Chapter 37
Mia clutched her arm, wincing as sharp pain shot through her. Her face twitched, muscles tightening, but she bit back any sound. No way was she going to let Briar see her falter.
To cover up her moment of weakness, Mia edged closer to Briar, hoping the movement would mask the grimace twisting her features.
Inside, though, Mia’s feelings toward Briar had long since curdled. What started as petty jealousy over Briar’s striking looks had festered into something darker, sharper–resentment. She stole a glance at Briar, her eyes glinting with barely concealed spite.
When she caught the guy she liked gazing at Briar with that smoldering intensity, Mia’s dislike flared into something close to hatred.
Briar, though, couldn’t care less about Mia’s inner turmoil. She lazily turned her head to look at Frank. She had already noticed him sneaking glances at her multiple times, so she raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking what he wanted.
Frank’s cheeks flushed, and he quickly looked away, mentally kicking himself for getting caught.
Still, he had to admit Ashton was right–Briar was… special.
She was stunning, no question–her arrival in the lab had every guy’s head turning. Frank figured Ashton must’ve sensed the threat early on.
“Alright, now that you’ve all met, I’m leaving Briar in your hands,” Joshua said with a warm chuckle. “You’ve all been at this longer than she has, so make sure to show her the ropes!”
James nodded eagerly. “You got it, Professor Swift! We’ll take good care of her, don’t worry.”
It was Briar’s first day, and unlike the other freshmen who had to start from scratch, she’d been handpicked by the dean himself to join the lab team. Now, she was the twelfth member of the group.
She soon proved herself–she was blowing everyone away with her uncanny knack for medicine.
Everyone, that was, except Mia. She muttered under her breath, “Tch. So she’s got a bit more hands–on experience. Big deal. No need to show off about it.”
Briar’s sharp ears caught every word. She whipped her head around, locking eyes with Mia. In a low, cool tone only they could hear, she said, “You’re right–I am kind of a big deal. Got a problem with that? Keep it to yourself.”
Inwardly, Briar was baffled, thinking, ‘What’s this girl’s deal?
‘I haven’t messed with her life or stolen her crush. Why’s she acting like I’m her personal enemy?‘
These days, Briar had mellowed out, so she let it slide.
Back in her wilder years abroad, though? Someone like Mia, picking fights for no reason, would’ve gotten a much less polite response- probably a black eye.
The morning flew by in a blur of lab work. Briar peeled off her white coat and joined the group heading to the campus cafeteria for lunch.
Frank saw his chance to talk to her alone and slowed his pace, falling back a few steps. “Hey, Briar,” he said quietly, “if you ever need help with anything, just say the word. Ashton’s my brother, you know.”
Briar’s head snapped toward him, eyes wide. “Wait, you’re Ashton’s brother?”
Frank flashed a grin, showing off a set of dazzling white teeth. “Yup! Don’t we both have that unbeatable, world–class charm?”
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Chapter 37
Briar rolled her eyes, biting back a laugh.
“Frank, what are you two whispering about?” Mia’s voice cut in as she wedged herself between them. She reached for Briar’s arm, trying to play it off as friendly, but Briar sidestepped smoothly.
Mia’s smile froze, her hand hovering awkwardly before she pulled it back, pretending nothing happened. She couldn’t lose her cool–not in front of the guy she liked.
Frank’s grin faded, his tone flat. “Nothing much. I’m heading out.”
Growing up in the tangled web of the Wade family–a world of scheming and power plays–Frank had a nose for hidden motives.
He’d clocked Mia’s hostility toward Briar back in the lab, and now, with her trying to cozy up to him, he wasn’t biting.
Mia wasn’t his type, plain and simple. And even if she were, Frank wouldn’t play along.
In families like his, marriage was just another chess move, and love was only a luxury they rarely bothered with. So, he had no time for her
games.
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