The Pretender and The Prince novel Chapter 35

At seven that evening, Ondine was at the school gate. She saw the familiar Toyota and walked over.

Zeke opened the door for her. “Ms. Sterling, please.”

The back seat was empty.

“Mr. Thorne is waiting for you up ahead,” Zeke explained. “I’ll take you to him.”

Ondine nodded and got in. On the way, she decided to ask. “Zeke, the day we went to get the license, did Seth ask you to drive this car to pick me up?”

“Yes, he did,” Zeke said with a slightly embarrassed smile. “Mr. Thorne usually takes his own car. This old thing of mine… I was a little worried he wouldn’t be comfortable in it.”

“Did he say why?”

“No, and I didn’t dare to ask.”

It seemed her guess was right. Seth had done it intentionally. As for why, only he knew the answer.

The car stopped in an open-air parking lot a few minutes later.

“Ms. Sterling, I’ll take you to Mr. Thorne now,” Zeke said, opening her door.

“Thank you.” Ondine got out of the car. A familiar Maybach was parked nearby.

After graduation, Chantal wanted to study abroad, but Ellis wanted to stay in the country. They couldn’t agree, and neither would compromise. In a fit of anger, Chantal broke up with him and left for another country, staying away for over three years.

After the breakup, Ellis fell into a slump for a few days before diving headfirst into a wild phase, changing girlfriends every few days. He was handsome, rich, and willing to spend money, so girls flocked to him. He never said no to a beautiful face, sometimes dating two or three at once.

When he finally tired of the game, it was almost time for university to start. One of his good-for-nothing friends suggested he try pretending to be poor.

Ellis thought it was a brilliant idea. His family was in Boreal City, thousands of miles away from Riverdale University. No one would know who he was. He even paid off his friends to play along.

At first, he struggled with the charade, often sneaking off to splurge whenever he could. But then he met Ondine. To win her over, he spent his days with her in class and his weekends working part-time jobs, leaving little time for his old habits. Gradually, he grew accustomed to the simple life.

Now, Chantal was back. When she sought him out, he hadn't refused her, but he also hadn't agreed to get back together. He had planned to break up with Ondine once he got bored, but the longer he was with her, the more he liked her. No one had ever knitted him a scarf or sweater. No one had ever worked three jobs just so he could live a little better. No one had ever run out in a rainstorm to buy him medicine when he was sick.