Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Flower of Evil, Beatrice Lynn
The look of shock had yet to fade from Shawn Lane’s face when he looked up and saw Cecilia Sterling heading his way.
He quickly pulled his arm from Beatrice Lynn’s grasp. The reflexive action made her instantly pout and look up at him in displeasure.
Seeing the excited flicker in Shawn Lane’s eyes as he stared ahead, Beatrice Lynn followed his gaze. Her eyes landed on the fair-skinned and beautiful Cecilia Sterling.
Her pretty face soured, and alarm bells instantly went off in her head.
Just then, Cecilia Sterling also noticed Shawn Lane—and Beatrice Lynn beside him.
The moment she saw Beatrice Lynn, Cecilia Sterling felt a tingling chill that seeped into her bones, spreading up from the soles of her feet. It was as if countless ants were crawling over her feet, hands, and back, before finally exploding into a burst of static inside her skull.
Cecilia Sterling’s pupils quivered. Instinctively, the inside of her forearm began to burn, itch, and ache faintly.
It was the lingering pain from the curling iron burn.
’Beatrice Lynn. It’s been a while. You’re finally here.’
Just as the painful memories threatened to surface, Cecilia Sterling discreetly touched her right forearm. The smooth skin under her fingertips instantly pulled her back to reality, and her composure returned.
She walked straight toward the cafeteria entrance, completely ignoring the look of eager anticipation on Shawn Lane’s face.
Shawn Lane froze for a moment, stunned, then bolted after her.
"Shawn!"
Seeing this, Beatrice Lynn stomped her foot in frustration and hurried after them.
"Cecilia Sterling! Cecilia Sterling!"
With his long legs, Shawn Lane closed the distance in a few quick strides and blocked Cecilia Sterling’s path.
Before Cecilia Sterling could say a word, he blurted out, "Cecilia Sterling, I’m sorry. I was too impulsive yesterday. I apologize."
"Shawn, who is she?" Beatrice Lynn asked as she drew near, eyeing Cecilia Sterling with suspicion.
Shawn Lane paid Beatrice Lynn no mind. His expression was apologetic, his eyes full of emotion as he looked at Cecilia Sterling and explained desperately, "I was just so anxious because you were ignoring me, that’s why I said those awful things. I’m really sorry, Cecilia. Please don’t be angry, okay?"
"But I’m not angry," Cecilia Sterling said quietly.
His face immediately lit up, and his fingers trembled with excitement. "Really? You’re not angry with me anymore?"
He moved to embrace her, but froze when she took a step back.
He froze, his arms half-raised and his wide eyes full of confusion.
Cecilia Sterling looked at him, her face a blank mask. "Because nothing you say means anything to me. It doesn’t affect me in the slightest."
"Hey! You can’t talk to Shawn like that!" Beatrice Lynn snapped at Cecilia Sterling.
’Even if she didn’t know who this girl was or what had happened between her and Shawn, she had no right to speak to him with that kind of attitude.’
"Beatrice, stay out of this!" Shawn Lane whirled around to glare at Beatrice Lynn, snapping, "This is between her and me!"
Beatrice Lynn flinched at the volume of Shawn’s voice. A moment later, her eyes welled with tears and her thin lips began to tremble, as if she were about to burst into tears from the shock.
’Shawn had never yelled at her so loudly before!’
Cecilia Sterling watched Beatrice Lynn, clenching her jaw to suppress the wave of hatred surging in her chest. She let out a cold, disdainful laugh. "Looks like you scared your precious little rabbit. You’d better go console her."
With that, she turned to leave. At that exact moment, Beatrice Lynn’s tears began to fall.
But Shawn’s reaction was to grab Cecilia Sterling’s wrist, explaining anxiously, "Cecilia, don’t get the wrong idea. She’s my sister."
’The wrong idea?’
’His sister?’
’Would a sister take such a huge risk for you, sneaking into someone else’s dorm to steal your thesis, then destroying the hard drive so that even the original draft was lost?’
’Would a sister have two abortions for you, then deliberately mail the hospital certificates to me?’
’Would a sister, consumed with jealousy, corner me in a bathroom and burn my arm with a preheated curling iron?’
’Of all the wicked things Beatrice Lynn had done to me, which one was something a "sister" would do?’
Cecilia Sterling took a steadying breath and forcefully yanked her hand free from Shawn Lane’s grasp. "You don’t need to explain your relationship to me."
"Cecilia..."
Shawn Lane was about to press her further, but in the next second, Yannick suddenly appeared, moving swiftly to stand in front of Cecilia Sterling.
Cecilia Sterling felt a shadow fall over her, blocking the light. When she looked up, she saw Yannick’s broad back.
He was about the same height as Shawn Lane, but as a PE major and the vice-captain of the basketball team, Yannick’s physique was clearly several tiers above that of the rich heir, Shawn Lane.
"Leave her alone."
Yannick’s voice was quiet and even, betraying no emotion.
But this enraged Shawn Lane. He was already furious from seeing Cecilia Sterling talking with Yannick, and now that Yannick had the nerve to step in, Shawn’s eyes widened in fury. "Fuck off!" he snarled. "This is none of your fucking business!"
Seeing this, Sean and a few other students rushed forward to pull them apart, afraid a fight was about to break out.
Lorcain Tech had very strict rules; fighting on campus was grounds for a major demerit.
"Whoa, hey, calm down, calm down. We’re all classmates here. Let’s just talk it out."
The guys managed to pull Yannick away from between Cecilia and Shawn. Yannick tried to struggle free, but he was no match for three or four people holding him back.
"I’m fine. You should go," Cecilia Sterling said to Yannick.
’This had nothing to do with Yannick to begin with. He and Shawn lived in the same dorm. By stepping in like this, Yannick was just giving Shawn someone to take his anger out on later.’
Hearing Cecilia speak, Yannick stopped resisting and let Sean lead him away.
Once they were a safe distance away, Sean finally spoke. "Are you crazy? It’s obvious things aren’t over between Shawn and Cecilia. Why are you sticking your neck out for her?"
"Yeah, seriously," another friend chimed in. "Even if you do like Cecilia, this isn’t the right time to make a move. The way Shawn keeps harassing her, it’s obvious they haven’t made a clean break."
"If you actually get into a fight, Shawn’s family is loaded. He doesn’t care about the consequences. But you’re willing to get a major demerit on your record for this?"
His friends kept chattering, but Yannick didn’t hear a word they said. He just kept glancing back to check on Cecilia.
He finally felt a flicker of relief when he saw Cecilia turn and walk away without a word, and that Shawn hadn’t chased after her.
Shawn Lane stared intently at Cecilia as she walked away, only lowering his head once she was out of sight. Although she hadn’t forgiven him, he had no intention of giving up.
When he turned around, he found Beatrice Lynn standing nearby, her makeup completely ruined by her tears.
He let out a silent sigh and softened his voice. "Beatrice," he said, sounding weary, "I wasn’t angry at you just now. I just lost control of my emotions. Please stop crying."
Beatrice Lynn sniffled, looking wronged, but her tone was demanding. "Then tell me, who was that girl?"
"She’s my girlfriend," Shawn Lane explained. "We had a fight. It’s... a misunderstanding."
Even though she’d suspected as much, hearing Shawn admit with his own mouth that the girl was his girlfriend made Beatrice Lynn feel like her world was collapsing.
"Shawn! You have a girlfriend?!" Beatrice Lynn shrieked, completely breaking down. "Then what about me?" she wailed. "I came to Lorcain Tech for you! What does that make me?!"
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