"Um," stammered Alex, as Karen was so close that he could see her eyelashes. Her plump chest almost touched his chest.
"Let's go," Karen said with a flirty look. He couldn't help but follow her. The other boys felt goosebumps all over their bodies.
With that, Karen pulled Alex toward her car.
"Cousin, what's happened to you today?" Zara blocked Karen's path. She looked at Alex with her almond-shaped eyes and said to him, "Where are you going? If you're gone, who's going to carry all our stuff for us? Don't have weird thoughts about my cousin! Look at you! Are you even worthy?"
Last time, she had arranged for Karen to have lunch with Alex to arouse James Watson's jealousy. But Zara felt that he no longer had any value, so there was no need for Karen to date him anymore. She did not understand her cousin's behaviour.
Alex swallowed his anger. It was Karen who took the initiative to get him, all right? he thought. However, he didn't want to argue with Zara.
"Karen, thank you for thinking of me, but you see that I can't leave here. I should stay to help carry things," said Alex.
Karen tugged on Alex's arm and did not let go.
She looked at Zara with a sullen face, her eyes filled with anger, "Zara, Alex is my boyfriend now. If you're disrespectful to him, then don't blame me for ignoring our friendship!"
Alex was a billionaire, so he wasn't someone you could order around however you wanted. Karen felt that Zara was ruining her chances with Alex, so she was extremely angry.
Zara was stunned after being scolded by her. Now that Alex is of no use, why is she still defending him and saying such harsh words to me? she thought.
"Out of the way!" Karen shouted angrily. Her shrill voice scared Zara.
Karen angrily pushed Zara away, grabbed Alex's hand, got into her car, and drove out of the university.
Harry walked to Zara's side and comforted her. The others started to discuss what had just happened.
"So, it turns out that Zara's cousin likes guys like Alex. Sigh, what a good joke!" said one person.
"What's wrong with that stinking loser Alex? He doesn't have money and doesn't come from a good family. Even a beggar on the street is better than he is," said another.
"If Zara's cousin marries Alex in the future—hmph—just wait and see. Alex will spend all her money. Her whole family will be in danger. How could she allow trash like Alex into her life?" said yet another.
When the others saw Karen snatch Alex away, their words began to drip with jealousy.
"Who said my cousin is dating Alex?" Zara asked with a bit of excitement.
Other people would never dare to speak ill of her. When she heard others saying that Alex might ruin her family, Zara felt that it was particularly harsh. She was afraid that because of this, her position in this small circle would be affected, so she was careful to deny it.
"Didn't your cousin just say she was looking for a boyfriend?" one of the basketball players asked.
"Yes," she said.
"Isn't her leading Alex away proof that he's her boyfriend?" said another.
"Aren't you two close? Your cousin just got angry at you about Alex. It's not like we didn't see it," said yet another.
the other also spoke up.
"Ha ha, you guys—you're really reading too much into this!" Zara laughed. The others were puzzled and didn't understand what she meant. "It seems like Karen and I were too realistic. We tricked you all."
Upon hearing her words, everyone was dumbfounded, and they couldn't understand what she was trying to say. Were they acting?
"Since this is such a big misunderstanding, I'll tell you all this secret." Zara saw that the others were curious about what she was going to say and felt relieved.
"The truth is this," Zara said and went on to explain how she and her cousin were pretending that Alex was Karen's boyfriend to make James jealous.
Zara didn't believe this was the reason why Karen had come to get him. The last time she had seen James had been in the restaurant, and he was already very upset. Besides, James had often asked her about Karen. He was jealous. They had already achieved their goal, so there was no need for Karen to care so much about Alex anymore.
But now, to smooth over how things looked to her circle of friends, she could only say that it was still their plan.
"So that's the case," said one person.
"Hey, I already said that your cousin is too beautiful for Alex," said another.
"Alex must be feeling proud of himself, but he doesn't know that Karen is using him," said yet another.
Listening to Zara's words, the boys from the basketball team were all happy. They laughed and talked, continuing to gloat over the fact that Alex was being used by Karen.
