Chapter 1951
Creighton frowned slightly, a mix of joy and concern etching his features. He was pleased because,
well, knowledge was power, and who wouldn''t be happy about their child gaining more power? But
the worry was, could all this hard studying take a toll on her?
He didn''t exactly expect her to be a straight-A student or a valedictorian. In fact, he wouldn''t mind if
Cicely turned out to be a carefree, happy-go-lucky "good-for-nothing." After all, the Ellis family had
the means to indulge such a lifestyle.
He had considered the future of inheritance. However, with his daughter''s temperament, she didn''t
seem the least bit inclined to pour her heart into the family legacy.
It wasn''t like he hadn''t discussed it with her. More than once, he had tried every trick in the book -
cajoling, enticing, but nothing seemed to sway her. Eventually, he had let go of that expectation.
She was, after all, Creighton''s daughter. Her future was destined to be with the cream of the crop.
He wasn''t worried about the future of the Ellis family.
As the saying goes, "The children''s luck is their own." To him, the Ellis family wealth was nothing
more than the financial foundation for his daughter''s future happiness. Nothing was more important
to him than her joy and well-being.d2
Besides, that youngd Seth had both the mind and the capability, and had won over the affection
of his clear-minded Cicely. With a little nurturing, the Ellis family would surely not decline.
No one knew his daughter better than he did. If Cicely wasn''t thinking along these lines, he wouldn''t
have entertained the thought either.
She had always been "without high ambition," so why the sudden drive?
After pondering for a while, Creighton sighed. At the end of the day, more learning could only be a
good thing.
He had barely hung up the phone with Cicely when Danielle''s call came through. She, too, was
skipping dinner at home for a tutoring session. Now, dinner would be a solo affair for him.
Might as well, he thought, and instructed the kitchen to prepare just one te of spaghetti for him.
After school, Danielle and Cicely had bumped into each other at the school gates. Danielle was
alone, whereas Cicely was with Joel.
Cicely never hid her disdain for Danielle, and Joel was well aware of it. Now that the three of them
had collided, he felt a touch awkward. He wanted to say something but couldn''t find the words.
Danielle nced at him, surprised to see Cicely this close to him. Everyone knew that Cicely was a
loner at school, never one to initiate or indulge in friendships.
"What are you looking at?"
Cicely loathed that scrutinizing gaze from Danielle, as if she was trying to probe her life through
Joel.
Danielle''s eyes met Cicely''s, “I won''t be home for dinner tonight, and I''ve already called.”
Hearing this, Cicely frowned, “Are you trying to provoke me?”
Danielle''s expression remained neutral, “I just don’t want you to hassle me like you didst night.”
A faint smile yed on Cicely’s beautiful face, “Are you deaf or has your brain been waterlogged?”
Danielle’s usually impassive face now clearly disyed irritation, “No one is more self-righteous
than you.” Cicely believed the whole world was hers, that she was the best, irreceable, and
everyone else was just background to her brilliance.
Danielle had no intention of engaging further, leaving Cicely with a parting shot before walking
away.
Cicely watched her leave coldly, saying nothing more, and proceeded to the café she and Joel had
reserved earlier.
School had ended early, and Seth typically lingered on campus. He''d either shoot hoops with Kane
and the guys or bury himself in the library. But with Kane now fully immersed in college life, cruising
with girls and his entourage, Seth had forsaken those invitations, making the library his sanctuary.
Indeed, even without Kane''s escapades, the library would have been his only choice.
Afterst night''s dinner, his mother had volunteered him to tutor Danielle. He always tried to avoid
conflicts with Patty. Besides, tutoring wasn''t hard; he had done it before.
Danielle had been anxious the previous night, but when he didn’t object, she felt an unfamiliar flutter
of excitement.
They had agreed to meet at the university library after school for the tutoring session, but the
anticipation and happiness were soon overshadowed by the scene she encountered.
The Seth she knew was a loner, cool, calm, detached, always keeping people at arm''s length. No
matter what, he was a thinker, not a fighter. That polished demeanor made it impossible for her – or
anyone, for that matter, including Seth''s mother – to envision the Seth she was seeing now.
