Jepherson slowed his steps letting Raeleigh catch up to him then reached out and took her hand in his.
Raeleigh instinctively tried to pull her hand away. Laughing, Jepherson held on, "Come on, there's no one around."
Raeleigh narrowed her eyes at him Jepherson. What a bully!
But did she really want to tug her hand away? She continued walking. When Jepherson stopped walking did she finally ask what had been on her mind. "Why are you here?"
"I need your help. Remember that blue car you designed? I want to invest in that and name it after you. You do know that my company needs talented designers like you, right? I hope you will consider joining my company."
Raeleigh thought of her design. As proud as she is of her design, she had a feeling that Scarlette was behind this sudden request. This was not the first time after all.
"Jepherson, I..." Raeleigh was about to refuse, but before she could say more, Jepherson interrupted.
"Don't tell say that you want to focus on your studies. You need to plan for your future anyway. Promise you'll help me."
Irritation welled up in Raeleigh at Jepherson's overbearing behaviour. He did not even give her a chance to refuse his offer.
"I don't want to make any rash decisions, but if you are truly fond of the design and want to put it into production, then I can give it to you."
"You're willing to give it to me?" A huge smile appeared and Raeleigh could not help but feel something was amiss. She couldn't put her finger on it but there seemed to be a hidden meaning behind his words. What was Jepherson up to again?
Slightly uneasy, she elaborated, "That's all I can give to you. I will not promise you anything else." "What if you sold it to me?" Jepherson asked.
Raeleigh knew that it was a trap.
"That drawing is not a big deal. I did it on a whim so there's no value in keeping it. As for its name, I actually like the name Lanox. Of course, you don't have to use it if that name doesn't sound good."
"Sounds good. What do you currently value the drawing at?"
"I'm not sure yet."
"If I put it into production, I reckon you would receive at least 10 million dollars. Of course, that's just a rough figure. If you sign a contract with me, then you'll get more money in the future. Are you sure you want to just to give it to me?" Jepherson asked again. Raeleigh said, "It's just a piece of paper. If you think it's worth something, go ahead. It may not appeal to others anyway. Different people have different opinions. I know where I stand."
"What if it's your dowry?"
Raeleigh whipped her head up and gaped at Jepherson. Was he was crazy?
"I don't have a dowry."
"It's not easy to marry into the Richards family if you don't."
Raeleigh did not have a retort. Every time she talked to Jepherson, it felt as if there were hidden meanings behind his words. Like a spider spinning his web, drawing her in.
Raeleigh paced and looked at Jepherson every so often. At last, he said, "Lanox is a good name. I will produce a limited edition of 100 cars. That will be your dowry."
"You..."
Raeleigh stalked off, heading back to her dorm, and did not look at Jepherson anymore. She walked off her frustration and made her way back to the dormitory.
When Raeleigh entered the dormitory, she looked for Scarlette, who turned out to be awake and smiling at her. Raeleigh asked, "Aren't you afraid of having a nightmare by doing this?"
Scarlette avoided her gaze then, she had no choice either.
Raeleigh did not see Jepherson for the next few days, nor did she receive any calls. She felt like she was being ghosted. Rather than enjoying some peace and quiet, Flynt seized his chance to insinuate himself in her life. The guy she saw plenty of.
The class was noisier now with Flynt in their class.
Raeleigh preferred keeping to herself. If Deanna stopped bugging her, she would even forget about her existence.
As Raeleigh went out of the classroom, intending to go back to the dormitory for something she forgot, she bumped into someone.
And that person was none other than Flynt.
The notebook that Raeleigh was holding fell out of her hand onto the ground after they collided. As she reached down to pick it up, Flynt beat her to it, quickly picking it up and handing it back to her.
Raeleigh fixed her eyes on the notebook and said nothing. Quickly she turned away, hoping to avoid any further interactions.
Flynt stopped her in her tracks. "Don't you want to know why I decided to study here?"
Raeleigh stopped, but she did not look back.
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