Filed To Story: The Scarlet Vengeance: Justice of a Framed Beauty Novel (Grace & Jason)
This was also a place he often frequented.
But what Calvert didn’t expect was that Harley would actually bring it up on his own.
“Are you really going to eat there?” Calvert asked, hardly able to believe it.
“So, were you joking when you said you’d treat me to dinner?” Harley asked in return.
“Of course not!” Calvert quickly denied it.
“Well, I’m not joking either,” Harley said with a slight smile, a smile that gave Calvert a momentarily dazzling sensation.
Calvert and Harley walked into the snack shop.
At that point in time, there were already quite a few people there, most of whom were students from the school.
As soon as Harley walked into the store, he certainly drew quite a bit of attention.
Firstly, it was because Harley herself was quite attractive. She had a rare blend of elegance and vibrancy in her looks, yet she didn’t come off as unapproachable. Instead, it only added to the noble aura of her features.
Secondly, even though there were no luxury brand logos on the clothes Harley was wearing, you could still tell they weren’t cheap. They were different from what an average student would wear.
Thirdly, it was because Harley herself was a celebrity at school. After all, she was the princess of the
Hart family. Who didn’t know her?
Even if they hadn’t met in person, the classmates would have seen photos online or somewhere else before.
So, among the students in the snack shop at that moment, quite a few recognized Harley.
It was precisely because they recognized Harley that a wave of whispers broke out. After all, to the average person, it was quite strange for the princess of the Hart family to appear in such a small eatery.
“There’s a spot over there, just take a seat.” Harley pointed to a corner and said to Calvert.
Calvert looked up and saw a tiny spot with a small table and two chairs next to it.
“If you’re treating, then I’ll just have a burger and a Coke!” Harley said, heading over to take a seat.
Calvert was taken aback as he watched Harley sit down so naturally, without a hint of disdain on his face. A strange emotion began to slowly spread in his heart.
Soon, Calvert came over with a tray, placing the burger and cola that Harley had ordered in front of her.
In front of him, he had a burger of his own, and he’d also bought some fried chicken.
“The fried chicken at this place is pretty good, give it a try,” Calvert said.
The fried chicken costs $18 a portion, which Calvert usually wouldn’t splurge on. But today, he specifically bought it, hoping Harley would like it.
For Calvert, fried chicken was a rare treat. But for Harley, it was just simple food, she…
“Alright,” Harley responded.
Even a simple response made Calvert feel a sense of excitement.
The two of them were quietly eating. Harley had already had two pieces of fried chicken but noticed that Calvert was only eating the burger in front of him and hadn’t touched the fried chicken at all.
“Don’t you like fried chicken?” Harley asked.
“No!” Calvert quickly denied it.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Harley asked, even though it was Calvert who told her the fried chicken tasted good.
“You go ahead and eat. If you’re full and there’s still some left, I’ll eat then,” he said quietly. As soon as the words left his mouth, a wave of inferiority washed over him.
Perhaps Calvert will never be able to shake off this sense of inferiority in front of Harley.
“Why are you only eating the leftovers? Isn’t it better to eat together? If you insist on waiting for me to finish before you start on the leftovers, it actually makes me uncomfortable.” Harley’s voice rose, “This fried chicken is indeed as delicious as you said.”
Harley looked at Calvert with a smile, as if waiting for Calvert to join him for a meal. His gaze didn’t carry the air of superiority or condescension often seen in the wealthy.
Calvert was stunned for a few seconds, then slowly picked up the fork, ready to spear the fried chicken.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out, “So this is where you’ve been!”
Calvert looked up to see a handsome young man walking straight towards him.
Harley looked at the man who had just arrived, “How did you end up here?”
“I came looking for you,” Lornell said. Just now, at the school gate, he overheard some students gossiping about her having a meal with a boy at a snack bar. He decided to check it out, and to his surprise, it turned out to be true.
“Do you need something?” Harley asked.
Lornell raised an eyebrow, “What do you think I’m here for?”
Harley pursed his lips, probably because he was about to break off the engagement!
“Or are you going to continue having dinner with him and we’ll talk about our stuff another day?” Lornell said.
