Urban Romance

After hanging up, Stefan called his assistant, Jacob Burns. "Find out what happened to Cassidy today."

Something about her tone during the call had been off.

"Sure, Mr. Archer," Jacob replied.

Stefan added, "At 10:00 am tomorrow, go pick up Cassidy at Jervia University. Use your car."

Jacob felt a little confused about that request. Why did Stefan specifically instruct him to use his own car?

Still, he didn't dare ask further. He was paid to do his job, so he decided against asking questions that didn't concern him.

"Got it, Mr. Archer," he said. "I'll be there on time."

After ending the call, Stefan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with a dazed expression. It was as if he still hadn't quite come back to his senses.

Cassidy had called and said she was willing to marry him. Although he had been the one to propose marriage, he had never truly imagined what it would be 

Back when Cassidy attended boot camp drills in her freshman year in college, someone secretly snapped a photo of her in her training uniform and posted it on the university's forum. In one night, she went viral in Jervia University.

Later, others uploaded her photos and videos to social media. In less than a week, they racked up more than two million likes.

Students in her year even started calling her the campus belle.

Just as Cassidy finished her makeup, Isaac sent her another message.

"Babe, are you really not mad? I'm scared you'll ignore me because you're upset."

Cassidy stared at the message and felt momentarily dazed. Her thoughts drifted back to the first time she met Isaac.

Isaac had been wearing a slightly yellowed white shirt and jeans so washed-out they were almost white. His hands shook when he passed her the love letter.

At that time, Cassidy already had countless ad

As Cassidy cried, she suddenly felt Kate's body trembling slightly against hers.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Cassidy hurriedly lifted her head from Kate's arms.

Kate's face had gone even paler than before. She had a deep frown on her face as she bit down hard on her lower lip. She looked like she was in immense pain but trying to endure it.

Cassidy's heart sank to her stomach. She wiped her tears in a panic and said, "I'll go get the doctor!"

Without wasting another second, she rushed out to call for a doctor.

The doctor arrived quickly and assessed the situation. Kate's condition had worsened due to emotional agitation and pent-up distress. The doctor advised them to avoid triggering negative emotions in her going forward.

As the pain became unbearable, the doctor administered a painkiller injection and set up specialized equipment to treat Kate. He then ran several tests before leaving.

Just like that, tens of thousands of dollars were spent on treatment.

Cassidy took out all the money she had, but it still wasn't enough. Kate had no choice but to take out part of her own savings to cover the medical fees. After they paid for the treatment, there was very little left in Kate's account.

Cassidy consulted the doctor about future treatment costs and did some rough calculations. Kate's remaining savings would only last about one more month. If they couldn't get their hands on more money in a month's time, Kate's treatment would have to stop.

And this was merely the cost at a hospital in Jervia. If they went to Norville, the expenses would be even higher. Their remaining money wouldn't last even a month.

Cassidy had to raise money immediately. If she waited until the money was completely gone to think of a solution, it would be too late.

On her way back to the hospital room after speaking with the doctor, Cassidy felt deeply dejected. Her mind was elsewhere.

Her phone suddenly vibrated. She took it out and saw that Isaac was calling.

She frowned at that name with disgust.

It was because of Isaac's two-timing that Quinn had come looking for trouble. If Quinn hadn't caused such a scene, Kate's condition wouldn't have worsened so suddenly.

Isaac was the root cause of it all.

Cassidy answered the call.

"Where are you, babe?" Isaac asked, speaking in the same doting tone as always. "Why haven't you been calling me back?"

A cold, mocking smile appeared on Cassidy's lips. He probably didn't know what Quinn had done yet.

Cassidy replied flatly, "I'm at the hospital. My mom's sick. I came to see her."

Isaac paused for a moment before asking in surprise, "Is your mom really sick?"

"Yeah. Are you coming to the hospital to see her?" Cassidy asked calmly.

"Of course," Isaac replied without hesitation. "Which hospital are you at? I'll head over right now."

"Jervia General Hospital."

"Got it." 

With that, Isaac hung up.

…

After ending the call, Isaac changed into his "poor university student" outfit and very deliberately went to the bus stop. Driving would have been much faster. But in order not to expose his act, he chose to take the bus.

Just as he reached the stop, his phone rang.

It was Quinn.

"Hello, Quinn," Isaac answered.

Her coquettish voice came through the line. "Isaac, I got my period and my stomach hurts so bad. Can you come take care of me?"

Isaac hesitated. "Have you tried drinking some warm water? Do you still have any heat packs at home?"

