Chapter b553 /bYou’re Being Mean to Me

bShe /bcould bfeel /bbthe /bheat in Asher’s grip–gentle, yet firm, like a soft shackle that wouldn’t let her bgo/b.

“bNo /bmatter what,” Asher said, voice low and steady, “to me, you’re just you. You have nothing bto /bbdo /bbwith /byour family.”

Jean didn’t respond right away. She simply stared into his clear, sincere eyes.

“Thank you,” she finally said, lips curling into a faint smile.

Asher blinked, momentarily dazed by her expression. But then he held her gaze and went on. “If you’re ever in trouble, tell me. I’ll help you–no matter what.”

The genuine weight in his words warmed something inside her. Jean nodded, a little harder than she meant to, and the curve of her smile grew.

“You don’t even have to say it. If I’m ever in real trouble, you’ll be the first person Ie to,” she teased lightly. “Just don’t try to run away then.”

Her easy tone seemed to lift something in him. Asher’s face rxed a little, the heaviness in his features fading.

They chatted for a few more minutes before Jean turned toward the dorm building. Asher watched her go inside before walking away.

Back in her room, Jean found it empty. Sofia wasn’t there. The apartment waspletely quiet. She dropped her backpack by the bed, let out a long sigh, and sat down.

She spaced out for a while.

Even though she wasn’t as devastated as the Ginger family or Asher might think, she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t disappointed. That was the downside of forming attachments to the Ginger family in the first ce. She should’ve stayed distant from the start…

She had told herself that over and over–but still, she’d ended up trying to change their fate. And from that moment on, her life had be tangled with theirs.

Whatever happened next, she needed to stay clearheaded. Backing out now was the smart move.

Suddenly, she heard the front door open.

Jean figured Sofia had returned and stood up to greet her. But when she opened her bedroom door, the person standing there wasn’t Sofia.

His eyes were as dark and sharp as midnight, and his face waspletely expressionless.

Jean froze. “Hey…” she said, voice light and unsure.

Winston crossed the room in two long strides.

Jean instantly felt small in his presence,pletely overshadowed by the weight of his gaze.

“What are you doing here? This is the girls‘ dorm…” Her words trailed off. She frowned slightly, unsettled.

Winston’s face stayed coldi, /i“Jean, why did you sneak out of the house and ignore all our callsb?/bb” /b

Sun 3 A

bChapter /bb553 /bYou’re Being Mean to Me

bHis /bbvoice /bbwas /bt and clippedb, /bbut there was no mistaking the edge bin /bbit/bb–/bblike /bbhe /bbwas /bbinterrogating /bbher /b

bRight /bbthen/bb, /bJean could feel the suffocating pressure he gave off, something she hadn’t felt bin /bbyears/bb. /bbWinston /bhad always been gentle with her. So much so that she’d almost forgotten what he was blike /bwhen bthey /bbfirst /bmetb–/bprickly, cold, and detached.

Thisb–/bthis was his real self.

“You’re being mean to me…” Jean mumbled, lips pushed into a slight pout, half–joking, half not.

But Winston didn’t soften at all. His expression stayed stony as he reached out and grabbed her by bthe /bshoulders.

“Do you have any idea what it was like this morning,” he said, voice tight, “when I woke up you there…”

and didn’t bsee /b

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