bChapter /bb373 /b

    “Of course not,” Sana said without hesitation.

    She thought, ‘I’ll have to be crazy to betray Jessi.

    “Then why?” Jessica pressed.

    Sana bit her lip, too embarrassed to tell the truth. In the end, she resorted to acting up. “Jessi, just dropit, okay? If you really don’t bwant /bit, I’ll take it bout /band throw it away right now.”

    She thought, ‘Anyway, I delivered the breakfast. What Jessi does with it is none of my business. Even if Brian finds outter, fit be in the bright /b

    Sana reached for the breakfast bag as she spoke, but Jessica stopped her. “Forget it. Don’t waste food. Leave it here.”

    After all, it was Brian’s thoughtfulness. Jessica didn’t want to disregard that.

    Jessica’d been on the receiving end of having her efforts dismissed, and she refused to be the one doing the dismissing

    “Okay, sure. Then I’ll leave you to eat, Jessi. I’ll head out now,” Sana said.

    Sana didn’t get why Jessica had suddenly changed her mind, but seeing Jessica’s attention shift away from her, she let out ba /bblong /bbreath and turned to slip out.

    Once outside the office, Sana pulled out her phone right away.

    At the top of her chat screen was a message Wesley had sent a minute earlier: [Come down. We need to talk.]

    Sana stared at it expressionlessly and put her phone away.

    ‘There’s nothing to talk about. This is it,’ she thought.

    Downstairs, Wesley looked at his phone, which still had no reply, his face darkening.

    “You like Sana?” Brian, who hadn’t left yet, spoke up when he saw this.

    Wesley was silent for a few seconds before saying slowly, “I think I do. But she doesn’t see it that way.”

    Sana kept saying his so–called feelings weren’t real, just a sense of responsibility. After hearing it so many times, Wesley had started to doubt himself.

    But now, Brian, an outsider, had brought it up, and it made him sure again.

    “Is Sana… the same as Jessi?” Brian asked in surprise.

    He tried to recall his few interactions with Sana. She seemed perfectly normal.

    “No, she’spletely normal,” Wesley replied.

    Brian scowled but couldn’t argue. Jessica’s current state really wasn’t normal.

    Wesley realized he’d said something he shouldn’t have. And since he didn’t want to keep talking about his changed the subject.

    bl /bmatters bwith /bBrianb, /bbhe /bsimply

    “Aren’t you living next door to Ms. Grant now? Why are you stilling to the office to drop off breakfast at this hour?”

    Wesley thought, ‘Right next door–what a perfect opportunity, and he isn’t even taking advantage of it.’

    Brian picked up on the unspoken meaning. A hint of frustration showed in his eyes as he told Wesley about bJessica’s /bbodd /bbbehavior /bbthat /bbmorning /b

    b10:00 /bFrib, /bb25 /bbJul /bG

    Brian said, “I can’t help wondering if someone said something bad about me to Jessi behind my back fast bnight/bb./bb” /b

    After all, when Jacob hade over for his art lessonst night, Brian’d made dinner. Jessica had even asked him to stay and eat with bthem /b

    Brian’d been so happy, thinking their rtionship was finally making progress. Then this morning, it was like a bucket of cold water bhad /bbeen dumped over his head.

    Brian racked his brain but couldn’t figure out why. In the end, he could only put it down to Jessica being in a bad mood.

    “Your suspicion might not be that far off,” Wesley said.

    “What?” Brian’s eyes widened sharply. “Dr. Finch, do you know what you’re saying?” Brian said sharply.

    ‘If things are really as Wesley suggests, then there is someone behind Jessi–someone who’s been stirring up trouble between Jessi and me, and seeding every time,‘ Brian thoughti, /ihis mind racing.

    “Who is it? Who would keep provoking her again and again without caring about her mental state?‘ Brian wondered.

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