"So, if James sees your cousin date Alex again today, he'll be even more furious. They'll get together even faster," Harry said as he looked at Zara. He heard that James was also from a rich family with a bit of power. So, he also wanted to get along with Karen and James. After all, they could be family someday.
"That's right. Zara, give James a call and let him search for them. I heard you say that he almost beat up Alex the last time. This time, he may give Alex an even harder time," said one person.
"I'll call him if you want. We'll go find him together later and see what kind of expression he has when he finds Alex eating with my cousin again. James might even beat him up. That will definitely be exciting," Zara said with shining eyes.
"All right, make the call. Then, we'll go and watch Alex get beaten up," the others suggested with interest.
Zara took out her cell phone. As she was about to call James, her phone lit up with his name on the screen.
She proudly waved her cell phone toward the others. She now believed that her cousin must have felt that the previous incident with James was not enough, so that's why she had asked Alex to go out with her again. James calling her now was definitely within her expectations.
"Hello? James, why are you so free to call me today?" Zara already guessed in her heart that James was calling her because of Karen, "Oh, if you want to find my cousin, why don't you just call her? Ah, you're calling her, but she's not answering her phone. Maybe she had something else to do? I don't know… don't worry too much. You're still the most important person in Karen's heart. How about this—come to my school, and I'll go with you to meet her. Then I'll speak up for you."
With that, Zara proudly hung up the phone.
"Awesome!" said one.
"Zara, it sounds like James is really worried. Maybe he'll really beat up Alex today?" said another.
"Let's get showered and changed first. There's going to be a good show later!" said yet another.
A few of the basketball players went to get dressed.
After they finished getting ready, a new Audi A6 drove into the parking lot. A well-dressed young man got out of the car. It was James.
His hair was slicked back, and he wore a designer shirt and shorts, shiny leather sandals, and an expensive watch.
What was even more eye-catching was that James was holding a huge bunch of roses and walking toward Zara in a hurry.
"James, did you buy a new car?" Zara took a few glances before she recognized him.
"Yes, I bought it this month," he said. Since Karen and Alex's date last time, James had been very agitated and afraid that he would not be able to win with Karen. So, he begged his father to buy him an Audi A6. "These are ninety-nine roses. Today I've decided to officially propose to Karen. I've got the diamond ring—take a look."
James pulled a red box out of his pocket. When he opened it, she saw a beautiful one-carat diamond ring inside.
He didn't dare to wait any longer. That day, he was prepared to commit to the relationship between him and Karen. However, when he called Karen to ask her, she didn't answer the phone. Luckily, Zara was her cousin.
"Oh, you are so thoughtful. Roses and a diamond ring! My cousin will be so touched!" Zara said with a smile. Indeed, it was as she and her cousin had expected. Zara felt a sense of accomplishment.
Thinking about the fact that Karen was with Alex now, Zara wasn't afraid that she would ruin his proposal. Karen would blame Alex by saying that he had pestered her. Then, James would probably beat him up.
"I'll call my cousin right now," Zara said happily. However, Karen's phone was turned off. She called Alex, and his phone was turned off too.
What's going on? Is Karen being sloppy? Zara thought.
"You can't get through? Why is your cousin avoiding me? Did she go out with that brat again?" James asked anxiously.
"Don't worry. Even if she's with him now, it must be because he's pestering her. She won't fall for such a guy," Zara said to soothe him, but she was happy to see him anxious and nervous. It meant that he cared a great deal about her cousin, and it also meant that Alex was more likely to get beaten up.
"Let's try this," said Zara as she dialled another number. She had previously met someone in her WhatsApp group who could pinpoint someone's current location through their phone number. Zara paid thirty dollars for the person to find it and quickly got Karen's location at the Wanda Plaza's Joy Japanese restaurant.
Zara and James drove toward Wanda Plaza, along with Harry, Dean, and some of the other basketball players and cheerleaders. They all wanted to see the sparks fly when James and Alex met.