CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: SHE AND EUGENE VAUGHN WERE ACTUALLY COLLEGE ALUMNI

The next day, the Sterling alumni reunion was held as scheduled.

Victoria Sinclair reluctantly agreed to go along under Angela Austin’s persistent coaxing.

The campus was quiet, as students were on vacation, and there weren’t many people around.

A banner hung on the large lawn, reading "Class of 00 Four-Year Alumni Reunion."

On a few long tables were simple snacks and bottled water. Beside them was the sign-in area, surrounded by balloons and billboards, making the event look plain and unpretentious.

The attendees were all young people, mostly dressed formally and looking fresh and attractive.

Victoria Sinclair and Angela Austin, however, dressed casually, stood out in contrast.

As they approached the sign-in area, the male host’s eyes lit up when he saw them and he beamed, "Are you two from the class of 00?"

Victoria Sinclair and Angela Austin nodded.

"What department?"

"The Department of Pharmacology," Angela Austin replied.

The male host handed them a couple of pens and directed them to sign on the curtain, "Quite a few alumni from the Department of Pharmacology here today."

Angela Austin glanced around and murmured under her breath, "Among these single male classmates with qualifications comparable to mine, I wonder if there’s any quality man?"

Victoria Sinclair chuckled lightly, "Graduating from Sterling means they’re not lacking in ability. Just pick one who’s good-looking with a nice character."

Angela Austin nodded with pursed lips, holding onto Victoria Sinclair’s arm, and added in a whisper, "He should be faithful too."

"Faithfulness isn’t something you can see right away, it takes time to reveal itself," Victoria Sinclair replied calmly.

At that moment, a man in a striped shirt approached, extending his hand and speaking with some excitement, "Victoria Sinclair? I didn’t expect to see you here."

Victoria Sinclair shook his hand politely, her mind drawing a blank, and awkwardly asked, "And you are?"

The man blushed a little, "I’m from the Department of Economic Management. I pursued you for three years in college and was turned down countless times."

Victoria Sinclair gave a slight smile and slowly withdrew her hand. She had so many admirers that she couldn’t remember them all clearly.

"Victoria Sinclair, long time no see!" Another man chimed in, staring intently at her, "We’re in the same department. Do you remember me? We used to attend lectures together, and even did that animal dissection experiment..."

Victoria Sinclair’s smile gradually became stiff as more and more men surrounded her, each introducing themselves. She could only smile politely and shake hands with each one.

Angela Austin, long accustomed to situations like this, stood aside, secretly thinking to herself: There must be a gem among these men.

Suddenly, a voice broke the awkward atmosphere, "Sister-in-law?"

Victoria Sinclair looked up and saw a stranger looking at her in surprise.

Soon, another man came over and greeted her politely, "Sister-in-law, hello."

Angela Austin curiously asked, "Do you know them?"

Victoria Sinclair shook her head, looking puzzled.

"Remember that time in the club’s private room, the one with the exotic dance?" the man explained.

Only then did Victoria Sinclair and Angela Austin realize—they were Eugene Vaughn’s close friends, Charlie Spencer and Miles Shaw.

"You guys graduated from Sterling in the class of 00 too?" Angela Austin asked in surprise.

Charlie Spencer nodded and pointed not far away, "Yeah, we were all in the Economic Management department, Eugene is here too."

Victoria Sinclair looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw Eugene Vaughn’s back.

He was wearing a casual white shirt and black trousers, chatting leisurely with a group of old classmates.

Angela Austin was dumbfounded, "Eugene was actually in the same school and year as us?"

Victoria Sinclair’s mind was in turmoil, blank and overwhelmed, unable to find words.

She had been married to Eugene Vaughn for two years, yet he had never mentioned his college days.

"He’s your husband, and you didn’t know his academic background?" Angela Austin asked in a lowered voice.

Victoria Sinclair was equally bewildered.

Before marriage, she had spent three months seeing Eugene Vaughn, usually meeting on weekends for dates—dining, watching movies, visiting museums, going to parks, or hiking.

They were both busy at the time, occasionally sending WeChat messages or making phone calls.

Their conversations rarely delved into the past. When Eugene talked about his educational background, he briefly mentioned, "I graduated from college, then went to the U.S. for further studies, completed my master’s at Massachusetts in a year and a half, and returned to take over the family business."

Eugene Vaughn never proactively talked about his college days and even intentionally concealed being an alumnus of the same batch.

At this moment, Charlie Spencer extended his hand to Angela Austin, "Hello, I’m Charlie Spencer."

Angela Austin forced a smile and shook hands lightly, "Angela Austin."

Miles Shaw also extended his hand, "Miles Shaw."

Angela Austin touched his hand briefly and quickly withdrew as if it were hot.

Charlie Spencer called out to Eugene Vaughn in the distance, "Eugene, look who’s here!"

Eugene Vaughn turned around, his gaze landing on Victoria Sinclair, his eyes deepening slightly.