章節 59: Chapter 59 - She Could Cry in Her Room

Lily Chambers sat quietly at her desk in the classroom, lost in the pages of a book. It was break time, and while her classmates gathered in groups, chatting and laughing, she chose to sit alone, engrossed in her reading. Her short blonde hair fell slightly forward, partially covering her face.

She lifted her head when she noticed a group of boys approaching her desk. Her heart started to race, and her palms became sweaty. It was clear they were heading towards her, as they often did.

Gerald, the leader of the group, wore a smug expression. He walked with two other boys who followed him like bodyguards. Gerald seemed to be assessing Lily as he approached, making a mental calculation of her worth. He had an air of superiority, acting as if he was better than everyone else in the room.

He took a step forward and spoke in an authoritative voice, "Hey, why are you sitting by yourself? Do you need a companion, or is there no one willing to be your friend?"

Lily tried to divert her gaze, searching for the right words to respond. She felt uncomfortable with all her classmates' eyes on her.

Gerald was popular and well-liked by many girls in the second year. Even though he wasn't in the same class as Lily, he had recently been coming to her classroom just to greet her. The idea of conquering a girl like Lily intrigued him. He thought Lily's beauty was something extraordinary, despite her not wearing overly fashionable clothes or having a large social circle, which made her seem less popular.

One of her peers sneered, "It's obvious that Lily is trying to attract Gerald. What a manipulative witch!"

"What do you mean?" another girl asked. "Do you think Gerald would be interested in such a poor girl?"

"She's probably looking for money, so she's pretty much selling herself," the first girl replied with contempt.

"I just want to yank out her hair. She really doesn't deserve to share the same air as us," said another girl with a scowl.

"I can't understand why such an exclusive school has to accept someone like her," chimed in a third girl.

The other continued, "I think we shouldn't have her here. She's bringing us all down."

Gerald sat down beside Lily and pulled his chair closer to hers, invading her personal space.

"I want you," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "I'm offering you a chance for a date—one that you shouldn't turn down."

Lily felt her heart pounding in her chest, and she tried her best to avoid making eye contact with Gerald, fear evident in her eyes. His words were so blatant that they left her no room to think or respond. Did he really think she was an object that could be desired by anyone at will?

But then, she knew public opinion would favor Gerald, the popular one. Regardless of what she did, she would remain the target of others' sneers, with no one to defend her.

What should she do?

She knew she needed to refuse his offer but was too scared to say anything. She could feel her classmates staring at her, waiting for something to happen.

Gerald's face hardened as he realized Lily wasn't responding to his offer, and he threatened her with a warning. "You're going to regret this if you don't take my offer, Lily. Saturday night, you and I are going on a date. Don't even think about refusing this opportunity," he said. "I want you, you're cute."

Lily gulped and glanced down at the floor. She knew that no one else in the room would come to her aid if Gerald started making any unexpected moves.

Gerald flashed her a confident smile and said, "I'm handsome, rich, and popular, so you should appreciate and treasure what I'm offering you. Don't be scared—you won't regret it, I promise."

Lily felt frozen in place; she had been through similar situations before, but never one as intimidating as this. She knew it was time to stand up for herself, even if it put her safety at risk. With all the courage she could muster, she finally took a deep breath and boldly stated, "Sorry, I can't. I have something else to do with my family."

Gerald's face contorted into a menacing scowl as he slowly rose from the chair. His gaze was heavy as he considered Lily for a few moments before turning away with a low growl of warning. "You'll regret this," he muttered before stalking off, followed closely by his entourage.

Lily watched him leave, her heart still racing. She felt a mix of relief and fear. She knew she had made the right decision, but she also knew this wasn't the end of her troubles.

When the bell signaled the end of school, Lily made her way out of the classroom amidst taunts from her classmates.

"You think you're so special, don't you? You treated Gerald like crap, and now you're just walking away!" they whispered as they passed by Lily, not even bothering to look at her.

"You're such a slut. You don't even know what you're doing!"

