"Serena! There's a man named Julian at the campus gates demanding to see you, and he's gotten into a massive fight with our students!"

Julian?

How could he possibly be here?

Serena's hand froze, her fingers tightening around her cutlery until her knuckles turned stark white.

Chapter 15

Serena was pulled along by the student straight toward the administrative office.

When she pushed the door open, she saw Julian standing inside. The scratches on his face were still smeared with fresh blood, and his collar had been torn askew.

At the sound of the footsteps, a desperate light instantly flared in his eyes.

Serena had lost a significant amount of weight, and her once long, straight black hair had been cut into crisp, stylish chestnut waves, giving her a sharper, more independent air.

"Serena, you're here. I..."

"Director, I am terribly sorry."

Serena's voice was completely flat, devoid of any emotional ripple. She walked directly past Julian toward the desk, her eyes never once brushing against him.

"I know this man. I apologize for the disruption he has caused the academy."

The director frowned, observing the stark tension between the two before waving his hand dismissively to signal that they could leave.

It wasn't until they stepped out into the quiet corridor that Serena finally turned to look at Julian, her gaze entirely frozen.

"What are you doing here?"

The sheer detachment in her voice made Julian's chest tighten painfully.

He took a step closer, his throat dry as he spoke with a vulnerability he had never shown before. "Serena, I came to take you home."

Serena let out a sharp chuckle, a flash of pure mockery cutting through her eyes.

"Julian, do you honestly think I am still the same blind fool you can manipulate at will?"

The color drained from Julian's face. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but Serena cut him off ruthlessly.

"You approached me in the first place solely because Mandy directed you to, planning to strip me of my dignity. The avalanche was nothing but a scripted tragedy to win my sympathy, your presence was an amusement for your shared cruelty, and you even sent men to terrorize my grandmother to force her into that clinic!"

Mentioning her grandmother made Serena's voice splinter, her eyes instantly burning red.

She glared at Julian, her words laced with absolute loathing. "My grandmother was driven to her grave by your actions. How are you not behind bars?"

Julian had never faced this version of Serena. Panic seized him completely, and he instinctively reached out to grab her hand.

"It wasn't like that, please let me explain..."

"Don't touch me!" Serena violently flung his hand away.

"Mandy has already paid the price; she was sentenced to ten years."

Julian explained frantically, his words tumbling out in a tone that sounded dangerously close to begging. "I was also held in detention for a week. Serena, I know I was wrong, I truly know it now. I shouldn't have listened to her, I shouldn't have deceived you."

He was unraveling before her, the arrogant heir brought to his knees.

"Just give me one more chance, please. I will spend the rest of my life making up for what I did. I beg you to forgive me."

Serena raised her hand and delivered a fierce slap across his face.

The sharp crack echoed brutally down the long hallway.

Julian's head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, his cheek stinging hot, yet he made no move to resist.

"Get out of my sight, Julian."

"Never come near me again. A creature like you doesn't deserve a single shred of forgiveness."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, not offering him a single backward glance.

Julian stood frozen in the corridor, the sting on his face incomparable to the absolute void ripping through his chest.

Watching her figure grow smaller in the distance, he felt as though his soul had been cleanly hollowed out.

He broke into a desperate stride to give chase.

"Excuse me."

Sean stepped into his path, his posture as unyielding as iron.

"Serena has made it perfectly clear that she desires none of your presence. Learn some self-respect."

A dangerous malice flared in Julian's eyes. "I am her boyfriend. She's upset and I'm fixing it. Since when does our business require the interference of an outsider?"

Sean's gaze remained unclouded and steady.

"Serena explicitly stated she is single, and she has granted me permission to pursue her."

He firmly anchored his weight, completely cutting off Julian's view of her retreating figure, his voice taking on a heavy layer of resolve. "She has endured far too much cruelty. I will never allow anyone to bring her harm again, and I will protect her from this day forward."

Julian's chest heaved, a toxic wave of jealousy consuming his senses.

He could not fathom that only a few months after escaping him, she had already found someone new to shield her.

He glared at Sean, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "I'm warning you to stay away from her. She belongs to me."

Sean remained entirely unmoved, his expression calm.

"Affection cannot be enforced. Serena's own heart is the only thing that matters."

Without wasting another breath on Julian's livid expression, Sean turned and walked away, quickly catching up to Serena's side.

Julian stood entirely alone, watching the two of them walk away shoulder to shoulder, a metallic taste of pure bitterness rising in his throat.

He had never loathed his own powerlessness as deeply as he did in this exact moment.

Chapter 16

On the other side, Sean and Serena walked shoulder to shoulder for a long time.

"With him pestering you like that, will you... ever soften your heart?"

Sean’s voice was very soft, carrying a careful, cautious trial.

Serena didn’t stop her steps, her gaze resting on the distant lawn, her tone calm.

"No."

"I never regret the decisions I make. What is past is past, and besides, those wounds are not something a mere apology can wipe clean."

Sean looked at her intently.

He felt that the person before him must have suffered some immense trauma.

Yet he wouldn't press her about it; he would only repeatedly tell himself in his heart to protect Serena well from now on.

"Please don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything else by asking this, I just don't want you to be unhappy."

His pure concern was like a beam of warm light, causing Serena's tense nerves to slightly loosen.

She took a light breath, revealing a faint smile. "Alright, let's not mention these unhappy matters anymore. That documentary you mentioned before, are we still going to see it tonight?"

A light instantly sparked in Sean’s eyes, and he nodded firmly. "Yes! I've already booked the tickets, at the theater right near campus."

As night fell, the two walked shoulder to shoulder into the theater.

Sean found their seats and pulled a small bag from his backpack, handing it over to Serena. "Here, they're all your favorites."

Serena opened it and looked inside; it was filled with the snacks she had casually mentioned before.

A warmth surged in her heart, and she offered a soft word of thanks.

The documentary slowly commenced. The theater was very quiet, with only the film's narration echoing through the space.

Serena picked up the orange juice beside her, and just as she was about to twist open the bottle cap, her fingers accidentally brushed against Sean’s hand.

Their gazes briefly met in the dim light, both of them instinctively pausing for a fraction of a second.

The air seemed to freeze in this exact moment, the ambiguous atmosphere quietly warming up, causing Serena's cheeks to burn slightly hot.

A faint flush also crept up to Sean’s ears.

Right then, a chilling voice suddenly sliced through the dark. "What do you think you two are doing?"

Julian stood not far away, his face so dark it looked as if it could drip water.

Sean instinctively shielded Serena behind his back, looking up at him. "We are watching a movie. Please do not disturb us."

"You two, watching a movie together?"

The volatile rage in Julian’s eyes practically overflowed. He charged forward in a few large strides, completely disregarding Serena’s struggles as he violently grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her forcefully out of her seat.

Serena frowned deeply in sharp pain, a red welt instantly rising on her wrist.

"Julian! Let go of me!"

She struggled with all her might, her tone laced with absolute loathing.

"Haven't you made enough of a scene? This is a public place, if you aren't ashamed of yourself, I am! I told you long ago that there is absolutely nothing left between us, and I want nothing to do with you ever again!"

Her words were like needles driving deep into Julian’s heart, causing his already surging jealousy to completely derail.

He gripped Serena’s wrist, his gaze turning lethal as he glared at Sean, grounding out a warning syllable by syllable.