Chapter 26 I Did Not Seduce Anyone
At four in the morning on Monday, Chloe took a two-hour express train, followed by three different bus rides along winding mountain roads, and finally reached her destination at ten o'clock.
Upon arriving at the elementary school where Andrew Price taught, Chloe got sick from motion sickness.
Brandon, an exceedingly kind and pleasant individual, mentioned that Andrew Price was the only person who had sincerely come to teach there in recent years. Andrew Price truly cared for his students.
Brandon handed over Andrew Price's diary to Chloe, and tucked between the pages were photographs of Andrew Price with the kids. Surrounded by the children, he looked even more handsome.
Chloe cried.
Seeing that photo, tears involuntarily fell down her cheeks.
She felt sorry for Andrew Price.
After touring the campus with Brandon, Chloe checked the time—it was almost noon, and she had to be at Samuel's place by three in the afternoon.
Unexpectedly, while waiting for a bus on the mountain road, Chloe spotted a car parked at the roadside with a young driver who appeared agitated, kicking the tires in frustration.
"Anything I can help with?" Chloe approached and asked.
Upon seeing Chloe, the man was visibly relieved. "The car's out of gas, and in such a desolate place, there's no cell signal."
Chloe recalled seeing a storage room on the way to the school with several cans of gasoline, which Brandon said were for lighting stoves for the kids in the winter.
"Keep going straight from here, then take a left at the big locust tree. You'll find an elementary school where there's gasoline," Chloe directed, pointing ahead.
Chloe sighed when she saw the puzzled look on his face and said, "Come on, I'll take you there."
The man locked his car and followed Chloe to the elementary school.
As they walked, they struck up a conversation and discovered they were both from Maple Valley. The man, a regular employee at a small company, mentioned he was on a business trip. He had figured the gas station wasn't far and was surprised when his tank ran out without finding it. If it weren't for Chloe, he would likely have had to spend the night stranded in the hills.
Since they were both from Maple Valley, they felt a connection and added each other on WhatsApp in this distant town.
The man's name was Logan Parker.
With Brandon's help, they managed to get gas for Logan's car.
Grateful for her assistance, Logan dropped Chloe off at Elmrest Springs train station.
Chloe hurried onto the high-speed train, finally settling down before she checked her phone. She saw several missed calls from Donovan, probably due to poor signal reception or because she hadn't heard a single ring. There was also a WhatsApp message: [Where are you?]
Chloe quickly replied: [Just saw this, had no signal on my phone.]
There was no text reply—instead, a call came through. Donovan's voice was icy as he demanded, "You took the day off in my name. Where did you go?"
Despite the chill on the phone, Chloe could sense his restrained anger.
"Why are you calling me in the morning? Wasn't I supposed to pick up Samuel at three?" retorted Chloe, swiftly changing the subject.
"Where did you go?" Donovan was not to be diverted.
Chloe thought to herself, feeling somewhat guilty—as she had just recently told Donovan he shouldn't date two women at once, and now here she was retrieving her ex-boyfriend's diary. She covered up her true intentions by saying, "I went shopping. I didn't get selected as the face for New East International Group, got into an argument with James Turner, and just felt like browsing the stores all morning."
Donovan was aware of Chloe's dissatisfaction with the whole situation.
He, too, had played a part in it, having been upset at the time.
So, Donovan didn't question her further.
"I had plans to visit Samuel this afternoon and return to Maple Valley in the morning. But I have a meeting, so I'm heading there this morning and will be back by the afternoon. I'm already on my way, so don't go back to Pearl Peak City. I'll send you the address. You head to the villa first and wait for Samuel," Donovan's tone softened as he instructed Chloe.
"Okay," Chloe responded.
As she pondered, concern tugged at Chloe's heartstrings. Samuel had fallen ill, living all by himself in Pearl Peak City—no doubt that worried her. Bringing Samuel home was understandable. But did that mean he would now live alongside Donovan? And what about herself? Was she expected to move in and share a roof with Donovan as well?
The thought irked Chloe. Everything had to be orchestrated by Donovan's plans.
However, Chloe didn't allow herself to be entangled in these thoughts for too long. She picked up Andrew Price's journal, her eyes tracing the memories that leaped from the pages—their meeting, the blossoming of love, the journey to his teaching career. Each day seemed to flicker before her eyes like scenes from an old movie.
Tears dropped onto the pages of the journal.
Within its lines, Andrew Price had repeatedly mentioned the isolation of Elmrest Springs' children from the outside world. His greatest dream was to purchase a computer for each child in the elementary school. But such an aspiration would cost tens of thousands, and he simply didn't have the funds.
Chloe clenched her hands, determined, "I must fulfill Andrew Price's dream."
But when she contemplated her finances, the reality was stark. Donovan had given her two hundred thousand after some agreement, and her visits to Samuel's home netted her less than a hundred thousand. Even after crunching the numbers, the total didn't reach three hundred thousand, and most of that had gone to cover Hollis's medical expenses. Dr. Johnson was in the midst of hiring a caregiver, and she needed to conserve her limited funds for that.
"How can I earn some more money?" Chloe wondered.
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