Chapter 7
I said on the phone, “Alright, draft a proposal and email it to me.”
After hanging up, I flipped through Beverly City’s planning map in my hand. While the rest of the city bustled with business, the northern district stood desolate and empty.
The northwest was farmland; to the northeast, the land had been reforested; and due north were our family’s hills, with some abandoned projects at their base. It looked like this was going to be a tough nut to crack.
“Ms. Hunter, what a coincidence.” A figure blocked my path, his greasy laughter oozing with arrogance.
The man beside him grinned as well and said, “Hey, sweetheart, wanna grab a drink with us?”
The blond guy grinned and said, “Hey, we were classmates in high school, remember? Back then, you were so hard to talk to, but now, you seem a lot more approachable. Let’s have a chat.” As he spoke, he reached out, trying to grab my arm.
Taking a step back, I frowned and snapped, “Get out of my way, or I’m calling the police.”
“Oh, still acting like the spoiled princess?” the blond guy sneered.
His friend added, “Hey, I heard your brother is quite the tough guy, huh? So where’s your backup now?”
My eyes darted around–these were complete strangers. I felt something was wrong.
A turned to leave, only to be blocked by another figure.
“Have a drink with us, sweetheart, then you’re free to go.” The tattooed man leered, making another grab for me.
Clutching the map tightly, I bit my lip and dashed in another direction, only to be swiftly blocked again. These men were toying with me like a cat playing with its prey, deliberately cutting off every escape route.
My heart raced. Was I really about to be harassed by these thugs today?
All of a sudden, a sharp bang rang out.
A basketball came flying out of nowhere and smacked the tattooed guy square on the head.
“You motherf-“The tattooed guy was about to snap, but when he saw who it was, he froze.
The blond guy swallowed hard and stammered, “Shane? What the hell is he doing here?”
Another guy said, “Damn, that guy fights like a beast. Maybe we should…”
Shane stood nearby, his expression dark. “Get fucking lost.”
The guys scrambled down the stairwell in a panic.
V
Lowering my eyes, I smoothed the wrinkles in my clothes from the earlier panic and then said coolly, “Thanks.”
Shane frowned slightly, suppressing his impatience. “I didn’t come here for you. I’m just here to tell you–leave Camila alone from now
on.”
+
Since when did I do anything to Camila?
Seriously? I was the one in danger just now, and the first thing out of his mouth was about Camila?
How ridiculous. I stopped in my tracks and shot him a cold look. “Did you see with your eyes that I picked on her or what? Or did you just see her cry and immediately jump to the conclusion that it must be my doing?”
Shane froze momentarily.
I sneered and said, “Shane, if I hate someone, I don’t need to resort to cheap tricks.”
He pressed his tongue against his cheek and looked away. “I saw right through you from day one. You act all innocent on the outside, but deep down, you’re just plain vicious.”
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I nodded with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “And I see exactly what kind of person you are too. You’re a complete idiot.”
Shane barked, “Ashley,
I just didn’t get it. Out of everyone in the Hunter family, why was my own twin brother the only idiot? Did I hog all the nutrition when we were still in th
I ignored appro
and
d right past, heading off campus. No way would I let an idiot like him ruin my mood.
Dennis, who had been
location. Worth a trying, leaned against the wall. When he saw me approach, his pale lips pressed together. “Not a bad choice of
Zane turned to look me. “What?”
W
“Ashley,” he suddenly said, sounding indifferent. “Camila told me you’ve been badmouthing me behind my back.”
“Really?” I asked.
Dennis looked at me and asked, “Care to explain yourself?”
“What’s there to explain?” I cast a casual glance at him. “I’ve hit you in the face more than once, so what’s the big deal if I talk shit about you behind your back?”
Hearing this, Dennis suddenly softened, a faint smile flickering in his eyes. Strands of hair drifted across his forehead, unexpectedly. revealing a youthful charm.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Damn, you’re such a masochist.”
“It’s common for elder sisters to beat up their brothers,” he said lazily, hands stuffed in his pockets as he opened the car door for me.
Ever since Camila’s outburst that time, she’d reverted to acting like a timid bunny around me–friendly yet fearful.
Melissa had been swamped with her project and usually went straight home after classes. Raina probably got an earful from her father. Now, she avoided me like the plague. Life had been pretty peaceful.
Camila and I seemed to have swapped our brothers–Dennis always hung out with me in the northern district, while Shane stuck to Camila like glue. We didn’t interfere with each other.
As we stepped onto the soft grassy field, Dennis finally blurted out, “Where did you get all this money besides what I gave you?”
I blinked and grinned, “That’s the compensation money from Raina’s end.”
He scoffed, “Do you think I was born yesterday? That little money would never be enough.”
I laughed, “Who knows, maybe money just falls from the sky for me.”
I wasn’t kidding. The Hunter family was really the biggest windfall for me.
Dennis dropped the subject and flipped open the proposal, surveying the garden in front of him. “The Farm Stay project is nearly complete. We’re ready for our soft opening. What’s your plan?”
I arched my brows and asked, “Didn’t you join the Student Government?”
Dennis asked, “What do you mean?”
I smiled slightly, leaving my words hanging. “Welles holds its annual fall social. Last year, I remember it was at the golf course in the southern district.”
He snorted again and shoved the proposal back into my arms. “Stop your wishful thinking.”
As the black Maybach roared off, I couldn’t help but pout. Dennis was still the same moody kid.
T
The Farm Stay venue was just a short distance from our current house. The staff were already in place, busy trimming the overgrown grass. I took a deep breath of fresh air and headed toward the house.
I froze when I spotted a figure not far ahead.
Oops, he saw me.
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3/3
Chapter 7
Composing myself, I pasted on my signature sweet smile and greeted him. “Hey, Zane.”
Zane glanced sideways at the departing Maybach and asked, “Is that Dennis?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
- a.
One was my biological brother, and the other was the brother I’d bonded with over the years. If Zane didn’t want me to meet Dennis, I’d truly be caught between a rock and a hard place.
you
I bounded over to Zane’s side, catching a faint whiff of antiseptic. Putting on my most practiced dimpled smile, I asked, “Zane, how did
find me here?”
He shot me a sidelong glance, plucked a leaf from my hair, and said, “So many sheep have gone missing at home. When I asked Dad, He
got all evasive, so I knew
it to
was
you.”
How could he know many sheep were gone?
H
I looked at the sheep dotting the hillside
T
teased, “Zane, did you really count them one by one?”
“The hillside got a bare patch. I just took a guess,” I replied.
didn’t know how to explain.
Zane’s shirt cuffs were rolled up immaculately, revealing faint veins on his forearm. A pale scar extended along his upper arm, which looked like a burn mark.
I froze. “Zane, your arm-
”
“Nothing.” Zane composed himself, pulling his sleeve down with practiced nonchalance. “Let’s go home.”
“Zane,” I said, quickening my pace to catch up with him.
Zane turned to look at me. “What?”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Go on.”
I glanced at Zane’s profile. Zane always looked stern, but he’d always been reliable–definitely easier to talk to than Kane.
Mustering up my courage, I finally asked, “Why does it seem like none of you care about Camila except for Shane?”
Hearing my question. Zane paused mid–step, pressed his lips together, and looked at me with an unreadable expression.
H
