Chapter 188: Everyone Knows

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Everyone Knows

Chapter 188: Everyone Knows

The classroom door opened suddenly.

Audra Sloane looked over almost immediately, a little faster than she would have liked.

The person standing there was familiar.

Unfortunately, it was not the person she had been waiting for.

Gemma Rhodes walked into the fourth-floor classroom carrying a small cake box. She glanced around the otherwise empty room, then looked at Audra with obvious curiosity.

"What kind of expression is that? Why are you sitting here alone today? Where is Cyrus?"

Audra shook her head.

"I don’t know."

Gemma studied her for a second.

The answer was simple, but Audra’s mood was not difficult to read if someone knew her well enough.

Gemma walked over and lightly patted her shoulder.

"It’s your birthday. You’re not allowed to sit here looking miserable."

She raised the cake box.

"Come on. I brought something."

Audra’s expression softened slightly.

"Thank you, Gemma."

"You don’t need to thank me."

Gemma immediately got to work.

She closed the curtains enough to dim the room, opened the cake box, and placed a few small candles on top.

A moment later, warm points of flame flickered in the quiet classroom.

"Make a wish."

Audra looked at the cake.

Then she closed her eyes.

Gemma watched her silently.

For all the things Audra had, there were also things people rarely noticed.

Her parents spent much of their time traveling for business.

Warren Sloane, the grandfather Audra genuinely admired and felt closest to, often disappeared for months at a time once she got older.

People constantly tried to approach her, but many of them wanted something.

Status.

Attention.

A chance to say they were close to Audra Sloane.

Romance without even knowing her.

As a result, Audra had surprisingly few people she actually trusted.

Her circle of real friends was small.

Male friends had practically never existed at all.

Then Cyrus appeared.

Gemma had obviously heard the rumors.

She had even found excuses to pass the fourth-floor classroom a few times because she wanted to see what Cyrus and Audra actually did during lunch.

The result was almost disappointingly innocent.

They studied.

That was it.

Still, Gemma did not dislike the idea of them becoming something more.

Cyrus could be pretending to be detached for all she cared.

The impressive part was that he could sit across from Audra and treat her like a normal person.

That alone was rare.

Gemma had heard people complain that Audra was the one doing most of the approaching.

She saw no problem with that.

Waiting around for someone with hidden motives to choose her seemed much worse than Audra deciding for herself who she wanted to approach.

Gemma had not understood Audra’s interest in Cyrus at first.

Now she thought the decision looked increasingly smart.

The two of them even had something strange in common.

Neither possessed much of a social life.

Audra had very few friends.

Cyrus somehow had even fewer.

In a ridiculous way, that made them seem compatible.

Gemma was perfectly willing to support the idea.

The attractive quiet boy and the beautiful top student getting together was the sort of school romance people would gossip about for months.

Unfortunately, judging by Audra’s current mood, things were apparently not progressing very smoothly.

Audra finished making her wish.

Gemma blew out one candle that had stubbornly remained lit, then cut the cake.

She dragged a chair beside Audra and handed her a slice.

As they started eating, Gemma spoke casually.

"Maybe Cyrus disappeared because he’s preparing some kind of surprise for you."

Audra’s eyes shifted.

"I don’t know."

The cake was sweet, but Gemma’s suggestion affected her more than the taste did.

She wanted to believe it.

She simply did not have enough confidence.

Gemma took another bite.

"So how far have the two of you gotten?"

Audra became quiet.

She continued eating without answering.

If she ignored the strange incidents caused by the glamourkin ring, there had been almost no obvious progress at all.

They studied together.

They talked more often.

Cyrus had started paying more attention to her preferences.

He remembered things she said.

But nothing between them had crossed into something she could confidently call romantic.

Audra had been waiting for Cyrus to take the first clear step.

Was that a mistake?

Gemma interpreted the silence very differently.

She assumed Audra was embarrassed.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Were these two somehow even more innocent than she expected?

Was this what actual high school romance looked like?

Gemma suddenly found the cake less satisfying.

She forced herself to change the subject.

"Your grandfather is coming back soon, right? How many days?"

"Probably two or three."

Gemma brightened.

"Will he make it back for your birthday?"

Audra shook her head.

"He won’t."

Warren had been somewhere extremely remote.

Just leaving the region where he had been staying could take nearly two weeks. Even if every part of the trip afterward went smoothly, he would still need several additional days.

Gemma’s expression changed.

She had been about to suggest celebrating again once he returned.

Audra seemed to notice what she was thinking.

"I’m used to it. It’s fine."

Gemma looked at her.

Then her eyes suddenly became suspiciously wet.

"Audra, that is such a sad thing to say."

Before Audra could respond, Gemma leaned over and hugged her.

Audra blinked.

Then she lightly patted Gemma’s back.

"I really am fine."

Gemma did not entirely believe her.

Still, the warmth of the hug gradually pushed away the darker thoughts that had gathered inside Audra before she arrived.

Audra herself barely noticed how sharply her mood had changed.

Elsewhere in the quiet classroom, something faint shifted.

Inside a small box tucked away on a shelf, a soft pink glow appeared for only a moment.

The light was weak.

Almost impossible to notice.

It lingered, then slowly faded until the box looked completely ordinary again.

Neither girl saw it.

Gemma eventually released Audra.

"When things calm down for me, we’re going somewhere together."

Audra nodded.

"I’d like that."

Gemma sighed.

She had been unusually busy lately.

If not for that, she would never have needed to use independent study to run off campus, get Vera to sign a pass, and pick up the birthday cake in the first place.

