Chapter 146
The car stopped slowly at the entrance of the residential area.
Anna Ross glanced at the bouquet on the passenger seat.
After a moment of hesitation, she reached out and picked it up.
Lucas Evans leaned over to unbuckle her seatbelt.
"Remember to close your windows tonight," he said gently.
She thanked him softly.
Then she pushed the door open and got out of the car.
Mia Lawrence was already waiting by the roadside.
She immediately rushed over, her eyes sparkling.
"Confess everything!" she demanded. "You two are definitely not just classmates!"
Anna walked ahead, holding the bouquet and looking down.
"Really, we're just classmates," she said, her voice tired. "At most, we're just good friends."
Mia clearly didn't believe her.
She chased after Anna, pressing for answers. "Would a regular classmate give you roses? Treat you to a fancy dinner? Drive you home personally?"
She lowered her voice. "I saw everything just now."
"The way he looks at you could drown someone in affection."
"He obviously likes you!"
Anna stopped walking.
How could she not understand all this?
But her life was a tangled mess right now.
Her mother was still waiting for her to earn money for their rescue.
Adrian Sinclair made things difficult for her at every turn.
She didn't even have a moment to catch her breath.
Let alone consider matters of the heart.
Besides.
She simply wasn't worthy of Lucas's affection.
It seemed she needed to keep her distance from now on.
It was the responsible thing to do for both of them.
She shook off these distracting thoughts.
Grabbing her best friend's hand, she said, "Stop guessing wildly."
"Right now, I just want to earn money and take Mom away from here."
Their figures gradually lengthened under the streetlights.
Mia pouted in complaint. "You're such a blockhead."
"A high-quality man like him isn't common."
"What if someone snatches him away one day?"
"You'll regret it when it's too late."
Anna's expression remained calm. "That would be even better."
"I'm in no state of mind to think about these things right now."
Her life was already complicated enough.
Mia touched her face. "I just want you to be happy."
"If you like him, don't let him slip away."
"I don't want to see you full of regrets in the future."
Anna listened silently to her best friend's words.
They finally reached the fork in the road.
Mia hugged her reluctantly.
Then she turned and walked toward her own apartment building.
Anna returned to her apartment alone.
Sophia Roscente was already asleep.
She had just put down her bag.
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
The moment she saw the caller ID, her heart tightened sharply.
She quickly answered the call. "Mom?"
"What's wrong?"
Suppressed sobs came from the other end of the line.
Vivian Lowell's voice trembled. "Anna..."