"Well, we all heard what happened. You were so disrespectful to Gerald, and now you're just acting like nothing happened!"

"You were swearing and yelling at him! You're so rude!"

As Lily walked away, she could hear her peers mocking her, calling her a slut, and saying she didn't know what she was doing. She felt desperate, but she kept her head high and continued walking.

The hateful stares had started as soon as Gerald walked away, and it got worse when they had the chance to speak directly, making sure she could hear them. More of her peers passed by, some of them deliberately bumping her shoulder, causing her to stumble slightly.

She needed to get away. She felt a surge of emotion building in her chest, something she could no longer contain. She quickened her pace, wanting to escape from those who continued to judge and ridicule her.

Once she was out of the school grounds, she faster her walking, even breaking into a small run. She wanted to reach home quickly, where she could cry in her room without anyone seeing her.

She desperately tried to suppress the tears that were beginning to swell in her eyes. She refused to let the sorrow engulf her, clamping down on her emotions with an iron will. She bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, forcing the tears to stop.

But with each step, the effort to remain composed grew more difficult, and soon she could feel hot sobs welling up inside of her.

She stopped for a moment, trying to force a smile on her face and wipe away the evidence of her grief. Clenching her fists, Lily pushed herself forward — she didn't want Leon, her brother, to find her in such a distressed state when she arrived home.

Lily's heart raced with excitement as she approached the entrance of the house. She could hear laughter emanating from inside - it was her brother Leon and their uncle Ben. A wide smile spread across her face as she knocked on the door and stepped inside.

創作者的想法
Galanteo

Wow. This was a tough chapter for Lily, wasn't it?

It's heartbreaking how cruel people can be, especially when they don't understand or don't want to understand.

But our girl Lily stood her ground, even when it wasn't easy.

Character Arts, Wiki, Discord!

Join Discord tinyurl.com/galanteodiscord

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章節 60: Chapter 60 - We’re Not Going to Kidnap You

Lily opened the door and greeted Leon and their uncle with a bright smile.

"Uncle Ben, I didn't know you were home!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Ben, a 39-year-old man, regarded Lily fondly and replied, "Hi, Lily! Haha, I'm here for a few days. Finally had some time off, so I decided to come home and spend some time with you two. It's been a while since we've had the chance to get together. Come on in!"

Lily smiled and felt laughter bubbling up as her brother and their uncle bantered playfully in the living room.

Leon and Lily had been living with Ben since their parents' whereabouts became unknown. For them, Ben was like a surrogate father. He truly cared for both of them, providing support and doing more than enough to meet their needs. Even now, when Leon was working hard to contribute, their uncle insisted on paying for Lily's school fees. Although Lily attended a prestigious school on a scholarship, studying at an elite institution was not as easy as they had imagined.

Leon smiled at his sister and said, "Hey, Lily! We were planning a special dinner tonight. What do you think?"

"Yay! Of course, dinner sounds great! It's been a long time since we had dinner together," Lily responded cheerfully, her smile widening and her eyes sparkling with happiness. She quickly sat down next to Ben and leaned on him.

"Hey, how's school, Lily? Have you got a boyfriend yet? Haha, remember what I said—you need to introduce any boy who wants to date you to us first, okay? I need to make sure they treat you right, haha." Ben said, his laughter filling the cozy, cluttered room.

Lily grinned broadly. "Uncle, you should be talking about Leon! He's surrounded by beautiful girls, you know?" she responded with a giggle.

"Hahaha," Ben responded with laughter. "It's surprising how many new things happen in this house, even when I'm gone for just two weeks."

He then turned to Leon. "Now, Leon, tell me how you're so confident about earning all that money. Are you sure you're not doing anything foolish to get it?"

Lily had observed many changes in Leon over the past few weeks. He had been discovering gems within the game and had even started purchasing more luxurious items for the house. Not to mention, he had taken the time to buy some new clothes for her too. Although he assured them he could easily earn money, she still felt a bit worried that he might be spending his earnings too freely, which could cause problems later.

"I'll take you to a fancy restaurant. My treat!" Leon exclaimed with excitement.

