Chapter 7

"Why?"

I didn't want to owe his family anything.

And I didn't want to spend Julian's money.

I didn't want to owe their family *anything*.

And I definitely didn't want to hear outsiders say things like, "My mom brought that dead weight kid with her when she remarried, he's just going to fight for the inheritance."

That's why I earned all my tuition and living expenses myself.

Any money they gave me, I returned it without touching it.

My throat worked, but before I could figure out what to say.

I heard Julian's voice, overly calm, ring out.

"Is it because of that guy? Working three jobs a day for him, and now living off-campus, are you planning to move in with him?"

Julian stared intently at me.

No matter how lightly he spoke.

I still caught a hint of something unusual in his tone.

I looked away.

Avoiding his gaze.

"...None of your business."

My relationship with Julian wasn't exactly good.

But it wasn't bad enough for us to be at each other's throats.

Just average.

Julian didn't say anything else.

Soon, my brows furrowed again. "How do you know all this about me? Are you spying on me?!"

Julian smirked, his eyes calm.

"Do I need to spy?"

Right. A piece of baggage like me, everything I do gets spread around the fastest.

Especially going to a part-time job.

Upper-crust society, always a damn nuisance.

Since Julian knew, I didn't care anymore. "Are you afraid I'll embarrass your family?"

I didn't mean to say that, but I couldn't help it.

When Julian left, he didn't take the apartment keys from the table.

I looked at them for a moment.

In the end, I tossed them into a drawer.