Chapter 61

Chapter 61

I wasn’t surprised to see the familiar luxury car waiting for me outside school after my last class of the day. Leroy stood by the car, ready to pick me up. As I approached, he nodded and smiled, making me feel welcomed.

As he approached, he smiled politely and opened the back door for me.

I frowned at him. “You need to be careful. If others see you, they’ll ask questions,” I reminded him.

He nodded his head slightly, acknowledging my concern.

was quiet. Leroy’s cheeks were flushed as he spoke softly, “I hadn’t thought of that; I apologize, Miss Montague.”

I sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed, and quickly slid into the car to avoid being seen by anyone. Leroy closed the door and took his place in the driver’s seat. The atmosphere in the car was calm as we began our ride.

Gavin’s Villa was quiet, which I appreciated. It gave me the space to reflect on the day as a whole. I knew someone had told the dean about my dyslexia, but I wasn’t sure why.

What were they hoping to achieve by sharing that information?

Maybe they thought it would help me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty.

“Why do they want to ruin my reputation?” I wondered.

Leroy stopped the car and got out to open my door. I thanked him and stepped out, heading towards the villa. Adam was waiting for me at the entrance. He greeted me with a warm, tight smile as I walked in.

I walked past him, unsure why he seemed upset with me. I decided to ignore his attitude and went outside, where I found Matt practicing his aim.

When he saw me, his face brightened instantly.

“Judy!” he exclaimed, clearly happy to see me.

I watched as he ran towards me. A smile spread across my face, feeling relieved to see the little guy after such a long day. To be honest, my work hadn’t been very relaxing. But at least I knew that Matt respected me and really listened to what I had to say.

“I’ve been practicing my archery,” he told me proudly. “Come look!”

He pulled me along to the archery setup. He grabbed an arrow from the quiver and picked up the bow from the ground.

I watched him pull back the strings of the bow and release the arrow. It flew through the air and hit the archery board, nearly reaching the target but missing it just slightly. Still, it was much better than his usual shots. I smiled at his effort and felt proud of him.

I clapped my hands. “That was a lot better, Matt,” I said, giving him some encouragement. “Try lowering your shoulders just a little more and aim slightly upward.”

Matt nodded and picked up another arrow from his quiver.

He did as I said. He lowered his shoulder and aimed slightly upward. When he released the arrow, it flew through the air at a rapid speed. We all heard the thud as it hit the target directly in the bull’s-eye!

Matt cheered excitedly.

The smile on his face filled my heart with pride.

“Did you see that?!” he cheered, his excitement bubbling over. “I can’t believe I hit the mark!!”

“I can,” I replied, laughing a little.

“I knew you could do it.”

**Chapter 0061**

“Thanks, Judy,” he said, hugging me tightly.

I chuckled and gave him a friendly pat on the back.

+25 BONUS

“We should get inside now and do some of your…”

“Homework,” I told him.

He nodded and put away the bow and arrow before following me into the house. We settled in the parlor, just like we often did when it was time for his homework. He picked up his worksheets from the day and started to get ready.

As we began working on our assignments, I heard the front doors opening and closing. Soon, I saw Ethan and Irene outside the parlor doors. Irene was holding a large bouquet of flowers, and she looked excited.

She was glowing as she looked up at her fiancé, Ethan.

“Ethan, you didn’t have to get me flowers,” she said excitedly. “They are lovely.”

“Not as lovely as you,” he replied, leaning down to gently brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ethan gently pressed his lips against Irene’s. “I can’t wait to make you Mrs. Cash,” he said with a smile.

I felt a flutter in my stomach at his words. Irene wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck and pulled herself close to him.

“I love you,” she whispered softly.

He didn’t say anything, but instead, he kissed her deeply, showing how much he loved her.

His eyes glanced over at me while I was sitting on the couch, and I noticed them darken. I swallowed hard, trying to push down the lump in my throat.

He knew he was putting on a show just for me. He stepped away from Irene and gently brushed a strand of her blonde hair out of her face. For a moment, his fingers lingered on her cheek as if he wanted to savor the moment.

“You are the…”

“The best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said, kissing the bridge of her nose. Her cheeks turned bright pink, and a smile spread across her perfect lips. “I can’t wait to marry you, my love.”

The moment felt magical, and they both knew they were meant to be together.

The whole time he was talking to her, he kept looking at me.