Chapter 8

Leopold's voice was ice-cold, making Kevin's heart pound. He tried to play it cool, using the time to pick up the papers to mask his nerves. "Mr. Neville, that girl's mysterious. This is all we got for now." He had secretly trashed the rest.

"Get out!" Leopold barked.

"Yes, Mr. Neville!" Kevin shot a glance at the papers fluttering down and bolted from the CEO's office.

Once the door shut, Leopold's eyes landed on the photo in the admission form. He had to admit, Agnes's no-makeup look was pretty cute.

Especially her eyes were stunning.

Leopold rubbed his throbbing temples and slapped a document over Agnes's photo, covering her face completely.

It felt like he was smacking her face with the paper, and only then did he feel a bit better.

What was Agnes Tudor deal with the Tudor family?

His private phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Meanwhile, it was fall on Maple Road at the school, and the maple leaves were turning from green to red. Agnes wasn't in the mood to enjoy the view, moping as she stepped on one leaf after another while Justin and Bella goofed around beside her.

After two days of waffling, Agnes still couldn't muster the guts to go to Leopold's office and talk divorce. No word from Leopold either. Last night, she asked Robert, and apparently, Leopold hadn't done squat about it yet, which drove her nuts!

It all started a few days ago when she got that text. [Agnes, I'm coming back to the country.]

Her brother was coming back. He'd finished his studies abroad and was gearing up to take over their dad's spot.

But really, what did that have to do with her?

If Agnes hadn't been utterly disappointed in him back then, she wouldn't have married Leopold out of spite.

"So annoying!" Agnes suddenly yelled, drawing curious looks.

"Agnes, I didn't even bug you, and you're calling me annoying!" A scream followed a soft voice, and then Grace was on the ground in front of her.

Seeing Grace sprawled out, Agnes rolled her eyes to the sky.

Her luck was trash today, running into Grace again.

Agnes shot a disdainful look at Grace, who had somehow ended up on the ground. With her long flowing hair and pure white dress, no one could beat Grace at playing the innocent card.

"Get lost! Don't block my way!" Agnes wasn't in the mood to deal with her. Agnes hadn't even touched her, and Grace knew exactly how she ended up on the ground.

Grace's eyes welled up with tears, and the guys watching were instantly hooked by her helpless act.

When they looked at Agnes, their eyes were full of anger, but she was Agnes, and not many dared to mess with her at the School of Economics and Management. They just kept quiet.

"Agnes, you bumped into me, and instead of saying sorry, you tell me to get lost. Isn't that too much?" Grace's pitiful look quickly drew in a passing guy who helped her up.

She flashed him a grateful smile, and he blushed and scurried off.

"You're really nuts; you should see a doctor!" Agnes tried to walk around her, but Grace shifted slightly, blocking her path again.

Grace leaned in a bit, still looking all pitiful, but her words to Agnes were full of smugness. "Since you hate me so much, why don't we make a bet? If I lose, I'll never show up in front of you again!" Grace bit her lower lip and whispered.

To anyone else, it looked like she was humbly apologizing to Agnes!

"You must be out of your mind! Why should I bet with you? You can show up wherever you want. Are you not even going home?" Agnes sneered.

"Of course, I'll go home. But if you come, I'll hide. How about that?" Grace said.

"No, I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now. If you keep blocking my way, you'll regret it!" Agnes said.

Grace could see that Agnes was in a foul mood and didn't dare push further. "I've always known you hate me, and I hate you too, as you know. Why don't we make a bet and run a marathon? You're good at long-distance running, but I want to show you that you're nothing compared to me!"

Her final taunt hit the mark, as she knew Agnes well. Using psychological tricks on Agnes was a sure bet!

A half-marathon race? "Alright!" Agnes was desperate for Grace to disappear from her life. Plus, running was her thing, and she could use the race to blow off some steam. She agreed without thinking, and loudly at that, leaving Justin no time to stop her.

Agnes didn't know that a former silver medalist would be running in the half-marathon. To beat a pro, Agnes would need a few more years of training!

Agnes shot a sideways glance at Grace. "What if you win?"

Grace suppressed her laughter and took a step forward. "If I win..."

Back at the dorm, after paying the registration fee for the half-marathon, Agnes sat on her bed, fuming. How could she have impulsively fallen into Grace's trap?

Grace suddenly confronting her must have been planned. Fine! She'd find a way to deal with Grace later!

But she couldn't entirely blame Grace; it was her own lack of composure that led her to agree to the bet impulsively.

Now, she had registered for the half-marathon. If she didn't come in first, she would have to chase after another rich kid at the school: Austin Perez, the Perez family's youngest son in Lumina City.

Everyone knew Austin was gay. Grace just wanted to humiliate her!

Or she needed to sneak into the principal's office and lock him inside.

She didn't wanna pick either of 'em. Right now, the principal always staying at the school was Ethan Perez, the oldest son of the Perez fam. There were countless reasons why she wanted to steer clear of any involvement with Ethan.

But Agnes clicked her tongue. Principals at other schools were like, in their fifties or sixties, but their principal, Ethan, was just 30!

Ethan had been one of their school's honorary principals since last year. His killer looks and talent made him the guy all the girls were drooling over.

If she messed with Ethan, she'd get roasted by all the girls who had a crush on him.

Another big reason was that Ethan was tight with Leopold, one of the four big-shot rich dudes in Lumina City.

She couldn't afford to mess with anyone linked to Leopold!

Luckily, Justin and a few others signed up for the marathon with her, so at least she wasn't alone.

She thought about the marathon being a full 13 miles. 'Oh God! It's a nightmare!'

But she had a third option: find a spot and shout ten times, "Leopold, I love you!"

Grace must've known Leopold hated girls pursuing him and set her up on purpose, right?