Chapter 25 Please Spare Me
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After Kenneth and Marianne won the gold prize for their project, they became the talk of the entire academy, with everyone they met showering them with praise.
Through their seamless collaboration, feelings gradually developed between them, and they soon made their relationship official.
Meanwhile, Lucas was in a foul mood.
After the recording incident, Eleanor and Victoria’s attitude toward him had indeed returned to how it was before–friendly and
warm.
Lucas wasn’t going to let Kenneth fool him twice. He’d learned
his lesson the hard way. He was all too aware of Kenneth’s
capabilities and couldn’t help feeling wary of him.
*****
That evening, Gabriel walked out of his room and carelessly tossed an empty liquor bottle by the doorway.
He glanced at Lucas‘ gloomy face and sneered, “Lucas, if those
two rich girls saw you looking this miserable, they’d think you were
crazy.”
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After his little remark and when Lucas didn’t respond, Gabriel simply sat down in a chair and tilted his chin toward him expectantly.
“Why the long face? Tell me what’s going on. I’ve got more ideas in my head than you do, kid,” Gabriel said.
Despite hating his father, Lucas had no one else to talk to about this kind of problem. He dropped onto the sofa with a huff.
“How can you just sit there drinking when Kenneth could come back from abroad any day now?” Lucas snapped.
“Before I came along, those three had an iron–clad relationship! If they manage to connect behind my back and figure things out, you can kiss your daily booze goodbye. We’ll both end up on the
streets.”
Gabriel glanced at the new furniture around the house and smacked his lips thoughtfully.
“Sounds like we need to be proactive about this,” he said. “But
what can you do? The brat’s overseas. You gonna fly over there or
something?”
That offhand comment sparked something in Lucas‘ mind. A
perfect solution suddenly clicked into place.
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If he was worried about those three reconnecting, he should take
action first and eliminate that possibility completely.
With this thought, he glanced toward Gabriel’s bedroom, a plan
forming.
If he remembered correctly, the house deed should be in Gabriel’s
clothing cabinet.
That night, Lucas snuck into Gabriel’s room while he was asleep
and stole the property deed.
Early the next morning, he tracked down the real estate agent
he’d met before. Playing the sympathy card and using a mix of
sweet talk and deception, he used the deed as collateral to get a large sum of cash.
After finishing the paperwork, he headed straight to a private detective agency to gather information.
Lucas sprawled on the agency’s couch, legs crossed, acting like he owned the place. “I need to find a classmate of mine. Nothing special about him–just a regular student. Thing is, he’s somewhere abroad, and I need his exact location. Can you handle
that?”
The detectives looked him up and down, clearly doubting whether
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Lucas could afford their services.
Noticing their contempt, Lucas pulled out a thick wad of cash and slapped it on the table. “This shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”
The detectives‘ eyes lit up instantly as they nodded and bowed repeatedly.
Half an hour later, Lucas left the agency with a smug smile that he couldn’t hide, still thinking about how respectfully the detectives had treated him.
Two days later, when the detective agency sent him Kenneth’s exact location, Lucas immediately booked an international flight.
After landing, he didn’t even take a moment to rest. He went straight from the airport to Kenneth’s school by taxi.
It was dusk, right when classes were letting out.
Kenneth and Marianne were walking side by side from the school
building, chatting as they went. Suddenly, a figure appeared,
blocking their path.
Kenneth looked up in shock, only to see Lucas.
He felt like his eyes were playing tricks on him. His mind went blank for a second before his jaw clenched tight and his
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expression turned to disgust. “Lucas, what are you doing here?”
he demanded.
His sudden change in mood startled Marianne. In all their time
together, she’d never seen Kenneth look like this.
Lucas hadn’t expected that during Kenneth’s short time abroad, he’d already found a girl.
Seeing Marianne’s beauty, a flash of jealous hatred crossed his
eyes.
Why did Kenneth always have gorgeous women around him no
matter where he went?
In an instant, Lucas switched to a pitiful demeanor. With reddened eyes, he pleaded, “Kenneth, I came here specifically to find you. I… I need to ask you for a favor…”
By now, several students exiting the building had noticed the
scene and stopped to whisper among themselves.
If it had been anyone else, it wouldn’t have mattered, but this was
Kenneth, one of the most popular figures at their school!
With Lucas acting so weak, it almost looked like Kenneth was the
one bullying him.
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“What are you trying to do?” Kenneth stepped back with disgust, making sure to keep Marianne safely behind him.
He knew Lucas all too well–acting pitiful on the outside while being completely rotten inside. Not wanting to cause a scene with students passing by, Kenneth grabbed Marianne’s hand and started to walk away.
“This is school. If you have something to discuss, we can find a more private place to talk,” he said as he moved forward.
But Lucas was determined to make a spectacle in public. He quickly darted in front of Kenneth and staggered forward as if about to fall to his knees. With a pathetic expression, he pleaded, “Kenneth, please don’t ignore me.
“I know you’ve always looked down on me. I know you hate me, but I just want to live in peace now!
“You’ve already come abroad to study. I’m begging you,
please stop targeting me. I promise I’ll disappear from your life
completely! Can’t you just treat me like I don’t exist? If you keep
coming after me, I won’t be able to go on living!”
Lucas deliberately made himself look like Kenneth’s victim.
Though he spoke in English, there were plenty of American exchange students at the academy.
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They stared at Kenneth with bewildered expressions while recording the scene to post on the school’s website.
Kenneth felt sick watching Lucas put on his fake act.
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In the past, he might have fallen for Lucas‘ performance, but now
that he’d seen his true character, nothing would soften his heart,
not even if Lucas got down on his knees and begged.
With a cold laugh, Kenneth didn’t bother giving Lucas another
glance. He simply took Marianne’s hand and quickly left the
school.
Back at home, Marianne kept looking at Kenneth like she wanted to ask something but couldn’t find the words.
Kenneth didn’t wait for her questions. He led her into the study and told her everything that had happened back home, leaving
nothing out.
After hearing the story, Marianne gazed at Kenneth’s handsome face, remembering how careful and insecure he’d been when they first met. It broke her heart thinking about it.
“So what’s Lucas doing coming all the way here?” she asked angrily. “Is he putting on another show to get sympathy?”
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