Jackie probably had his own reasons for staying in Bassburgh,
Maisie suddenly remembered bumping into Zeta at the restaurant and that the latter had said she was
going to meet a friend. “Were you the friend Zeta met at the restaurant that day?”
Jackie turned to look at her. “Why?”
Maisie crossed her arms and said it was nothing, then added, “Zeta was someone Madam Knowles
arranged to get close to Mr. Knowles. Did you… not know?”
After saying that, she raised her brows and smiled. “You didn’t get involved in the affairs of the Knowles,
nor did you ask why Zeta borrowed your car. You might be pretending to be ignorant, but since you lent
her your own car without question, it means that you were very close.”
People would usually only lend their cars to the people they trusted and had a good relationship with.
Otherwise, would they lend them their cars?
Jackie chuckled. “Are you an investigator?”
Maisie shrugged.
The wind blew the last leaf off the tree while Jackie stayed quiet and talked about Zeta.
Jackie had been a chubby boy that people looked down on back in school. Even during the three years
in high school or after getting into the University of Yaramoor, he had had good grades but had been self-
conscious about his looks, so he studied hard and never thought about making friends.
Maisie asked if his father or grandfather didn’t care.
Jackie explained that they had a rule in their family. To become a rightful heir, they had to become
independent once they turned 16 and were not allowed to just rely on their family. They needed to solve
their own problems unless it was a lifethreatening one.
This rule meant that as soon as a boy turned 15, they had to go out and survive by their own means.
They were old money, but everyone knew how tough it was to get there and would appreciate their
riches more. It was very different from other old-money families that would let their descendants
squander their wealth.
Thomas had been inspired by the elders in the family. His father had climbed up from the slums, and
when it was his time, he had to leave the family when he turned 16 and was only summoned back when
it was time to inherit the family business.
That was why everyone had been in the dark about Jackie’s identity in the three years they were in the
same class.
He said that during his time at the University of Yaramoor, on top of his scholarship, he had had to work
while he studied. He had met Zeta while he was working part-time.
He had still been chubby at that time and a wallflower, but Zeta didn’t laugh at him because of his looks
but instead went to the gym with him and encouraged him. It had taken him an entire year to become fit
by hitting the gym. His coursemates had been stunned by his 180 change, and even those who had
never talked to him started approaching him.
The friendship he had gained after changing his looks was definitely not as sincere as the one he had
with Zeta.
A girl who didn’t discriminate against him based on his looks when he was in a foreign country and who
gave her encouragement and support was a huge blessing to him.
Maisie looked at Jackie. “If that was the case, why didn’t you date?’
Jackie chucked but looked sad. “You said she worked for Madam Knowles and knew Grandpa. So she
knew who I was.”
That meant that everything Zeta had done was because she knew who he was. Jackie sighed again. “I
might have thought that this was fate if not because of that. She was honest with me about approaching
me because she knew who I was, but she didn’t intend to use me. I convinced myself to forgive her and
told her how I felt, but she turned me down.”
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