Julian lounged comfortably in his executive chair, scrolling through the endless stream of online comments. His eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction.

As expected.

People always saw the truth, clear as day.

Even random strangers on the internet could guess it: Caitlin, upon hearing about

his engagement to Sophie, would be devastated.

She'd probably crawl away to lick her wounds in some dark corner.

It wouldn't take long.

Soon enough, Caitlin would come crawling to beg him.

And then, he'd have the latest news from Apex right in his palm.

All he had to do was sit back and reap the rewards.

**

At one o'clock sharp, Caitlin left her apartment and hailed a cab to the nearby shopping district.

Meanwhile, ten miles away in a bustling mall café, Celeste was already waiting for Caitlin, sipping her iced tea and watching the entrance. The transfer student exams were finally over, and she'd invited Caitlin out for a much-needed shopping spree.

Celeste wore a pair of denim overalls with a vintage Mickey Mouse print, her short bob tied into two playful pigtails. She looked every bit the picture of cheerful youth.

About twenty minutes later, Celeste spotted a familiar silhouette approaching.

Caitlin had kept it simple today: a plain white tee and black shorts. The weather was warm, so she'd tossed her hair up in a messy bun. Yet with her looks, even the most basic outfit seemed effortlessly stylish. She stood out in the crowd without even trying.

Celeste couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "My Catie is such a natural beauty!" Even without a hint of makeup, Caitlin was the brightest presence in the room. Celeste stood up and waved. "Catie, over here!"

Caitlin jogged over, a little out of breath. "March, sorry I'm late."

"You're not! I got here early. We've still got ten minutes before our official meet-up time. Here—this is for you." Celeste handed over a cup with a flourish. "Try this, it's the new lychee black tea from Greenleaf."

Caitlin accepted the drink, spotting the 'full sugar' label on the lid. Her eyes lit up in delight.

Full sugar milk tea-her favorite.

To Caitlin, ordering anything less than full sugar was basically a waste.

She took a generous sip and grinned. "This is amazing. After we hit the shops, dinner's on me."

"Deal!" Celeste hooked her arm through Caitlin's. "I want extra spicy fried chicken and a double cheeseburger!"

Once they entered the mall, Celeste transformed into a kid in a candy store. She wanted to browse everything, touch everything, and even dragged Caitlin into a boutique to guess the price tags.

Caitlin couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this relaxed. Walking beside Celeste, her face was aglow with genuine happiness.

Who knew shopping with a girlfriend could be this much fun?

They passed a men's clothing store, and Caitlin paused. "March, let's go in and check out the shirts."

Celeste's curiosity was instantly piqued. "Men's clothes? Who are you shopping for?"

Could it be did Caitlin have a boyfriend?

"My grandpa," Caitlin replied easily.

Fortune hardly had any clothes to his name. Besides his work uniform, he

practically lived in an old T-shirt bought eight years ago.

So it wasn't a boyfriend after all. Celeste nodded. "Great idea. I'll pick up a few things for my dad, too."

The two of them slipped inside and started browsing.

The storefront was all glass, so anyone outside could see the girls intently sorting through hangers and holding shirts up to the light.

When are people at their most attractive? Probably when they're completely focused on something they care about.

Caitlin was striking to begin with; now, immersed in her search, she seemed to shine from within.

A man walking briskly down the corridor suddenly stopped short, his gaze drawn to the sight inside the shop.

He was six-foot-four, broad-shouldered, with sharp features and the kind of presence that turned heads. His tailored shirt fit perfectly, giving him the air of a CEO straight out of a TV drama-commanding, magnetic, impossible to ignore.

Girls passing by stared openly, but he didn't notice. He was looking through the glass, straight at Caitlin.

A flicker of confusion crossed his face. Men's clothing? Who was she shopping for?

"Gordon, let's go!" Alaina called from behind.

"Coming." Gordon snapped out of it and caught up with his sister.

"Hey, would you ever buy clothes for your brother-in-law?" he asked.

"Of course," Alaina replied, then frowned. "Why? What's with the random question?"

Gordon hesitated, feeling oddly unsettled. "No reason. Just curious."

Alaina rolled her eyes. "No wonder you're still single with that attitude. Have you even contacted Miss Kensington lately?"

"No."

She shot him a look of pure exasperation. "And you wonder why you can't get a girl?"

Before he could answer, Alaina went on, "I haven't seen Miss Kensington in ages. I even asked Skyler to invite her over for dinner, but she said she was too busy."

Gordon's expression darkened, lashes casting shadows over his eyes.

So-Miss Kensington had time to shop for her boyfriend, but not to join them for dinner?

**

Elsewhere in the mall, Veronica was shopping with Vida.

As they exited a boutique, they nearly collided with Caitlin and Celeste, both arms loaded with shopping bags.

Veronica stopped dead. Was this really Caitlin? She was almost unrecognizable.

Vida stared too. If she hadn't seen it herself, she'd never have believed this was the same girl who'd once worn garish makeup and looked every bit the country bumpkin.

But the disbelief quickly turned to disdain. Vida was convinced Caitlin had seen the news about Julian's engagement on Twitter and was now stalking her, desperate for help to get back with him.

Pathetic.

Vida's lip curled in disgust as she strode forward. "Caitlin, you need to learn your place. Don't covet what doesn't belong to you. And by the way, places like W are way out of your league!"