Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Esther’s smile faded when she saw Janet’s displeasure. In a hushed voice, she explained, “It’s someone who doesn’t come from the same background as us at Greenvine High School.”
Yvonne Davis, one of Esther’s friends, frowned as she complained, I didn’t figure Bonnie for the type to pal around with
think?” someone like that. It says something about her, don’t you
Esther shook her head, trying to hide a twinge of envy. That’s not really cool,” she said gently. “Bonnie’s a star student. If she’s cool with Lenore, there must be more to her than meets the eye.”
Helen scoffed, clearly unconvinced. “I heard Lenore left school early, worked in some small town, and then showed up at Greenvine High School. She hooked up with Kyle on the first day. I bet she got in on her looks alone. What else does she have?”
Esther couldn’t help but think back to seeing Lenore with those two charming guys the other night, and her fingers clenched in frustration at the memory.
Janet picked up on the disdain in the conversation, and her frown deepened. With a look of distaste directed at the girls in the store, she interjected, “Let’s not waste our breath on such low–class talk.”
Esther couldn’t deny the tight–knit relationship between Lenore and her, and the idea of encountering Lenore in front of . Janet made her cringe.
Gently, she sidled up to Janet, hooking her arm in hers. “Janet doesn’t need to hear this gossip. Let’s let it go, shall we? We‘ got a birthday party to prep for, Mr. Duncan’s. We’d better get a gift before the night’s out.”
Esther was talking about Carlos Duncan, Janet’s brother by blood. He was the man of the hour, and his birthday dinner at Culinary Ascent was the event to be at. Esther was on the guest lit, thanks to Janet’s invitation.
Helen and Yvonne were just along for the ride, keen on staying in Esther’s good graces. They quickly shelved their snarky comments about Lenore, put on their best smiles, and made the exit together.
After the mall, Lenore and Bonnie ended up in a bookstore. While Bonnie browsed for books, Lenore wandered the aisles. Her curiosity was sparked by a dusty old book on a corner shelf, and she paused to reach for it.
At the self–checkout, the screen flashed “$130.”
Before anyone could react, a voice spoke up, I’ll take care of it. hand, with long, clean fingers, reached out, brandishing a phone that swiftly scanned the payment code.
Lenore caught the familiar deep voice and the faint scent of sandalwood, and she knew exactly who it was without even looking up.
Bonnie, on the other hand, was taken aback by the sudden appearance of a handsome stranger paying their bill She nudged Lenore and whispered, “Who is he?”
With a languid lift of her eyes, Lenore met Silas’s amused gaze and casually said, “Just the mechanic
Silas couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He’d shared more than few moments with Lenore, but her cool response made him feel like they were strangers. I guess I’m the mechanic, he mused, letting the moment pass.
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Chapter 27
His attention then wandered to the books Bonnie was packing. They were all about biomedical information, but one book stood out–a dusty old scripture that seemed to have been forgoten on the shelf for years.
He was surprised to see Bonnie with something like that; it didn fit his image of her. Growing up in a small town, she could fix cars, race, fight, and even knew some chants. The more he learned about her, the more he realized she was full of surprises.
Silas, with a mix of curiosity and a hint of suspicion, put his phone away and offered, “Need a lift somewhere?”
He was the infamous Faulkner heir, a name that sent shivers down spines in Denisville. Yet here he was, bumping into the same girl in their small town repeatedly, clearly plotting something-
Suppressing her defiance, Lenore tilted her head at Bonnie and asked, “Heading to the Sharpe
Bonnie, surprised, managed a nod.
residence?”
Chuck had noticed his boss’s unusual activities. The surprise visitor, the dinner invitation, the riverside car check–none of it was typical for Silas.
Today, Silas even followed a girl from the mall to a bookstore, which was quite out of character for him
It was a surprise to see his dignified boss conducting personal surveillance. Chuck’s face showed a mix of confusion and worry she looked at Lenore.
AD
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