Chapter 18
Alaric tossed and turned all night, his hunger gnawing at him, and he woke up more grumpy than ever.
Yasmine, though, wasn’t bothered by his bad temper. She stated, in a tone devoid of emotion, Tm heading to school. See you around”
As she spoke, Alaric’s stomach growled loudly, and he reached out to stop her. “Skipping breakfast?” His voice was laced with annoyance.
“Nah, I eat at school. It’s complimentary, Yasmine replied casually.
[You weren’t this aloof when Xavier was here. You’d make him steamed potatoes and offer him hot water.]
Haha, for some reason, I found Yasmine’s indifference kind of charming.
She knows how to play favorites, and it’s endearing.]
Alaric was tempted to ask what he should eat, but he decided against it, considering the question pointless. Instead, he made his decision clear. “I’m going to school with you,” he declared
Yasmine responded with a simple “Mhm,” her face as expressionless as a mask.
Alaric felt a twinge of annoyance. He was the guy everyone wanted to please, the center of attention. Though he saw himself as above trivial desires and disdained the flattery of others, being ignored like this was a new and uncomfortable experience.
Without another word, he packed his things and followed Yasmine on her way. The path they had to take was still blocked from a recent landslide, so Yasmine chose a longer, more winding route..
“This path is dangerous,” Alaric warned, his voice serious. The trail was narrow, a slip could lead to disaster.
Yasmine, not even turning back, questioned, “Dangerous?
Alaric grabbed her arm again. “We should stop moving forward.”
“I have to get to school, she insisted, shaking off his hand.
Alaric followed, making a mental note to observe her closely. He found it mad that the production crew would let a kid handle this
route on her ownL
An eerie silence enveloped them. The morning wind cut through the air, prompting Alaric to tighten his coat. But Yasmine, unfazed, continued to move forward with determination.
As he watched her, he lost his footing and tumbled into a paddy field. Mud and water engulfed him, soaking through his clothes and pouring down his collar. Alaric was momentarily stunned by the cold before he realized what had happened, his face turning ashen,
The viewers erupted in shock.
[Holy crap!]
[Will he be okay?]
[Don’t worry. He can’t drown in a paddy field.]
Yasmine, hearing the commotion, turned back and rushed to Alaric’s side. “What happened? How did you end up in the field?” she asked, her head tilted in confusion.
Alaric was speechless, feeling utterly humiliated.
The production crew, realizing the situation was dire, hesitated, torn between rushing to help and preserving the show’s drama.
After a moment, Alaric saw the crew hadn’t moved and, with a wry smile, reached for the edge of the field and pulled himself out, -splashing Yasmine with water as he did so
Yasmine frowned at him. “You’ve dirtied me”
Alaric’s mood lifted as he looked down at Yasmine, whose face, though splattered with mud, still glowed with natural beauty, giving her
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Chapter Is
achamuingly disheveled look
Yasmine pulled a cloth from her bag, wiped her f
face, and after a moment’s hesitation, offered it to Alaric.
“For me?” Alaric asked, surprised,
Yep. Clean up and head back, Yasmine said, turning to leave, clearly not wanting to be slowed down by Alaric.
Maric quickly wiped his face, “Head back? Your house has no gas, no shower. Where am I supposed to clean up and change?”
Yasmine turned to him, her expression puzzled, “You can boil water for a bath
Alaric was taken aback at the thought of that. Just the idea made his head throb.
“Your school must have a bathhouse, right? I’ll stick with you,” Alaric decided, his voice calm.
“But the school is still far away, Yasmine warned.
“How far?”
Two more hours of walking. Yasmine replied.
Getting no response from Alaric, Yasmine continued, her tone neutral. “And you’ll catch a cold.”
Speechless, Alaric was eager to return home and shatter his father’s illusion about the expensive vase–a fake Ted had spent a fortune on. He’d kept his mouth shut to avoid hurting Ted’s feelings, but now he was ready to spill the beans.
Yasmine released a soft sigh, her shoulders sagging slightly. Let’s find someone nearby who can help us.
[He’s really getting to her.]
[Feeling the weight on Yasmine’s shoulders, I couldn’t help but root for her nore.]
She knew every twist and turn of this path, having traversed is countless times before the main road was built. Leading Alaric to a house, she peeked in and asked in a sweet voice, “Ruby, do you have any hot water? We took a bit of a turnble.
Alaric cleaned up with the hot water from the stove and dried his clothes by the fire. As he emerged, Yasmine was in the midst of a negotiation. “Ruby, how about 3 dollars?”
Ruby shook her head. “No way, no less than 15”
Yasmine looked pleading “But I don’t have that much.”
Ruby folded her arms. “Everyone knows you’re on that TV show, and you paid off your dad’s debts. That show must be quite profitable, 1’s not like I’m asking for 30 dollars.”
Alaric, catching on, interjected, “Why should we pay?”
Yasmine shot him a look. “For using her water and stove.”
Alaric thought for a moment. “Just pay her. Aren’t you going to be late for school?”
Yasmine shook her head firmly. Td rather be late than overpay.”
Alaric dolu’t get it “Pay her 30 dollars, and I’ll give you ten.no, thirty times that.”
Ruby’s face lit up “That’s more like it City folks are so generous. Yasmine, hurry up and give me the money.
Yasmine, seething, glared at Alaric, handed over 15 dollars, and then dragged him away.
Ruby called after them. “He said he’d pay me 30 dollars. How petty! You’re so cunning, Yasmine”
[That’s outrageous |
|Giving 30 dollars was over the top. Yaumme was barely making ends meet, every penny counted, and most of it went to her dad’s
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Chapter 18
If that’s what they called cunning. I’d say Yasmine is doing great. Why give them whatever they want?]
[Alaric, you’re driving me nuts. You have no idea what it’s like out here! You’re not even close to Xavier, Come back, Xavier. Yasmine really needs you
After running a good distance, Yasmine stopped and mumbled, “Just give me back 15 dollars.”
Alaric was at a loss for words. He felt like he’d messed up, but it wasn’t a heavy burden on his mind, as he planned to make it up to her with more money.
“Why not?” Alaric asked.
“What?” Yasmine replied, confused.
“I offered to repay you thirty times over. Why refuse it?” Alaric inquired.
Yasmine was silent for a long moment before she spoke as they walked. “No kindness is free; everything has a cost”
Alaric pondered if that could even be counted as kindness. He pressed on. “What about Xavier? He’s good to you. Why accept his
kindness!”
Yasmine kicked a stone and murmured, “He’s different.”
Alaric was intrigued, considering Xavier’s temperament to be rather uninviting. He inquired, “What makes you say that?”
Yasmine turned to him, her eyes fierce. “He just is, different from you!” Yet, her fierceness didn’t make her any less lovely
Alaric was determined to figure out what made Xavier so special in her reyes.
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