CHAPTER 18: CHAPTER 18: IF YOU DON’T AGREE, YOU’LL NEVER BE WITH THAT GIRL

At seven in the evening, Clara Sterling arrived punctually at the university gate.

Seeing that familiar Toyota, Clara Sterling stepped up to it.

Zachary Lynch opened the car door for her, "Please, Miss Sterling."

The rear seat was empty, and Zachary explained, "President Sheffield is waiting for you up ahead. I’ll take you over first."

Clara nodded and got into the car.

On the way, Clara thought for a moment before asking, "Assistant Lynch, on the day we registered the marriage, was it Silas who told you to pick me up in this car?"

"Yes, President Sheffield specifically instructed me to do so that day," Zachary smiled a bit awkwardly, "Usually, President Sheffield rides in his own car. My car is too shabby. I was a little anxious then, worried he wouldn’t be comfortable with it."

Clara asked, "Did he say why?"

"He didn’t, and I didn’t dare ask."

It seemed she had guessed correctly; Silas Sheffield had specifically instructed Zachary to drive this car.

As for why, only Silas Sheffield himself would know.

The car drove for another five minutes before stopping at an open-air parking lot.

"Miss Sterling, I’ll take you to President Sheffield," Zachary opened the car door.

"Alright." Clara got out of the car.

Not far away was a familiar Maybach parked.

Zachary explained, "President Sheffield’s car is over there, and he asked me to take you over."

Clara nodded, politely saying, "Alright, thanks for the trouble."

Once again, it was Zachary driving his car to pick her up, and there was the hassle of switching cars midway.

This place was some distance from Crestwood U, so no classmates would see her getting into Silas Sheffield’s car from here.

Clara’s suspicions were further confirmed.

Silas Sheffield’s actions were likely to prevent her from being caught up in any gossip.

An indescribable emotion surged through Clara’s heart.

It was like a long-dry field suddenly being gently caressed by a light rain, with every inch of dryness inadvertently nourished.

...

The Sutton and Hughes Families were equally prominent, and also old family friends.

Isaac Sutton and Quinn Hughes were childhood sweethearts. Quinn Hughes liked Isaac Sutton from a young age, and the parents of both families had arranged an engagement for them when they were children, so when they dated in high school, the family elders were happy to see it happen.

After high school, Quinn Hughes wanted to study abroad, but Isaac Sutton desired to stay in the country.

They couldn’t agree, and neither was willing to compromise.

In a fit, Quinn Hughes proposed breaking up and left for abroad alone, staying away for more than three years.

Right after the breakup, Isaac Sutton languished for a few days before liberating himself, indulging a lot during that period, changing girlfriends every three to five days.

He was wealthy and handsome, and generous with spending, attracting many girls to actively approach him.

As long as they were beautiful, Isaac Sutton never refused, sometimes even dating two or three at once.

By the time he got tired of playing, the academic year was about to start again.

Isaac Sutton started finding it all meaningless; most of those girls were after his money. It was an idea from some friend, "Then you could pretend to be poor," which Isaac thought was a good one, and thus went to university pretending to be poor.

After all, his family was in Veridian, so attending Crestwood University several thousand miles away meant no one knew him.

To make his circle of friends comply, Isaac even gave them all big red envelopes as thanks.

Initially pretending to be poor was uncomfortable, and after a few days of pretending, he needed to find a place where no one knew him to let loose once in a while.

Eventually, he met Clara Sterling; to pursue her, he attended classes with her daily, worked part-time on weekends, leaving little time to indulge, and eventually got used to it.

Now Quinn Hughes had returned. She came for him, and naturally, he didn’t refuse her.

However, he hadn’t agreed to reunite with Quinn Hughes yet.

Initially, Isaac Sutton thought he’d break up with Clara Sterling once he got bored and then reunite with Quinn Hughes.

But the more time he spent with Clara Sterling, the more he liked her.

No one else would personally knit scarves and sweaters for him; no one else would endure hardships, taking three part-time jobs to make his life better; no one else would run through pouring rain to buy him medicine when he was sick.

And no one else was with him simply for who he was, not for being the Sutton family’s young master.

She was the only girl genuinely good to him without any ulterior motives.

Isaac Sutton didn’t want to break up anymore.

He wanted to be with Clara Sterling forever.

Today, after finishing his exam, he couldn’t wait to call home.

Judy Bishop answered the call, "Isaac, done with your exams?"

"Yes, I’m done." Isaac paused, seemingly mustering a lot of courage, "Mom, I have something important to tell you."

Judy Bishop replied with a smile in her voice, "Are you planning to reunite with Quinn?"

"No," Isaac said, "I’ve been dating a girl seriously at school, and I want to bring her home to meet the family for the New Year."

"What did you say?"

"I said I’ve fallen in love with a girl, and I want to bring her home to meet you."

Judy took a deep breath and asked, "What kind of girl? Where is she from? What does her family do?"

Isaac tightened his left hand into a fist, "She’s from Crestwood, from an average family, a single-parent family, and her mother runs a small restaurant."

Judy felt the world spin for a moment, almost spitting blood, "Son, you’re joking with mom, right?"

"I’m serious. She’s very good to me and not after my money; she genuinely cares for me because she loves me."

Judy chuckled incredulously, "She says she’s not after your money, so you believe her? How could you be so naive?"

"I’ve been pretending to be poor in college; she doesn’t know my family’s real situation."

Judy remained dismissive, sneering, "Maybe she’s just pretending not to know."

"She truly doesn’t know." Isaac tried to persuade his mother, "No one at Crestwood University knows me. I’ve been playing the poor game since I started there over three years ago, and she still doesn’t know my true identity."

"I’ve been with her for more than two years, and during this time, I’ve been spending her money. She even took on three jobs for me. Mom, you don’t know—no one else has ever been good to me like she has, without expecting anything in return."

At this point, Isaac felt his nose and eyes tingle, "I haven’t given her anything worth more than two hundred dollars in these two years."

The more he spoke, the crueler he felt, his voice involuntarily trembling, "Mom, I really want to be with her. I’ve never been this serious about anyone—please, let us be together."

Judy’s voice turned cold, "I disagree. If what you said is true, it only means that girl has deep intentions. Have you ever thought that maybe she knew you were pretending to be poor from the beginning, and that’s why she was so good to you?"

Isaac blurted out, "That’s impossible!"

"How is it impossible?" Judy sneered, "There’s no such thing as impossible in this world. Son, listen to your mom, cut ties with that girl, and get engaged to Quinn."

"I won’t." Isaac was determined, "I see all the good Clara does for me, but for the past two years, I’ve been deceiving her. I can’t keep making mistakes."

Saying this, Isaac’s voice choked with emotion. "She wants nothing but feelings, yet I’m unable to offer even pure emotions. I owe her."

Judy remained unyielding, "I won’t allow her into our family. If you really feel you owe her, I’ll compensate her financially."

"Mom, if you don’t allow her in, then I won’t come back."

Judy gritted her teeth, "Are you threatening me?"

"I wouldn’t dare," Isaac’s voice was hoarse, "I just want to be with her."

Judy closed her eyes, sighed deeply, and compromised a bit, "You marry Quinn, and I’ll agree to support that girl outside."

"No, that’s unfair to both of them."

"This is my final concession," Judy said coldly, "If you don’t agree, you’ll never be with that girl."