Chapter 151
For Jared’s sake, Dorothea gave Carmen’s hand a gentle squeeze, hoping to calm her down. She swallowed all the things she wanted to say, keeping them to herself.
Back in high school, no one knew Carmen was actually Albert’s niece. People just knew she came from a well-off family. The rich kids always kept up this careful peace with each other. But Dorothea, who didn’t have any connections, was the easy target that everyone picked on.
Someone teased, “Dorothea, you’re so pretty. Do you have a boyfriend yet p>
Being pretty always put her in the spotlight, whether she wanted it or not. Before she could even answer, Carola strolled over, completely at ease. “Hey, everyone. Mind if I grab a seat with you p>
Carola was covered head to toe in designer labels, her limited-edition handbag on display. Even in a group where everyone had money, some bags were just impossible to get unless you really pulled strings. Carola’s bag was one of only three in the whole country, and she was one of the lucky few who owned it.
“Thanks, everyone.” She glanced past Dorothea, pausing a second, before her eyes finally landed on Jared. “Mr. Jared, I heard from Albert that you were his homeroom teacher too, back in high school p>
Jared gave her a polite smile. “I only taught his class for about half a year p>
Albert had gone abroad soon after that. Those two students in his class were so outstanding that the whole school was watching them. Honestly, that was the toughest class he’d ever had to manage.
Of course, Jared was too tactful to say any of that out loud.
Carola smiled shyly. “So, you were his teacher too. Did he date anyone back in high school p>
She went straight for it, and everyone at the table started teasing her.
“Carola, I heard Albert was basically a saint back then. Girls kept giving him love letters, but he never accepted a single one p>
Jared chuckled. “I really wouldn’t know. I mostly just paid attention to their grades p>
With a family like Albert’s, even if he had dated, it wouldn’t have been Jared’s business.
Now Carola became the one everyone joked about.
“If Carola and Albert had been classmates, maybe he would have broken his own rules p>
Dorothea just focused on her food, pretending none of this had anything to do with her. Carmen did the same.
Carmen even started texting Dorothea under the table, eager to gossip.
She wrote, “She’s so fake, just here to show off. Dorothea, I bet she only came because she knew you’d be here p>
Dorothea replied, “No need to guess. I’m sure she did p>
Carmen said, “Let’s just say hi to Mr.
Jared and leave. Jasper can post
the bill the group chat and
just send him our share p>
Dorothea texted back, “Sounds good p>
The two of them kept texting, barely saying a word out loud, easily the quietest people at the table.
But the person who’d teased Dorothea before wasn’t done yet.
“By the way, Dorothea, you had so many admirers back then. Are you married yet p>
Dorothea sighed silently. Was it too much to ask for a peaceful meal?
She gave a small smile. “Actually, I’m already married p>
Jared looked surprised. “Already? Is it the guy you were seeing a few years back p>
He’d run into Dorothea near her
office once and had asked if she had
a boyfriend. She’d said yes at the
time. Jared had even thought about
introducing his nephew, who’d just Come back from abroad but
dropped the idea right away.
Dorothea smiled. “Mr. Jared, I broke up with that one. The man I married is someone new p>
Carmen raised her eyebrows, trying not to laugh. Every time Dorothea lied, the tips of her ears turned red.
“Oh, really? Congratulations, Dorothea! I’m honestly happy for you p>
The person who’d been grilling her looked disappointed, they’d hoped to use the topic to embarrass her but Dorothea was already married.