Chapter 1950
The lock screen shed away, revealing Seth''s chat window, and she stared at it intently, her
hopeful yet anxious gaze gradually fading into disappointment.
On the screen, herst message hung unanswered from the night before. No reply from Seth.
Disappointment tugged at her heart, but a strand of relief was woven through it as well. It was, after
all, better than a blunt ''no''.
Taking a deep breath, she sat up and made her way to the bathroom.
After freshening up, she descended the stairs to find Danielle and Creighton already at the
breakfast table, deep in conversation. Danielle''s expression chilled a degree when she saw her,
eyes dropping to her te of eggs and bacon.
Cicely didn''t really care to pry into what Danielle was discussing with her father. Danielle''s cold
shoulder was one thing. What she couldn''t ignore was the way Creighton''s gaze lingered on her.d2
Raising an eyebrow, Cicely took a seat and reached for a freshly-baked scone, then turned to
Creighton with a casual air, "What are you two chatting about?"
Creighton sighed inwardly, then offered a smile. "Danielle''s going to be joining you in junior year
next semester."
Cicely had just taken a bite of her scone when she paused, her cool gaze shifting toward Danielle,
"Thinking of skipping a grade?"
Ignoring her, Danielle continued to eat.
Weighing the situation, Creighton interjected, "If she''s confident she can keep up with the sses,
skipping a grade is certainly an option."
Cicely tossed her scone back onto her te with a tter, leaned back, and fixed Danielle with a
mockingly sweet smile. "I haven''t heard of you excelling in your ss. What''s your n? Were you
discussing hiring a tutor?"
Herst words were directed sharply at Creighton.
Creighton turned to Danielle, "Regardless of her grades, if she''s considering skipping a grade, we
might need to hire a tutor..."
"No need," Danielle cut him off abruptly, "I''ve already found someone to tutor me."
Cicely''s smile remained unchanged, though her hand under the table had balled into a fist. She
simplyughed, offering no response.
Danielle put down her utensils and stood up, addressing Creighton with a detached tone, "I''m done
with breakfast. I''m heading to school."
Creighton grunted in acknowledgment, his eyes on Cicely.
Cicely picked up her utensils again and continued eating as if nothing had happened, leaving
Creighton unable to discern her thoughts.
Who would be tutoring Cicely?
After all, the incident had only happened yesterday. Other than Seth, he couldn''t think of anyone
else.
However, as he saw her off to her car, Creighton noticed no change in her demeanor.
...
Cicely''s car pulled up at the east gate of Summit Ridge University. The south gate led directly to the
high school section, while the east gate led to the university.
Seth always arrived at school twenty minutes early. Cicely''s car had hardly stopped for a minute
when Seth''s figure appeared not far from the entrance.
She stepped out of the car amidst the morning rush, wearing a loose white tee emzoned with a
vintage band logo, contrasting pzzo pants, and pristine white sneakers. It was a simple
ensemble, but it carried the vibrant youth of a student, with a touch of feminine grace. Yet, her
bearing was unmistakably proud and aloof, a clear ''keep out'' signal that only made her more
intriguing to onlookers.
As she emerged from the car, nearly all eyes were drawn to her. Despite the numerous young
coeds who had painstakingly prepared themselves for university life, their efforts paled beside
Cicely''s effortless charm.
Cicely walked directly toward Seth and stopped in front of him. Looking up at him, she met his gaze,
then spoke first, cutting through the morning air.
"I''ve fallen behind on this semester''s sses. Tutor me over the break?" Her request was
straightforward, her smile genuine.
ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
Seth studied her for a few seconds, his lean lips finally parting to say, "I''m busy."
The smile in her eyes grew, "Isn''t college all about dating? What could you possibly be busy with? If
it''s studying, then we can study together. I won''t be pestering you with questions all the time."
Seth''s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her. "Whye to me today, all of a sudden?"
Cicely''s smile widened as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, the action revealing more
of her slender, pale arms. "Seth, I don''t y games, especially not with someone I like. Do you
really think I''d try some clumsy scheme on you? Don''t underestimate me. I''m not into ying
games, and I don''t have the patience for it. Honestly, Seth, do you think I need to scheme to get
what I want?"
Seth narrowed his eyes slightly. Yes, what did she want that the Ellis family couldn''t satisfy?
"Seth, remember, I will never deceive you."
Seth stared at her quietly, his lips parting slightly. "Never?"
Cicely nodded. "Never."
A smirk flickered across Seth''s face, almost imperceptible yet unmistakably sardonic.
Cicely continued, unfazed by his expression, "Of course, if I wanted to deceive you, I wouldn''t make
it obvious."
His smirk became more pronounced, "So you know I''m tutoring Danielle over the break, and you''re
here trying to get me to switch to tutoring you instead?"
Although she had suspected as much, hearing it from Seth''s own lips chilled her expression.
"What''s your y then?"
"What do you think? Jumping in halfway through the game isn''t exactly ying fair now, is it?"
Cicely''s face finally betrayed her impatience. "Look, if Danielle wanted to skip a grade, my dad
could easily get her a tutor. I warned her to steer clear of you, but she just doubles down instead.
Now you’re painting me as the viin for ''interfering''? You''re supposed to be my guy, and keeping
your distance from other women is the bare minimum, isn''t it? Now, making me the viin is
Danielle''s fault and your fault, but it shouldn''t be my fault. If any one of you had a little self-
awareness, I wouldn''t be standing here now."
Everything was always someone else’s fault, never hers. She had a way of twisting things to make
herself the innocent victim.
