The moment the driver mentioned he had a photo, Lila—and even Indie and Jace—immediately perked up with interest. Only Grayson stiffened, sitting bolt upright. Holy shit—who had snapped a secret picture of him? Well, thinking back to the real estate sales center just now, there had been so many onlookers; it wasn't hard to imagine someone stealthily taking photos. And considering the buzz around the villa purchase, it made sense that someone might share images online. In this age of social media, news of any little thing spread instantly.
"Sir, sir, can we see the photo?" Lila pleaded eagerly, practically vibrating with excitement. She'd always been fascinated by wealthy people. Now that her aunt had bought a villa in Whispering Pines, Lila figured she might run into the one who shelled out forty million dollars for the mansion. Getting a glimpse of that person's face would be thrilling.
"Here you go," the driver said, handing his phone to Grayson. He assumed Grayson wanted to see it, since Grayson had sat up so quickly.
Grayson's heart pounded as he grabbed the phone. Damn—there he was, all right. But it was just a blurry side profile, which explained why the driver hadn't recognized him immediately. Still, even a fuzzy angle could be recognizable to Lila and the others after knowing him for days.
"Hey, Grayson! Have you seen it yet?" Lila snapped impatiently. "Hurry up and show us! You could stare at it for a hundred years, but it won't help—let me see already!"
"Okay, here." Grayson passed the phone to Lila.
Lila snatched it, but after a quick look, her face froze. "Driver, what sort of joke is this? Is that even a person? Are you kidding?"
"What?" The driver frowned and reclaimed the phone, peeking at the screen. "Huh—where'd it go? It was right here a second ago."
"Oh my god!" Lila's eyes snapped toward Grayson, fury blazing. "Grayson, you deleted it, didn't you? Admit it!"
"Uh, sorry," Grayson stammered. "My finger slipped—must've deleted it by accident."
"You're disgusting!" Lila spat. "You looked at it and wouldn't let anyone else see. People like you—your life must suck so bad that you can't stand to see anyone else happy!"
"All right, all right," Indie interjected quickly, shooting Lila a warning look. "Does it really matter who saw it? It's not like it has anything to do with us."
"Hmph!" Lila huffed, still hot with anger. "I should've known there'd be no good coming from hanging out with someone like you. Small-minded jerk. You're obviously jealous that I'm with Ryan. Do you even know if you have what it takes to date someone like me?"
After venting for a moment, Lila slightly calmed down. "Anyway, Aunt Mei's already moved into Whispering Pines, so once they've settled in, Indie, I'll take you guys over to check it out."
"Sounds good," Indie said, forcing a polite smile.
Fortunately, at that moment the ride finally pulled up at the amusement park. Lila linked arms with Ryan as they got out of the car. With high-pitched clicks of her heels, she strutted past Grayson like a showy little peacock.
Inside the park were all the big attractions: a giant windmill ride, a spinning teacup carousel, the "Flying Cat" coaster, a dizzying Ferris tower, the "Treasure Cave" walkthrough, a pirate ship swing—plenty of large-scale thrills. Scattered about were midway booths for shooting games, ring tosses, and ball-throw challenges. All in all, if you were a couple, you could spend hours playing together and end up feeling closer than ever. But if you came alone, it was a sure way to get yourself in trouble.
"Let's go catch a movie," Lila said after they'd had their fill of rides. By now it was quite dark, but obviously Lila and Indie still hadn't had enough. They headed over to the theater. Girls really were like that: once they got on a roll, nothing could stop them.
Just as they were about to enter the screening room, Lila's phone rang. It was her father, Charles.
"Hey, kiddo," Charles's voice rumbled over the speaker. "Last time you mentioned your old classmate Ryan—yes? The Walker who helped our family out?"
"Yeah, that's right!" Lila replied, smiling at Ryan. "He's Mr. Walker's son."
"So it was Ryan after all," Charles continued. "I never expected Mr. Walker to have so much influence. They've done us a huge favor, so I'm heading over to thank them in person. What do you think?"
Lila's eyes sparkled. She made a quick gesture to Indie and Jace, then stepped aside to a quieter corner.
"Sure, Dad, go right ahead," she said cheerfully. Then a new thought occurred to her. "Oh, and one more thing—I have some news for you!"
"What's that, sweetie?" Charles asked.
"I'm already dating Ryan."
"Really? That's fantastic!" Charles's voice brimmed with joy. The Walker family had helped them out so much. If his daughter was now officially linked to the Walkers, that was even better—it solidified their connection to a family with tremendous power.
"Of course it's true!" Lila cooed. "So Dad, when you go talk to Uncle Walker, it's not just a thank-you visit—it's a family meeting. You can tell him all about it."
"Ha! Wonderful news, sweetheart," Charles laughed. "All right, I won't keep you. I'm heading there now."
After hanging up, Lila beamed and turned back to Ryan. "Hey, baby, I've got a big surprise for you later."
"What surprise?" Ryan asked, leaning in.
"You'll see soon," Lila said, tugging him into the theater.
By the time they emerged, it was late—deep into the night.