She stared at the disheveled figure before her – his trousers stained and scuffed, his once pristine
shirt missing buttons and bearing more stains and blood spots than his trousers. His face, with a
bruise on his lip, clearly showed he had been in a fight.
A few meters from Seth, on thewn, three guys were picking themselves up, nursing their wounds
and ring at him.
"You''re crazy, man. Just you wait."
Seth stood tall, lifting his narrow eyes slowly. His gaze was seemingly light, but it was like a razor-
sharp icicle, piercing and ruthless, aimed directly at his adversaries.
The three flinched, exchanged nces, and promptly scrambled away.
Danielle''s mind went nk. "What happened?"
People had gathered around, and she turned to the person next to her. He shook his head, "I''m not
too sure, it was him."
His gaze flicked to Seth, and his voice dropped a few notches, as if scared, "He started it."
“It was him, he just flew off the handle out of nowhere,” the person murmured to Danielle as they
watched themotion from a safe distance. “Those three guys were just walking ahead of us, and
he went up and started throwing punches. I bet they have no clue what hit them.”
Danielle was utterly baffled. Why would anyone just start a fight for no reason? But then again, even
if there was a reason, what on earth could it be that made him decide to resort to violence?
Most of the onlookers didn''t dare stick around after the trio that got beat up had left, and the crowd
quickly dispersed.
A ssmate tugged at Danielle''s sleeve, “Let’s book it out of here before he turns on us. He''s
terrifying. You... you can''t even imagine how vicious this guy can look in a fight, considering how
calm and collected he usually is.”
Danielle''s gaze lingered on Seth, but she didn''t say a word. Yeah, she couldn''t imagine. But there
were plenty of others who had gotten a glimpse of that unimaginable side of him.
When she thought about it, she realized that besides Patty, she probably interacted with Seth more
than anyone else in the world. However, in reality, it felt like she and Seth were the farthest apart.
She even felt like she was less connected to him than the random strangers who had just witnessed
his outburst.
As the area cleared out, she slowly approached Seth. “Seth.”
His gaze was as icy and fierce as it had been when he looked at those three guys, and Danielle
instinctively stepped back, startled.
Seth''s face remained expressionless as he readjusted his disheveled shirt, his long fingers stained
with traces of blood.
It truly was unimaginable, the scene that must have unfolded here.
“Keep your curiosity to yourself, and don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. Head to the library,” he said,
his voice deep and clear, devoid of any discernible emotion. His words were harsh and to the point,
leaving no room for further conversation.
Danielle bit her lip, silent for a few seconds before she murmured, “You''re in no shape for tutoring
today.”
“If you''re up for the tutoring session, we''ll do it. If not, then don’t bother in the future; I don’t have the
patience to waste on the same thing over and over. If it’s thetter, you can exin it to my mom
yourself.”
Danielle felt a pang in her heart at Seth''s words, which were loud and clear to her. He treated
helping her with her studies as nothing more than a chore, reluctant and unwilling.
In truth, she had used her limited understanding of him over the years to talk him into agreeing to
these tutoring sessions.
Seth never defied Patty. Their mother-son rtionship was simple and unadorned. If Seth had a red
line, it was definitely Patty. So, the night before, during dinner, she had cunningly mentioned her
need for tutoring in front of Patty. She hadn''t been certain of the oue, but Patty seemed to pick
up on her hint, and thus the arrangement for Seth to tutor her came about.
He hadn''t refused at the time, and she had been ted. Perhaps human nature was greedy; now
she felt disappointed and sad over his reluctant reaction.
She didn''t dare speak again, fearing that any more words might cause him to walk away. She had
fought hard for this chance to be with him.
Without a word, Seth stood up and walked towards the library. Danielle quickly followed, and after a
while, she gathered the courage to speak up. “But Seth, you should really get those wounds taken
care of soon.”
He didn’t stop or show any reaction.
The library was still bustling with students. When Seth walked in, looking worse for wear, everyone
turned to look at him. Their faces showed surprise, curiosity, and confusion.
