Urban Romance

At the same time, over at Ashbourne University in Windmere-
On the tennis court, Miles Ackerley, dressed in a crisp blue and white uniform, swung his racket coolly, sending the ball flying back with precision.
A few girls in the stands couldn't hold back.
"Ahhh! Miles! He's so hot!"
"That face! Literally a gift from the gods."
"Hey, quick poll-who's better looking, Broderick or Miles?"
"Please, Broderick's obviously the ten out of ten... not that we've got a shot."
"Miles is the real prince charming for us."
Miles was killing it on the court, sweat dripping as energy pulsed off him-young and wild and totally magnetic.
Finally, he wrapped up and stepped down.
A timid-looking girl walked over, offering him a bottle of water.
"Senior... w-water?"
Miles grinned playfully, the diamond stud in his ear catching the sunlight just right.
"You sure? Drink this, and you're officially mine."
"Ugh, y

When it came to painting, Leslie suddenly thought of her past life.
Back then, Broderick had asked her to paint a portrait of him. She flat-out said no.
The look in his eyes at that moment-dim, hurt-it still lingered in her mind.
Now, thinking back on it after living another life, Leslie felt a chill crawl through her chest. She used to be so cold, so sure he'd never leave.
Maybe that's what happens when you're the one being loved-reckless, fearless.
But this time around, it was her turn to love him, to protect him.
That thought made Leslie suddenly stand up.
She remembered that in her last life, the moment she arrived at Starcrest Manor, Broderick had already set up a studio just for her.
She wasn't sure if it was the same this time.
With that memory guiding her, she walked to a door on the third floor. She stopped right in front of it.
For a second, she hesitated. What if she opened it

The servants wouldn't dare say anything more and quickly responded, "Yes, Young Madam."
That one phrase-Young Madam-made Leslie's heart flutter with joy.
In her past life, she hated being Mrs. Ackerley. She never let the servants call her Young Madam-everyone addressed her as Miss Green.
But now... hearing it felt comforting.
Yes, she was Broderick's wife. She was Mrs. Ackerley. The Young Madam of the Ackerley family.
She turned to Alfred: "Alfred, give every servant who stayed today a red envelope-one thousand bucks each."
Seeing that Leslie was in a good mood, smiling like sunshine, Alfred nodded right away.
He figured even if it were ten thousand, Broderick probably wouldn't complain.
Leslie strolled back into the living room and casually plopped down on the couch, slowly snacking on sunflower seeds.
The TV was on, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
Alfred caught a glimpse of her and couldn't help thinking she looked almost otherworldly. Even the way she ate chips seeds looked elegant.
Earlier today, Leslie had kicked out a few people who were actually spies planted by Broderick's cousin, Reginald Ackerley.
Broderick knew about them all along but hadn't found a solid excuse to get rid of them.
After all, he was only twenty-three and still working hard to take back control of the Ackerley legacy.
Meanwhile, Reginald was still pulling all kinds of tricks inside the company to undermine him.
Yet, somehow, Leslie had taken care of those spies the moment she arrived.
Alfred wasn't sure whether that was just luck or something else entirely.
But either way, she'd earned more of his respect.
He was starting to believe Leslie might really be a lucky charm for Broderick.
With her around, maybe things would finally start turning in Broderick's favor.
Naturally, everything Leslie did reached Broderick's ears.
"Young Master Ackerley," someone said, "honestly, I think your wife's your lucky star. That firecracker personality of hers? She showed up today and, bang, all your cousin's spies are gone. Not sure if it was luck or what..."
Broderick paused for a second, then said, "As long as she's happy. She can do whatever she wants."
The servants who got tossed out didn't just vanish-they went straight to Reginald.
One of them, looking like he'd been through the wringer, stood in front of Reginald.
"Tell me again-who kicked you all out?" Reginald asked, expression cold as ice.
"It... it was Miss Green. The third daughter."
Reginald frowned and pondered for a moment-he had no idea who that was.
"You know, that ditzy third daughter from the Green family? Word is she basically bought her way through college. Super pretty though."
To be fair, Leslie totally lived up to her name when it came to looks.
No one could deny her beauty.
But she was also infamous in Windmere for being all looks and no brains-nothing going on upstairs.
Eventually, it clicked for Reginald.
That cousin of his, Broderick, had specifically asked for Leslie and even pressured the Green family to make it happen.
And the girl he'd insisted on... turned out to be that airhead?
Reginald wasn't complaining, though.
Everyone always said you should marry someone wise and capable.
Leslie? She was the total opposite.
On top of that, she was spoiled rotten-completely doted on by the Green family.
To Reginald, the Greens hadn't raised a daughter-they'd raised a walking disaster.
It's like that saying: if you want revenge, ruin your daughter and marry her off to your enemies.
Reginald's eyes sparkled with a devious glint.
Could the Greens have a grudge against the Ackerleys?
"So? What else? Tell me everything that brat Leslie did today-don't leave anything out."
The servant repeated everything Leslie had said and done, tone and all.
Reginald's face grew darker by the second.
Yep, this Leslie girl really was an arrogant little menace.
But hey, maybe that worked in his favor. With a ticking time bomb like her close by, Broderick might just end up imploding.

At the same time, over at Ashbourne University in Windmere-
On the tennis court, Miles Ackerley, dressed in a crisp blue and white uniform, swung his racket coolly, sending the ball flying back with precision.
A few girls in the stands couldn't hold back.
"Ahhh! Miles! He's so hot!"
"That face! Literally a gift from the gods."
"Hey, quick poll-who's better looking, Broderick or Miles?"
"Please, Broderick's obviously the ten out of ten... not that we've got a shot."
"Miles is the real prince charming for us."
Miles was killing it on the court, sweat dripping as energy pulsed off him-young and wild and totally magnetic.
Finally, he wrapped up and stepped down.
A timid-looking girl walked over, offering him a bottle of water.
"Senior... w-water?"
Miles grinned playfully, the diamond stud in his ear catching the sunlight just right.
"You sure? Drink this, and you're officially mine."
"Ugh, you're the worst."
Blushing like crazy, she shoved the bottle into his arms and bolted back toward he

Chapter 15