"Warm drinks don't help, and I'm out of heat packs," Quinn replied pitifully. "Can you buy some and bring them over? It hurts so much I can barely walk. I'm lying in bed, and I feel like I'm about to die."

Isaac wasn't sure what to do. He coaxed gently, "I've got something to take care of right now. Can you wait two hours? Once I'm done here, I'll come see you right away."

Quinn snapped, "Hmph! What could be more important than me? I'll give you half an hour. If I don't see you in 30 minutes, I'll never talk to you again!"

With that, she hung up.

Just then, the bus Isaac had been waiting for slowly pulled up to the stop. People began boarding.

He stood there and mulled his options for a few seconds before turning and walking away from the bus stop.

…

Cassidy waited for more than an hour, but Isaac never showed up.

She sent him a message, "Where are you?"

He didn't reply.

Cassidy frowned at that. She had asked Isaac to come over because she wanted to talk things through face-to-face. No matter what, they had genuinely dated for two years. She had truly loved him during that time.

Now that Kate was seriously ill and urgently needed money, she no longer wanted to quietly disappear to Norville as originally planned. After thinking it over, she decided to confront him directly and ask to borrow money.

She would pay him back later.

If Isaac was willing to help, she was willing to forgive his deception and break up with him peacefully. She would give her blessing to him and Quinn. From then on, they would only be creditor and debtor, with no emotional ties tying them together.

Cassidy waited in the hospital for a long time. She waited until night fell, but Isaac never appeared. Not only did he not show up, but he didn't answer any calls or reply to messages.

Cassidy didn't call again. She stayed at the hospital until Kate fell asleep. Then, she headed back to campus.

Just as she arrived at her dorm building, Isaac finally replied. He sent two photos. 

The first showed him sitting by a bed, massaging someone's stomach. Judging from the angle, the photo had been taken by the person lying down. The clothes visible in the photo were the same as the outfit Quinn had worn earlier that day.

The moment Cassidy saw the photo, she understood that Isaac had gone to Quinn.

The second photo showed Isaac in a kitchen, boiling water to make chamomile tea. The pot and his side profile were visible in the frame.

In the next moment, "Isaac" sent her a message.

"Wake up already. The person Isaac cares about the most is me. Who do you think you are, trying to compete with me? I said I had cramps, and he rushed over immediately. I'm the most important person to him."

Obviously, Quinn was using Isaac's phone.

Cassidy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She and Isaac had dated for two years. He had always pretended to be deeply affectionate with her and always called her "babe", agreeing to whatever she said.

However, he had never once let her look at his phone. 

Cassidy had respected his privacy and never demanded it. She used to think he refused because he valued privacy. Now, she realized that it was simply because he didn't love her.

Quinn could play with his phone as she pleased and even use his WhatsApp to send taunting messages. On the contrary, Cassidy wasn't even allowed to glance at it.

Standing at the dorm entrance with her head lowered, Cassidy stared at the two photos for a very long time.

A gust of wind blew past, making the leaves rustle softly. The weather forecast had said temperatures would drop that night.

Cassidy pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. She had knitted the scarf herself last year. In fact, it was one from a matching pair. Hers was burgundy, while Isaac's was dark gray.

But she had never once seen him wear it.

Upon looking back, she realized the signs had always been there. Perhaps Isaac had never truly loved her.

In the end, Cassidy didn't reply. She walked into the building.

That night, she dialed a phone number she had long since memorized. "Stefan, I've thought it through. I'm willing to marry you. I hope you'll keep your promise."

His voice was as cool as ever. "Alright. I'll have the driver pick you up. We'll go to the city hall tomorrow."

"Okay," Cassidy replied.

After hanging up, Stefan called his assistant, Jacob Burns. "Find out what happened to Cassidy today."

Something about her tone during the call had been off.

"Sure, Mr. Archer," Jacob replied.

Stefan added, "At 10:00 am tomorrow, go pick up Cassidy at Jervia University. Use your car."

Jacob felt a little confused about that request. Why did Stefan specifically instruct him to use his own car?

Still, he didn't dare ask further. He was paid to do his job, so he decided against asking questions that didn't concern him.

"Got it, Mr. Archer," he said. "I'll be there on time."

After ending the call, Stefan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with a dazed expression. It was as if he still hadn't quite come back to his senses.

Cassidy had called and said she was willing to marry him. Although he had been the one to propose marriage, he had never truly imagined what it would be like if she actually agreed.

He hadn't dared to imagine it, but she had really agreed to marry him 

Chapter 13