That was as far as it went though. No one dared to approach him to ask what had happened. They
knew better than to expect an answer.
Seth went straight to a familiar bookshelf, effortlessly found a book, and sat down to read. Danielle
used this time to message the driver to buy some medical supplies. She couldn''t just do nothing.
Seth''s demeanor was far from indifferent, despite his usual quiet. Danielle could feel the chill and
lingering anger radiating from him.
She didn''t dare ask him any questions. If she didn''t initiate a conversation, Seth certainly wouldn’t
start one.
It was only when her phone vibrated that she dared to nce at Seth. As he appeared to be
absorbed in his book, impassive, she stood up and whispered that she was stepping out before
heading downstairs.
When she returned, she held a small bag in her hand, no doubt containing the medicine she had
asked the driver to purchase.
She ced it gently in front of Seth. “Seth, can I help you with the medicine?”
She was tentative, but Seth slowly lifted his eyes to nce at the bag of medical supplies. “Looks
like you won’t have any issues with your final exams then.”
Danielle’s face turned pale. “It’s not that. You’re hurt.”
Seth closed his book. “If you don’t have any more questions, we’re done for today.”
Danielle bit her lip, fighting back tears. “Seth, I’m just worried about you.”
A mocking light flickered in Seth’s eyes as he stood up. “If you’re not in the mood to learn, just go
home.” With those cold words, he walked away to return the book.
Tears welled up in Danielle’s eyes, but she quickly gathered her belongings and waited for him
outside the library.
Seth, spotting her as he exited, didn’t stop or acknowledge her presence.
“Were you this cold when you tutored Cicely?” Danielle couldn’t help but blurt out as he walked
past.
Seth finally halted.
A hint of destion in her heart, she stepped in front of him and looked up into his eyes. “She''s so
spoiled and haughty; there’s no way she’d put up with you treating her like this, right?”
Seth’s brow furrowed.
“You''reparing yourself to her?” he asked.
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Danielle forced a smile. “From the sound of it, am I out of line?”
Seth’s frown deepened as he stared at her, his gaze turning impatient and mocking. He was about
to retort when he suddenly stopped, his expression stiffening.
Seth''s brow furrowed even more as he stared at her, his eyes filled with impatience and mockery.
The words almost slipped out of his mouth. "What are you trying to prove byparing yourself to
her? Is she arrogant and proud, while you are obedient and well-behaved?"
His words seemed to cut off abruptly, and his expression froze for a moment.
Danielle''s mouth hung open, unable to hide her astonishment as she looked at him.
Seth’s frown eased slightly before he said coldly, “If there’s nothing else, you should head back.”
Pale-faced, Danielle followed him.
The chauffeur waited at the school gates for Danielle, as Seth and she walked out one after the
other.
Seth waited by the curb as Danielle approached the car. The driver, catching a glimpse of Seth, was
taken aback by his disheveled appearance but maintained hisposure as he opened the
passenger door for Danielle.
Just as Danielle was about to step into the vehicle, she paused, turning back to hand Seth a small
paper bag. "I''ve already picked up the first aid supplies. Regardless of everything, you should at
least tend to that cut."
Anticipating his refusal, she pushed the bag into his chest and swiftly climbed into the car, not
waiting for a response.
...
Upon returning home, Danielle was visibly downcast. Cicely had just gotten back as well and was
lounging in the living room, chatting with Creighton.
With a hollow greeting for Creighton, Danielle clutched her backpack and trudged upstairs.
"Charming," Cicely remarked, her disdain for Danielle growing by the day.
Creighton sensed something was amiss and summoned Danielle''s driver for a word.
After parking the car, the driver stepped into the living room where Creighton inquired, "Did
something happen to Danielle today? She seems off."
Cicely scoffed, "When doesn’t she look like she’s got a chip on her shoulder? Why bother?"
The driver pondered for a moment before replying, "Nothing much, Sir. Although, there might have
been a little incident. Mr. Diaz seemed to have gotten into a scuffle with someone."