After returning from the trip, Dylan felt that his mood had improved significantly. It wasn’t a bad first trip with a girl. No, it could be said that it was very pleasant and fun.
He hadn’t realized it before, but it seemed that dating wasn’t as difficult as he had thought. While dating Lola, Dylan often felt a different kind of emotion he had never experienced before. He didn’t dislike that feeling.
As lunchtime approached, the sound of a sharp knock echoed, and until Nia Aliza entered his office, Dylan’s expression remained overall calm.
“What brings you here?”
His gaze turned cold at the sight of the unwelcome visitor. His voice flowed out bluntly.
“Where’s the senior? I haven’t seen him around.”
Aliza answered differently from the question and casually pulled out a chair to sit down. Dylan openly displayed his displeasure.
“You’ve come to the wrong place. This isn’t the senior’s office.”
At first, Aliza let out a sigh, taken aback, and then laughed out loud.
“Dylan Eve, I find you really fascinating sometimes. They say a lot can change in ten years, but how come you haven’t changed at all? You’re exactly the same.”
As she spoke, Aliza shook her head.
“I know. We weren’t inseparable or anything. But back in school, we worked really well together.”
Class president and vice president, first and second place. That was all there was to their relationship. Occasionally, during club meetings, they would gather to discuss things, but those moments were very rare.
However, when Aliza exaggeratedly spoke, Dylan couldn’t hide his disbelief.
“At the very least, you could offer a light greeting to an old classmate who came to visit.”
Dylan lowered his voice in response to Aliza, who was clearly showing her disappointment.
“Nia Aliza.”
It had been a long time since he called her by her full name. Even such a small thing felt special to Aliza, and she looked at him with an expectant gaze, saying, “Huh?”
But contrary to her hopes, the voice that slipped from Dylan’s lips was incredibly sharp.
“Why did you go to Lola Dax?”
“Why did you go see Lola Dax?”
His cold gaze and expressionless face created a very menacing atmosphere. Aliza instinctively shrank back, but she steadied her heart and calmly responded, determined not to be intimidated.
“Seriously! Did Lola Dax lose her patience and run to tell you? I never thought of Lola Dax like that.”
“Stop with the useless nonsense and just answer my question.”
Even with Dylan’s interrogative tone, Aliza responded with ease.
“Why? Were you worried I might harm that woman? Why are you so tense?”
Dylan’s black eyes seemed to pierce through Aliza. The sharpness of his gaze felt like it could cut her skin, but Aliza struggled to maintain a relaxed expression, refusing to flinch.
“Isn’t it natural for someone to go to the hospital when they’re sick? I needed a sleeping pill, and it just so happened that Lola Dax works in the psychiatric department. So, I went to see her.”
“Is that so?”
With a slight smirk, one corner of Dylan’s mouth twisted up. He clearly knew that Aliza was lying, yet he didn’t call her out on it. It was obvious that no matter how much he pressed, Aliza would just wriggle out of it and wouldn’t be honest.
Aliza shrugged her shoulders lightly and added, “I don’t think I need to tell you in detail what we talked about.”
“I’d prefer if you just left.”
Dylan turned his gaze to the documents on his desk and spoke stiffly.
A sigh, almost like a groan, slipped through Aliza’s pink lips.
“Dylan Eve, do you really know how heartless you are? You’re not even going to offer me coffee?”
“The door is over there.”
Dylan, maintaining his expressionless face, pointed to the door with his finger. Aliza was taken aback by his cold demeanor and laughed.
“Why are you being so inconsiderate? When the senior arrives, I’ll walk out on my own. I won’t disturb you, so just continue with your work.”
Seeing Aliza sitting there without a care, Dylan felt quite displeased. However, he couldn’t argue with a woman in the office, so he decided not to chase her away any further. Instead, he thoroughly ignored her presence and didn’t give her another glance.
Though he showed no willingness to accommodate her, Aliza pretended to be unaffected on the outside, but inside, she was anything but calm.
She felt indescribably hurt. She found him cruel and detestable. Yet, she still felt a longing for him.
What a contradictory emotion this was.
What would have changed if she had returned to the country just a little earlier?
The more she thought about it, the more regretful she felt. And she felt wronged and angry. Lola Dax, who was utterly ordinary in terms of qualifications, appearance, background, and wealth, was not even a match for her.
