Ignoring Marcus's look of shock, Bryan directly raised his hand and knocked on the door.

  Taylor opened it. Seeing it was Bryan, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly, as if she'd rather not see him at all.

  Just as Marcus didn't want Bryan and Chloe's on-screen romance to become real, Taylor also didn't want Chloe getting too close to Bryan—too much potential for trouble.

  But politeness demanded she let him in.

  Chloe thought he was there to call her for the next scene and quickly checked the time. Still half an hour left.

  Bryan stood by the door, looking at her. "I have to leave the set tomorrow for a brand event in Aethelburg. I already talked to the director—pushed back the scenes we were supposed to shoot together. That means tomorrow you only have two supporting scenes in the evening. You can actually rest for a day."

  Chloe nodded. "Okay. Got it."

  Bryan lingered for a moment. When Chloe didn't offer anything more to say, he added awkwardly, "Well, I'll get going then."

  Chloe blinked, slightly confused. She'd thought there was something important he needed to tell her. Apparently not.

  As soon as he left, Taylor couldn't hold back. "What's his deal? You already added each other on LetsChat. Couldn't he just send a message? Why come all the way here?"

  Chloe didn't mind. But the thought of a free day tomorrow made her turn to Edward. "Then I'm free tomorrow. Let's go to the hospital together and check on that guy."

  Edward and Taylor exchanged glances and nodded.

  Outside, Marcus was equally bewildered. "You have her on LetsChat. Couldn't you just text?"

  Bryan shot him a look. Marcus immediately shut his mouth, looking wronged.

  Back at the dorm, just before lights-out, Leo finally returned from training.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Jonathan had been waiting so long he felt like he was turning to stone. The moment the door opened, he sprang up from his chair, eyes gleaming with excitement.

  Leo pushed the door open and was immediately unnerved by Jonathan's intense stare. He paused at the threshold, frowning. "What's wrong with you?"

  "Get in here! I have a surprise for you!"

  Leo was skeptical but stepped inside and closed the door. Jonathan was always dramatic, so Leo didn't think much of it.

  But Jonathan nodded toward Leo's desk. Leo's gaze followed.

  A shopping bag sat on his desk. One glance, and Leo's eyes went wide. It took him a full two seconds to process. "No way... is this real?"

  Even the normally calm and composed Leo couldn't help but exclaim at the sight of his dream item. "Jonathan, where did you get this?!"

  He pulled out the box, turning it over in his hands, unable to hide his excitement.

  Jonathan was thoroughly enjoying Leo's reaction. He sauntered over, smug. "You think the shoes themselves are the surprise?"

  Leo was genuinely thrilled. "Isn't this enough? This is already amazing!"

  "What if I told you Grace gave them to you? Would that be even more amazing?"

  Leo froze.

  Seeing his stunned expression, Jonathan grinned even wider. "Shocked, right? Grace went through a lot to find a reseller. Paid a markup. You know how expensive these are now."

  Leo came back to his senses, still disbelieving. "She really bought them?"

  Jonathan nodded. "Of course. You think I'd drop this much on shoes for you? Grace came to me specially to ask your shoe size. I've been keeping it a secret all this time just to surprise you."

  "Try them on."

  Leo felt a rush of warmth and excitement flooding his chest, spreading straight to his brain, momentarily short-circuiting his ability to think.

  In short: he was overwhelmed by the sudden joy.

  Until he opened the box. The shoes were revealed. Jonathan gasped. "These are fakes!"

  Leo snapped back to reality.

  One look, and he knew. Fake.

  Sneakerheads could spot fakes instantly. They each picked up a shoe, examined it closely, then looked at each other. Jonathan shook his head. "Grace got scammed. Damn it. Selling fakes as authentic? These resellers are insane!"

  But Leo felt no disappointment.

  The shoes might be fake.

  But they were from Grace.

  "I'll return these to her tomorrow. She needs to get her money back from that scumbag. Two Dollars for fakes is robbery!" Jonathan grabbed the shoe from Leo and stuffed it back in the box.

  Leo quickly stopped him. "The reseller won't refund. We can't return them."

  "So she just takes the loss? Two Dollars is serious—she could go to the police! Scamming someone who doesn't know sneakers—these people deserve to be arrested!" Jonathan was genuinely upset on Grace's behalf. Her kindness shouldn't be rewarded with fraud.

  But Leo didn't care about the shoes.

  "She won't know they're fake if you don't tell her," Leo said, looking at Jonathan seriously.

  Jonathan stared back. The implication finally dawned on him. He shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "You're something else. Compared to Grace's feelings, you don't care if these are real at all. If she gave you flip-flops, you'd treasure them just as much, wouldn't you?"

  Leo looked away. "The thought matters more."

  "Don't give me that sappy crap." Jonathan shoved his shoulder. "If you like her, why aren't you seizing the moment? Don't you check the confession wall? People confess to her anonymously every day. You really have no sense of urgency?"

  "She gave you these as thanks for helping her out. But if she didn't have some feelings, she'd just give something casual. Not put in this much effort. You're waiting for her to make the first move?"

  Leo carefully put the shoes back in the box and stored them away, his expression returning to its usual calm.

  Jonathan grew more frustrated. "What's your deal? The timing's perfect. Why are you hesitating?"

  Leo shook his head. "Let it go. I know what I'm doing."

  Grace had been right. Leo wasn't going to say anything.

  "We'll see how well you 'know.'" Jonathan sighed, cursing himself for caring more than the one who should.

  But Leo truly did know what he was doing. Receiving a gift from Grace made him happy—but he wouldn't assume that meant she had feelings for him.

  His reasons for helping her had always been pure. He never did it hoping to end up with her.