The next time Carolline saw Bryan Hawkins, she wasn't in a good mood.
It was just after the New Year's Day holiday, and she had returned to school. But when she thought about what had happened at her grandfather's house on that day, she felt extremely depressed.
On New Year's Day, her older cousin Jasmine Ruiz from her second uncle's family brought home a boyfriend, who was said to be a Rich Second Generation from Kyoto, and his father or grandfather was an officer in the military. Carolline couldn't remember his exact position.
She had no concept of any of this, nor did her parents naturally pay any attention to it.
But the whole family, from her grandfather to her second and third uncles' families, treated that man like an honored guest, and their flattery made her feel sick when she recalled it.
However, at her grandfather's house, Carolline and her mother never had any say in anything, and after she grew up, she also didn't bother to speak up at home.
What was even more annoying was that during dinner that day, her grandfather did not even ask her opinion before he inquired about the man's single brothers, saying they had two young girls left in their family.
He was referring to her and her cousin Avie Ruiz. Although she was already eighteen, Avie was not even sixteen yet. What was her grandfather in such a hurry for?
After they got back home, her grandfather even made a special call to her father to tell him about this, which infuriated Emily Hill. If it hadn't been for her father's sake, she would have probably argued with her grandfather that day.
On the contrary, Henry Ruiz remained calm, saying that they should just let the old man's words go in one ear and out the other, and not take it to heart. Over the years, both she and her mother had been treated this way at her grandfather's house.
If Emily Hill was not patient, she would have been angered to death by now, and Carolline wouldn't be able to control herself from talking back, incurring the label of being unfilial in the process.
Thinking about all this, Carolline didn't want to stay in her dormitory, so she went to the small park outside the school and walked on the gravel path, kicking rocks listlessly.
Bryan Hawkins had rented a bike and was waiting for someone while also killing time by kicking stones.
Carolline kept her head down and inadvertently kicked her way up to Bryan Hawkins.
"Don't look where you're walking, and still kicking stones. What if you hit someone or fall over yourself, that wouldn't be good, right?" Bryan Hawkins chuckled, noticing that she seemed so listless today. Had something happened to her?
Even after saying this, he didn't remember the scene when he first met Carolline.
"None of your..." Before she could finish her sentence, Carolline pulled back when she saw Bryan Hawkins' face.
How could she behave so rudely in front of him?
"Waiting for your girlfriend again?" Carolline glanced at his attire and felt extremely unhappy. He was treating Matilda Ferguson so well here, but he didn't know what she was doing behind his back.
Carolline guessed that Bryan didn't know about Matilda's behavior from her previous threat, but what did that woman want to do?
As for Bryan Hawkins, was he really as brainless as Megan Clifton had said?
But he didn't look like a fool at all.
"None of your business," Bryan Hawkins retorted with the exact words Carolline had failed to utter earlier, and couldn't help but laugh when he saw her flushed face.
At this moment, he was full of sunshine and smiles. In the long, dark years that followed, Carolline would often miss his original warm smile.
"..." Although she had a lot to say to him, she wanted him to be smarter, more alert, not so slow and numb, and not so carefree. However, her mouth shut tight, and in the end, she didn't say a word.
Bryan Hawkins received a text message then. After checking the content, he immediately returned the bike and walked away.
"Have you been stood up again?" Carolline didn't want to dwell on her own worries anymore and followed Bryan Hawkins to ask.
"What do you mean again? Do you know how to talk?" Bryan Hawkins was not very happy. Even though this was true, she should learn to read the atmosphere. It was a shame she was still a college student.
In fact, Matilda Ferguson had only stood him up twice, but both times happened to be witnessed by Carolline, so it was not her fault.
"Can you use your eyes and your heart to see people more clearly?" Carolline blurted out in urgency.
"...What do you mean? You aren't secretly in love with me, are you?" Bryan Hawkins squinted, scrutinizing her.
"..." With a loud thud, Carolline felt her head grow even larger. She had already had a headache, and her cheeks were now as red as the evening glow, almost completely red.
"You... are you handsome?" Carolline stuttered in denial.
"Not handsome. Just kidding, little girl. I'm at least ten years older than you. I might look young, but in fact, you should be calling me uncle." Bryan Hawkins seemed to enjoy teasing her more and more, and as he saw her shy and nervous, he felt a wicked sense of pleasure.
It was incredibly satisfying.
"..." Uncle? Looking young? Could this man be so shameless? Carolline's face turned pale in an instant, and she was somewhat incredulous. "Don't get carried away with yourself. Hmph!"
This time, Carolline turned and left first. The reason she couldn't help exposing her true self that day was that she was really in a bad mood. If she were in a better mood, she would never have reacted like this in front of Bryan Hawkins.
Of course, the two of them had caught a thief together before, and she thought of them as Collaborators who had shared difficulties together.
After Carolline left, Bryan Hawkins uttered a low, pleased laugh and turned to leave.
As he stepped out of the park entrance and headed towards the parking lot across the street, a white minivan seemed to be out of control and headed straight towards him.
It was traveling incredibly fast, and even though Bryan Hawkins immediately assumed a protective stance, his body was still sent flying, flipping twice before landing a few meters away.
Up ahead, the minivan screeched to a halt.
Carolline was attracted by the extremely harsh braking sound and saw people gathering around. Some people were calling the police, and some were dialing 120. After Carolline's experience of catching a thief, the minivan driver was surrounded by the crowd.
Luckily, the driver did not intend to flee.
Carolline sprinted to the scene of the accident and called Andy Aguirre at the same time, as he was currently the closest and best surgeon to her. Although he had not yet become a doctor, she believed that he would be as outstanding as her father in the future.
When she reached the scene and saw the person involved, Carolline's pupils constricted and then dilated.
The scene was absolutely heart-stopping.