Free Web NovelChapter 22: Old Crushes and Fleeting Clouds!
Luca Hale had initially assumed Sophie Kennedy was calling because of her mother’s illness.
To his surprise, that wasn’t the case at all.
The only thing Sophie asked was whether he planned to attend the class reunion.
When Luca confirmed that he was going, Sophie hesitated briefly before asking if she could go with him.
Luca agreed without a second thought.
The following afternoon, Luca drove Trish Hale to Sophie Kennedy’s apartment complex. By the time they arrived, Sophie and Rachel Kennedy were already waiting outside.
The moment they saw the G-Class pull up, the two sisters walked over.
Without exchanging a word, Trish and Rachel slipped into the back seat together, deliberately leaving the front passenger seat vacant.
Through the rearview mirror, Luca caught Trish repeatedly shooting meaningful looks at Rachel.
He immediately felt a headache coming on.
’This girl is hopeless.’
What he couldn’t understand was why Trish was still trying to match him with Sophie after already meeting Naomi Monroe.
Did she really want her brother to become a scumbag?
Thankfully, those thoughts remained safely inside his head.
Sophie smiled helplessly when she noticed the arrangement and opened the passenger door.
She was wearing another dress today.
Yesterday’s had been green.
Today’s was a soft purple.
The color had changed, but her beauty hadn’t.
The elegant dress highlighted her petite frame perfectly.
Who said cute girls couldn’t compete with sexy ones?
At least in Sophie Kennedy’s case, cuteness was undefeated.
As the vehicle rolled toward Ashford High School, Trish suddenly leaned forward from the back seat.
"Brother, after you drop Rachel and me off, are you taking Sister Sophie on a secret date?"
She covered her mouth and giggled mischievously.
Luca didn’t even react.
Years of dealing with Trish’s antics had given him near-immunity.
Of course, his exceptionally thick skin helped too.
Sophie, however, wasn’t nearly as resistant.
Although she tried to maintain a calm expression, the tips of her ears slowly turned red.
"First of all," Luca said calmly, "Sophie and I are attending a perfectly normal class reunion."
"Secondly, I still need to pick someone else up afterward."
He hadn’t forgotten Mason Reid.
Luca was not the type to abandon his best friend for romance.
Soon, they arrived at the school gates. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Luca parked by the roadside.
"Brother, we’re going in."
"Mm."
Trish lingered beside the car.
"That’s it? Don’t you have anything else to say?"
Luca thought seriously for a moment.
"Study hard."
Trish froze.
Then she puffed up her cheeks.
"You’re so boring!" freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Sticking out her tongue, she grabbed Rachel’s hand and hurried toward the campus.
Watching them disappear through the gates, Luca finally drove away.
Their next stop was Mason Reid’s house.
Mason lived in an old bungalow on the outskirts of town.
Back in high school, Luca had visited countless times.
Unlike Luca, Mason had never been particularly strong academically. Although he managed to get into a junior college, various family circumstances eventually forced him to drop out.
Now he worked on a factory assembly line, earning just enough to get by each month.
When the G-Class pulled up outside the familiar red iron gate, Luca honked twice.
A few moments later, the gate swung open.
A towering man nearly 1.9 meters tall stepped out.
His buzz cut hadn’t changed much since high school.
The moment he saw Luca, his face split into a huge grin.
"Luca!"
Then his eyes landed on the Mercedes-Benz.
"Damn! A G-Class?"
Mason stared in disbelief.
He had heard Luca bought a new car recently, but hearing about it and seeing it were two completely different things.
A G-Class.
The dream vehicle of countless men and women.
As he approached the car, he was about to open the front passenger door when a familiar female voice suddenly greeted him.
"Mason Reid, long time no see."
Mason froze.
Only after looking carefully did he recognize the woman sitting in the passenger seat.
His eyes widened.
"Sophie Kennedy?"
The former Class Beauty smiled and nodded.
Mason scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly before wisely opening the rear door instead.
"I remember, of course I remember."
He climbed into the back seat.
"Our Class Beauty."
Then he leaned forward and quietly gave Luca a thumbs-up.
"Luca, you’re incredible."
Back in high school, Sophie Kennedy had been the dream girl of countless boys.
Not only students from their own class but students from other grades and even neighboring schools had pursued her.
Every single one failed.
At the time, many classmates believed Sophie rejected everyone because she liked Luca Hale.
Unfortunately, Luca had spent three years secretly crushing on her without ever gathering the courage to confess.
Mason had always felt sorry for his friend.
Yet now, seeing them arrive together, he couldn’t help thinking:
’Maybe fate really does exist.’
Naturally, Luca could tell Mason had misunderstood everything.
Still, he didn’t bother explaining.
After all...
What if something actually happened in the future?
The G-Class eventually arrived at the Stone Free Grand Hotel.
As the luxury SUV rolled beneath the grand entrance canopy, it immediately attracted attention.
Several elegantly dressed women standing near the steps glanced over instinctively.
Their eyes lingered on the vehicle with unmistakable envy.
Mason climbed out first.
Sophie followed.
The moment they appeared, voices erupted from the crowd.
"Wait, isn’t that Sophie Kennedy?"
"And that’s Mason Reid!"
Many former classmates recognized them instantly.
"But who owns the G-Class?"
Among the crowd stood a woman with curly hair and an elegant crystal handbag.
Her name was Chloe Hilton.
Back in high school, she had been considered one of the prettier girls in their class.
Combined with her excellent fashion sense, she had attracted no shortage of admirers.
However, the person she had liked most was always Luca Hale.
He had been the most handsome boy in their entire year.
After gathering all her courage to confess back then, she had received nothing more than a polite rejection.
The memory still stung a little.
Of course, she was married now.
Those youthful feelings had long since become part of the past.
Then the driver’s door opened.
Luca Hale stepped out.
A look of realization flashed across Chloe’s face.
"It’s Luca Hale!"
Beside her, Natalie Bennett stared openly.
"He’s still unbelievably handsome."
"And he’s obviously doing very well for himself."
For a brief moment, a trace of regret surfaced in her heart.
Perhaps she should have tried harder back then.
Maybe if things had worked out, she’d be the one stepping out of that G-Class today.
The thought vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
After all, life didn’t work that way.
Meanwhile, the moment Sophie Kennedy stepped gracefully from the passenger seat and walked to Luca’s side, every woman standing at the entrance reached the same conclusion.
They never had a chance.
Not back then.
And certainly not now.
