Chapter 26
Owen suddenly leaned in, making Hailey flinch. She exclaimed, “What are you doing?”
Owen looked up, his gaze deep and unreadable, “Buckling your seatbelt, he replied.
Hailey realized she had overreacted, and warmth crept up her face. Then Owen pulled the seatbelt over and
dicked it into place.
Owen had never thought anyone could captivate him like this. She wasn’t doing anything, just sitting there, and
yes, she had him utterly mesmerized. Like a spell he couldn't break free from.
‘How long is she going to makewait?’ Owen thought. ‘Because I'm running, out of patience!
As Owen leaned in, his cool, crisp scent surrounded her completely. Hailey’s heartbeat raced. She lowered her
gaze, or daring to look up.
But he moved away just as quickly, and Hailey let out a quiet breath.
“Nervous?” Owen's voice broke the silence.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Huh?” Hailey turned to look at him instinctively-only to meet his eyes directly. Her breath caught. Panicking, the
turned away, staring out the window. “No.”
A soft chuckle cfrom beside her-low, lazy, and ridiculously pleasant to the ear. Hailey muttered, Damn it.
Why does his voice have to sound so good?’
But Hailey’s face burned hotter. It felt like Owen was teasing her.
The car rolled forward again, and before long, they reached the school gates. “Thanks for the ride,” Hailey
murmured, reaching for the seatbelt buckle. “I'll head in now.”
At the stime, Owen leaned over to help her. Their hands brushed against each other. Both froze.
Hailey looked up, and before she could react, their lips touched. Instantly, her mind went blank.
‘My... first kiss. Hailey sat there in shock, staring at his close-up, ridiculously perfect face.
Then, as reality hit, Hailey jerked back. “Mr. Calhoun, I- | need to go.”
With that, Hailey practically bolted out of the car. Owen watched her retreating figure, running a thumb over his
lips. A slow, amused smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
sok
Hailey’s thoughts were still a jumbled mess. “That's my first kiss. My first kiss. Nope. Not thinking about this. Not
at all: She forced herself to focus, quickening her pace toward the classroom.
Bang! As Hailey passed by the public restroom, a soda bottle was suddenly thrown out, narrowly missing her
head.
Hailey stopped just in time, frowning as she turned toward the source. A group of girls stood near the entrance of
the
women’s restroom.
Surprisingly, Selena wasn’t leading them this time. Instead, it was Beatrix-the school’s resident troublemaker,
her makeup heavy and sharp. The rest of the girls, equally caked in makeup, flanked her like a pack.
Hailey knew who she was. Beatrix Hawthorne, the troublemaker of school. In her past life, Beatrix had tormented
her more times than she could count-all because of Mateo.
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Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmFri, 28 Mar
Chapter 26
Beatrix liked him. But Mateo had always been protective of Hailey.
But now, thinking about it again, if Mateo really protected Hailey, how could he let her be bullied by Beatrix?
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Even though Mateo’s heart belonged to someone else, Beatrix never gave up. She had practically assigned
herself the role of his bodyguard, punishing anyone who so much as annoyed him.
Relying on her family’s favor, Beatrix was a very overbearing person. But in the face of love, she was extremely
humble and even dared not confess her feelings to Mateo in person.
Beatrix knew that Mateo liked Selena, so she dared not do anything to Selena. She even chose to protect the
person Mateo liked.
Now that Hailey had beaten Mateo in the exams and forced him out of Class A, Beatrix was out for blood.
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