Harley’s brow furrowed slightly. She didn’t want to drag out this matter of breaking off the engagement any longer. The sooner it was resolved, the better!
She turned to Calvert with an apologetic look, “Sorry, I have something to take care of today and need to leave early. Next time, I’ll treat you to a meal, okay?”
“Alright,” Calvert responded in a low voice.
“Let’s get going then,” Lornell said to Harley. Before leaving, Lornell shot a quick glance at Calvert from the corner of his eye.
Lornell’s gaze was indifferent and superior.
Calvert stiffened. He often saw this kind of gaze in those who held power.
This guy, he was on the same level as Harley, wasn’t he?
But Harley was different, he never looked at him that way.
Harley and Lornell stepped out of the snack bar, with Lornell’s car parked not far away.
“Let’s get in the car first,” Lornell said. “I don’t want to discuss what’s next just anywhere. After all, if some ill-intentioned people overhear us, it could get a bit tricky.”
Harley nodded.
The two of them got in the car, and Lornell drove it over to the club.
Once they were in the private room, Lornell casually asked Harley, “What would you like to drink?”
“No need, let’s just get straight to the point,” Harley said.
Lornell suddenly let out a cold laugh, “What? You don’t even have time to have a drink with me now?
But you do have time to dine with other men. Don’t tell me you’re breaking off our engagement because of that young boy.”
Harley’s eyes widened in surprise, “My decision to break off our engagement has nothing to do with
Calvert!”
How could Lornell have been so imaginative?
“His name is Calvert, right?” Lornell asked, “Since he’s not the reason you want to break off the engagement, then tell me, what is the reason?”
Harley looked at the person in front of him, took a deep breath, and said, “I don’t want to marry someone just because it’s convenient!”
Lornell raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong with ‘suitable’?”
Harley gave a bitter smile, “It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not good enough. I hope my future marriage will be like my parents, where they love each other!”
After hearing what Harley had to say, Lornell was stunned for a moment, but then suddenly burst into laughter.
Lornell’s laughter was laced with mockery.
“I can’t believe you’re so naive, Harley. How many people do you think have a love like your parents in this world? It’s like some people’s parents hit the jackpot. Do their children also believe they’ll be as lucky as their parents and hit the jackpot again?” Lornell stopped laughing, looking indifferently at
Harley sitting on the sofa.
Harley’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, “You might be right, but for me, if a future marriage doesn’t have love, then I’d rather not have that marriage at all!”
Lornell’s expression turned cold.
“So why are you calling off the engagement now? It’s not like you just found out that I don’t love you.”
Harley let out a self-deprecating laugh, “Because I don’t want to wait anymore. I’m tired of the feeling of striving hard but getting no response.”
Before, Harley always thought that as long as he tried hard to love Lornell, one day, Lornell would also fall in love with him.
But gradually, Harley finally understood that feelings of liking and love don’t necessarily reward you for your efforts.
“So, all I need to do is respond to you, right?” Lornell said.
“What?” Harley was taken aback.
“As long as I make you feel acknowledged, that should be enough, right? Then we wouldn’t have to call off the engagement, would we?” Lornell said.
Harley didn’t understand: “What do you mean by ‘feeling like I’ve received a response’?”
“Just like when you say you love me, I can say I love you too. When you smile at me, I can smile back at you. When you show concern for me, I can tell you how much I care about you too,” Lornell said, slowly standing up and walking over to Harley.
Harley stared blankly at Lornell, only to see his handsome thin lips moving, saying, “Harley, I love you.”
Harley’s heart was pounding fiercely.
Lornell was saying the words Harley had always longed to hear. Yet, Lornell’s gaze didn’t hold the affection Harley yearned for. Instead, it was filled with a subtle sense of detachment.
“Say that again.” It took Harley a good while before he managed to utter these words, his voice trembling.
“I can say it over and over again, Harley, I love you,” Lornell said.
But Harley’s heart was sinking lower and lower.
“But you don’t love me, do you?” Harley said.
“But if you want to hear it, I can tell you, I can respond to you. Is it really important whether I love you or not?” Lornell retorted.
So, was this what Lornell called a “response”? It was just another name for a lie, allowing Harley to delude herself into thinking that Lornell loved her.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.