"Miaomiao, see you next week!"
"See you!"
School was out. Miaomiao waved her paws, cheerfully saying goodbye to Lia. Then she spotted Seraphina coming through the school gates and gave two vigorous waves.
"Seraphina, see you next week!"
"We're not that close." Seraphina held her chin high, but she didn't insist that Miaomiao address her by her surname. After two seconds, she added quietly, "Goodbye."
Her voice was barely audible, but Miaomiao's ears caught it clearly, and she happily climbed into the Wayne Family's car.
After spending time together lately, Lia had also realized that Seraphina wasn't quite as unapproachable as she seemed. She gave a little wave. "Goodbye, Dumas."
Without waiting for a reply, Lia hurriedly turned and hopped into her car.
Seraphina: ...
Why did she run off so fast? Was she afraid I'd scold her?
Seraphina sighed and prepared to leave, but just as she turned, she spotted a furtive figure following the car Lia had gotten into.
He deliberately kept himself hidden, his gaze sinister. He was clearly tailing her, though his technique left much to be desired.
Was that... John Elliott?
What was he following Lia for?
For days, John had been picking fights at every turn, only to be rebuffed each time. Seeing him like this filled Seraphina with unease.
Elliott was petty, vindictive, and narrow-minded. Usually, he bullied others without ever letting them fight back. He had only gotten away with his arrogance this long because he had enough sense not to provoke anyone whose family outranked his and knew how to avoid the teachers' scrutiny.
Now he had tried those same tactics on Miaomiao Wayne, the Wayne Family's adopted daughter, only to suffer repeated setbacks. He might well take his anger out on someone else. Lia had always stood by Miaomiao and