"News? What news?

", My heart skipped a beat, and since waking up, not a soul had breathed a word of it to me., I yanked the door open to find Conrad and Dustin standing outside, both turning to face me simultaneously.,

"What news?

" I demanded., They exchanged a look, clearly intending to keep me in the dark., Without letting them get a word in, I blurted out,

"I heard everything.

", Dustin's eyes darkened as he reached for his phone, while Conrad made a move to stop him, only to be halted by my stern gaze.,

"Maybe it's better she knows,

" Dustin conceded, unlocking his phone and handing it to me., It displayed a screenshot of a webpage headline:

"Rare Golden Blood Love, Girlfriend Donates 800cc to Save Boyfriend, Your Blood Runs Through My Veins.

", Such a romantic headline, accompanied by a photo of me linking fingers with Conrad as a sign of encouragement., It was merely a gesture of support, far from a declaration of love., Yet, under such a headline, it seemed as though Conrad and I were bound by a life-and-death pact., Dustin had mentioned Ernest seeing this news and getting the wrong idea. Well, who wouldn't misconstrue it? I certainly would have.,

"When did this happen?

" I asked Dustin.,

"Just three days ago, right after you donated blood to Rad. By the time I arrived, the news had already gone viral. Ernest had gotten there before me, so he must've seen it.

", I felt a tightness in my chest, sensing my distress, Dustin stepped closer,

"I had it pulled from trending as soon as I could. It's been taken down from the web.

", But was that enough? Ernest had already seen it., I wasn't worried about others seeing it or getting the wrong idea, but Ernest was a different story., Even if he trusted me completely, the photo in that trending news was too suggestive.,

"Felicia, let me explain this to Ernest,

" Conrad chimed in., I shook my head, saying,

"Explaining will only make things messier. Let him think what he wants. If he was okay with leaving me with you, he must trust me enough.

" , Trying to reassure myself, I added with a forced smile,

"He must've had urgent matters to attend to.

",

"Felicia...

" Conrad started., But I cut him off,

"What about Jefferson?

", Dustin took over.

"He's fine now, thanks to Ernest.

", So, Ernest was influential. He could handle even the ruthless Club Q. remembered Conrad's question It, about how well I knewline, seems I knew very little. ,

"That's a relief,

" I said, trying to sound casual.

"Is Jefferson out yet?

",

"Not yet, there's paperwork to be done. He'll be out by tomorrow,

" Conrad's response reminded me of the flight I needed to book.,

"Alright, tell Jefferson I've gone back, home, deen you see him tomorrow, We can catch up once he's back,

" I, d to return home immediately., , Especially now, knowing Ernest might have misconstrued my relationship with Conrad.,

"Felicia, one night won't make a difference,

" Dustin interjected.,

"No, even one night can change perceptions,

" I countered., If I rush back to explain to Ernest tonight, he might think I'm worried about his misunderstanding, hence my haste., But if I wait until tomorrow, he'll likely think that even if he's upset, I didn't consider it a big deal., I couldn't afford to let the misunderstanding deepen., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.