Chapter 12: Let’s Talk About Your Engagement

Whatever his reasons, she had to thank him for helping her.

Bianca quickly pulled out her phone and sent Blake a message: “Problem solved. Thank you!”

Blake, who was overseas, was puzzled by the message but didn’t dwell on it. He was glad Bianca’s issue was resolved. “Great! Let’s celebrate when I’m back.”

In less than two days, the school announced big changes: The president was demoted, Samuel was fired, and Mia was expelled. Even more surprising, Mia lost her scholarship titles, and Bianca got them instead.

The whole campus was buzzing with questions. The school forum was full of debates. Some thought Mia and Samuel had been up to something shady for a while. Others talked about the dirty secrets in the education department. But no one questioned Bianca winning the scholarship. She earned it.

People who once believed the rumors felt ashamed when they saw Bianca.

On the other hand, Mia gathered her belongings and left the school, aware of everyone’s gaze on her. But when she glanced back at the school, her eyes showed no regret. Instead, they were filled with resentment.

She hated Bianca. She still blamed her for everything.

While Mia was glaring at the school, a red car stopped beside her.

The car window rolled down, revealing a woman with heavy makeup. She took off her sunglasses and squinted at Mia. “Are you Mia Davis?”

Mia frowned. “Who are you?”

Stacey glanced at Mia’s luggage. “Did you get kicked out because of Bianca?”

Mia was surprised. This woman didn’t seem like a student, so how did she know about the situation?

Unknown to Mia, Stacey had informants at Crestmont University who kept an eye on Bianca. The news had spread among the students, so even her spies knew about it.

“Who the hell are you?” Mia asked, feeling cautious.

“It doesn’t matter,” Stacey said, confident as she gripped the steering wheel. “What matters is, I can ruin Bianca. Join me, and we’ll bring her down together.”

Mia’s eyes sparkled with interest. Stacey smirked. It seemed like Bianca had made quite a few enemies. After a moment of thought, Mia moved her luggage to the back of the car and knocked on the trunk.

Stacey smiled as she watched Mia load her luggage into the trunk. Mia then got into the front passenger seat.

“I like people who are direct,” Stacey said, smiling as she reached out her hand. Mia shook it with a smile.

That evening, while Bianca was playing a game, she got a call from Dave.

A deep voice came from the phone. “Is everything sorted out?” Dave was busy, so it was hard for him to call Bianca.

Bianca was playing a game. She held the phone between her neck and ear. “Oh! I was just about to tell you. Samuel got fired, and Mia got expelled. The school gave me the scholarship for the past three years and some money. I think they’ll be fair with the selection process from now on.”

Dave couldn’t help but smile when he heard Bianca’s happy news.

“That’s good.”

“Thanks for checking on me,” Bianca said sweetly. Dave felt a warm feeling in his heart, something new for him.

Dave leaned back in his chair, feeling the stress of the past days fade away. There was a softness in his eyes he didn’t notice. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a man’s voice from Bianca’s laptop speakers.

“Bianca, focus! We can’t get distracted now!”

Bianca was in the middle of a battle in the game with Blake and others.

She couldn’t stay on the call and focus on the game. They had been preparing for this competition for a long time. Not wanting to let her team down, Bianca quickly said goodbye to Dave.

“Mr. Evans, I’m busy right now. Let’s talk another time!”

Bianca quickly hung up on him.

Dave’s expression darkened as he heard the dial tone.

‘Who was that man she was with?’

‘Why did he ask her to focus on what they were doing?’

‘And what were they doing right now?’

Various unpleasant thoughts crossed Dave’s mind. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.

Had Bianca been pretending to be innocent all along?

They had a passionate night together in the hotel, but when they met again, she seemed like a different person. Reflecting on Bianca’s dual nature, Dave’s expression grew cold.

‘How many sides did Bianca have?’

****

Bianca got home before dinner on Friday since she didn’t have class. She saw Haris and Peter chatting on the sofa when she walked in.

She frowned at seeing her unpleasant boyfriend.

“Bianca, you’re here!” Haris said happily, walking over to her. “Why didn’t you tell me your dad agreed to our marriage?”

Bianca ignored him and sat next to her father on the sofa. She looked at Haris, acting confused. “I didn’t tell you yet. How did you know?”

Haris hesitated. “Um, Mrs. Scott told me,” he said, scratching his head.

“Really? I didn’t know you two were so close,” Bianca said innocently, blinking her bright eyes at him.

When hearing it, Stacey’s hand trembled, almost knocking over the glass on the table.

Haris stuttered, “Um, I…I just happened to run into her yesterday, and she mentioned it.”

That was a lie. Stacey had told him about it over the phone. To avoid trouble, they decided not to go out together.

“Oh, I see,” Bianca nodded. Then she looked at her father meaningfully and said, “Small world, huh?”

“Indeed!” Haris quickly interjected, pouring another cup of coffee for Peter. “It seems Bianca and I are meant to be together.”

Peter enjoyed the flattery and scolded Bianca lightly, “You should’ve told Haris sooner! You made the poor boy wait.”

Bianca pretended to be upset. “Dad, I wanted to surprise him this weekend. I planned to invite him for dinner and tell him the news, but Stacey spilled the beans!”

Haris and Stacey breathed a sigh of relief. They thought Bianca might know something, but it was a false alarm.

Stacey announced dinner was ready, looking like the perfect wife.

“Dinner’s served! Let’s eat.”

They sat at the table and started eating.

“Now that Haris’s here, let’s talk about your engagement,” Peter said, serving himself some food.

Stacey smiled. “Bianca, we finalized the details with Haris. The engagement party is next weekend. We’ve pulled out all the stops for you. We’ve invited prominent figures and celebrities from the city to bless you two!”