Chapter 2
After responding, Hazel immediately changed her house security code.
Then she began purging her home of everything related to Julian and Maverick.
She removed figurines, stuffed animals, and mementos from her shelves, tossing them into a large box.
Before she knew it, the box was overflowing with memories.
As she carried it downstairs to throw into the dumpster, she ran into Julian and Maverick returning from Rose’s party.
Their eyes immediately caught sight of two wedding veils among the discarded items.
When they were children playing house, both had fought to be Hazel’s groom. The argument nearly turned physical.
Finally, Hazel had to accept both veils to calm their hostility.
Despite this compromise, they still insisted that when they eventually married, the other’s veil would have to be thrown away.
Back then, little Hazel had blinked innocently: “How do you know I’ll marry either of you when I grow up?”
Both had instantly protested, insisting she must choose one of them.
Now, seeing Hazel throwing away not just the veils but everything connected to them, both boys rushed forward.
Maverick, always the more outspoken one, grabbed her hand tightly. “Why are you throwing away everything we gave you? Are you still mad about earlier? Yes, we gave Rose your door code, but aren’t you friends? We thought it would be fine. And anyway, we sent you money for the stuff she borrowed, which you accepted…”
Julian, typically cool and reserved, now spoke with a slight tremor in his voice: “Hazel, getting upset over something small is one thing, but throwing away our gifts? Isn’t that a bit extreme?”
She’s discarding their things and now they feel betrayed? They’re this upset already?
What if she told them she’d secretly changed her college application to get away from them forever? Wouldn’t they lose their
minds?
“I’m not angry,” She spoke in a flat tone, her gaze calm as still water as she looked at them. “These things were getting moldy, so naturally I had to throw them out.”
“You’re really not angry anymore?” they asked in unison.
Hazel shook her head. “No.”
After all, these two would soon have nothing to do with her life, so what was there to be angry about?
Hearing this, Maverick immediately sighed with relief.
Julian’s brow also relaxed. “If they were moldy, then it’s good you threw them out. We’ll buy you new ones.”
13:11
Ditched My Toxic Duo for a Billionaire Upgrade!
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She didn’t speak, just gave a soft “mm” of acknowledgment before turning away with indifference.
Watching her retreating figure, Maverick sensed something still wasn’t right.
He knew Hazel was just putting on a brave face. Frustrated, he ran and jerked his chin impatiently. “Should we go after her?”
hand through his hair, exchanged a glance with Julian
Julian’s eyes were downcast, hiding his deeper thoughts, his voice distinctly cold: “You go.”
Maverick had just taken a step forward when, struck by some thought, he hesitated: “Actually, never mind. She has to make her choice on opening day anyway. If she’s still upset then, we can explain about Rose.”
“Mm.” Julian nodded, and they each went their separate ways.
For several days afterward, neither Julian nor Maverick came to see Hazel.
Through Rose’s constant Instagram updates, Hazel learned they were busy fulfilling Rose’s post–graduation bucket list–amusement parks she’d never visited, planetariums she’d been curious about, landmarks she’d only seen in books… they took Rose to experience it all.
Hazel scrolled through each post, even mustering the detachment to hit “like” on a few.
Until one day, her Harvard acceptance letter arrived.
Just as she tucked it away, Julian and Maverick knocked on her door.
“Hazel, our acceptance letters came. Did yours arrive? Let’s go get them together.”
Hazel’s expression remained impassive, her once warm eyes now cold and distant. “No need. Mine was already delivered.”
She finished speaking and moved to close the door.
Julian quickly caught it with his hand. “Wait, I’ve reserved a private room at a restaurant. Let’s celebrate together.”
Maverick eagerly added, “And afterward we can shop for college supplies.”
Hazel didn’t want to go, but they refused to leave or let her close the door.
Eventually, she nodded in agreement.
Following them into a Cajun restaurant, the spicy aroma filled the air, making Hazel instinctively rub her nose as her eyes reddened slightly.
At their reserved table, Rose was already adding ingredients to the communal pot.
“Finally! I’ve been waiting forever–the/broth is already boiling!” she exclaimed.
Seeing Rose, Hazel frowned involuntarily.
Maverick quickly explained: “Hazel, Rose mentioned she needed supplies too, so we invited her along.”
Julian carefully studied her expression and added: “We’ll all be classmates, so we thought we should include her.”
12.21
Ditched My Toxic Duo for a Billionaire Upgrade!
Chapter 2
Hazel no longer cared to hear their explanations. She just wanted to finish the meal and shopping as quickly as possible and get home.
But sitting at the table, she couldn’t eat a thing.
The red broth was filled with an intimidating amount of chili peppers. Rose was enjoying it thoroughly, but Hazel had suffered from stomach problems since childhood and couldn’t handle spicy food.
After forcing down a few bites, her stomach burned painfully.
She called a server to order some milder dishes, but just as she received the menu, Rose snatched it away and added several even spicier options.
Julian and Maverick watched with indulgent smiles, completely forgetting Hazel’s dietary restrictions.
Hazel could see that Rose was deliberately provoking her.
In the past, she would have protested, only for the boys to defend Rose and criticize her. But now, she was tired of that game.
So she silently sipped water, saying nothing.
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