CLMO 14

Chapter 14

“Thank you…”

“You don’t really look all that thankful.”

“No, I am. Anyway, I’m really in a hurry, so excuse me.”

As soon as Sian rushed into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, a sigh escaped her lips.

‘Well, it’s already been found out. Nothing I can do about that.’

Still, it wasn’t like she came away empty-handed. She had seen an old photo of her brother.

‘I’ll just apologize, then quickly get out of here.’

But before she could settle on that thought, Sian’s attention was stolen by the luxurious marble bathtub.

The tub was tucked away in its own section, separated by a toilet and a wall, and was so big that four grown men could stretch out their legs inside it.

Even the faucet was gold.

“Wow. Looks like it even makes bubbles.”

If she could take a bath in a tub like this just once, she wouldn’t wish for anything more.

Out of everything she’d seen in Blaire’s villa today, this bathtub was the only thing she truly coveted.

“When I make a lot of money later, I’ll take Mom and Dad to a hotel with a bathtub like this.”

Just imagining it made her happy.

After finishing her little sightseeing tour, Sian washed her hands and stepped back out.

There, on the sofa placed in the middle of the room, sat Blaire.

There was no way she could just walk past him and pretend not to see.

“Thanks for letting me use the bathroom. I’ll be going now.”

Sian shuffled awkwardly as she offered her farewell, but Blaire ignored her and said simply,

“Sit.”

“Huh?”

“I told you to come see me, didn’t I? That’s why you came all the way here. Since you’re here, sit and talk for a bit.”

Now that she thought about it, when Blaire had invited her to the party, he had said something like, “Come see me.” She’d assumed it was just a casual phrase.

‘So he actually meant it?’

Tilting her head, Sian hesitated, then sat down on the sofa as he told her to.

She felt guilty about leaving Janice alone for too long… but if something happened, Janice would surely call or text her.

“Drink.”

Blaire handed her a glass filled with a pale golden liquid.

She took it instinctively, but couldn’t bring herself to actually drink it.

‘How do I know what this even is?’

Aaron’s nagging popped into her mind at just the right moment. He always told her not to recklessly accept food or drinks from others.

“Are you worried I slipped something into it?”

Blaire’s pleasant voice brushed against her ears.

“Not exactly… but, is this alcohol?”

“Juice.”

“This?”

It really looked like white wine.

When Sian didn’t drop her suspicion, Blaire lifted his own glass and deliberately took a big gulp.

“See? I drank mine.”

Then he even switched his glass with hers.

Now that he had already taste-tested it himself, she had no excuse to refuse.

Careful to avoid the spot where his lips had touched, Sian took a sip.

“…It’s good.”

He said it was juice, and it really was—sweet and refreshing.

Her eyes widened in surprise, which made Blaire laugh again.

“What kind of juice is this?”

“White grape juice. My mother drinks it often, so I ended up liking it too.”

So it wasn’t just regular grape juice.

Realizing something new, Sian blinked at Blaire in mild wonder.

“I honestly thought it was wine.”

“Should I apologize for disappointing you?” Blaire teased with a grin.

“I don’t drink or smoke. The quarterback I admire, Caden Price, doesn’t touch either of those.”

Not only was he handsome, he also seemed to take good care of himself. Sian found herself both impressed and a little charmed.

“Well, maybe it’s different now. He should’ve gone pro, but it’s a shame he didn’t.”

“Why? Did he get injured or something?”

Sian didn’t know much about American football, but since she was starting to feel a little more comfortable with Blaire, she showed interest.

His eyes, however, looked at her as if he couldn’t believe she was serious.

“You don’t know who Caden Price is?”

“Um… no?”

“He’s the guy who built the building where you take classes.”

“Oh!”

Like a bolt of lightning, it clicked in Sian’s mind.

Caden Price.
The Price Building.

She felt so stupid for only making the connection now.

“I didn’t realize it was the same person.”

Blaire smirked at her flustered reaction.

“It’s fine. I didn’t think you wouldn’t know.”

“Yeah…”

“Now that I think about it, it feels like we don’t know much about each other.”

Well, of course. They’d only met two weeks ago.

“That’s natural. We haven’t known each other long.”

“Exactly. Which is why I think we need some time to learn about each other, don’t you?”

Learn about each other? With Blaire—not Ian?

Sian tilted her head in doubt. He made a generous-sounding suggestion:

“Tell me about yourself. You can ask me about me too.”

Honestly, Sian wasn’t curious about Blaire at all.

If anything, she wanted to know whether he was aware that Victoria was hosting the party tonight.

But suddenly, a thought struck her.

