Chapter 26
Owen suddenly leaned in, making Hailey flinch. She exclaimed, “What are you doing?”
Owen looked up, his gaze deep and unreadable, “Buckling your seatbelt, he replied.
Hailey realized she had overreacted, and warmth crept up her face. Then Owen pulled the seatbelt over and dicked it into place.
Owen had never thought anyone could captivate him like this. She wasn’t doing anything, just sitting there, and yes, she had him utterly mesmerized. Like a spell he couldn’t break free from.
‘How long is she going to make me wait?‘ Owen thought. ‘Because I’m running, out of patience!
As Owen leaned in, his cool, crisp scent surrounded her completely. Hailey’s heartbeat raced. She lowered her gaze, or daring to look up.
But he moved away just as quickly, and Hailey let out a quiet breath.
“Nervous?” Owen’s voice broke the silence.
“Huh?” Hailey turned to look at him instinctively–only to meet his eyes directly. Her breath caught. Panicking, the turned away, staring out the window. “No.”
A soft chuckle came from beside her–low, lazy, and ridiculously pleasant to the ear. Hailey muttered, Damn it. Why does his voice have to sound so good?‘
But Hailey’s face burned hotter. It felt like Owen was teasing her.
The car rolled forward again, and before long, they reached the school gates. “Thanks for the ride,” Hailey murmured, reaching for the seatbelt buckle. “I’ll head in now.”
At the same time, Owen leaned over to help her. Their hands brushed against each other. Both froze.
Hailey looked up, and before she could react, their lips touched. Instantly, her mind went blank.
‘My… first kiss. Hailey sat there in shock, staring at his close–up, ridiculously perfect face.
Then, as reality hit, Hailey jerked back. “Mr. Calhoun, I- I need to go.”
With that, Hailey practically bolted out of the car. Owen watched her retreating figure, running a thumb over his lips. A slow, amused smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
*****
Hailey’s thoughts were still a jumbled mess. “That’s my first kiss. My first kiss. Nope. Not thinking about this. Not at all: She forced herself to focus, quickening her pace toward the classroom.
Bang! As Hailey passed by the public restroom, a soda bottle was suddenly thrown out, narrowly missing her head.
Hailey stopped just in time, frowning as she turned toward the source. A group of girls stood near the entrance of the
women’s restroom.
Surprisingly, Selena wasn’t leading them this time. Instead, it was Beatrix–the school’s resident troublemaker, her makeup heavy and sharp. The rest of the girls, equally caked in makeup, flanked her like a pack.
Hailey knew who she was. Beatrix Hawthorne, the troublemaker of school. In her past life, Beatrix had tormented her more times than she could count–all because of Mateo.
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Fri, 28 Mar
Chapter 26
Beatrix liked him. But Mateo had always been protective of Hailey.
But now, thinking about it again, if Mateo really protected Hailey, how could he let her be bullied by Beatrix?
X 79%
+5
Even though Mateo’s heart belonged to someone else, Beatrix never gave up. She had practically assigned herself the role of his bodyguard, punishing anyone who so much as annoyed him.
Relying on her family’s favor, Beatrix was a very overbearing person. But in the face of love, she was extremely humble and even dared not confess her feelings to Mateo in person.
Beatrix knew that Mateo liked Selena, so she dared not do anything to Selena. She even chose to protect the person Mateo liked.
Now that Hailey had beaten Mateo in the exams and forced him out of Class A, Beatrix was out for blood.
“Hailey?” Beatrix sneered, eyes flickering with jealousy. “Not bad–looking.”
With that, Beatrix glanced at her followers. On cue, they surrounded Hailey.
“If you want to survive in this school, you’d better do what I say.” Beatrix tossed the threat out before turning and striding into the restroom.
Hailey’s lips curled up slightly. ‘Perfect. This is exactly what I want. Teaching someone a lesson in the open isn’t a good look.
Inside, the restroom was empty. The girls boxed her in, cutting off any escape. Beatrix leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes cold. “Do you know that Mateo is mine?”
Hailey’s expression remained indifferent. “And?”
The girls around her couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment. What an arrogant tone!
Beatrix laughed, one hand on her hip. “You know he’s mine, yet you still dare to act like this? You’re not afraid of what I’ll do to you?”
“And what exactly did I do?” Hailey chuckled. “Be nice to him? Sorry, but last I checked, this school doesn’t belong to you.”
“I know, this school is your uncle’s,” Beatrix replied, misunderstanding Hailey’s words. She assumed Hailey was flaunting her connection to the Medrano family.
Beatrix scoffed. “You may not know this, but the Medrano can’t compare with my family. Your uncle isn’t even the biggest shareholder of Everton High School. The biggest investors are the Dalton, Blackwell, and Hawthorne families. Your uncle has barely any real power here. Do you think you’re special just because you’re the principal’s niece?”
Hailey tilted her head, amused. “And if I piss you off?”
Beatrix smirked. “My family has ties with a lot of powerful people. If I tell my dad, at least half of them would pull out their investments. That’d be the end of the Medrano family.”
