Chapter 14
Putting aside the matter at hand, Anderson picked up his phone and walked over to the window to answer the call.
Feeling completely neglected, Isabel stared at him from behind, her expression gradually clouding over. She waited patiently for him to finish the call. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.
"I understand. I'll be there." With just a few brief sentences, Anderson ended the call.
Isabel asked, "It sounds like a call from school. Did something happen with Mayra?"
Anderson furrowed his brows, his expression turning grim. He shoved his phone in his pocket and replied, "Mayra ranked last in her recent quiz and there's only twenty days until her mock exam. After that, once the results are out, a parent-teacher meeting will be held."
The problem was that Anderson was Mayra's only guardian.
"Ranked last? I don't remember Mayra's results being that bad. Could she have encountered some problems at school?" Isabel asked with concern.
"How about this, why don't I go to the parent-teacher meeting on your behalf? I recall that you have a business trip to Candor City in two weeks. It would be bad if your schedule is disrupted. Besides, I am Mayra's sister-in-law."
Anderson pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Very well."
"By the way, isn't there a family banquet tonight? Aren't you going?"
Anderson responded flatly, "I'm busy."
…
By the time Mayra had finished eating and completed her workbooks, it was already 8:30 p.m. She walked out of the mall and suddenly started sneezing repeatedly.
Gordon, who had accompanied her to the bus stop, looked down and asked, "Did you catch a cold?"
Mayra shook her head. "No. But ever since I walked out of the mall, I can't seem to shake off this uneasy feeling in my chest."
"You're probably just overthinking things. Finish your homework and review everything again. Write down all the things I taught you today. I'll check it tomorrow."
As the bus slowly approached and came to a halt, Gordon handed her her backpack.
Standing on the steps of the bus, Mayra turned back to him. "What about you? Aren't you coming with me?"
Gordon shook his head. "I still have to go to work. I'll head back later. You go on ahead."
"Alright. I'll text you when I get back." Gordan nodded.
Mayra inserted a coin into the farebox and settled into her usual seat. Half an hour later, a wave of drowsiness washed over her and she found herself struggling to keep her eyes open.
Upon reaching her stop, she got off the bus and returned to her house. The minute she opened the door, she immediately caught sight of a familiar box of pastries sitting on the living room table.
Mayra walked over, feeling slightly confused. Weren't these the same pastries Isabel got for Anderson? How had they ended up here?
The only people who knew she lived here were Anderson and Shane. Could Anderson have brought them? Mayra opened the box to look, and just as she expected, she found cream puffs inside.
However, they were too sweet for her liking. After pondering for a moment, she decided to store them in the fridge and give them to Gordan tomorrow.
She sent Gordan a message. "I'm home now. How about you? How much longer till you're done?"
Gordon texted back almost immediately. "Read through the books first. I'll teach you the questions you don't know tomorrow."
Mayra replied. "Alright."
…
In a late-night barbecue shop, Gordon was dressed in a white chef's uniform and was pouring a bucket of wastewater into the garbage bin. Not long after he had replied to Mayra's messages, he received a call from his employer.
"I heard from my wife that you're resigning. Are you really not going to continue as a tutor? If you're concerned about the salary, it's open for negotiation. I heard from Daisy that you are a great tutor. Thanks to you, her results have greatly improved."
Gordon said indifferently, "As long as she doesn't lose focus and gets into a good university, she won't need me anymore."
Upon hearing his refusal, the caller didn't push further. "Alright, but if you ever wish to come back I'll triple the tuition fee. I'll transfer the fees for the past few weeks to your account shortly."
Gordon replied, "Alright."
Just as he hung up the phone, he immediately received a notification that 500 dollars had been deposited into his account. He put away his phone and continued with his work.
Meanwhile, Mayra had just finished noting down some math formulas and was now starting to revise her vocabulary. Without realizing it, she dozed off on the table, only to be awakened by a gentle summer breeze.
By the time she lifted her head to look, she was surprised to find that it was already midnight. At that moment, she heard her phone buzz. It was a message from Gordan.
"Are you asleep?"
Mayra groggily picked up her phone and quickly replied. "No. Are you done with work?'"
"Come down. I brought you supper."
Gordon was here? Mayra's drowsiness instantly vanished. She grabbed her phone and threw on a thin cardigan before rushing out the door.
However, just as she was making her way out, she suddenly remembered something and hurried back to the kitchen. She grabbed the cream puffs from the fridge before replying. "I'll be right down."
Once Mayra was down, she immediately spotted Gordan, who was dressed in a thin shirt. He was standing under the street light with a bag of skewers in his hand.
The both of them took a seat on a stone bench nearby. Upon noticing that Mayra had just gotten out of the shower, Gordon placed his jacket on the bench before letting her sit down.
Mayra ate the skewers happily, while Gordan sat stiffly beside her. His white shirt smelled of barbecue, but Mayra didn't mind one bit.
With her mouth covered in grease, she eagerly devoured the food while looking at him. "Gordan, why did you text me at this hour? What if I had fallen asleep?"
"You wouldn't have. Considering the task that I gave you and your pace, you'd only have wrapped up around midnight."
Mayra paused briefly and then set down the skewers in her hands. Ignoring her greasy fingers, she cupped Gordan's face in her hands.
With her eyes curved, she looked at him with a bright smile. "You truly are amazing, Gordan. You even managed to accurately estimate the time."
Despite Gordan's attempt to remain composed, the tight grip he had on his pants gave him out. The moment their eyes met, Mayra felt her breath hitch.
This was a gesture she had done to him in her past life, but he couldn't remember it now… Right now, she and Gordan were merely friends.
"Your hands are greasy," Gordon said.
Mayra awkwardly cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry about that. I'll wipe them right now."
Gordan immediately grabbed her wrist. "Don't wipe it on your clothes. It'll be hard to wash."
As Mayra gazed at him, she felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn't help but wonder if she had married Gordan in her past life, would she have been able to escape from the humiliation and tragic fate…
Mayra carefully studied him, as if wanting to etch his face deep in her memory. She couldn't help but wonder how Gordon would react upon hearing of her death while he was in prison.
The moon was suddenly shrouded by clouds, casting darkness over the night sky. For the first time, Mayra asked Gordan earnestly, "Gordan, why do you treat me so kindly?"