BuzzNovelZachary’s words were the final straw, snapping the last thread holding Illeana together.
She glared at him, her expression twisted with anger and something almost desperate.
“Yes! This is exactly the life | want!”
Lucy tried to tug her back, but Illeana shook her off and stepped forward, closing the distance between her and
Zachary. He just stood there, towering over her, his gaze cold and unyielding.
“My bedroom is bigger than that whole dingy apartment. Every day, | get custom clothes delivered to my door.
There are people to wait on me, and a driver to taketo and from school. All it took was changing my last
name, and suddenly my life turned upside down. This-this is the life | want!”
“That cramped apartment with its sour, musty smell-I feel sick just thinking about it! You have no idea how
happy | was to escape that life!”
Zachary pressed his lips together, his face pale. He just couldn’t understand where it had all gone wrong, how
Illeana could becsomeone he hardly recognized.
Finally, as if making a decision he’d dreaded, Zachary looked at her, disappointment and sadness clouding his
eyes. “Fine. If that’s what you want, then from now on, let's pretend we never knew each other.”
He swallowed hard. “I hope you're happy.”
With that, he turned and walked away without a moment's hesitation.
Illeana stood rooted to the spot, almost as if she’d been struck dumb, muttering under her breath.
“Yes, this is the life | want. As long as | can hold on to all this wealth and comfort, what else matters? Now,
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtanything | ask for, | get-doesn’t matter if it’s three thousand, thirty thousand, or three hundred thousand. All it
takes is a single word.” “Ileana... are you okay?” Lucy's voice was timid, as if she was afraid of the answer.
“I'm fine, Lucy. My driver's here, | should go. Sorry about all this today. Come. over to my place this
weekend, all right?” lleana’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and something about it made Lucy shiver.
1/2
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. It's really okay,” Lucy sald, forcing a smile as she watched Illeana climb into the car.
“See you tomorrow!” Ileana waved, and Lucy waved back automatically, only relaxing after the car had driven
away.
After everything that had happened today, Lucy understood exactly how the Tate family felt about Ileana. In the
end, it didn’t really matter who had the Tate name. But things were what they were, and she might as well get
what she could out of it. No one likes a losing deal, right, Alessia?
The commotion at the school gates finally faded. Zachary boarded the bus home, alone.
“Hey, mister, there's a seat back here.” A young voice caught Zachary’s attention. He looked up to see two kids,
maybe seven or eight years old.
“Here, sit by the window,” the older brother said, holding his little sister's hand protectively, like a tiny knight.
For a moment, Zachary was transported back in time-to when he and Ileana, still called Morton then, were just
kids themselves.
“Zachary, over here!” Ileana, no more than seven, sat on one of the plastic seats, waving him over.
“Coming.” Zachary, backpack slung
over one shoulder and another, m
sales gab his hand,
si pd is card and sat down beside
her. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“I told everyone at school | have three older brothers, but they didn’t believe me. Can you and Liam walkto
class tomorrow?”
Usually, the four of them went to
school together, but after school it
was always Zachary who walkedn
Ileana ors. Eta Hekidess, was
clas president and had to stay
behind to supervise clean-up, while
Liam was always getting into trouble
and spending his afternoons in
detention. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
The siblings were close, but if you
had to pick, Ileana had always tysted
and loved Zachary tHelost. The
oldest eh the third brother too
mischievous—only Zachary was easy
to talk to, and he doted on her. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
“Sure, I'll talk to them when they get back.” Without hesitation, Zachary agreed.
“Sweetie’s mom brought her chocolate from overseas. | want stoo.”
Chapter 86
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