Chapter 30: A Cold Bargain

Angelo arrived.

He saw Luke sitting on the steps, his face bruised, his backpack on the ground, and a tree branch nearby – it didn't take much to realize what had happened.

He quickly glanced Livia over from head to toe before turning to ask Luke, "Got into another fight?"

"Some guys were after Miss Ashcroft. I was just helping her out," Luke explained succinctly.

Without another look at Livia, Angelo asked Luke coolly, "Can you walk?"

When Luke stood up, Livia moved quickly to steady him, but Angelo brushed her hand away, not allowing her to touch Luke.

Livia's hand felt as if it was suddenly frozen, stiff with cold.

"What are you doing, Angelo?" Luke protested.

"Do you need help walking? Is your foot broken?" Angelo responded with a cold tone.

Luke huffed with irritation. "How do you know my foot isn't hurt?" He demonstrated by lifting his right foot and hopping on his left, all eyes on Angelo.

Knowing full well what Luke was up to, Angelo took out his phone. "Maybe I should just call an ambulance."

Luke was fuming, standing bolt upright, and shooting a piercing glare before he got into his car.

Livia felt awkward just being there, but as a teacher, she felt obliged to apologize to the student's guardian. "Luke was just trying to do the right thing, and he got hurt because of me. I'll cover the medical expenses."

Angelo's tone was blunt. "Of course you will."

Livia's eyes fell. She was a bit heartbroken. Angelo's attitude made her uncomfortable. Yet, she tried to put herself in his shoes—any parent would be uneasy learning their child was injured because of a teacher.

It was just that Angelo's words were too direct, devoid of any softness.

She knew where her discomfort stemmed from—the feeling that Angelo had turned on her too quickly.

"Please take him to get checked out, then send me the bill. I'll transfer the money to you." Livia adjusted her mindset. She shouldn't be oversensitive. Any attitude from him was to be expected now.

Angelo narrowed his eyes slightly. "You're his teacher, and he got hurt because of you. Don't you think you should come along?"

Livia pursed her lips.

Gazing at Luke sitting in the back seat, Livia eventually got into the car, too.

She sat next to Luke.

On the way to the hospital, Valentia called, asking Angelo where he was, and he told her they were heading to the hospital.

After arriving at the hospital, Valentia showed up with a black mask, clearly worried about Luke's condition.

It turns out that Luke only had some superficial skin wounds. He did not have a concussion.

"We should probably start driving Luke to and from school," Valentia, her beautiful eyes filled with concern for Luke, suggested. "Finals are coming up, right? I'm not too busy with work lately, so I can take him to school until the break."

Luke lifted his eyelids and glanced at Valentia skeptically. "And who are you?"

Valentia fell silent.

No one expected Luke to put Valentia down like that.

"Luke," Valentia paused, then explained. "I'm a friend of Angelo's."

"You don't have the right to pick me up," Luke said defiantly.

Valentia's face fell, trying to maintain a show of strength as she looked down, seeming very hurt.

Livia felt like an extra in the scene. She was there to pay, but in the end, Angelo swiped his card.

"Luke, go home and rest well," Livia felt the need to interject. "If you're not feeling well, let me know and take a day off, alright?"

"Okay."

"I'll be going then." Livia nodded politely to Angelo and Valentia before she walked out.

Livia waited outside for her ride, but before the car arrived, Angelo emerged with Luke by his side.

Valentia trailed alongside Angelo, looking every bit like parents bringing their child home from school.

Livia stopped glancing over and suddenly heard Angelo call out to her.

"Miss Ashcroft."

There was no warmth in his voice at all.

Livia took a deep breath, turned sideways to face him, and said courteously, "Yes? What is it?"

Angelo approached with a detached air and handed her the hospital bill. "Could you please transfer the medical expenses to me?"

Livia was momentarily taken aback but then took the invoice. "I can transfer it to you right now if you want."

"No need. You can go back and add it up properly."

Livia felt there wasn't much to calculate. She had a rough idea of the amount just by glancing at it.

But Angelo didn't give her the chance. He was already getting into his car.

Before getting into the car with him, Valentia gave Livia a deep look, a mocking smile playing on her lips. Then she shut the car door.

Livia returned home and looked at the hospital bill, thinking about transferring the money to Angelo.

Opening Facebook, she remembered that she'd deleted Angelo, meaning she'd have to add him back.

She wondered if he'd noticed that she'd deleted him. If he hadn't removed her, she could re-add him without needing his approval.

Livia re-added him, and it went through without needing acceptance from the other side.

Staring at her phone, Livia hesitated a long time before making the direct transfer.

Soon, a notification confirmed that the recipient had received the payment.

There was no more than a word or an emoji exchange. It was like a cold transaction.

Unsure of what else to say, Livia put down her phone and went to take a shower.

Before bed, she checked her phone again. No messages.

She used to fall asleep by ten o'clock, but tonight, at eleven, she was tossing and turning, feeling restless. It wasn't until after midnight that she finally drifted off.

The next day, as Livia arrived at school, she received a call from Angelo. Seeing the familiar number, her heart jolted uncontrollably.

She cleared her throat and answered the phone with composure.

"Hello, who is this?"

There was a brief silence on the other end, and she felt nervous as she waited.

She had a feeling that Angelo could remember her number without saving it. After all, during the three or so years they had been together, he should instantly recognize who it was just by the number.

Her deliberate act was something Angelo would inevitably recognize.

"Luke is taking two days off," came the increasingly cold voice on the line.

Livia was a little anxious. "Is he still feeling unwell? Should we take him back to the hospital for a check-up?"

"No, he just needs to rest at home," replied Angelo, then added, "The finals are coming up, and I heard the students are reviewing their lessons for it. As his teacher, shouldn't you spend some time helping him?"

Livia opened her mouth, recalling Luke's vehement promises from yesterday, but she was still worried about Luke's grades.

'But how am I supposed to help Luke study?'

"I will focus on organizing a set of key knowledge points for him."

Before Livia could finish, she heard Angelo snort coldly, "Miss Ashcroft, how likely do you think it is that students will study diligently on their own?"