Chapter 59
Kaia was left speechless.
Joel held the jacket in his hand, pursed his lips, and drove away.
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Kaia had worn a man’s jacket before, but feeling the lingering warmth from the fabric, there was still something indescribably intimate about it.
Before she could fully process this strange feeling, her hand was taken by Tobias.
His palm was big enough to completely wrap around hers.
“Can I ask you something?” His rich, deep voice sounded even more alluring in the quiet night.
“What is it?” Kaia frowned, thinking to herself, ‘Is he starting to get suspicious after all?
Tobias stopped in his tracks, but he didn’t let go of Kaia’s hand.
He met her gaze, his expression earnest, and asked, “Have you ever loved someone before?”
Kaia blinked in surprise. Honestly, she’d expected him to ask about Joel or her secret as Dr. Bennett instead.
“Why are you suddenly asking me this?” she asked.
“I asked you first, so you need to answer me first,” he replied.
“What kind of love do you mean?” she asked.
Of course, Kaia knew exactly what Tobias meant by ‘love‘, but she still couldn’t help asking anyway.
“That kind of feeling,” Tobias said, holding her gaze, his eyes intense.
Kaja arched her perfectly shaped brow, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Oh, you mean romantic one? I thought you were talking about something else.”
Tobias was secretly amused by her teasing, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Hmm. I can’t say I’ve ever been in love, Kaia replied, her tone unhurried. Tve always been busy. never had the time or the mood for romance. Honestly, I kind of like being single.”
“Why not give it a shot? Tobias said, a playful glint in his eyes.
Kala shot him a look, eyebrow raised ‘Give it a shot? With whom? You?”
Tobias just smiled, keeping quiet. It wasn’t the moment to lay his feelings bare yet.
“Wait till your birthday in three days. You’ll know then,” he said.
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Kaia was just about to leave when she heard that. She shot Tobias a suspicious look, studying his face closely.
“Just what are you up to?” she asked.
“Wait and see,” he replied.
“What if I want to know right now?” she pressed.
Kaia had a gut feeling that on her birthday, the same day Andrea and Louis were getting engaged, Tobias was definitely up to something.
“If you want to know now, you’ll have to promise me one thing,” he said.
“What is it?” she asked.
Tobias took her hand and pressed it gently against his cheek. “Kiss me here, and I’ll tell you.”
Kaia’s lips twitched in exasperation as she pulled her hand out of his grasp.
‘So boring. I’m going to bed,‘ she thought.
Tobias watched her walk away and let out a happy laugh.
Hearing his unrestrained, flirtatious laughter, Kaia got goosebumps all over her back. She hurried her steps and disappeared into the villa.
Tobias let out another laugh, then went quiet, glancing back in the direction Joel had driven off. He couldn’t help but replay Joel’s words in his mind, along with the way Joel and Kaia had acted around each other.
Did Joel just call Kaia the treasure?‘ Tobias mused, a little amused by the thought.
Three days later, Lincoln and Ruth, along with Louis’s parents, rented out a fancy hotel to throw a big engagement party for Andrea and Louis.
The place was packed with guests–socialites, business moguls, and all the city’s elite.
Louis’s mom. Maisie Ross, was all smiles as she dragged Andrea around, showing her off to everyone she could find
“This is my future daughter–in–law, Andrea Seriously, she’s incredible! Even Professor Weaver is super impressed with her Maisie bragged, her pride on full display
Professor Weaver? Which one are you talking about? a socialite asked, looking puzzled.
“Who else could it be? I wouldn’t bother mentioning just any professor. The Professor Weaver I’m
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talking about is the top dog at Dr. Bennett’s research institute,” Maisie said, sounding totally smug.
As soon as she said that, everyone started gushing and singing her praises.
“Oh my god! That’s incredible! Maisie, I’m so jealous. Your son’s not only talented, but he has great taste. He really lucked out finding someone like her,” one of the guests exclaimed.
“I’m not that lucky. My daughter–in–law is always arguing with me, all talk and no action. Just look at Andrea. She’s the one Professor Weaver has his eye on at Dr. Bennett’s institute!” another guest added.
“You’re Miss Bennett, right?” a socialite asked Andrea directly.
“Please, just call me Andrea,” Andrea replied with a gentle smile.
“I heard you’re about to start your internship. Since Professor Weaver thinks so highly of you, are you about to join Dr. Bennett’s institute?” the socialite asked.
Andrea was dying inside, but she managed to pull off a stiff, awkward smile.
She hadn’t breathed a word to Louis’s family about how she’d gotten on the institute’s bad side, and Louis kept quiet too, probably just to save face.
“I really don’t know. I’m just a college student…” Andrea said, trying to play it off.
“Oh, don’t be so modest! Professor Weaver is impressed with you. Getting into the institute is basically a done deal. Right, Maisie?” the socialite said, turning to Maisie.
“That’s right! She should have no problem getting in,” Maisie agreed with a cheerful smile.
Andrea bit her lower lip, feeling seriously annoyed inside.
“And on top of that, she’s one of the star students at Morganburg University,” Maisie kept praising
Andrea.
“Not only is she gorgeous, she’s got brains too. If my daughter were even half as impressive, I’d be over the moon,” another guest said.
“Wait, wasn’t your future daughter–in–law originally someone else?” another guest chimed in.
Maisie’s face darkened a little. “The elder Bennett girl? She’s never fit in with our crowd. Always skipping class, never doing anything worthwhile, can’t learn a thing, and she’s always lying. Her own parents can’t even stand her.”
“Is she that bad? My daughter told me the elder Bennett girl–Kala, right?-got a perfect score on the SAT. She was the top scorer in all of Morganburg!”
“No way, really?” someone else blurted out, surprised.
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“Absolutely true,” the guest confirmed.
Maisie’s head started to hurt just hearing Kaia’s name.
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She retorted, “I’ve heard that too, but so what? She’s from the countryside–crude, rude, and has no manners. I tried talking to her once, and she didn’t even look at me. I’m her future mother–in–law, after all! And on top of that, I heard she was taken to the police station for fighting the other day,” Maisie said, her tone dripping with disdain.
“Oh my! That’s just so low–class,” one of the guests exclaimed.
“Well, Maisie did say she’s from the countryside. Can’t really blame her. She probably just doesn’t know any better,” another guest added.
As everyone kept talking trash about Kaia, Andrea couldn’t help but feel a smug sense of satisfaction as she walked over to Ruth.
“Mom, do you think Kaia’s not coming because you gave her my old dress? Maybe she’s upset about it. It’s all my fault. She actually wanted the dress I’m wearing. If I’d just given it to her, she probably would’ve come,” Andrea said, her voice dripping with fake concern.
“Oh, honey, why do you always let her have her way? This dress was custom–made for you by the Ross family. You can’t just give it to her. Who does she think she is?” Ruth scolded, but her tone was full of sympathy for Andrea.
Andrea felt even more smug. ‘Huh! Kaia, you really think you can go up against me? In the end, you’re stuck wearing my old dress. I even picked out the ugliest, tackiest one just for you. You’d better not show up today, or you’ll just end up making a fool of yourself,‘ she thought.
Just as Andrea was secretly gloating, a sudden commotion broke out at the entrance.
“Oh my god! Who is that girl? She’s drop–dead gorgeous!” someone gasped.
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