Chapter 69: 'I may be poor, but I’m not a leech!"

Chapter 69: “I may be poor, but I’m not a leech!" Seraphina’s POV It was embarrassing to even breathe the same air as Lucien after what I did to him that night. I couldn’t look him in the eye or stay in the same house any longer. So, the moment I got my chance, I slipped away quickly like a coward, not even sparing him a single glance. Anyway, it was Monday. I had classes to attend, and I couldn’t afford to skip a lesson anymore. But, hell! Nothing went as I had planned. These days, I’d promised myself I would focus, study hard, and cover everything I missed. I even fucking made a timetable. It was a full-on, serious plan. But ever since he came into my life, my brain had not been able to focus on anything other than him. All I could think about was his voice, his scent, the way his hand brushed mine. What was worse was my stupid heart... It would flutter every time he would smile at me or even take his step toward me. God! I needed to reset my brain. "What are you thinking?" I felt a nudge on my elbow, making me come back to reality. I turned a little and blinked at him. It was my deskmate who looked at me, half amused and half curious. "Nothing," I replied flatly, pulling my eyes away and pretending to scribble something in my notebook. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to talk to him. He was kind and friendly, at least to me. Though I knew him as a cold and cruel person from a past life, here he was totally different. And there was nothing wrong with forming a friendship with him. But Emma had warned me before that he had a whole damn fan club in our class, in school... and the girls were quick to flare up if a girl tried to be near him and talk to him. And lately... they’d already started whispering about me, too. It was nothing new... but... still... putting my name together with him was disgusting! As long as I could remember, he truly liked Melissa in my past life. He even admired her and did all the dirty deeds for her. Melissa... She used him as she wished, and this foolish of a man... He let her command him the way she wanted.. So yeah, it was better to keep my mouth shut and stay away before things got worse. I’d had enough drama in life already. Still... it didn’t stop him from glancing at me again, almost as if he wanted to say something. But he didn’t and quietly turned back toward the front as the professor walked in. I let out a silent breath, hoping this class would pass quickly. But of course, my brain wouldn’t let me off that easily; it kept tormenting me. Everything from that night before flashed again... Lucien’s sharp gaze, the way I clung to him, and the drunk mess I had turned into. I wanted to bash my head against the desk and throw out all the embarrassing memories from my mind. What the hell had I even said? What would I do if I saw him again? I pulled my hoodie tighter around me and sank lower in my seat. "You look tired," my deskmate asked in a whispered tone. "Had a rough night or something?" I froze. "I’m fine," I muttered without looking at him. "Just focus on the class." Before he could say anything, my phone buzzed in my lap. I glanced down and my heart skipped a beat. It was an interview call from D country’s biggest IT lab. "Damn..." I whispered to myself in shock. I remembered this lab from my past life. I used to work for them as a junior assistant, where I didn’t need to show my face just get done with the projects that I was given. Back then, I was still struggling to fit into society. Though I have plenty of knowledge and have learned a lot of things, thanks to my grandmother, but... I just couldn’t showcase them in front of anyone. I was autistic, and even though I could understand everything quickly, I found it hard to express myself. I stayed quiet and worked behind the scenes. That job had saved me when my family was in a crisis. They couldn’t support me properly, so I did what I had to. People never knew what I was really doing. But in reality, I had become one of the best hackers at the time. Only a few people knew the truth, and that was how I managed to prove Asher’s innocence later on... when the whole world stood against him. So, getting this interview was just a piece of cake for me, and passing the first or second round was easy. I had already done harder things in my life. Still, I stared at my screen, holding the phone tightly. I felt a strange sense of excitement in me. I had so much more knowledge now than when I first started that job... and I even had a rough idea of what that lab was planning for the future. But a part of me still felt bitter. It felt bad that I couldn’t get a job like this in my own country. I had tried again and again to reach out to the lab here, but they kept turning me down. I wanted to help my own country grow with the sea of knowledge I held, but they... They just couldn’t appreciate my love for them! They had their reasons and gave plenty of excuses. I was just a high school student, and most of the big companies required their employees to be at least twenty-two. No matter how skilled I was, no one wanted to take a chance on someone like me. In the end, I had no choice but to apply abroad. And now... I finally had their attention. The interview call had come through. "You’re giving an interview?" Max’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He had been peeking at my phone from the corner of his eye. I quickly turned the screen off and shot him a glare. "Yes. So what?" He leaned back in his chair with that same smug and annoying look on his face. "I thought you were getting money from the Lancasters," he said with a mocking smirk. "Or did they finally come to their senses and throw you out?" My jaw clenched at his words, and I really wanted to throw a punch at his smug face. But instead, I smiled. "Big brother," I said, my voice calm, "even if the Lancasters are helping me... I came here as a scholarship student. They don’t need to pay anything for me." Max blinked, as he was clearly taken aback. "You... You’re a scholarship student?" His voice was full of disbelief as his eyes widened. I leaned back in my chair and chuckled softly. "What? Did you think I was some freeloader?" He didn’t say anything and just kept looking at me. "I may be poor, but I’m not a leech," I said, keeping my gaze fixed on him.