Chapter 8
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Vaughn Sterling was stunned. “Impossible. I saw her acceptance letter from the Aria Institute of Art with my own eyes.”
t had been a week already. Had she really not ‘reported for orientation?
ust then, the Office Coordinator looked at the computer screen. “Oh, I found the student you’re talking about. She was indeed ccepted into the Oil Painting program, but her registration has been canceled. The reason provided was a voluntary withdrawal by
he student herself.”
Vaughn’s pupils constricted. He stood there, frozen like a statue.
He never imagined Elara Vance would actually give up her spot.
s she insane? Just because Arthur Vance is dead, she’s not going to school?
Thank you, ma’am. Sorry to bother you.” Vaughn rushed out of the office and tried calling her again. It was still switched off.
He headed back to his dorm, threw a few things into a bag, and booked a flight home.
As soon as he landed, Vaughn took a cab straight to Elara’s house.
He wanted to convince Rowan Vance to drop the lawsuit, ask Elara why she wasn’t in school, and demand to know why she had
locked him.
Elara!” Vaughn hammered on the doorbell. “Elara, come out! What is this? Why did you delete me?”
ince she hadn’t gone to school, she had to be home.
ust as Vaughn was about to climb over the wall, the front door opened.
t was Evelyn Vance. She looked haggard, and her hair was noticeably grayer.
Um… Mrs. Vance. I’m Elara’s classmate. We’ve met before.” Vaughn straightened his posture. “Do you know where she is? She lidn’t report to school. She gave up her spot at the Aria Institute of Art.”
Did she really hide something as big as dropping out from her family?
Elara went abroad,” Evelyn said, her voice raspy. “Do you need something?”
A-Abroad!?” Vaughn’s brows furrowed deeply. “When did she leave? Which country did she
Evelyn looked at the tall, handsome young man with suspicion. She didn’t answer immediately.
She had always felt the atmosphere between them was strange. If Elara were truly close to him, she would have mentioned moving
way.
I’m sorry. Elara asked me to keep it a secret, so I can’t tell you.” Evelyn’s expression was cold and distant. “Thank you for your
oncern.”
With that, she slowly shut the door.
Vaughn stood there, his mind racing.
Wasn’t this taking a jealous tantrum too far? She actually flew out of the country without saying a word to him!
What did she take him for?
Vaughn clenched his fists in fury. When he got back to his house, he looked at the pile of charred trophies the maids had gathered, and a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease washed over him.
This time, she seemed genuinely serious.
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She burned his trophies, returned every gift, blocked his number, and left the country without a word…
It felt like she was really cutting ties with him, once and for all.
No, that was impossible.
Her love for him over the last three years had been too intense. She couldn’t just switch off those feelings overnight.
Vaughn went into his bedroom and stared at the laptop on the bed.
He opened it and navigated to the “Elara” folder on the C drive. He entered the password.
He hadn’t seen her in days. In three years, they had almost never been apart except when he was away for Go tournaments.
He was used to her being right there-obediently letting him pinch her cheeks or kiss her whenever he reached out.
The three months of summer break had been even more uninhibited. Once they had crossed that line, it had become like an addiction.
Vaughn turned off the lights, leaving only a small lamp on. His hand slowly slid down toward his waist…
He was about to click a random video for some sexual release when he realized there was only one file left in the folder.
Was it still loading?
Vaughn frowned, leaning in to look at the screen.
Then he noticed the only remaining file was an audio recording. The filename was just a string of random numbers.
What was this?
When had he saved this?
Where were all the videos he’d stored here before?
Puzzled, Vaughn clicked on the audio file.
A familiar voice filled the room.
I pretended to faint, so he fed me the medicine in that girl Elara’s hand.”
This… this was Corliss Mercer’s voice!
Vaughn’s entire body tensed. He cranked up the volume.
I burned those oil paintings on purpose. I just wanted to see what Vaughn’s attitude was.”
Ha! Just like when we were kids, he’ll always choose me over anyone else without hesitation.”
My current dan rank is all from rigged matches. If I actually enter this tournament, I’ll definitely be exposed. A pro player like Vaughn would see through it in a second.”
The short recording ended, only to start looping immediately.
Corliss’s voice echoed through the dark room, over and over again.
