Chapter 17 Will She Like It?
“Is it him?”
Evan peered out of the car window and spotted the teenager with short black hair, dressed in plain pants and a long shirt, standing by the road and drying herbs in the sun.
“Yes, it’s him.”
Zachary lowered the window halfway. Holding a new pink strawberry keychain made of ordinary plastic. he stared at the teenager outside sharply and icily.
He had found the keychain the previous night when he went into Jocelyn’s room. It had been placed at the head of her bed and was still clutched in her hand as she slept.
“Girls are always naive and ignorant, Zachary said, his expression distant and devoid of warmth as he looked at the keychain. “Go ahead, Evan
“Yes, sir.
As the well–dressed Evan stepped out of the car and walked over, Christian immediately noticed him. Evan asked, “Are you Christian Zimmer?”
Christian stayed calm, staring at Evan without responding.
Evan tossed the pink strawberry keychain at him. Tm Evan Gomez, assistant to Ms. Sullivan’s brother.
“Mr. Price asked me to return this to you. Ms. Sullivan is young and doesn’t understand things well. What she said before was just in jest and shouldn’t be taken seriously. You both are still young. Focusing on your studies is the most important thing right now.
“After all, your life is challenging enough. You wouldn’t want to risk losing everything, would you?
“I hope you think this over carefully. Regarding your mother’s medical bills, Mr. Price will help her out of compassion.
Christian clenched his fists, his expression fierce. “What do you want from me?”
Evan replied bluntly, “Keep away from Ms. Sullivan. Don’t interfere with her life.”
As Evan finished speaking, Christian glanced at the luxury car nearby and met Zachary’s cold, intense stare from inside.
After the car drove off, Christian clutched the keychain tightly.
Zachary turned away, his demeanor aloof and dismissive.
Evan took his place in the driver’s seat and asked, “Mr. Price, should we head back to the company?”
“Not yet. Let’s go to the mall.”
Evan was puzzled for a moment but quickly realized, “Are you planning to buy a gift for Ms. Sullivan?”
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Chapter 17 Will She Like It?
Zachary didn’t respond, but his silence confirmed Evans guess.
It was Evan’s first time visiting a high–end jewelry store outside of attending events with Zachary
The store manager greeted them with a perfect smile, guiding them through the displays.
When they reached the third floor, the manager said, “Mr. Price, here is our collection, designed especially for young girls. I’m curious who the gift is for.
“We have everything here, including bracelets and watches.”
Zachary spotted a pink crystal diamond bracelet in the display case and walked over to it.
The store manager promptly instructed the staff to retrieve the item. “Sir, this is a limited edition just released this year. It’s the only one available, featuring 520 diamonds set in a pink crystal. It can be used as a keychain or worn as a bracelet. It’s very feminine and pink, with a handcrafted chain buckle made from top–quality materials.”
Zachary examined it closely, turning it over in his hand. “Do you think she’ll like it?”
Evan nodded. “She will. After all, it’s a gift you chose for her.
-Zachary instructed. “Wrap it up simply.”
The salesperson cheerfully agreed. “Certainly, Mr. Price. Your total comes to 300 thousand dollars.”
As they left the mall, Evan glanced in the rearview mirror, clearly puzzled by Zachary’s actions. Hadn’t Zachary said he didn’t need updates on Jocelyn?
Evan had thought Zachary wanted to distance himself from Jocelyn, but now he was buying her a gift- treatment that even Yvette hadn’t received.
The Prices and Fosters were both occupied with the engagement, yet Zachary seemed uninterested.
He appeared to have a special interest in Jocelyn.
Zachary put away the gift and said, “Let’s return to the company.”
Evan asked, “You picked out the gift with such care. Aren’t you going to give it to Ms. Sullivan?”
Zachary responded, “Her birthday is on the 7th of next month.”
Now it made sense.
By 5:00 pm, Jocelyn had finished her homework except for one difficult math problem. When she tried calling Christian for help, he didn’t answer despite multiple attempts,
He used to answer right away–what was going on?
Why didn’t he answer any of her calls?
Feeling hungry, Jocelyn heated breakfast leftovers for dinner. She then cleaned the house and took out
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Chapter 17 Will She Like It?
trash.
As she was heading downstairs, she realized the keychain Christian had bought for her was missing. She had left it by her pillow. Had Zachary taken it?
On the ground floor, holding the trash bag, Jocelyn considered calling Zachary to ask about it but remembered his phone number was out of service. She then abandoned the idea.
Not only had Christian not answered her calls for two days, but he also hadn’t responded to her messages.
Jocelyn felt increasingly frustrated and sent several texts to Christian.
“Christian, if you don’t reply, I’ll never speak to you again.”
“Christian, say something!”
“Christian, I need help with a math problem.”
That night, Christian, who had just finished his part–time job, pulled his phone from the drawer of his old desk. The wind outside rustled his worn clothes. He glanced at the screen, tapped a few times, then turned off the phone and put it back in the drawer.
Jocelyn was bewildered by the situation.
The next morning, she hoped to see Christian on the school bus.
To her surprise, she spotted him riding a bike on the street. Forgetting she was still on the bus with her classmates, she stuck her head out of the window and shouted, “Christian!”
Everyone around her looked in her direction, and soon the whispers began.
“Are Christian and Jocelyn dating?”
“She’s so shameless, He clearly doesn’t want anything to do with her.”
“Are they out of their minds?”
