Chapter 1474


    Carmen would normally have made enthusiastic small talk with him by now. Instead, she remained


    silent, as if she had not noticed him at all.


    Upon seeing that, Flynn threw himself down on the chair and opened his textbook to get ready for


    ss. If she would not speak to him, then he would not start a conversation with her either. Fine! Let’s


    see which one of us sumbs to the pressure first!


    Everyone else seemed to have detected the scent of gossip in the air; they were now curiously peering


    at both Carmen and Flynn while waiting for drama to unfold.


    Usually, by that time, she would have been trying to get him to talk to her. He would then give her the


    cold shoulder and undoubtedly be extremely irritated with her. Their exchange usually served as a form


    of entertainment for the rest of the ss. However, there was nothing going on between them today. In


    fact, she was unusually quiet in the morning and barely uttered a word even as ss started. On the


    other hand, he turned to look at her more often than he normally did.


    Everyone was beginning to read the situation. It appeared that Carmen had upgraded her methods and


    she was now ying hard to get.


    Hope entered the ssroom just as the bell went off for self-study. Everyone scrambled back to their


    seats. Alpha ss was the best ss in their year and their form teacher was the toughest among the


    faculty; it was his words that held the most authority because he came from the notorious Fletcher


    Family in Bayside City.


    Everyone knew the four most elite families in Bayside City—starting with the Fletchers, who wielded


    power over the country’s military. As long as Cethos remained a sovereign state, there was no way that


    their family would fall. Next was the Winstons, who ran the underworld that thrived against the forces of


    justice and thus was unlikely to perish anytime soon. Up next was the Edwards, whoy down roots all


    over the globe, andstly, the golden triangle that reigned over Bayside’s elite circle—the Mitchells, the


    Michels and Ronney Group.


    Then, there was the Yard Family, who recently returned from abroad. They were formidable as well, but


    they had been stationed out of Bayside City for a number of years and did not receive official


    recognition as a top yer in the field. In other words, their forces and reputation were far more


    established abroad than in the local elite scene.


    Therefore, with Mr. Fletcher as their form teacher, the students in Alpha ss were naturally the most


    obedient ones in school. Furthermore, their form teacher was a handsome young man who boasted


    elegantly chiseled features. While he shared a striking resemnce with Theo—the security guard by


    the school entrance—Mr. Fletcher was of an entirely different league from thetter. He was the best-


    looking teacher in the school and everyone had a love-hate rtionship with him.


    However, there was a chill that followed the man in the morning. Everyone was taken aback when he


    threw his teaching materials onto the desk and there was a deafening silence that ensued. The


    students peered at him cautiously and did not dare to breathe a single word.


    He was usually gentle and rarely angered, but today, his face was like thunder. As his gaze swept the


    ss, everyone could tell he was extremely furious. They began to silently pray. Whoever he’s angry


    with, please don’t let it be me!


    Hope tapped the teaching aid against the table loudly as he gave everyone a pointed look. “Next week,


    all of you will be sitting for your first practice test of the term. Your focus now should be on your studies!


    Nothing else matters! Your goal is to ace the June finals, whereupon all your hard work for the past


    three years will be reduced to a single, crucial moment. You simply cannot afford even the slightest


    distraction right now! And yet—”


    He broke off in the middle of his lecture, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats, and when he


    spoke again, it was with a pained voice. “I received a report this morning that a student was seen


    entering and leaving a nightclub after the self-study sessionst evening and he was caught drinking as


    well!”


    Upon hearing that, the whole ss went into an uproar. They began exchanging bewildered looks as


    they wondered who among them would visit a nightclub at a time like that. How unfortunate did this


    person have to be for Mr. Fletcher to catch wind of this incident?


    Just as everyone was growing flustered at the suspense, Hope rapped his knuckles against the table


    and a hush fell over the room once more. His chiseled face was grim as he snapped, “Mr. Flynn, aren’t


    you going to exin yourself? What in the world were you doing in a nightclub?”


    It was Flynn rk… Everyone drew in an audible breath of shock. None of them could believe that


    Flynn was the one who had been caught going to a nightclub!


    Meanwhile, the moment he heard the word ‘nightclub’, he knew instantly that Carmen had been the


    tattletale. He could not believe that she would actually snitch on him, but he did not think that Mr.


    Fletcher would call him out in front of the entire ss!


