”


    “There’s no way I’m missing a chance to see Milena. This might never happen again!”


    Only Jason stayed where he was, arms crossed and face unreadable. His usual cold expression never shifted. No one questioned it. That was just how he always looked.


    Ruben let out a warmugh. “I can see how excited everyone is about meeting Milena. But keep in mind, word is he’s not too fond of big groups. We’ll need Trinity to talk to Milena first and make sure he’sfortable with that many people being there.”


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    Immediately, every head turned to Trinity. In that moment, she became the one everyone looked to, their only bridge to Milena.


    Trinity didn’t answer right away. Instead, her eyes slid toward Cole…


    Trinity’s gaze slid over to Cole, and without realizing it, everyone in the room followed her line of sight and turned to stare at him.


    But Cole, true to form, was already lost in his own world, eyes fixed on Elliana with the dazed look of a hopeless romantic.


    With no other choice, Elliana leaned over and gave his side a quick pinch, snapping him back to the moment. Once again, they were stealing the spotlight.


    Cole jerked slightly at the sting, his brow twitching, but he brushed it off smoothly. His attention shifted to Trinity as he said, “Yeah? What is it?” His tone was cold as ever.


    Trinity forced her features into stillness, doing her best to mask the storm raging beneath the surface. Frustration and hurt churned just beneath her smile. She hade here hoping to dazzle Cole with her sess and knock Elliana down a few notches in the process. But Elliana hadn’t batted an eye, and Cole hadn’t changed—not even a little. Where did things go wrong? Why didn’t anything she said shake Elliana or impress Cole?


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