"Hey, you. Did you defend your virtue or what? You didn't let him take advantage of you and not even notice, did you?"
Laura Lowell looked at the barrage of questions Zachary Redgrave was bombarding her with and felt a massive headache coming on.
Hannah Hale lowered her head, her fingertips quickly tapping out a line of text on the screen before she sent it.
"Wouldn't it be even better if he *did* take advantage of her? They're a perfect match. Someone should just move the Civil Affairs Bureau over here and let them get married on the spot."
Zachary Redgrave: WTF, WTF, WTF! Hannah Hale, do you even know that guy?!
Zachary Redgrave: That guy... he's handsome enough, I guess, but who knows if he's reliable.
Hannah Hale: He is reliable! He's Dr. Shaw, the dream guy of our department. He's drop-dead gorgeous. I support this with both my hands and feet!
Zachary Redgrave: Tch, what a fangirl. You have me around all the time, and you still have eyes for other guys? Are you nuts?
Hannah Hale: Piss off, you narcissist.
Looking at the chat history between the two of them, Laura Lowell didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
........
That evening, Laura Lowell stood by the window, her expression troubled.
The rain outside had stopped, and a cool breeze drifted in, carrying the faint, fresh scent of green leaves.
Laura Lowell instinctively pulled her jacket tighter. Jolene Joyce had just called and torn into her.
It wasn't that Jolene Joyce forbade her artists from dating, but that it wasn't the right time for Laura Lowell.
A large portion of her fanbase consisted of students...
If news of a relationship were to get out, she would inevitably lose a significant number of fans, and it might even provoke some of them into irrational behavior.
Agitated, Laura Lowell rested her head against the window and took a long, deep breath.
The door to her room was pushed open. The sound of steady footsteps met her ears. Laura Lowell turned, and Aiden Shaw's tall, elegant figure suddenly filled her vision.
For a moment, Laura Lowell was at a loss for words.
'He must know about those rumors.'
'Is he here to confront me?'
"How is the wound healing? Is it still hurting?"
Aiden Shaw's deep, cello-like voice filled the quiet room, sounding incredibly soothing.
Laura Lowell was dazed for a moment before forcing a faint smile onto her delicate face. "It's much better... Uh, Dr. Shaw... I'm so sorry about the other day. I've caused you a lot of trouble."
"My manager isn't in Axton at the moment. As soon as she gets back, I'll issue a public clarification."
Aiden Shaw slid a well-defined hand into his pants pocket, his inscrutable gaze falling on Laura Lowell.
"It's up to you. The trouble has already been caused anyway."
"I'm sorry, Dr. Shaw. I'll clear up this misunderstanding as quickly as I can."
A flicker of almost imperceptible displeasure flashed through Aiden Shaw's deep, dark eyes.
'She's in quite a hurry to distance herself from me.'
Without another word, he turned and left.
......
In the villa, Aiden Shaw sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. He looked at his dumbfounded younger brother and raised an eyebrow.
"Bro, y-y-you... you've fallen for that Laura Lowell girl?"
Ethan Shaw was so shocked he started to stutter.
"Mhm."
The man on the sofa nodded calmly, a hint of languor in his deep, coolly handsome eyes.
Ethan Shaw scratched his head, completely baffled. He still couldn't quite process this bombshell.
'His brother actually fell for an artist under the Shaw Group?'
'Hasn't he always completely ignored women?'
'No matter if a woman was as beautiful as a goddess, gentle and demure, poised and ladylike, with an extraordinary air about her...'
'...he wouldn't even give her a second glance.'