Chapter 34 Thirty-Nine
Chloe blinked out an "oh." A few seconds later, she stood up and left.
Leo watched her back, the corner of his mouth curling with mockery.
He sat for a few more minutes, catching his breath. He was about to leave when Chloe came running back, carrying a bag of medicine and bandages.
She crouched in front of him, cheeks flushed pink, seeming embarrassed. "I got you some medicine and bandages. You were bleeding. It looked bad."
She finished, then glanced up at his face, cautious.
The boy's face was blank. He said nothing.
Chloe swallowed. She looked a little scared.
Leo eventually took the bag from her.
His liking her wasn't about Chloe being pretty, or understanding, or kind.
He just liked that someone could keep coming back after being pushed away.
And Chloe happened to be that person.
Luna was quiet after hearing all that.
She rubbed her chin. "Did you and Chloe have any contact before that?"
Leo thought about it, shook his head. "No."
"That's strange." Luna clicked her tongue.
After a few interactions, Chloe was clearly driven by self-interest. She wouldn't do anything nice for no reason. She must have wanted something from Leo.
Luna switched questions. "So are you pretty famous at school?"
"Haven't noticed." Leo said.
"...Oh." Luna patted his shoulder. "As long as you're not sad, I'll go."
Leo's fingers froze on the phone. A few seconds later, without looking up, he grunted.
-
Luna went back to her room, changed into loungewear, and flopped onto the bed.
She sent Jax a message.
SadSweetie: [Are you and Ryder neighbors?]
X: [Yeah.]
Luna paused. She just noticed Jax's WhatsApp name had changed from "Misty" to "X."
SadSweetie: [Do you have his contact?]
X: [Yeah.]
He sent a contact card without a word.
Luna added it.
Ryder took two minutes to accept.
Ryder: [Luna?]
SadSweetie: [It's me.]
Ryder: [Oh, oh, oh. Did you need something?]
SadSweetie: [Quick question. Is Leo pretty famous at your school?]
Ryder: [Oh definitely. Super famous.]
Ryder: [When Leo first transferred, he was super aloof. The school's reigning tough guy had a problem with him, rounded up a bunch of guys, and Leo took them all down by himself. Instant school-wide fame.]
That's what she thought.
Chloe probably recognized Leo the moment she saw him.
She was deeply vain. If Leo had been average-looking, just a normal student with no reputation.
Chloe wouldn't have stopped.
After dinner, Luna got a message from Mila.
BuffTheQueen: [I'm sending you that guy's contact.]
SadSweetie: [Got it.]
Luna copied the number Mila sent and dialed.
"Hello?"
A distorted voice on the other end.
Luna stood by the window. The sky had gone dark. Outside, the artificial lake shimmered.
"I need you to look into someone. I only have his TikTok account."
"Sure." The voice was brisk. "Standard turnaround is three days. Rush job, I'll have it by midnight tonight."
Luna: "...Rush."
"Great." The voice brightened, clearly pleased. "Deposit is five hundred. I'll send you my bank account."
Luna: "Fine."
...
"Got a job. Got a job."
In a cluttered studio, the man hung up, visibly energized.
He wore a faded tee, edges fraying.
His hair was a little long, overdue for a cut.
He turned to look at the boy on the couch.
A laptop sat on the boy's knees, its blue glow lighting up his striking features.
"Why don't you say anything?"
"Congrats." Jax drawled.
The man sighed. "Nephew, your emotional support is nonexistent."
Jax kept his eyes on the laptop screen, raised his hands, and clapped. "Congrats."
"..."
-
Before bed, Luna received the info on Chloe's Top Donor.
Chuck Mason, thirty-nine. Former auto mechanic. Six months ago, he won a million in the lottery, quit his job, and went traveling the world.
Ryder had just told her Chloe was treating the class to lunch at the Grand Star.
Forty or fifty people. That was not a small number.
Her boyfriend probably couldn't afford that. How was that going to play out?
So hard to guess.
No need to guess. Leo would be the sucker picking up the tab.
The day after tomorrow, she'd need to find an excuse to lure this idiot brother out so Chloe couldn't get to him.
-
The next day.
Luna slept until noon, woken by hunger.
She went downstairs for food and saw Helen standing in the yard, craning her neck to look.
She wandered over, curious. "Helen, what are you looking at?"
Helen whispered, "The Sterlings' love child is back at the door."
The Sterling family nominally had only Hayes as their son, but the love child on the side wasn't exactly a secret.
Luna already knew. She just hadn't seen the love child much.
The love child rarely came around, and the few times he did, it seemed to be for money. Hayes was too proud. He didn't want anyone to see him vulnerable.
So in her previous life, Luna always steered clear.
This time, she was definitely going to watch this drama unfold.
While Helen watched the gossip from their own yard, Luna walked right out and stood in front of the Sterling mansion to gawk.
The Sterling elders lived on their own estate. Usually only Hayes and his parents stayed in villa fifteen next door.
The Harringtons had a small staff. The Sterlings were the complete opposite. Just the gardeners watering and pruning the flowers, they had five.
While she was peering through the gate, one of the staff recognized her. "Miss Harrington, are you here to see the young master?"
"Uh... yes."
The staff member said, "Please come in."
-
Hayes stood expressionless at the second-floor landing.
From here, he could clearly hear the conversation from the couch downstairs.
Silas was in his forties, his voice refined, every word precise. "How are your grades?"
"Not bad."
That voice was lazy, completely at ease, with a hint of flirtation at the end.
Silas seemed to sigh. "How's your mom?"
Hayes had had enough. He came downstairs.
The teenager on the couch was as insolent as ever, a head of manga-perfect mint green hair. He was a love child from the gutter, supposed to be shrinking and timid, but somehow he was especially self-righteous, as if he didn't feel a shred of guilt.