“It’s not easy being so far from home,” Marianne said casually.
“We should look out for each other. Don’t worry about it.” Though her words were simple, they warmed Kenneth’s heart.
He tucked the money away and pulled out his phone. “In that case, why don’t we exchange numbers? If you ever need help
with anything, you can reach out anytime.”
There was such honesty in Kenneth’s manner that Marianne felt
she had nothing to fear from him. Still, she shook her head. “If
we’re meant to meet again, we will. I need to get to my part–time
job now. I’m running late.”
She adjusted the canvas bag on her shoulder and noticed the red
mark on the back of Kenneth’s hand. “You probably got that when they pushed you earlier. There’s a lot of flu going around. Try to keep your wounds clean so they don’t get infected.”
She pulled a bandage from her bag and pressed it into Kenneth’s palm before quickly walking past him and rushing away.
As they passed each other, Kenneth caught a faint whiff of fruit scent. He turned to watch her disappear, then looked down at the cute patterned bandage in his hand. He laughed softly, his throat tightening with unexpected emotion.
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Is this the universe’s way of offering me a moment of kindness in my new life?
He had to admit, surprises like this weren’t so bad.
But…
After carefully applying the bandage, Kenneth shoved his hands into his pockets and headed home. The encounter had only strengthened his resolve to get the surgery. If he faced trouble like
this again, he wanted to be able to handle it properly.
When he got home, Wesley was working in his study while Helena
and Jocelyn were watching a movie in the living room.
The soft amber light filled the space, and a gentle fragrance hung
in the air. Even after several days of this life, Kenneth still couldn’t quite believe how perfect it all felt.
“You’re back!” Helena looked up and waved as she heard him at
the door. “How’s the neighborhood? Do you like it?” she asked as if the entire family would pack up and move somewhere else if he
wasn’t happy.
“It’s all pretty nice,” Kenneth said with a slight smile, settling into
an armchair. He picked up some fruit from the table and began
peeling it methodically. “The landscaping is good, it’s quiet, and
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the air is fresh.
“Though the security could use some improvement…” Kenneth cleared his throat, handing the peeled fruit to Jocelyn and Helena. “While I was walking in the park, I overheard some people talking
about thieves in the area. You both should be careful when you go
out.”
Kenneth didn’t mention that he was the one who had
encountered the pickpocket. There was no need to worry them
unnecessarily.
After chatting with them for a while, he went back to his room to
shower and get ready for bed.
As he lay on the large bed and closed his eyes, it wasn’t Eleanor
or Victoria who came to mind, but the confident, spirited girl he’d
met by chance today.
Realizing this, Kenneth awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair.
While he didn’t believe in love at first sight, he had to admit he
wanted to see this girl again. A small smile tugged at his lips as he
turned on his side, ready to drift off to sleep.
Just then, his phone screen lit up on the nightstand, causing
him to open his eyes. He reached for it and saw a message from Lucas. His expression immediately hardened, taking on a look of
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6 min loff
annoyance.
“Impressive. He still found a way to reach me,” Kenneth muttered. “Guess there’s no escaping after all…”
With a cold laugh, he propped his arm behind his head and swiped open the message. The blue light from the screen made. his features look even sharper.
Even through text, Kenneth could imagine Lucas‘ tone and expression as he wrote.
Lucas: [Kenneth, Eleanor, Victoria, and I all know you’ve gone abroad. We’re sorry about what happened before. The girls feel terrible and want to contact you, but they’re afraid it’ll just make you angrier and end your friendship completely.]
Lucas: [This is all my fault. I hope you won’t direct your anger at the two of them. If you want to punish someone, I’m willing to take the blame.]
Lucas: [I’ll do everything I can to salvage our friendship. Your
sudden disappearance without any warning hit us hard, especially Eleanor.]
Lucas: [Different issues should be handled separately. There should be some kind of explanation, don’t you think?]
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Kenneth read through these messages twice, his brows furrowing deeper and his eyes growing colder with each line.
The passive–aggressive tone and insincere words disgusted him. It looked like an apology on the surface, but Lucas was still shifting blame and pointing fingers at him.
When Kenneth first met Lucas, he had actually felt sorry for him.
because of his background.
He’d even provided considerable financial support to Lucas, completely separate from his relationships with Eleanor and
Victoria.
But gradually, Kenneth began to sense that Lucas wasn’t as innocent and harmless as he appeared.
By the time Kenneth recognized Lucas‘ true nature and tried to pull Eleanor and Victoria away from his influence, it was already
too late.
Step by step, the three of them had ended up in their current
situation.
Kenneth had no intention of responding. He stretched and tossed his phone aside, only for the dark screen to light up again with yet another message from Lucas.
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Lucas: [Kenneth, I know you’re seeing my messages. It might be night where you are, but I doubt you’re asleep this early.]
Lucas: [I need you to give me a straight answer. Good or bad, just
don’t ignore me. No silent treatment. Let’s end this cleanly.]
Lucas: [We were friends for years. We can both move on with our lives without dragging this out.]
Kenneth’s grip tightened around his phone, veins bulging across
the back of his hand.
For once, he agreed with Lucas. Since he’d already decided to
make a fresh start, a proper goodbye to his past and these people
seemed appropriate, like closing a chapter with some sense of
ceremony.
Kenneth slowly sat up, reached for the water glass beside his bed,
and took a sip to clear his throat before calling Lucas. The call
connected instantly, making Lucas‘ urgency obvious.
“Tell me how you want to end this,” Kenneth said coldly.
His icy tone sent a chill down Lucas‘ spine. Lucas didn’t want to admit he was intimidated by Kenneth, but he couldn’t control hist body’s instinctive reaction.
“Kenneth, it’s so good to hear your voice again,” Lucas said.
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