Caden’s words still weren’t enough to convince his friends.
Mason eyed him.
“If this was really for Brielle. You wouldn’t have beaten up Jacob like that. He’s literally still at the hospital fighting for his life! I heard his parents are having second thoughts about settling things, privately.”
The truth was, Caden didn’t want those photoshopped pictures to be released either.
Jacob kept saying he wanted to release them and Caden kept on telling him to wait for his permission.
A permission he never intended to give but Jacob went ahead to release it.
Seeing those pictures, even if they weren’t real, it had snapped something in Caden, something so raw and primal unlike anything he’d ever felt before.
And that was why he gave Jacob the beating of his life.
“Enough!”Caden let out to the boys, unable to take any more.
His heart hammered against his ribs and his thoughts were a chaotic mess.


Those words caught Caden completely off guard
London?
In the UK?
In Europe?
He had thought that even if there was a possibility that she had left the school premises already, he guessed she might’ve gone home to her mom.
How could she have gone to another continent just like that?
“Why? How? What is she doing there?”Caden asked in disbelief.
Her roommates got even more surprised.
“You really don’t know? She transferred to Royal academy arts school. She previously got an offer from them.”
At that moment, Caden felt like he was going mad.
She didn’t just leave him, she left the country.
He thought he had her and everything under control but she completely took over the game and beat him to it.
“But…but what about the Tisch spot? Did she really have no interest in it?”
“She didn’t.”Eve replied. “She had always dreamt of studying at Royal academy in London but she considered giving up on tha

