Chapter 43 - A Beautiful Surprise

Lily looked up at the boys from her desk. She tried her best to keep her composure, but she could feel her heart racing and her palms beginning to sweat.

She muttered "Gerald?" to herself as she slowly finished her lunch by herself in the classroom. Glancing around, she noticed that the other students had gathered at the other tables together, leaving her the only one sitting alone.

Gerald, the leader of the group, had a smug look on his face as if he knew something that she didn't. He seemed to be assessing her as if he were making a mental calculation of her worth. He had an air of superiority about him as if he was better than everyone else in the room.

He took a step forward and spoke in a booming, authoritative voice. "Hey, why are you sitting by yourself? Do you need a companion or is there no one willing to be your friend?"

Gerald was a man who was popular and well-liked by many women, and the thought of conquering a girl like Lily intrigued him. He thought Lily had a beauty that could not be surpassed by any of the other girls in school; she didn't wear overly fashionable clothes or have a large social circle, which made her appear less popular.

The other boys laughed, but Lily did not.

The other girls in the class really didn't like Lily, with one of them saying, "It's obvious that Lily is trying to attract Gerald. What a manipulative witch!"

"What do you mean?" another person asked. "Do you think Gerald would be interested in such a poor girl?"

"She's probably looking for money, so she's pretty much selling herself," the first replied with contempt.

"I just want to yank out her hair, she really doesn't deserve to share the same air as us."

"I can't understand why such an exclusive school has to accept someone like her," chimed in a third.

"But then," the second continued, "I think we shouldn't have her here. She's bringing us all down."

Gerald sat down in the chair beside Lily and tried to get closer. "I want you," he said, looking into her eyes. "I'm offering you a chance for a date—one that you shouldn't turn down."

Lily felt her heart pounding in her chest, and she looked at Gerald with fear in her eyes. She wanted to refuse his offer but was too scared to say anything. She could feel the other girls staring at them both, waiting for something to happen.

Gerald's face hardened as he realized that Lily wasn't responding to his offer, and he threatened her with a warning: "You're going to regret this if you don't take my offer."

Lily gulped and looked down at the floor. She knew that no one else in the room would come to her aid if Gerald started making any unexpected moves.

Gerald flashed her a smile and said: "I'm handsome, rich, and popular, so you should appreciate and treasure what I'm offering you. Come on, don't be scared—you won't regret it, I promise."

Lily felt frozen in place; she had been through similar situations before, but never like this one. She knew that it was time for her to stand up for herself, even if it put her safety at risk. So with all the courage she could muster, she finally took a deep breath and boldly stated, "Sorry, I can't. I have something else to do after school."

Gerald's face contorted into a menacing scowl as he slowly rose from the chair. His gaze was heavy as he considered Lily for a few moments before turning away with a low growl of warning. "You'll regret this," he muttered before stalking off, followed closely by his entourage.

When they were gone, Lily felt relieved that she hadn't given in to Gerald's pressure or threats - though it was still hard not to feel powerless when faced with such an intimidating figure like him.

When the bell signaled the end of school, Lily made her way out of the classroom amidst taunts from her classmates.

"You think you're so special, don't you? You treated Gerald like crap, and now you're just walking away!"

"Yeah, you're such a slut. You don't even know what you're doing!"

"Well, we all heard what happened. You were so disrespectful to Gerald, and now you're just acting like nothing happened!"

"You were swearing and yelling at him! You're so rude!"

As Lily walked away, she could hear her peers mocking her, calling her a slut and saying she didn't know where she was. She was sad, but she kept her head high and kept walking.

Lily sprinted towards home, desperately trying to suppress the tears that were beginning to swell in her eyes. She refused to let the sorrow engulf her, clamping down on her emotions with an iron will.

But with each step, the effort to remain composed grew more difficult, and soon she could feel hot sobs welling up inside of her.

She stopped for a moment, trying to force a smile on her face and wipe away the evidence of her grief. Clenching her fists, Lily pushed herself forward — she didn't want Leon, her older brother, to find her in such a distressed state when she arrived home.

Lily arrived at the entrance of the house, her heart racing with excitement as she heard laughter coming from within - it was Leon and their uncle, Ben.

She opened the door and greeted them with a bright smile. "Uncle Ben, I didn't know you were home!" she exclaimed excitedly, her eyes twinkling.

Ben, a 39-year-old man, regarded Lily fondly and replied, "Yes, my dear, I'm here for a few days. I finally had some time off, so I decided to come home and spend some time with you two. It's been a while since we've had the chance to get together."

Leon and Lily had been living with Ben since their parents departed. For them, Ben was like a surrogate father.

Leon smiled at his sister and said, "Hey, Lily! Sorry, I forgot to tell you about Uncle being here. We were planning a surprise dinner for you tonight!"

Lily had observed a number of changes in Leon over the past few days and weeks. He was discovering hidden gems within the game, and he had even started purchasing more luxurious items for the house. Not to mention, he had taken the time to get some new clothes for her too.

Lily smiled at Leon. "Leon... don't you need that money more for your studies?"

"Don't worry, Lily," he replied. "I have plenty of money for that, so you don't need to be concerned." 

Ben chuckled. "Hahaha, look at what your brother is doing, Lily. You two make me feel so useless. If Leon has that much money, then I won't be of any use to you guys anymore."

"Oh, come on, Uncle," Lily said with a cheerful grin. "You're so much more than that to us."

Leon exclaimed in delight, "We're going to the fancy restaurant tonight!" He waved his hands about and beamed at Lily.

"Are you serious?", asked Lily with surprise. "Wow! I can't wait for it!" she smiled brightly.

"But before that," Leon added, "I need to meet someone."

Just then, they heard a car outside and Leon leapt to his feet, "Ah! That must be her! I'll be right back!"

Leon marched out of the house and Ben and Lily trailed behind him as they noticed a young woman exiting the car. She had shoulder-length, chestnut hair pushed back to one side.

"Who is she?" Ben stammered, turning to look at Lily in surprise. "Do you think Leon has a new girlfriend?"

Lily gaped in shock. "I don't know either, Uncle Ben," she said quickly. "But even if he does, Leon wouldn't hide it from us. From what I know, he's close to a Princess, a Goddess and a Mage."

"What?!" Ben was taken aback yet again by Lily's statement. "What do you mean?"

Leon walked up to Freya, who worked at the Golden Age Company - the developers of the popular game Immortal Legacy.

Freya gave Leon a dazzling smile, and he was left speechless. Her skin shone like the sun, radiating warmth and light.

As soon as she removed her black sunglasses, Leon was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze. She stood at 1.67 meters (5.48 feet) tall, so she had to tilt her head upward slightly while offering him a friendly grin.

"Hello, Leon," she began in a gentle tone. "It's Freya — we spoke about this meeting in my email. Do you mind if we get into the car so I can tell you what I want to discuss?"

He nodded his head and agreed. "Yes, of course. My name is Leon." With that, they both entered the vehicle.