Isla Prescott spent the afternoon lying in her dorm room. That evening, Jade and Mia went to the cafeteria for dinner, bringing her back a vegetable hot pot. She was only halfway through it when her phone rang.
It was a call from Mrs. Lockwood, Yvette Shaw.
Isla Prescott put down her chopsticks and, as she pressed the answer button, subconsciously straightened her back.
"Auntie."
"Isla, dear, you're at school, right?"
"Yes, I'm at school."
"I heard you were injured. I'm coming to see you."
Isla was about to say there was no need, but Yvette Shaw added, "I'm almost at your dorm building."
Yvette Shaw never bothered with discussions. She preferred to issue indisputable announcements like this, a habit Isla had long grown accustomed to.
After hanging up, Isla changed out of her pajamas and went downstairs to wait.
Yvette Shaw had said she was coming to see her in her dorm room, but Isla didn't want to make her roommates uncomfortable, so she came down by herself.
The Lockwood family's driver parked the car at the entrance of the women's dormitory. Yvette Shaw lowered the window, revealing a perfectly made-up face.
"Isla, why did you come out?"
"My roommates are here. I was worried it would be inconvenient."
"Alright, then get in. I'll take you to a nearby coffee shop."
"Okay."
Isla got in the car.
The driver circled the area near the school and finally found a quiet bar.
The bar was mostly filled with students. It was Yvette Shaw's first time in such a place. She found it a bit noisy and asked the staff to open a private room upstairs.
After they were seated, Yvette Shaw looked at the fresh scar on Isla's forehead with a pitying gaze.
"You poor thing. Why didn't you say anything when you got into trouble at school? Even if you feel you can't talk to me, you still have your brother. You know he dotes on you more than anyone. When he heard you were in an accident yesterday, he rushed over to see you and even missed Lydia's birthday party. Now, Lydia's not happy about it. She's been giving him a hard time all night."
Isla immediately felt uneasy. Yvette Shaw claimed to be visiting out of concern, but her words were clearly tinged with blame.
"I'm sorry, Auntie. My supervisor from my part-time job called my brother yesterday. I didn't know about it."
"What are you sorry for? I'm not blaming you. Your brother is your family. You had an accident, so of course he had to rush over immediately."
The more understanding Yvette Shaw acted, the more Isla felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. After all, she knew that being reasonable was not in Yvette Shaw's nature.
Sure enough, in the next second, Yvette Shaw changed the subject. "It's just that, Isla, your brother is about to start his own family soon. He can't protect you forever. The way I see it, you're about to graduate, and it's time you had someone by your side to take care of you."
"Auntie…"
"Don't be nervous. I'm just concerned about your love life. How is it? Are you dating anyone at school?"
Isla shook her head. "No."
"In that case, how about I introduce you to someone?"
"That's not necessary, Auntie. I don't want to be in a relationship right now. I just want to focus on my dancing."
"Dancing and dating don't have to conflict." Yvette Shaw unlocked her phone. "Here, let me show you a picture. See? This is Julian Finch, the Crown Prince of Vance Properties. He was there last year when you performed at the arts festival. And you know, this Julian, he fell for you at first sight. He had his mother contact me privately several times, wanting to get your number and meet you. Then, she asked again just the other day. I thought, well, you're about to graduate and you're not getting any younger. It's time you started dating to enrich your life a little. So I took the liberty of accepting on your behalf."
On Yvette Shaw's phone was a young man in a plaid suit. He wore glasses, was slightly overweight, and looked to be about the same age as Silas Lockwood.
'So this was the real reason for Yvette Shaw's visit—to arrange a blind date for her.'
Isla felt even more resistant.
"Auntie, I know you mean well, but I'm really not thinking about romance right now."
Seeing Isla's firm attitude, Yvette Shaw swirled the herbal tea in her cup and sighed softly. "Isla's all grown up now. She's starting to not listen to her auntie anymore."
Her tone was cool, making Isla feel an unwarranted sense of guilt, as if she were being ungrateful.