Throughout that night, Alora couldn’t sleep.
She kept thinking about the memories with Caden.
When he would practice her script with her, when he would cover her fully with an umbrella and allow himself get drenched by the rain.
Their first kiss, the very first time they had sex. Her first time was with him.
She could still remember when she laid naked on his bed, nervous and scared while he hovered above her.
He had said these words to her;
“I'll make this special for you and I'll be gentle, I promise, do you trust me?"
He was indeed gentle.
He made her first time better than anything she’d ever imagined.
And after everything, he had given her a bath himself.
He had treated her so tenderly that she started to wish she had met him sooner.
But now, knowing that everything was planned by him hurt.
It absolutely crushed her.
Hell, she had even started to imagine her future with him.
She was so stupid.
**********
By morning, the pain had transformed into something harder that would protect her from ever letting her guard down again.
At dawn, Alora finished packing up her remaining stuff. She ordered a cab to take her to the airport.
Her mother would meet her at the terminal and they would leave tomorrow.
While waiting for the cab, she got a text from Caden.
Caden:I’ll be waiting for you at the lake. I’m not leaving until you come.
Alora scoffed.
He really wasn’t tired of seeing her as a fool.
She typed one last text to him.
Alora: Whatever we had is over. We’re done. Get lost.
With that, she turned off her phone, removed the SIM card and threw it into the bin.
She’d get another number when she got to London. Caden would never be able to contact her again.
She recalled the stuff he bought for her. The necklace and a bracelet.
The bracelet even had their initials, she had thought she’d keep it forever.
Rolling her eyes, she brought them out and threw them into the bin as well.
Nothing should ever remind her of that scumbag!
The cab arrived, she got in and said.
“The airport please.”
As the cab drove off, her heart grew lighter.
She already had a good feeling about London, about her new life.
Everything would fall in place for her from now on.
************
Meanwhile, at lake Gada, Caden was still waiting for Alora.
He stared at the lake and sighed.
He recalled when he brought her here before.
They had swam on the lake together, kissing and being all over each other.
Alora was the one person that made him momentarily forget about everyone else.
When he was with her, there was this peace that he couldn’t explain.
Last night had given him some clarity as to what he was feeling.
They had played a truth or dare game and he was dared to kiss Brielle.
He had kissed her but for some reasons, he didn’t feel anything.
He had always thought Brielle was the girl for him. He could do anything for her even if it meant destroying another girl’s life but now that he seemed to have gotten Brielle to want him again, he didn’t feel that enthusiasm to be with her as before.
The truth was him and the guys had far worse plans for Alora.
The plan was to record multiple nude videos of her and release them. That would ruin her image, not only in the school but to the full public who were on social media.
That would then make her unable to get accepted by Tisch or any other school.
But the moment he saw her naked body for the first time, he couldn’t bring himself to record anything. He felt she was too beautiful for anyone to see, including himself.
He had lied to the guys, he had told them it was because he didn’t want to be a part of a sex scandal. Actually, he could have had his face blurred and no one know it was him in the video but that was the easiest lie he could come up with and he was glad the guys had given up asking him about it.
He had a reputation in this school and for so long, he had lived up to it. He kinda enjoyed hearing the guys praise him and wish to be like him.
But now, he didn’t know what he wanted anymore. Alora made him question everything.
Caden glanced at the time and stood up.
Why wasn’t she here yet?
With each passing minute, he grew more and more uneasy.
When he looked up, he noticed some students had come by the lake.
The flowers in his hand got their attention.
Some started to take picture of him, while gossiping.
“That’s Caden Steele, the football captain. Oh he’s dress so good today. He’s so gorgeous.”
“He’s holding flowers. They must be for his girlfriend!”
“I noticed he’s been standing here for a while. Why isn’t she here yet?”
“Let’s wait for a little bit. She must be on her way. I need to watch and record such a romantic display.”
Caden felt nervous.
The confidence that he had for years was beginning to crack.
He had been at the lake since dawn waiting for her.
Now it was almost noon.
Why wasn’t she here yet?
He knew she was mad about something but he wasn’t ready to let her go yet!
He had thought he just had to love-bomb her and she’d come running to him, immediately.
It was what everyone did when Caden Steele called.
No one kept him waiting.
No one said no to him.
He ran a hand through his hair, frustratedly.
The crowd, the lake, everything that had seemed like the perfect backdrop for reconciliation with Alora now felt like a stage set for his humiliation.
She had to come.
She had to.
He continued to wait.
Maybe, she’d start feeling bad about keeping him waiting and then she’d come to him.
She always did.
He knew she was very much in love with him.
“Caden.”
He turned abruptly but was met with disappointment.
He had been too deep in thought to even differentiate a male’s voice from a female’s.
He just heard his name and immediately thought that Alora had come over.
But she didn’t.
It wasn’t her.
It was his friends, Mason, Logan and Chase.
“Are the rumors true? Someone posted online that you’ve been waiting for Alora since dawn.”
Caden’s teeth clenched.
Sometimes, it was annoying to be so popular.
“Yeah, I have.”He gritted out.
The boys exchanged confused looks and there was something in their expression which made Caden’s stomach tightened.
“We thought you were done with her.”
“I mean, you kissed Brielle at the club yesterday. Even if it was a dare, we thought kissing her meant you two had gotten back together. We even posted it online.”
Hearing that, Caden’s eyes twitched.
He grabbed Chase’s collar.
“Who posted it?”He barked.
Seeing the anger on his eyes, Chase trembled and couldn’t exactly say who.
“Why are you getting mad? You…you said she was no longer interested in Tisch. Why are you still wasting your time on her?”
Caden panted.
He had no idea that video of him kissing Brielle was posted.
No wonder Alora didn’t up since morning.
She must be mad at him.
She must be thinking he had cheated on her.
Caden’s face darkened and he didn’t even know what to say but his friends were putting the pieces together and exchanging knowing glanced.
“Caden…are you…are you genuinely in love with Alora?”Mason asked.
That question hit Caden like a punch on the chest.
Something hot and uncomfortable twisted in his chest and he stared at his friends, speechlessly.
He knew he had to face this someday but he wasn’t ready to.
At the very least, not in front of his friends.
“Of course not.”He denied even while he looked alarmed.
His voice was sharper than he intended.
The defensive edge surprised everyone including himself.
Seeing the guys not looking convinced, he added.
“This is all part of the bet. For Brielle. It’s nothing more, nothing less.”
He couldn’t let them get the satisfaction of knowing that he had failed.
He hadn’t even come to terms with that yet.
Just as he said that, Alora’s face flashed through his head and he desperately wanted to see her, even from afar.
“But you said she doesn’t want the Tisch position, shouldn’t the bet end now?”
“I can’t trust her. I think she’s suspecting that I’m onto something. She might change her mind and fight for that spot later.”
His hands began to sweat as he lied, miserably.
“This is why I still need to be in a relationship with her and I don’t need you guys ruining it by posting videos like that!”
Those words weren’t only for the boys.
It was more like he was trying to convince himself that this was all he wanted.
This had to be it. It couldn’t be because he missed the scent of her hair or her body, or the way her eyes lit up each time she talked about acting.
Or the way she bit the side of her lower lip when she was deep in thought. Or the way she smiled so brightly when she was happy. Or her creativity, her charm, her positive energy, her thoughtfulness, her natural beauty, or the way she makes him want to become a better person, how adorable she was, how it felt to simply cuddle her…
Realizing his train of thoughts, Caden quickly shook his head.
This was all for Brielle.
All for Brielle!

Caden’s words still weren’t enough to convince his friends.
Mason eyed him.
“If this was really for Brielle. You wouldn’t have beaten up Jacob like that. He’s literally still at the hospital fighting for his life! I heard his parents are having second thoughts about settling things, privately.”
The truth was, Caden didn’t want those photoshopped pictures to be released either.
Jacob kept saying he wanted to release them and Caden kept on telling him to wait for his permission.
A permission he never intended to give but Jacob went ahead to release it.
Seeing those pictures, even if they weren’t real, it had snapped something in Caden, something so raw and primal unlike anything he’d ever felt before.
And that was why he gave Jacob the beating of his life.
“Enough!”Caden let out to the boys, unable to take any more.
His heart hammered against his ribs and his thoughts were a chaotic mess.
He couldn’t deal with their interrogations anymore. He was finding it hard to understand his own fee

Chapter 9