"Hey, should we head back?" Jace took a deep breath, the crisp autumn air tingling his lungs. Daylight was long gone now.
"Not yet," Ryan said, wrapping an arm possessively around Lila's waist and squeezing. "Let's find somewhere to stay."
"Somewhere to stay?" Indie's eyes flicked to Lila. She sensed what Ryan was implying.
Lila's pulse quickened. A hotel room meant…taking things to the next level. She and Ryan were already boyfriend and girlfriend, and his father had been such a huge help to her family. It made sense—pseudo etiquette demanded they "seal" the relationship now, right? After a night of fun, it felt natural enough to go back to a room together.
Still, despite the anticipation, she hesitated for a moment.
"Honestly, I think we should go back to campus," Grayson said unexpectedly.
He spoke because he noticed Lila's flicker of uncertainty. He thought a gentle push might save her from impulsively agreeing.
But Grayson was wrong—miserably wrong.
The instant Lila heard Grayson suggest going back, she abandoned that thought completely.
"Yeah, you're right—let's stay somewhere," she said, rolling her eyes at Grayson before nodding resolutely. "I mean, the theater's far from school, it's so late, and we're all exhausted. We might as well get some rest."
Grayson grimaced inwardly but said nothing.
"All right, there's a hotel right up ahead. Let's go," Ryan said, clearly ecstatic. Tonight, he was going to seal the deal. All his scheming, his beating up of Jaxon—it all came down to tonight.
Jace and Indie exchanged sympathetic glances with Grayson. They could only sigh at the situation.
Grayson forced a small smile. "Go ahead. I'm heading back."
He thought: Indie and Jace are a couple. Lila and Ryan are a couple. I'm the only single one here, so there's no point in me staying.
"Come on, Grayson, join us. Lila's right—at this hour, the campus gates are closed, and you won't get in. You'll have nowhere to stay. Come on," Jace urged.
"Yeah, just book another room. I'll cover it," Ryan added eagerly. He was so keyed up about what was coming that he didn't mind extending the hospitality.
Grayson sighed inwardly—Jace was right. There was no way he'd make it back to the dorm tonight. He followed the group down the street until they arrived at the Maple Creek Inn & Suites.
The hotel's exterior was trimmed in matte black and bright yellow, exuding a quality that easily outclassed several competitors. Inside, a warm, golden glow filled the lobby, soft yet bright. Two impeccably groomed desk clerks, each more elegant than the last, greeted them with professional smiles that glittered like songbirds. The hotel clearly spared no expense—starting with the front desk.
"Two king rooms and one single room, please," Ryan announced grandly, whipping out his credit card. He was keen to get to his room with Lila. The two front-desk clerks continued typing efficiently, though both stole sympathetic, curious glances at Grayson. A lone guy traveling with two couples—a double whammy of poor singlehood.
"These are your keycards. The stairs to the second floor are right over there," one hostess said, voice melodic.
The staircase was covered in top-tier pure wool carpeting, flanked on both sides by exquisite, high-end framed artwork.
"Let's go!" Ryan bounded up the stairs, practically skipping. The others trailed behind.
Halfway up, Indie glanced back. "Grayson, why aren't you coming up?"
"Oh, let him be," Lila dismissed with a giggle. "He's never been in a fancy hotel before—he's probably too intimidated. Maybe he's worried he'll dirty the carpet. He's so clueless. Come on up, everyone, don't wait for him."
Down below, only the two front-desk clerks and Grayson remained. He lingered at the bottom of the stairs, caught in an internal tug-of-war. Of course, he knew Ryan was deceiving Lila. If Lila, that foolish girl, didn't sense it, that was her problem. But knowing they were about to go off to a room together made him uneasy. Even if Lila treated him coldly, could he really stand by and watch her get taken advantage of?
As Grayson debated whether to speak up, he was interrupted by two sweet, giggling voices behind him.
"He looks so lonely—kind of makes me feel sorry for him."
"Yeah, but he brought this on himself, tagging along with two couples. He's asking for it."
"I wonder why he's not going upstairs with them?"
"No clue. Maybe something up there will trigger him."
"Maybe you should go comfort him?"
"Eh, he's no looker—probably doesn't have two cents to rub together. Why else would he be by himself?"
The two hostesses giggled as they whispered about Grayson. When he turned to look at them, they immediately snapped into professional smiles, straightening their posture.
"Good evening, Manager," they said in unison, eyes off Grayson to catch someone behind him.
Grayson's curiosity peaked. He turned around—and froze.
Behind him stood a tall man in a perfectly tailored black suit, silver hair carefully combed back, with sharp dark eyes that surveyed the lobby as though it were his personal domain.
"Young… Young Master Grayson?" the man said, voice crisp and respectful.
Grayson's heart thudded. This was… could it be? Mr. Walker himself?
"Yes," Grayson replied, mask slipping as surprise flooded him. "Mr. Walker…"
The waiter weaved, and the two front-desk women stared with disbelief. Whoever this Grayson kid was, he truly commanded respect here.