Chapter 3

When Liam saw me at the hotel entrance the next day, he circled me a few times in surprise.

"Holy cow, Alex, look at you! I expected a miserable, broken mess. If I'd known a breakup would make you look this good, I would've told you to dump her ages ago!"

I felt a little smug. "Not bad, right?"

Liam clapped me on the shoulder, satisfied, and grinned as he walked into the private room.

This was one of the top five-star hotels in the city. Chloe and I had eaten here before; the food was expensive and required reservations far in advance.

Liam chuckled. "You still don't know, do you? This hotel is part of the Sterling family's empire. How else do you think our class president snagged a private room here?"

Speak of the devil...

Seraphina walked in, surrounded by classmates. She wore a simple yet elegant beige blazer, and a delicate pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on her nose.

Five years later, she looked more mature than before, her features even more refined and softer.

As soon as I looked away, the class president chuckled and teased, "Alex, you look even sharper after a few years! Seraphina was just asking if you'd be here."

I froze, looking at Seraphina in surprise.

Even though we'd sat in front and behind each other in high school, we rarely spoke. She was a golden child, and I was just an ordinary guy.

Seraphina greeted me, a gentle smile on her face. "Hello, Alex. Long time no see."

Her voice was beautiful, clear and soft.

My heart gave a little flutter. I smiled politely and nodded.

Liam excitedly pinched my arm and whispered, "Whoa, something's happening! Definitely something!"

No way, absolutely nothing. I knew my place. A secret crush was fine, but acting on it would be inappropriate.

I chose a seat near the door, keeping my distance from that dazzling group of elites.

Just then, Seraphina also took a seat, two chairs away from mine.

The class president chuckled, calling out to her, "Seraphina, if you sit there, where will the rest of us go? Come sit closer to the center!"

Seraphina spoke softly, "We're all classmates eating together. Putting us in a hierarchy just makes things awkward."

With that single statement, everyone settled down without further ado.