Chapter 23 The Edited Conversation
The sun was just beginning to rise when Lucas sat on the living room couch, his fingers flying across his laptop keyboard with intense concentration.
Gabriel shuffled out of his room in worn–out slippers, yawning as he made his way into the living room.
Seeing Lucas so focused, he snickered, “Hey brat, instead of making your old man breakfast, what are you so busy with?”
Since their last scheme when they had successfully tricked Eleanor and Victoria, their relationship had grown noticeably closer.
Without looking up, Lucas couldn’t help but crack a smile that
mirrored his father’s.
“Kenneth may be gone, but those two women still don’t trust me. I need to handle this carefully. Once I’ve got them under control,
can have someone make you whatever breakfast you want.
“Until then, you’d better behave yourself.”
Gabriel laughed, called his son a little bastard, and retreated back
to his room to continue his lazy lifestyle.
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A dark look flashed across Lucas‘ eyes.
)
4 min left
He dragged the edited audio into place and hit play, checking it
repeatedly for any mistakes before transferring the audio to his phone.
Once everything was complete, he casually grabbed his
backpack and headed off to school.
Ever since Eleanor and Victoria confirmed that Kenneth had gone
abroad, they had been moping around constantly.
Though they both claimed not to care, something about it just
didn’t sit right with them, especially Eleanor.
She’d reject their after–class plans without even glancing at them,
preferring to sit alone in the classroom daydreaming rather than
go anywhere with Lucas.
These moments filled Lucas with rage.
If Victoria’s family background wasn’t so far below Eleanor’s, he wouldn’t have to act like some pathetic lapdog constantly trying
to win Eleanor over.
After thinking it through, he decided to buy some sandwiches to bring to the classroom.
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It was the little things that touched people’s hearts. This was exactly how he’d stolen both girls away from Kenneth in the first
place.
When Eleanor and Victoria walked into the classroom and spotted
the sandwiches on the desk, they immediately gave Lucas appreciative smiles.
“You’re the best! These morning classes are so early I never have
time for breakfast!” Victoria said with a grin as she grabbed a
sandwich and stuffed it into her mouth.
But Eleanor, always perceptive, noticed something off about Lucas‘ expression. She pulled up a chair and sat directly across
from him.
“What’s wrong? Did you sleep badly or did something happen?”
Despite the slight wedge Kenneth’s departure had created in Eleanor’s heart toward Lucas, it hadn’t truly affected their
relationship.
“I… I called Kenneth yesterday…” Lucas said, then paused dramatically as he watched their eyes widen in surprise.
“You called him? Did he answer? What did he say?” Eleanor perked up immediately at the mention of Kenneth’s name.
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Even Victoria, who always fought the most fiercely with Kenneth,
quickly swallowed a bite of her sandwich, nearly choking as tears welled up in her eyes.
“I’ve been thinking for a while about whether to tell you both about this, since the call wasn’t pleasant… But I figured you probably miss Kenneth too. So I recorded what he said.”
Lucas stumbled through his explanation before pulling his phone
from his pocket and placing it on the table.
“You don’t have to listen if you don’t want to… I’m really worried it
might upset you.”
But before Lucas could finish, Eleanor grabbed the phone and pressed play without hesitation.
Unfortunately, the recording didn’t contain what Eleanor had
hoped for–words full of regret.
From start to finish, all they could hear was Kenneth’s hysterical accusations, his complete disgust, and his utter exhaustion with their friendship.
“This is so disgusting! I can’t even eat my breakfast. It makes me sick!” Victoria angrily threw her sandwich onto the table, crossed her arms, and continued muttering under her breath.
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“How did Kenneth turn into this? What, now we’re somehow to blame for everything? I suppose his heart condition is our fault
too?
“Fine, it’s better he stays far away from us. I’m done with him! He’s
no friend of mine!”
Victoria ranted, venting her frustration non–stop.
Eleanor, meanwhile, seemed completely detached from the situation. Her face remained expressionless as she sat quietly.
She slowly placed the phone back on the table and stared
vacantly at Kenneth’s empty seat before finally looking away after a long moment.
Eleanor’s unusual behavior continued until the afternoon.
Lucas had just woken up from his nap and was getting ready for
class when he received a call from her.
“Lucas, are you in the classroom right now?” she asked.
“What’s up, Eleanor?” Lucas replied, hiding his impatience with a gentle, obliging tone.
“I’m in the student council room. Come over. I need to ask you
something.”
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Lucas knew Eleanor usually hung out in the student council room, so he didn’t think much of it when he agreed to meet her there.
On his way, he ran into Victoria, who had just bought milkshakes for the three of them.
When they arrived together at the student council room, they found Eleanor sitting there with a dark expression, holding a grade report and glaring coldly at Lucas as he walked in.
“Lucas, we’re organizing last semester’s exam results and scholarship applications,” Eleanor said, her eyes narrowed. “So why is your name on this make–up exam list? Did you have to retake an exam?”
She leaned forward, her brow furrowed. “Didn’t you tell us you were going to get a scholarship until Kenneth reported you and
the review committee canceled it?”
The student council’s records are never wrong. So what’s going
on with Lucas‘ failing grade?
Eleanor pulled up his complete transcript from last semester,
which was covered in failing marks.
With grades like these, how could he possibly have gotten a scholarship? That means Kenneth never actually reported him at
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all?
(4 min loft
Lucas was completely caught off guard. He never expected Eleanor had called him in for this. Any remaining drowsiness instantly vanished from his mind.
He quickly deployed his secret weapon. His mouth quivered, his eyes welled up, and he put on his about–to–cry face.
“Eleanor, please don’t be mad! I didn’t tell you guys the whole truth about this,” he stammered. “During those exam days, I
wasn’t feeling well, so I left a lot of answers blank…
“And about the scholarship? I was afraid you’d ask too many questions. I wanted to keep it quiet so you wouldn’t worry, but I
never thought…”
By the time Lucas finished his explanation, Eleanor looked even
more confused. Victoria, meanwhile, stomped her foot hard
beside her, her temper flaring up again.
“Eleanor, what’s the big deal here? Everyone gets sick sometimes. Lucas has always done well. It was just one bad test. Do you really
need to make such a fuss about it?
“With Lucas‘ track record at school, I don’t believe the teacher would’ve canceled his scholarship if Kenneth hadn’t pulled some strings behind the scenes!”
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ton
Victoria’s fierce defense of Lucas made Eleanor feel increasingly
frustrated.
She sighed deeply, casually setting the report card aside. Her face remained expressionless as she spoke.
“Lucas, could you send me a copy of that phone recording you played for us this morning? I wanna listen to it again.”