Normally, she would have simply shown up at the Sloane estate after school.

Gemma had almost canceled some of her plans for today.

Audra seemed to realize that and had discouraged her from doing so.

Now Gemma privately decided that once she had real free time, she would make it up to her properly.

Eventually, she had to leave.

Audra watched her go.

Then she looked at the remaining cake.

It was small enough that Gemma had eaten roughly half.

Audra had only finished part of her own portion.

Lunch was already nearing its end.

She decided to stay until she finished.

It was Gemma’s gift.

Leaving the cake behind would feel wrong.

The fourth-floor classroom became quiet again.

Audra took another bite.

For some reason, it tasted better than it had earlier.

Her eyes drifted toward the empty seat across from her.

Gemma had moved the chair beside Audra while they ate.

Audra looked at the empty space where it normally belonged.

Then she sighed softly.

She stood and returned the chair to its usual position across from her.

The warning bell for the next class rang almost immediately.

Audra sat down again.

Then she heard hurried footsteps approaching.

She turned toward the doorway.

Cyrus appeared.

He was breathing slightly faster than normal, as though he had been rushing.

Audra’s eyes changed.

Relief came first.

Then something more complicated followed.

She had genuinely started believing she might not receive anything from him today.

Cyrus adjusted his breathing before speaking.

"Can I take a minute?"

Audra nodded.

"That’s fine."

Something about the atmosphere shifted.

Audra felt her heartbeat speed up.

Maybe this was it.

Maybe the step she had been waiting for was happening now.

Cyrus reached into his things and took out a small, carefully wrapped box.

He held it toward her.

"Happy birthday, Audra."

For a second, Audra simply stared.

The moment was not what she had imagined.

Still, the disappointment she might have expected never arrived.

Instead, relief and happiness rose so quickly that she needed a moment before she trusted her voice.

He had remembered.

He had prepared something.

He had disappeared because he went to get it.

"Thank you."

Her voice came softer than usual.

Cyrus relaxed internally.

"You’re welcome."

She had accepted it.

That alone reassured him.

Apparently his judgment had not been terrible.

The gift had cost five hundred eighty-eight dollars.

Cyrus still suspected at least a third of that price belonged to the packaging.

Thinking about the number made his wallet hurt again.

So this was what humans meant when they talked about paying for thoughtfulness.

Still, Audra was important enough that the money was not wasted.

A reliable safeguard was worth maintaining.

The room became quiet.

Audra held the box for a moment before asking, "Can I open it now?"

Cyrus nodded.

"Of course."

He sat in the chair across from her.

The class bell rang.

Neither moved.

Cyrus did not dare rush her.

According to the extremely talkative store employee, opening a gift was apparently part of the experience.

Audra untied the ribbon.

Inside was a slim fountain pen.

The body faded from pale blue into white, with delicate engraved patterns running along the surface.

A small bottle of ink rested beside it.

The gift was elegant without being too intimate.

That was exactly why Cyrus had chosen it.

Audra lifted the pen carefully.

A faint scent reached her.

Strawberry.

She looked at it again.

The pen really did carry a subtle strawberry fragrance.

Her eyes dimmed by the smallest amount.

A pen.

She would probably have been happier with flowers.

Even something Cyrus casually picked from beside the road might have felt more personal.

Still, she looked up and smiled faintly.

"Thank you. I really like it."

Cyrus immediately felt relieved.

"I’m glad."

He had noticed weeks ago that Audra often used a scented pen with a similar fragrance.

The ink was nearly gone.

So he had bought a nicer version.

Practical.

Thoughtful.

Perfectly timed.

Cyrus quietly congratulated himself.

Having a friend this observant was surely a benefit Audra should appreciate.

Audra retied the ribbon and carefully returned the pen to its box.

Then she seemed to make a decision.

"Cyrus."

He looked up.

"What is it?"

"Do you want some birthday cake?"

The question sounded casual.

The small fork she had raised already carried a piece of cake.

For a second, Cyrus wondered whether she intended to feed him directly.

That felt unnecessarily intimate.

Audra held the fork there.

Cyrus looked at the remaining cake.

Refusing might seem rude.

Sharing birthday cake was probably normal.

He reached out and carefully took the fork from her.

Their fingers brushed briefly.

The contact was unavoidable because of how small the utensil was.

Cyrus acted as though nothing happened.

He ate the piece of cake.

The frosting was good.

It might have tasted even better chilled.

Audra watched him with an unreadable expression.

Cyrus could tell something had changed, but he could not identify what.

She pushed the rest of the cake toward him.

"A friend brought this for me. I don’t want to waste it, and I was going to finish it before going back downstairs."

She paused.

"Can you help me?"

Cyrus looked at the remaining portion.

He still had not eaten lunch.

Cake was not exactly a proper meal, but it would do for now.

"That’s fine."

Five minutes after class started, Audra finally returned to senior advisory three.

Normally, one student arriving late would barely attract attention.

Today was different.

Several people noticed the small gift box in her hand.

That alone caused a few expressions to change.

It was the only birthday gift anyone had seen Audra carry instead of reject or throw away.

Then Cyrus entered only moments behind her.

The class understood almost immediately.

Nobody needed to ask who had given her the box.

Audra returned to her seat.

With deliberate casualness, she placed the gift where it remained visible on top of her desk.

The answer was now practically public knowledge.

Cyrus ignored the looks gathering around him and returned to his usual seat in the back corner.

Owen watched the entire sequence.

Then, for no particular reason, he remembered the student from another class whose carefully prepared gift had gone straight into the trash earlier that morning.

Owen suddenly felt a little sorry for him.