Soon, school was about to begin. The Murphys had already arranged for each of their children to have a car and a driver for getting to and from school. During breakfast, Lily proposed to James that Hazel should also have her own driver and car.
However, Mildred was the first to disagree with her suggestion. "We don't even know the results of her entrance exam yet. Why rush into it?"
Lily was rendered speechless by her sharp response. Looking crestfallen, she stole glances at James in the hope that he would come to her defense.
Yet, James pretended not to notice. He sided with Mildred's viewpoint.
Believing that Hazel was destined to fail her entrance exam, James saw no reason to arrange a driver for her. Doing so would only attract ridicule from others and embarrass the Murphys.
"Hazel, you can ride with me if you want," Giselle said kindly.
"No, thanks. I already have a ride," Hazel declined.
Her cold rejection left Giselle stunned. Nevertheless, Giselle attempted to uphold her image. She retrieved a folder and handed it to Hazel.
"These are some previous test papers that Chris completed. He's always been one of the best students at Cavenridge. You can check them out. They could be useful for your entrance exam," Giselle said. Her gesture seemed considerate and kind to those around her.
Hazel placed her cutlery down and stood up to leave. She didn't even glance at the folder Giselle was holding.
"What's with the attitude? As I expected, people from rural mountain areas lack manners!" Mildred exclaimed, slamming the table in disapproval.
"Hazel, don't be upset. You can ride in my car. You don't have to take a cab," Giselle said.
She quickly set down her cutlery and hurried to catch up with Hazel before Lily could. Giselle portrayed herself vividly and thoroughly as a person who was sensible, considerate, and thoughtful toward others.
As Giselle rushed outside, she spotted Hazel getting into a sleek black limousine.
Giselle noticed that the emblem on the car was from Lincoln, but before she could catch a glimpse of the license plate, the car vanished around the corner.
The Murphys were considered aristocratic in Norburgh, though they were only on the fringes of the true aristocracy. The cars they provided their children were merely BMWs, each valued at several hundred thousand dollars.
Giselle couldn't fathom how Hazel could afford such a high-class vehicle. She was certain that the car Hazel had left in was one she had booked online.
Otherwise, how could someone like Hazel, who had recently arrived from the mountains, possibly have connections in Norburgh with people who owned luxury vehicles? Giselle herself hadn't even been in a stretch limo.
Could Hazel have gotten involved with a rich man and become his mistress? If that were true, it would be just right!
As Giselle contemplated various scenarios, a flashy red Ferrari pulled up in front of her.
After the car door swung open, a man stepped out. He was dressed sharply in a white suit and matching leather shoes. He had a youthful appearance.
"Excuse me, Miss. Has a young lady come by your place recently?"
Giselle's attention snapped back to the present. She was taken aback when she recognized the man before her. "Mr. Ludden?"
"You know me?" Aaron looked surprised.
Having enlisted in the army at just 16, Aaron was seldom in Norburgh. He couldn't recall meeting Giselle. He thought that Giselle must be the person who rescued Damon that day.
"Yeah, I've seen you." Giselle nodded.
Aaron was the oldest son of the Ludden family, one of the four influential families. She had come across photos of Aaron before.
"You've got sharp eyes. Not everyone would recognize me with my face all painted up like that on that day," Aaron remarked.
He remembered the day he got off the helicopter and saw a woman's back in the distance. From the silhouette, she looked just like Giselle.
Even though Giselle didn't stand out in looks, Aaron thought she could still somehow measure up to Damon, who was incredibly handsome. Aaron had a gut feeling that the person before him was Hazel.
Giselle was puzzled. "That day?"
She quickly realized that Aaron had mistaken her for someone else, but she maintained a pleasant smile and chose not to comment.
"Thank you for rescuing my boss. He requested me to return this to you," Aaron stated, presenting Giselle with the cleaned strip of fabric.
The person Aaron referred to as "Boss" could only be associated with the Colemans, the most prominent among the four influential families.
"It's my pleasure. Anything else he wanted to say?" Giselle asked.
She was feeling flustered, but she managed to keep a sweet smile on her face.
