CHAPTER 160: CHAPTER 160: MEMORIES (60)

The sound of the door slamming startled Ethan Harper, making his brow twitch. He leaned against the sofa, expressionless, his clothes in disarray, but by then, the presence of Florence Fuller in the room had already vanished.

He felt both scared and conflicted.

He insisted on leaving the Harper Family, wanted to return, Arthur Harper asked him whether someone had to die for him to stay.

He couldn’t understand this cold-blooded father, for whom anyone’s life or death seemed like a trivial matter.

He wanted things to go exactly according to his plans; he didn’t allow any deviations.

He wanted Ethan to leave everything behind in Cloudsea and take Abigail Monrose back to France.

He wanted Ethan to return to the Harper Family and participate in the war for inheritance with his own illegitimate child.

He wanted to see how this "banquet" would ultimately unfold and who would be the final victor.

He was simply a madman.

He could do anything.

He was worried that Florence would get hurt, yet he was also afraid of losing her.

He couldn’t bear to be separated from her.

Ethan collected his thoughts and rose from the bedroom.

The living room lights were still bright, and Ethan called softly, "Florence."

The response he got was silence.

"Florence."

No response.

It wasn’t until he saw the discarded bathrobe on the sofa and looked by the entrance to find her bag and shoes gone did it hit him.

Ethan’s heart tightened, and he hurried to make a call.

He made two unanswered calls; on the third try, Florence picked up.

There was silence from her end, and Ethan asked gently, "Where did you go?"

Florence was silent for a few seconds, "The teacher at school gave me a task. I need to go to S City, and I’ll be back in a few days."

In a few days, there was no specific time.

Ethan’s heart felt a pang, "Then... I’ll come to pick you up when the time comes."

"We’ll see then."

Florence hung up.

Ethan looked at the disconnected phone, then out through the tall window at the deep night, and it felt like the entire city was also cold and lonely.

----

Florence’s "few days" hadn’t been specifically mentioned, and the messages Ethan sent to her weren’t replied to, and she didn’t answer the calls.

Then he asked Abigail, who said that Florence was only gone for three days and had already been back for two days.

Back for two days, but she hadn’t returned to Starlight Residence.

Ethan checked her schedule and went to the school to find her.

"Looking for Florence?" The asked classmate thought for a moment, "She seems to be in charge of a group meeting now, probably in the lounge area over there, just in the building ahead. You’ll see her if you go there."

Ethan followed the directions to the rest area, under the lush canopy of trees. At a six-person round table, Florence, wearing a floral dress with a knitted cardigan, her long hair tied back with loose strands slightly disheveled, but it didn’t affect her overall beauty at all.

She held a pen and was explaining something intently. A few male classmates at the table looked at her eagerly.

After she finished speaking, it seemed someone at the table raised a question. She nodded, then leaned closer to the person asking, seemingly explaining.

Ethan’s steps paused as he saw the male classmate beside Florence get up and move closer to her, and Florence noticed, looking towards him.

The young and handsome classmate smiled, reached up to her head to take off a fallen leaf, and showed it to her, saying something with a smile.

Florence looked at the leaf in his hand, seemingly said thank you, and the male classmate stayed in that position, standing close to her, listening to Florence speaking.

"Florence."

A familiar voice rang out, and Florence’s hand holding the pen paused when she saw Ethan walking over.

She asked, "Why are you here?"

Ethan nodded gently, "Are you done?"

The man’s eyes were full of tender affection for Florence, and the classmates exchanged glances, "Florence, if you have something to do, why don’t we talk next time?"

The man beside Florence shook his head, "It’s hard for us to gather this time, and we haven’t finished the first phase. What are we going to do when we have to submit our assignments?"

Hearing this, other classmates nodded in agreement, "Some of us have different working hours during internships, if we keep going like this, we won’t be able to complete this task and get credits."

"Is he your boyfriend? Florence, if it’s something urgent, you can go ahead." Another classmate said.

"A friend." Florence replied.

Ethan’s heart sank.

In the next moment, Florence looked at him, "I’ve only just started here; I still need some time. You should go back first, I’ll contact you when I’m done."

Ethan looked at her, and Florence also met his gaze, her eyes calm and serene.

"Okay."

He agreed, turned around, and left.

That back seemed a bit lonely, making Florence’s heart ache slightly.

She suppressed the sourness in her heart and focused her thoughts on the main subject.

An hour and a half later, the group meeting ended, and Florence gathered her things and glanced at her phone.

The latest message was from Ethan, saying he was waiting for her at the campus parking lot.

"Florence, are you hungry? Want to grab something to eat?" the male classmate beside her asked.

"No, I have other things to do, so I’ll leave first." She gathered her books and left.

The male classmate watched her departing figure with some disappointment, as the classmate next to him leaned over, watching her graceful departure and patted the man’s chest, "Give it up, brother, the goddess always says she has a boyfriend. An outsider, don’t waste your energy."

"She said it’s fake. She comes to school alone in her car, doesn’t she?"

"Even if it’s fake, she probably isn’t in the mood for a relationship. Look how many people in school like her, confessions are rejected one by one, those pursuing her, has she responded to any?"

"Perhaps it’s a family arrangement." The male classmate thought.

Recently, someone uncovered Florence’s identity as Miss Fuller from Cloudsea City.

It turned out she was the biological daughter while Clara, who had enjoyed the title of the Fuller’s Miss for so many years, was adopted.

Moreover, she had spread rumors about Florence during their freshman year.

The male classmate thought for a moment, "Let’s go."

There would be more opportunities to meet later, he thought. What’s there to fear, maybe he is that special one, and in the end, it might work out.

From a distance, Florence saw Ethan standing by the car. Upon seeing her, Ethan also approached.

"It’s over." He reached out habitually to take the things from her hands, but Florence avoided his gesture.

"Why are you here?"

Ethan’s hand paused midair, and he hesitated, "You haven’t been replying to my messages, so I asked Mother, and she said you were back already."

Florence walked towards her own car, and Ethan followed, "Florence, let’s talk."

Florence opened the car door, speaking calmly, "I just want to talk to you in bed."

Ethan paused, seemingly not expecting her to say such a thing without expression.

She wasn’t serious.

"Come home, okay?" Ethan said tenderly, "I know, I made you upset."