Chapter 48
I never expected the guy I was staring at to actually be Darren.
He was usually rocking those silver specs and had this laid–back artsy dad vibe going on. To put it bluntly, he gave off this slightly stuffy and old–fashioned air.
It was like he was a whole different person from the smooth charmer standing in front of me
now.
What a stark contrast.
“So, Xaviera, you’re disappointed to find out it’s me?” he teased.
I waved my hand dismissively, clarifying, “No, no, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that your current look is a dead ringer for a character in our game, and that’s why I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”
That probably came across a little rude.
Darren seemed taken aback, he sighed and said, “And here I was thinking you had a thing for
this version of me, Xaviera.”
I raised my eyebrows, momentarily at a loss for words.
Just then, Tina and Kevin came bounding over from the right and greeted me enthusiastically.
“Xaviera, you have no idea, before you got here, a bunch of chicks were hitting on Professor Yearwood,” Tina said with a hint of pride, lowering her voice, “and they even brought him coffee.”
Kevin mimicked in a falsetto, “Sweetheart, sweetheart, what flavor do you like?”
1
I couldn’t help but chuckle, “Darren, you really do have a chick magnet vibe.”
Kevin was about to say something more but Darren cut him off, “If you guys keep ribbing me like this, don’t bother calling me next time.”
Tina and Kevin wisely backed off.
That was when I found out that Darren, the university professor, was often bossed around by Tina and Kevin to attend various comic cons as their errand cosplay boy.
No wonder our paths crossed.
Later, Darren showed me around different areas and introduced me to various unique anime promotion techniques. I actually learned quite a bit from the experience.
It was a busy day, and I couldn’t let their help go unrewarded, so I suggested we all go out for a meal after the convention.
We ended up at Aurora Eats.
Little did we expect, as we passed by a second–floor private room, we bumped into Hilary dining with a few wealthy ladies.
Hilary glanced at Darren by my side and asked, “This guy looks familiar, Xaviera. Is he your new boyfriend?”
I was about to set the record straight when Darren beat me to it, “Hello, Mrs. Hilary, my name’s Darren.”
Hilary paused for a moment before extending her hand, “Handsome young man, where do you work?”
Curious cat, I thought, frowning slightly.
“I teach at N University,” Darren replied politely, “and I’m a classmate of Xaviera’s.”
No sooner had he spoken than Hilary’s look became more scrutinizing.
I smoothly changed the subject, asking Darren to go ahead and order while I stayed behind to handle Hilary.
In the hallway, she sighed, “Xaviera, I’m actually happy to see you settling down well, unlike Hogan, who’s really wearing me out.”
Only
when close did I notice that Hilary’s makeup was a bit off, with powder caked at the corners of her eyes.
“Not to hide it from you, Hogan’s really been over the top lately. He’s even been pushing me to bring Ms. Irwin to social gatherings. If his grandma finds out.”
She trailed off, turning her face away, looking like she was about to cry.
All I could offer was comfort, “If Mr. Zade insists, just go along with it. There’s nothing between mother and son that can’t be worked out.”
“I’m just worried about those people in the Zade family.”
As the rich ladies called out to her, Hilary stopped and then returned to the private room, not before making plans to have tea with me sometime.
She was really getting the hang of this wealthy lifestyle.
Unlike me, still hustling for my daily bread.
But I actually enjoyed dinner tonight; we were all old classmates, reminiscing about our college days, laughter filling the air.
Even I was surprised.
Back home, lying in bed, I felt a strange sense of contentment, like maybe life had its moments.
Then my phone rang.
It was Hilary.
2/3
Chapter 45
At nine in the evening.
Quite unexpected.
Worried something was up, I answered.
“Xaviera, you’re not asleep yet, are you? I just remembered where I’ve seen your boyfriend before.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, tempted to hang up.
“There’s this well–known scholar in Rivertown, Leonard Yearwood, have you heard of him?” Hilary continued her gossip, “Leonard’s wife Is also a big deal in physics here. The whole Leonard family is high–end talent, and your boyfriend is Leonard’s grandson.”
I was speechless, surprised.
And I finally understood why a big shot like Frank was so friendly with Darren.
It was just that Darren was usually so low–key and mild–mannered, you’d never connect him to the famous Yearwood family of Rivertown.
But then it hit me, Hilary was so eager to share Darren’s background, probably to hint that someone from his world wouldn’t accept someone from my humble beginnings.
Chapter 49
She’d been through the wringer too.