    In fact, Hope Fletcher came from the distinguished Fletcher Family and he was also rted to the


    rks. It was through him that the rks were associated with such a powerful family. Without him,


    they could not so much as mber their way up the socialdder.


    Flynn knew better than to evade Mr. Fletcher’s question and he spitefully red at Carmen. Her head


    was lowered and her eyes were fixed on the book before her, as if she had nothing to do with whatever


    was going on around her.


    He abruptly stood up and retorted in a haughty tone, “Mr. Fletcher, I know it was wrong of me to visit a


    nightclub while I’m underage, but the adults in my family happened to have a business meeting with Mr.


    Bailey, the director of Adams Group. My presence there was solely a matter of expediency.”


    Bailey Adams… Upon hearing that, the whole ss gasped. Bailey Adams is one of the most


    formidable figures in the business world!


    The name resounded throughout the ssroom like a loud thunderp. Everyone present was a child


    of the elite and they were all more than familiar with Bailey’s reputation. He had taken over the family


    business at the age of ten. He was now twenty-seven years old and for the past seventeen years, he


    had built a business empire that was beyond the imagination of those who were the same age as him.


    His business was known as the King of Insurance and as the person who was behind such a


    behemoth, he was a legend among legends. To meet the legendary Bailey in person and get a word or


    two in with him would be a privilege of a lifetime!


    Flynn smirked arrogantly when he heard the collective sigh of envy from his peers. He was smug when


    he continued, “Mr. Fletcher, I’m sure you understand that there are those who could spend their whole


    lives waiting but never being able to meet a man as legendary as Mr. Bailey. Wouldn’t you think that it


    would be a shame if I missed out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?”


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Everyone nodded in agreement with him. Flynn had to be there, even if he faced the risk of expulsion.


    After all, there were plenty of other schools that he could enroll in—should he be expelled from South


    Bayside High School, but to miss out on a chance to meet Bailey would be akin to setting himself for a


    lifetime of regret.


    Eager to convince Mr. Fletcher, he added, “Mr. Bailey read my thesis and saw my potential. If you don’t


    believe me, sir, you could always ask my fiancée’s father, Mr. Stafford. He was the one who arranged


    the meeting.”


    After hearing his words, everyone grew even more envious. It was one thing to be able to meet Bailey


    Adams, but to receive a personal invitation from him was a glorious achievement!


    However, it was not a surprise that an honor student as excellent as Flynn would receive such special


    treatment. In the current year alone, all his theses were featured in journal publications—even Bayside


    University had taken notice of his work and there were rumors that his name was already in their


    admissions list. At the rate that he was progressing, it was only a matter of time before he captured the


    attention of a business mogul like Bailey.


    As the rest of the ss gazed at Flynn in awe, he felt like he was floating on air. He reveled in the


    admiration of his peers and felt important. Surely there could not be more than a handful of people who


    had the chance to speak to Bailey Adams—it could only happen by way of divine intervention!


    Hope looked skeptical as he stood at the lectern. “Is that true?” he asked now, pushing his sses to


    the top of his nose bridge.


    Flynn nodded confidently. “You could always ask Mr. Stafford, who is the head of Stafford International


    and father to Kimberly, my fiancée, to verify my words.” As he said that, he cast a deliberate sidelong


    nce toward Carmen, as if he hoped that she would be hurt by his announcement that Kimberly was


    his fiancée. However, she was impassive and she still had her nose buried within the pages of the


    textbook.


    After a pause, Hope felt for his phone as he said, “Let me check.”


    He made a call and the line was picked up within seconds. Everyone thought he was on the phone with


    Kimberly’s father, but he spoke with a crisp Bayside ent when he greeted the person on the other


    end. “Bailey, my man, I didn’t expect you to quickly pick up the call. Did you just get out of bed?”


    Everyone stared at him in shock. How is it possible that Mr. Fletcher knows Bailey Adams?


    The ss marveled at his powerful connections. If it were not for the fact that Mr. Fletcher was from the


    Fletcher Family, everyone would have thought he was bluffing.


    At this moment, Hope ced the phone on speaker and everyone heard the voice that came from the


    other line. “I’m on my way to work. Why did you call me, Mr. Fletcher?”


    The voice was bass-like—it was deep and cold, but elusive and sultry at the same time. His Bayside


    ent was far more impable than a professional voice-over actor’s and he sounded nothing like a


    foreigner when he spoke.


    Carmen’s ears pricked up when she heard the voice as a chill ran down her spine. It’s his voice…