"I''m not dumb enough to try and fool you if that''s what you think. But remember, I''ve told you before
– I''m not your guy. I''m not interested in ying high school sweetheart with a minor."
Seth circled around Cicely with a dismissive air. "I already agreed to tutor Danielle, and I don''t back
out of mymitments for no good reason. Since you’re struggling to keep up, maybe you should
consider getting yourself a tutor instead of worrying about Danielle."
Cicely turned to face him, her beautiful face tilted up to meet his gaze. "So, you want me to step
aside for Danielle? Let the guy I like spend his vacation with another woman with dubious
intentions?"
Seth’s brow furrowed. For reasons he couldn''t quite articte, he felt cornered by her. He didn’t
want to admit it, but it felt like a threat. And the unfamiliar emotion was irritating him.
"Don''t be so presumptuous as to define everything with your own biased thoughts."
"Oh?" Cicely raised an eyebrow. "Is it presumptuous of me to like you, or to say Danielle''s intentions
aren''t pure?"
Seth’s expression darkened. It wasn’t either. They had nothing to do with the feeling of being
threatened.
"Think what you want." With those cold words, Seth strode through the school gates.
Those around Cicely looked puzzled, too far away to have heard their conversation, but Seth''s dark
mood and the way he left a girl standing there sparked both disapproval and curiosity.
Cicely stood still for a moment, then turned to leave. Everyone expected her to be heartbroken,
maybe even cry, but she did none of that. Her demeanor was calm, devoid of joy, anger, sorrow, or
distress. Her poise and confidence were unshaken, and she serenely slipped into her chauffeured
Mercedes as the driver held the door open for her.
It wasn''t until her car had driven off that the crowd''s curiosity faded, and they headed into the school
building.
"Who was that girl? She''s absolutely stunning."
"Isn''t she? And that figure? Who canpete?"
"Shallow. It''s not just about looks and body. Look at her ride – a Mercedes S-ss with a private
driver, and that air of untouchable grace. She’s got to be some high-ss heiress."
"You''re one to talk, ogling her like the rest of us."
"Hey, who doesn''t appreciate beauty?"
A few guys chuckled and headed towards the main building, while Seth watched them go, his mood
growing darker.
...
Cicely arrived at school ten minutester than usual due to the detour but it didn’t matter much. She
was just thest to hand in her assignment.
Joel, who was collecting the homework, noticed the stormy look on her face as Cicely plunked her
heavy backpack on the desk with a loud thud and handed him her work. He took it, giving her an
extra nce – it was rare to see Cicely out of sorts.
"If there''s anything you don''t understand, feel free to ask me," Joel said, after a moment of
hesitation.
"Thanks," she replied without emotion, then suddenly looked up at him with a question. "Don’t you
get tired of studying so hard every day? Even if you went to a mediocre college, you''d still inherit the
Davis family fortune, right?"
Joel was taken aback by her direct question, pausing a moment before responding, "I can’t let
people say the heir to the Davis conglomerate is ipetent. And while it doesn''t matter which
college, getting into a top one saves me from critics. Besides..."
Cicely nodded, expecting that to be his sole and most convincing reason, but Joel had more to say.
She looked at him expectantly.
His ears reddened slightly. "I want to be worthy of the person I''ll like in the future, to not be a
burden, to be able to support her or provide a sense of security."
Again, Cicely nodded. Her eyes fluttered, and she straightened up with a slight smile. "With your
status as the Davis heir, plenty of women would throw themselves at you."
"The one I like won''t care about just that," Joel said quickly, a trace of urgency in his voice.
Cicely was startled by his sudden intensity.
Realizing his tone, Joel quickly added in a softer voice, "Would you like any of those people who
have pursued you?"
Cicely raised an eyebrow in response.
"Right, those shy types would never catch the eye of someone like you. I can''t wait to meet your
future girlfriend and tell her how dedicated you are. She''ll be so touched."
Joel pursed his lips, and his eyes dimmed slightly. "I should get these assignments to the teacher."
"Sure, thanks for your help."
Cicely seemed in a much better mood, but as Joel turned to leave, she called out again, "Oh, and
Joel, I want to get good grades this time. I might need to bother you these next few days."
Joel paused, then smiled. "It''s no trouble at all. If you need help, just ask."
Cicely smiled back. "Thank you, then."
To be worthy of the one you like, to not be a burden, and perhaps even to be of help, she might as
well give it a try.
Better to get a good grade on her own than rely on Seth. It would show she was capable, after all.
Otherwise, relying on Seth, even if she got a good grade, it would be taken for granted in his eyes.
He might even have pointed out mistakes and mocked her for them.
However, as soon as she thought about Seth tutoring Danielle during the holidays, Cicely''s
expression instantly darkened again.
-
When the final bell rang, Cicely hit up her dad, Creighton, with a text, saying she''d be homete
because she was hitting the books with friends. With exams around the corner, it was nothing but
the truth.
But Creighton? He wasn’t buying it. Since when was his little girl suddenly Miss Study Hall?
The only time she''d ever shown interest in hitting the books was when she was scheming to skip a
grade, and everyone knew it was just to close the gap between her and Seth. It gave her the perfect
excuse to be around him under the guise of “needing tutoring.”
Now, after learning about Seth’s new gig as Danielle’s personal tutor in the morning, Cicely was
suddenly morphing into a star student by the afternoon? Was she trying to prove a point?
Creighton couldn’t help but wonder: Was this a disaster in the making or could it actually be a good
thing?