Kevin and I looked at each other, confused.
Lianne made the two of us even more curious now. Who was she so excited about?
“Who is it?” I asked. “Just tell us already!”
Lianne grinned gleefully at Kevin and me as she beat around the bush. “You might never have guessed it! It’s Ethan Grayson!”
“What?” Kevin and I yelped, surprised at her answer.
The name bore many meanings to me. Ethan was the man I loved in my previous life, but I couldn’t get him to love me back. In this life, though, he was the person I wanted to run away from at all costs. Why did he show up all of a sudden?
“Why did he come to our school?” I asked, confused.
Lianne shrugged. “Who knows? I saw him walking in the direction of Mr. Ward’s office.”
The gears in my mind started grinding. Was Ethan here because of me? Or was there another reason behind this?
“Let’s go and have a look for ourselves!” Kevin suggested.
“Okay. Let’s hide somewhere near Mr. Ward’s office. Maybe we can find out a thing or two about why he’s here!” said Lianne.
I hesitated a little before agreeing to the idea. Although I wanted to stay as far away as possible from him, I couldn’t help but wonder why he was here.
Lianne, Kevin, and I sneakily made our way to Mr. Ward’s office and hid outside where no one would spot us. A while later, the door opened, and Ethan walked out.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw him. He seemed to have changed a lot since I last saw him, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed about him.
He was as tall and fit as before, and he looked as dashing as always. But in his deep-set eyes, there was this look that I couldn’t fathom.
Just then, Ethan turned, his gaze falling on our hiding spot. My heart leaped into my throat.
Had he discovered us?
In the next instant, he started walking in our direction. Kevin and Lianne paled at once and started backing away.
Meanwhile, I felt like my legs had turned to lead. I couldn’t move an inch.
Ethan stopped before me and looked down at me. “Long time no see, Evelyn,” he said.
I pretended to be calm and composed as I forced a smile. “H-Hi, Ethan. Why are you here?”
“I have some business to attend
His answer was curt.
“Congratulations on winning the net
prize for the most creative artwork. Your work was pretty good
My eyes widened in astonishment. How did he find out that I won the prize? Had he been following me closely?
“T-Thank you,” I managed. My tongue felt as if it had gone numb, and I couldn’t speak clearly.
Kevin and Lianne stared at Ethan anxiously too. They looked like they were afraid he’d suddenly feel like making their lives miserable.
“I heard that you’re preparing to start your very own fashion brand?” Ethan asked.
I nodded. I had no idea why he was suddenly interested in this matter.
“It just so happened that I’m on a project recently,” he said. “I want to collaborate with you. You can head over to my company if you’re interested, and we can discuss it there.
He plucked a name card from his pocket and handed it to me. As l took it from him, the words “Grayson Studio stood out in gold fonts on the card. My eyes hurt just from staring at it.
“I-I’ll consider your offer,” I stammered.
He actually started a studio here in the city? I wondered if it was a small business or a large one.