This could be the perfect chance to dig up information about Ian—while pretending to be curious about Blaire.

No way was she letting such an opportunity slip away.

“Well then… could I maybe see…”

As she trailed off, Blaire’s lips curved into a devilish grin, like he was inviting her to make a wish.

To be sitting alone like this with Blaire Williams, the idol of the entire student body, was the kind of moment someone might willingly sell their soul to a devil for.

“…a picture of you when you were younger?”

Blaire’s smile faltered. Stroking his chin, he asked,

“…A picture of me as a kid? Wouldn’t you be more curious about something else? Like my type in women, or who I’ve dated before?”

“I’d rather see what you looked like as a kid.”

“Hm.”

He was a little disappointed. He’d thought she would be more interested in his dating history.

‘So stalkers really do think differently, huh.’

Maybe she didn’t even imagine she could date him, and just found satisfaction in quietly watching from afar.

Feeling a strange pity for her lack of ambition, Blaire decided to grant her request.

“I’ll see if I can find some. Most of them are probably back at home, though.”

Home? Sian blinked before remembering—this was just his villa.

Not that she actually cared about his childhood photos. What she really wanted was to go back and see her brother’s old picture again.

So she was about to tell him not to bother looking too hard, maybe just show her one of the framed ones on the wall…

“Oh, here we go.”

But she missed her chance. Blaire had already pulled out a few photos.

“I can really look at these?”

“As much as you like.”

He placed them on the coffee table, watching her expectantly, as if waiting for her reaction.

“Oh…”

Without thinking, Sian picked one up—and couldn’t help but let out a small exclamation.

Even as a child, Blaire had been stunningly handsome.

“You were really cute as a kid.”

She felt she ought to say something complimentary, but his eyebrow twitched at her words.

“Just now, it almost sounded like you’re saying I was only cute back then, not now.”

“…”

Isn’t being this good-looking already enough? Does he really need to be called cute too?

Rich people really were extra.

Ignoring his remark, she quickly flipped to the next photo.

Then she paused at one of a middle-aged woman.

“That’s my mother,” Blaire explained, still keeping a sidelong eye on her.

Do they look alike?

Sian compared Blaire’s face to his mother’s in the photo.

The dark brown hair and brows.
The eyes filled with confidence, as if they could take on the whole world and win.
The sharp, straight nose.

Like a hidden-object game, she matched features between the two before remarking,

“You really do look a lot like your mother.”

Blaire’s expression soured slightly.

“No one’s ever told me that before.”

“Really? Why not?”

Apart from their hair and eye color, their expressions were identical.

Surprised, Sian looked back at him, but he just let out a small laugh and said,

“Search Joshua Williams on your phone. Then you’ll understand.”

“Who’s that?”

“My father.”

The name sounded oddly familiar.

Puzzled, Sian pulled out her phone. As soon as she typed it in, a profile popped up.

“Huh?”

So famous that she could just search him online?

Even Sian, who wasn’t very familiar with American pop culture, recognized the face.

Joshua Williams—the actor in her foster parents’ favorite movie.

“…Is this for real?”

All she had known, from what Aaron told her, was that Blaire was the youngest grandson of some prestigious family.

She had never been curious enough to ask further.

But this—this was really shocking.

“Why would I lie about that?” Blaire shrugged.

Sian immediately felt foolish for doubting him.

Of course he wasn’t lying—he clearly inherited those perfect features from Joshua Williams.

“Wow…”

She stared at the photo on her phone.

The man’s lashes cast a shadow as he looked downward, his eyes exuding a lonely, melancholy air.

He seemed fragile, like cracked glass, as if you’d want to reach out and hold him before he shattered.

He had a unique aura—completely opposite of the woman she’d just seen.

How did those two ever fall in love?

She hadn’t thought she’d want to know anything about Blaire, but suddenly she was curious about his parents’ romance.

After all, other people’s love stories were always entertaining.

“You inherited the best of both your parents.”

Even after seeing Joshua’s photo, Sian still insisted Blaire resembled his mother.

Amused by her stubbornness, Blaire chuckled softly.

“Honestly, I envy you. I was adopted, so I don’t know what my real parents look like. I’ve always imagined which one I might resemble more.”

It could’ve been a heavy subject, but Sian spoke with a bright expression, as if it were nothing.

Setting her phone down, she moved on to look through the rest of the photos.

Discovering who Blaire’s father was had been surprising, and she was curious about his parents’ romance, but not nearly as much as she wanted to see more of Ian’s past.

That was where her true interest lay.

‘That’s it?’

To Blaire, her short and simple response felt oddly anticlimactic.