"But Leon... don't you need that money more for your studies? A regular meal would be fine, I think."

"Don't worry, Lily," he replied with a reassuring smile. "I have plenty of money for that, so you don't need to be concerned."

Ben chuckled. "Hahaha, look at how your brother acts, Lily. You two make me feel so useless. If Leon has that much money, then I won't be of any use to you guys anymore."

"Oh, come on, Uncle," Lily said with a cheerful grin. "You're so much more than that to us."

They continued chatting about trivial matters until Leon stood up after receiving a message on his phone.

"So… tonight, at 7 PM, but before that I need to meet someone, maybe for a few hours," he said, then quickly went to his room for a moment.

"I didn't know your brother had friends?" Ben said with a giggle.

Lily gave a curious look, watching where Leon went. A few moments later, he came out dressed in casual clothes, clearly one of the new outfits he had recently bought.

"Who are you meeting? Is it a date? You don't need to bother inviting us to dinner if you want to go on a date, Leon," Ben said with a teasing grin.

"No, it's for work," he replied casually.

Just then, they heard a car parked outside the house. Leon immediately waved his hand and stepped outside, "Ah! That must be her! Don't worry, she said it will only take a short while. I'll be back soon."

"She?" Ben muttered, puzzled.

Leon stepped out of the house, with Ben and Lily trailing behind him. They noticed a young woman exiting the passenger seat of a black luxury car parked in front of their house.

The woman, wearing sunglasses, appeared to be in her early twenties. She was dressed in a black office suit and a short skirt. She had shoulder-length brown hair, pushed back to one side, and her appearance was sophisticated and elegant. It was clear from her appearance alone that she was someone of significance.

"Who is she?" Ben stammered, turning to look at Lily in surprise. "A girlfriend? Did he ever mention anything about her to you, Lily?"

Lily gaped in shock. "I don't know either, Uncle," she said quickly. "But if he does have a girlfriend, Leon wouldn't hide it from us. From what I know, he's close to a Princess, a Goddess, and a Mage."

"What?!" Ben was taken aback by Lily's statement. "What did you say?"

"He told me about the women he met in the game, but I think only the Mage is a real player," she continued.

Ben didn't understand much about Immortal Legacy, but he grasped the gist of what Lily was talking about. They continued to watch Leon with curiosity.

Leon approached the girl who greeted him with a wave. She was a member of the Golden Age Company, the developer of the popular game Immortal Legacy. Leon had received an email from the company stating that she would be his designated support person for the Elite Player Support Program (EPSP).

As they stood face-to-face, the woman smiled at him. "Hi, I'm the one who sent you the message. I'm Freya," she said, her smile warm and welcoming.

Leon nodded and replied, "Nice to meet you. My name is Leon."

Freya gave Leon a dazzling smile, "How about we step out for a bit? There are many things I want to discuss with you," she said, her smile growing wider. For a moment, Leon was taken aback by her presence, as her skin seemed to shine like the sun, radiating warmth and light.

"Yes, of course," he said.

As soon as she removed her sunglasses, Leon was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze. She stood at 1.67 meters (5.48 feet) tall, so she had to tilt her head slightly upward while offering him a friendly grin.

"Sorry, I forgot I was wearing these sunglasses," she said, giggling. She then opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat, gesturing to the seat next to her. "Come, here."

Leon stood frozen for a moment, surprised. He was still in shock at the sight of such a luxurious car in front of him. It was the first time he had ever seen a car this expensive up close. He thought that the price of this car could probably buy a mansion.

"Come on, Leon, we're not going to kidnap you. We were officially sent by Golden Age Company. If you need reassurance, I can call the CEO right now," she said, giggling again.

"Ah, sorry," he said, then stepped into the car.

***

(Author's Note)

Hi, thank you for reading this far! Are you enjoying Leon and his journey? There are many things waiting ahead, big things—this is just a small part of the grand adventure he's about to undertake. Greatness is coming, and you won't see it coming.

See you in the next chapter!