bChapter /bb184 /bbTo /bbe /bbhere /b

    bThe /bquestion echoed in Renee’s mind: What in the world was Susana doing here?

    Susanna, catching Renee’s beye/b, yfully winked, her mischief evident.

    With ss about tomence, Rence redirected her gaze and inted her PowerPoint presentation.

    “Good morning, everyone! I’m Renee Hudson. I hope the next two weeks will be a delightful journey. Let’s dive into our ss without further dy.”

    The Pagani swiftly departed from the airport.

    Navigating a fork in the road, Marcelo abruptly brought the vehicle to a stop.

    “This is your stop. I’ll arrange for someone to pick you up,” He announced.

    In the passenger seat, Levy was taken aback. “Come on, Marcelo. My ce is just a few kilometers south.”

    “It doesn’t align with my route,” Marcelo replied. “I’m heading west.”

    Bellbanks University sat in the city’s west.

    At this fork where the vehicle was parked, their paths to separate destinations would diverge.

    Was he merely an afterthought throughout this entire journey? Levy couldn’t shake the feeling that Marcelo was abandoning him now that his objectives were met.

    It wasn’t an airport pickup at all; for Marcelo, it was a mission to amass investigative materials! Levy motioned with his hand and opened the car door to step out.

    “I think I’ll grab a taxi on my own!”

    ww

    Opting for a taxi promised swifter progress than awaiting Marcelo’s pick–up arrangement.

    With years of friendship with Levy, formalities weren’t Marcelo’s concern. He turned the steering wheel, veering right toward Bellbanks University.

    Renee meticulously crafted her ss, seamlessly intertwining professional knowledge with pertinent real–world examples.

    At first, the students fixated on Reneeb, /bthe legendary senior, but as time passed, they became enthralled by the substance of her lectures.

    After three consecutive sses concluded, Renee intended to find Susanna. However, a nce around the room proved unsessful in locating the young girl.

    Texting Susanna about her whereabouts, Reneeb, /bengrossed in her phone, nearly collided with someone while exiting the ssroom.

    A figure in a white hoodie caught her eye.

    “Be careful, Renee!” a familiar male voice chimed in.

    Renee, looking up, spotted Howard offering a helping hand. Seeing her stability, he quietly retracted his gesture.

    “Mind your step, Renee. You might stumble while using your phone,” Howard said with a warm smile. “I wanted to congratte you this morning, but I had a preliminary defense for my graduation thesis and couldn’t step away.”

    “Received your well wishes ahead of time!” She responded with a sanile, showcasing the sizable bouquet in her left hand.

    bJust /bbas /bshe was about to speak, she sensed an intense gaze on her.

    In the corridor’s distant end by the staircase, a man in a shirt and trousers held a phone to his car. His gaze was fixed on her, devoid of expression and with a paleplexion,

    His presence wasmandingb, /bcasting such a weighty atmosphere that the few students who noticed him refrained from taking a second nce.

    What brought Marcelo to this ce?

    “Mar…”

    Renee’s attempt to speak was cut short

    the

    briskly retreating from her view.

    His retreating figure radiated a callous indifferenceb, /bswiftly vanishing from her sight.

    A realization struck Renee, she and Marcelo had recently engaged a heated argument, and silence had persisted between

    them for thest two days. His appearance here con’t be about seeking her out.

    Marcelo had connections with Bellbanks University,

    his

    Presence here could be purely coincidental.

    He didn’te to see her.

    bNUS /b

    Renee’s fingers involuntarily tightened, her nails piercing into her palmb, /bcausing a sharp pain.

    “Is that Mr. King?” Howard inquired.

    He was fairly certain that he wasn’t mistaken, but the man before him was walking on twob, /bperfectly healthy legs. It took him by surprise.

    “Yeah,” Renee responded quietly.

    Hearing the grim nuance in her tone, Howard pondered over their rtionship. “Don’t you want to bgo /band talk to him, Renee? I think… Mr. King might have misunderstood something.”

    “Misunderstand what?” Renee challenged in a cold voice.

    Howard took a good, long look at her face and kept his thoughts to himself. The thing was, he was worried that Marcelo might have misunderstood their rtionship.

    “Did you two have a fight?” he ventured.

    “Is it that obvious?” Renee smiled bitterly at the idea that her former schoolmate would actually care about her rtionship.

    Howard nodded. “It’s normal to fight in a rtionship. You should sit down and talk once you’ve calmed down.”

    She cocked her head to the side and peered at him. “It sounds like you’re quite experienced in this department, Howard.”

    “No, not at all!” Howard rushed to deny, a faint blush rising on his cheeks. “It’s not what you think! Ib…/bI’ve actually never been in love before.”

    Silence fell over them as Renee kept staring at him, waiting for him to say more.

    “I do have feelings for someone though,” Howard eventually said, with no small amount of reluctance. “Someone bI’ve /blove secret all these years.

    If he were so fortunate as to have her, he would definitely never make her sad.

    Howard nced awkwardly at Rene. He could tell from her cagey attitude that her recent fight with Marcelo was a serious one.

    *****

    Meanwhile, Marcelo had never expected to find Renee holding a bouquet of flowers that were obviously from Howard. They were evenughing as they talked.

    +25 bBONUS /b

    bMarcelo /bstruggled to keep his anger and jealousy in. It was all he could do not to storm over and pull the two apart from beach /bother.

    “Marcelo, have you left yet?” He heard Vivian ask over the phone. Your mother is in pretty bad condition.”

    b“/bbI’m /bon my way,” he said curtly as he turned around. “I’ll be therein twenty minutes.”

    Something had happened to Jessicab, /bso he had no choice but to leave.

    He didn’t hold much affection toward Jessica, but she was still his other. More importantly, at least for Marcelo, Jessica was someone that his brother had deeply respected and always cared for.

    In a private hospital.

    The floor housing the VIP rooms was walled off from the rest of the building, with bodyguards standing vigil at every turn.

    Some of them were Marcelo’s men, and the rest answered

    bto /b

    Paul.

    The air crackled with tension as both sides eyed each other warily, ready to spring into action should the situation escte.

    “The patient has a superficial head wound. Her right hand is brokenb, /bwhile her right leg is bruised. She just needs a quiet rest and more sleep.” The doctor nced at Jessica, who was still unconscious after the surgery. “However, the patient has been taking neurological drugs for a long time, causing significant damage to her liver. She needs to pay close attention to her health after she recuperates.”

    Vivian diligently wrote down notes and thanked the doctor repeatedly. She then walked him to the door, polite as ever.

    “Your wife is so beautiful and well–mannered, Mr. Kingb!/bb” /bthe doctormended as he stepped out into the hall.

    Vivian’s eyes instantly lit up at his words.

    “She is not my wife,” Marcelo said without missing a beat.

    Vivian’s pleased expression froze, while the doctor hurriedly apologized with an awkward smile.

    Vivian quickly collected herself and pretended like the doctor hadn’t said anything. “Did I bother your work, Marcelo? I panicked when your mom was wheeled into the operating room. I had no idea at the time that it was just to treat a fracture.”

    “Not at all.” His tone was still curt.

    She had, in fact, bothered him.

    Stillb, /bhe had chosen toe here, so he couldn’t very well me Vivian.