BuzzNovel“Th-three.” Zachary stammered, caught off guard by the question.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the bus rolled to a stop, letting in a fresh
crowd of pasengers. The momentary hush inside the bus vanished, replaced by the familiar clamor of chatter
and shuffling feet.
“Did | hear that right? Did that girl just call Zachary her brother?”
“Her real brother? | thought his sister was Illeana?”
“Oh, wait-1 remember now. Shirley said lleana’s family took her back. Apparently her biological parents are
loaded, so she won't be at our school this semester. She’s transferring across the street to Aristocrat Academy.”
“What? Real-life princess vibes! How lucky can one person get? She already had three handsbrothers-
everyone was jealous enough about that. | figured she’d be down on her luck after her family went bankrupt, but
now, surprise, she’s a rich heiress again?”
“Comparing yourself to others just makes you miserable.”
“So... that means the heiress we knew was a fake?”
“Wow, that’s wild. Suddenly, this school day doesn’t seem so hard to get through after all.”
“But didn’t her family go bankrupt? How do they still have money to send her to that fancy school?”
“That's what you don’t get. She'd rather die than comé to a regular school like ours. Gotta keep up appearances,
even if it kills you.”
Zachary couldn't take it anymore. He opened his mouth to argue, but Alessia gently pressed his hand, stopping
him. Frustration burned in his eyes, but he sw. down and looked at her instead.
wed it
“People’s dark sides work like that,” Alessia said quietly, her voice calm and detached. “If you try to argue with
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtthem, you just end up stuck in a mess trying to prove yourself. Whether you win or lose, they don’t care about
the truth. That's why it’s so easy to start a rumor, but nearly impossible to clear your name.”
Her composure only made Zachary’s heart ache. It was as if, after hearing too many rumors, she could finally
see through it all. She didn’t feel the need to defend herself anymore, just watched everyone invent stories
about her-and could even
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Chapter 47
laugh it off, her indifference making it almost painful to witness.
If Ileana were here, she would have dragged him into a noisy argument right there
in the aisle.
Not that he thought that was wrong. But in this moment, Zachary finally understood what it meant to say,
“Those who are loved can afford to be fearless.” No matter how much trouble Ileana caused, they would always
stand by her side, ready to support her.
Zachary pressed his lips together, and neither of them spoke again until their stop arrived.
The two schools stood across from
each other, but the scenes at their
gates couldn't have been more m
different. On ong. sitk Crestview High
SEIN backpacks
slung over their shoulders, made their
way inside, smunching on
sandwiches or seaweed rolls picked
up from the food stalls behind the
school. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Across the street, luxury cars lined the entrance of Aristocrat Academy. Butlers in black tailcoats swung open car
doors, bowing as their young charges strode in, each one sporting a designer backpack and a distinctively stylish
outfit.
Students from Crestview High cast
glances across the road—some
curious, sIRR: gomd
il saviovs Th private academy
students, meanwhile, had no tfor
gossip, already deep in animated
debates about who would take home
the trophy that day. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Of course, there were always a few who wanted to stir up trouble.
“Guess life really is unfair,” someone remarked, a mixture of envy and resignation in their voice.
A friend just snorted in contempt.
“Look at them. Not even acting like students-always showing off. No wo...er they never beat us in exams.”
“Oh, look, if it isn't one of Crestview's
grade—obsessed students.” A boy
rounded the ey Mm
joi ith reba S flair. One ear
sported a dangling cross earring, his
hair dyed a bright red. He bit into a
seaweed roll, grinning as he joined
the group. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
13
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