Dating

Chapter 141

[Liam’s POV)

Something was wrong….

I noticed it from the moment I headed into my third class. I carefully searched the room but saw that Ella was nowhere to be found. It didn’t make sense.

After Aaron had made sure that our transcripts from our previous school had all, successfully, gone over to Eastwood’s Administration office, there should have been little, to no, changes made to our class schedules.

Yes, Ella and I were not together for the majority of the day and it didn’t make sense. We always had English together as well as History–there shouldn’t have been any reason why she was not placed in the same courses.

It left me feeling uneasy and filled with questions. However, my first flicker of clarity that came to me was when I saw Olivia continuously appearing in my classes. She happily saddled up to each open chair beside me and graced me with a picture- worthy smile,

I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, honestly. Classes were an unpredictable situation where attendance varied. On the other hand, there was more to be questioned when it turned out that Olivia and I were set to room next door to one another…. What are the damn odds that I would end up getting paired with her for the semester?

I was not exactly pleased with the situation as it was, even if Olivia was being cordial. She’d taken the opportunity to congratulate my team and me on winning the championship and then would go on to try and make small talk.

I would give one–word answers at best. That was the extent of my politeness when it came to ber. After that stunt she and Arthur pulled during the matches, I refused to give her an ounce of attention

But my God, was she persistent

It all felt far too coincidental for my liking. After my last class, I tried reaching out to Ella to see how her first day had Whether she was aware of it or not, I could sense her weariness of this entire transition.

gone.

Switching schools and campuses was not easy, and part of me felt slightly guilty for insisting that she do this with me. there was just no way that I would have been able to make this move without her by my side. She was my mate, after all.

But

It was important to me, knowing that she was going to be alright here. Ella had a difficult enough time in our last school with people bullying and picking on her because of her being human.

Ella: They were okay. It’s hard to tell when everything is still so new.

I was not convinced of her answer. It sounded like she was holding back something.

Ella: There’s nothing much to tell. Have any dinner plans later? Maybe we can head to the dining hall when you’ve had enough

of books.

Nope. I wasn’t convinced.

A troubling feeling seeped into my stomach. The second the bell rang, I was out the door with the intention of finding Ella. Heading down one of the large corridors, I caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye. And, low and behold, Arthur was slowly trailing behind her.

How ironic is it that I’ve been placed with Olivia and Ella has been, no doubt, placed with Arthur?

Suddenly, all the pieces of this situation started to connect in my mind. It was all too strange that Ella and I had been separated like this. There had to have been some sort of strategy going on.

Although my original plan was to meet up with Ella, I decided to head straight to the Administration Office. The second I walked through the doors, I was met with a middle–aged receptionist wearing a tight scowl.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“I need to speak to the school’s treasury department, I told her firmly.

10:38 AM

Chapter 141

The woman glared at me as if I was crazy. But, nonetheless, she pointed me in the direction of the smaller offices toward the back. When I came face–to–face with the actual head of the department, I was met with the same startling look.

“Mr. Gravens, it’s not generally custom for our accounts to be seen by students-”

“That makes it sound as though you have something to hide,” I pointed out accusingly.

The man sputtered and instantly made his way over to a large filing cabinet behind his desk. He placed a large folder in front of me and I began flipping through the first few pages.

How interesting, it seems that various departments and recreational buildings have all been donated to under the Winslow

account.

I flickered my gaze up to the man and spoke as calmly as possible. “What exactly did Arthur demand in exchange for all this money?”

Once again, the man stumbled over his words and shook his head. “Oh, we can’t exactly speak of the details-

“I will happily call up Aaron Winslow, who I have no doubt is one of Eastwood’s most generous donors, and have put a pause on all money transfers that Arthur has made. Tell me.”

His eyes widened in sheer disbelief. After a long moment of total silence, he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long

breath

“He asked that we switch around a few of the course schedules and that his dorm be resigned,” he explained.

I clenched my jaw in disdain. Of course, Arthur found a way to cheat the system for his own personal gain. I should have anticipated that something like this would have happened.

“That sneaky little bastard,” I muttered under my breath.

I thanked the head of the treasury department for his time and left the building with anger still rippling through me. Taking out my phone, I sent out a text to Ella.

Liam: How about we go somewhere off campus for dinner tonight? I miss you.

[Ella’s POV]

I was pleasantly surprised to have gotten Liam’s text, requesting that we head off campus for dinner that evening. We ended up at a family–owned Italian restaurant, tucked away in a small booth.

I was happy to get away from campus for a few hours. My mind still had a hard time wrapping around the idea that I would be consistently seeing Arthur each and every day going forward.

“How are classes?” he asked.

I gave a slight smile. “They’re okay.” I wasn’t sure if I was ready to tell him about my confrontation with Mrs. Shields just yet. “How about you?”

“They’re alright. Although, I wasn’t exactly expecting to end up saddled with Olivia,

My jaw nearly hit the table. “What? You mean…” Liam nodded his head. “So the two of you share the majority of the same

“Yes,” he said. “Not to mention that she’s dorming across the hall from me.”

I sighed. “It sounds like the exact situation going on with Arthur.”

I could tell he was trying to hold back a sneer.

“That’s because Arthur bought and cheated his way into the system, he remarked, “He donated a lot of money to the school in order to have all of our schedules and room assignments switched around.”

A horrible feeling filled my chest and seeped into my stomach. My mouth was open but I couldn’t seem to find the words I wanted to une.

Chapter 141

What?” I choked out.