"How did you know there was something else he wanted me to tell you?" Aaron chuckled and handed over an elegant cake box from the passenger seat along with the fabric.
"My boss sent this cake as a special gift for meeting you," Aaron explained.
Giselle typically steered clear of desserts, especially rich cakes, to keep her figure in check. However, her resolve softened when she noticed the logo on the cake packaging—"Blissful Bites."
The brand "Blissful Bites" was highly esteemed among elite social circles. Their cakes were expensive and highly sought after due to their limited availability.
"Thank you, I love cakes from this brand the most," Giselle said happily as she accepted the cake.
Aaron's grin faded into seriousness as he said, "My boss wanted me to ask if you'd be willing to keep in touch."
It was only then Giselle discovered a small white card with gold edges resting atop the cake box. Upon opening it, she found a handwritten phone number, signed with an elegant "Coleman."
Her heart raced when she saw the name. Was the person a Coleman from the renowned Coleman family? This family held the highest prestige among the four most influential families. Regardless of whom Aaron was referring to as his boss from the Coleman family, the person's power and status surpassed even that of the Gaskells.
"Sure," Giselle replied, trying to stay composed while feeling elated.
"Okay, I'll pass it on to my boss. I won't keep you any longer," Aaron said before hopping into his car and driving off.
Giselle stared at the cake box in her hand, feeling ecstatic. She glanced at the strip of fabric in her other hand. The embroidered design seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. Without hesitation, she tossed it into the trash. Whose fabric it was didn't matter to her. After all, the mysterious benefactor now owed his life to her.
After leaving the Murphy residence, Aaron promptly dialed Damon's number. "Boss, just like you asked, I handed her the strip of fabric and the cake."
"How did she react?" Damon asked.
"She was thrilled. She mentioned she loved Blissful Bites' cakes the most. She even said she'd keep in touch," Aaron responded.
Then, he jokingly added, "Boss, you might want to relax a bit since she still looks underage."
On the other end of the phone, Damon frowned slightly when he heard the words "she was thrilled."
Memories of Hazel's shocked reaction and her hasty departure when he called her name on the mountain flooded back.
Her intense response made Damon wary of approaching her directly, opting instead to send Aaron to gather information first. He hadn't anticipated anyone being so willing to put herself in harm's way. "You must be mistaken," Damon asserted firmly.
His black Audi drove up to the entrance of Cavenridge International Academy, making its way toward the faculty building. Parked nearby was a Lincoln stretch limo.
Aaron, who had been happily teasing Damon moments before, was suddenly stunned. "What? That doesn't make sense. She claimed she saw me on the mountain that day... Damn!"
Reflecting on his conversation with Giselle, Aaron realized he had been too hasty and hadn't noticed something was wrong.
"I'll head back there now," Aaron said.
As he was about to find a spot to turn his car around, Damon interrupted, "It's fine."
Once Damon ended the call, his attention shifted to the young woman stepping out of the backseat of the Lincoln.
She wore a snug white dress, her long hair braided into a single plait. Her serene profile showed no emotion, and she emanated an air of icy detachment.
Damon's assistant, Douglas Copley, pulled up and stopped the car. Glancing over his shoulder, he addressed Damon, who was sitting in the back seat, "Damon, we've arrived." No response came from the back.
Douglas exited the car and respectfully opened the rear door, but Damon remained unresponsive.
Perplexed, Douglas bent down to check on him, only to find Damon gazing intently out the opposite window.
Through the glass, Douglas spotted the main entrance of the faculty building, where a man in a suit was escorting a woman in a snug dress inside.
A woman?
Douglas' eyes widened in disbelief.
Was Damon actually noticing a woman?
Douglas had known Damon for eight years. He noticed that Damon hardly looked at women unless it was directly related to his work.
In fact, Douglas and three other assistants had privately joked about whether Damon might prefer men over women.
Fortunately, Damon had finally shown interest in a woman! This was a relief for Douglas and the other assistants, as they would no longer have to worry about their safety.
They had been constantly on edge, fearing that Damon might try to take advantage of them.