"Auntie, I'm not…"
"Alright, alright, say no more." Yvette Shaw reached out and covered the back of Isla's hand. "I won't force you. It's just that Vance Properties and the Lockwood Group have very close business ties. Since I've already given my word, I can't just go back on it so easily. Just do me this one favor and meet with Julian Finch. After you've met, I'll find an excuse to turn him down for you. How does that sound?"
With her having put it that way, what room did Isla have to refuse?
"Okay."
--
Isla's blind date with Julian Finch was set for three days later.
According to Yvette Shaw, Julian Finch was taking this meeting very seriously. Not only did he book a Michelin-starred restaurant, but to ensure Isla had a pleasant meal, he even specifically asked Yvette about Isla's dietary preferences.
"Isla, Julian is taking this date with you so seriously, so you can't mess it up. Even if you're just acting, you'd better put on a good show for me, understand?" Yvette Shaw instructed over the phone.
"I know, Auntie."
The day before the date, Yvette Shaw had someone deliver a dress from Chanel's latest collection to Isla at school.
Her roommates were all envious, but Isla couldn't feel any happiness. Staring at the five-figure price on the tag, her heart was filled only with the sorrow of a life adrift, unable to grasp her own destiny.
On Saturday, Isla, wearing the dress Yvette Shaw had prepared for her, met Julian Finch at a Michelin-starred restaurant known as the most expensive in Meritopia.
Julian Finch was a bit more burly than his edited photos. He had a solid, fleshy build. If not for the glasses on his nose tempering his brutish air, he would have looked like a warrior general straight out of a TV drama.
Isla had barely exchanged a few words of small talk with him when she was floored by the overpowering, condescending paternalism in his speech.
"I heard about your family background from Mrs. Lockwood. Although there's a huge gap between our families' financial situations, you don't need to feel inferior. You can't choose your birth, and I won't look down on you."
"If we get married, you won't have to work. I have more than enough money to support you. If you want to keep dancing, I can also use my connections to find you a platform. Of course, I'd prefer you didn't make public appearances and just danced for me at home every day."
Isla listened in silence. At that moment, she felt that even arguing with him would be beneath her.
Her phone suddenly buzzed.
While Julian Finch was still rambling on, she glanced down at it.
Shane Sterling: "Blind date?"
'How does he know?'
Isla's gaze swept around the restaurant, but she didn't see Shane Sterling.
Another message came in.
Shane Sterling: "Second floor."
Isla looked up. The restaurant had a second-floor loft, and Shane Sterling was leaning against the glass railing, his sharp, piercing eyes fixed on her.
His face was truly striking; even from this unflattering angle, he still looked like a silhouette out of a fashion magazine.
Shane Sterling: "Blind date?"
He asked again.
Isla: "Yeah."
Shane Sterling: "You've been out of the hospital for three days and you're already on a blind date? Did you hit your head so hard it made you boy-crazy?"
Isla sent back an awkward emoji.
When Julian Finch saw Isla repeatedly looking down at her phone, he was instantly displeased, feeling as though he were being slighted by an inferior.
"Miss Prescott, is there someone in your phone more valuable than me?" Julian Finch's words were barbed. He was confident that a girl from Isla's background, no matter how beautiful, could never meet a man with better prospects than him.
Before Isla could answer, her phone suddenly began to vibrate nonstop.
It was a call from the police department.
"Excuse me, I have to take this call." After saying this, Isla ignored Julian Finch's ugly expression, picked up her phone, and walked aside to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Is this Isla Prescott?"
"Yes."
"Please come to the Easton Police Department immediately. Your sister, Sienna Prescott, is in trouble."
The officer didn't say anything else, but those four words—"your sister's in trouble"—were enough to send Isla into a panic. She hung up, hurried back to grab her bag, and said to Julian Finch, "Mr. Finch, I'm sorry. There's a family emergency, I have to go."
Julian Finch was already displeased with how Isla had been distractedly checking her phone all evening. When he heard that she was now going to ditch him and leave, he was instantly consumed by rage.
Unfortunately for him, before Julian Finch had a chance to erupt, Isla had already bolted and vanished from sight.