In his entire life, Sheldon Caldwell hated nothing more than being compared to Nathaniel Nathan. Against anyone else, he excelled in every way. But against Nathaniel, the only thing he had going for him was a better temper.

He reached out and flicked Shane Caldwell. "Do you even have to ask? Of course I’m more impressive!"

Shane Caldwell chuckled softly. Sheldon Caldwell then asked him, "What are you doing hiding out here, kid?"

There was no way Shane Caldwell was going to tell Sheldon that he was actually here because he’d seen Nathaniel Nathan. ’He had wanted to see if Nathaniel was waiting for Vera Xavier. Of course, the end result had been a brutal blow.’

He cleared his throat and said, "I saw you were here, so I was waiting for you."

Sheldon Caldwell clearly didn’t buy it but couldn’t be bothered to call him out on the lie. "The girl who was with Nathaniel Nathan just now," he asked, "do you know her?"

"I do. She’s my desk-mate, Vera Xavier," Shane Caldwell replied.

Sheldon Caldwell immediately smacked him hard on the back of the head. "Are you an idiot? You have a desk-mate that beautiful and you couldn’t even hold on to her? You let that bastard Nathaniel Nathan steal her right from under your nose!"

The smack was a little too hard. Shane Caldwell was on the verge of tears. "Sheldon, go easy on me!"

Sheldon Caldwell sighed again. "Then again," he said, "Nathaniel Nathan is way more outstanding than you. It’s only natural for her to fall for him and not you!"

Shane Caldwell: "..."

’Did he have to be so blunt and twist the knife like that?’

Reeling from the blows, Shane Caldwell became even more resolute in his goal: to become a better man and marry Vera Xavier!

Sheldon Caldwell spoke again. "So, tell me about this Vera Xavier."

Shane Caldwell’s eyes immediately filled with suspicion. Sheldon Caldwell flicked him again. "What are you thinking? As if I’d stoop to fighting Nathaniel Nathan over a woman. I’m just curious about her. I want to know what kind of woman could make that bastard so protective!"

He was telling the truth. When he’d first seen Vera, beyond being captivated by her beauty, he’d felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite place, but it definitely had nothing to do with romantic attraction.

Only after hearing this did Shane Caldwell finally relax. He obediently told Sheldon everything he knew about Vera Xavier.

When Sheldon heard how Vera had gone from getting zeros and ranking last to suddenly becoming first in the entire school, he grew immensely curious about her. ’This girl is pretty interesting!’

On the way home with Nathaniel Nathan, Vera asked him softly, "You have to leave for a mission soon. When are you planning to go back?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Nathaniel Nathan looked displeased.

"Of course not. I don’t want you to go." Vera looked at him earnestly. "You only just got back a few days ago, after all. But I know a soldier’s duty is to obey orders, so if you have to leave, I’ll see you off with a smile."

Nathaniel Nathan turned to look at her, surprised to see a faint trace of reluctance in her eyes. It was barely there, but it was enough to satisfy him. His tone immediately softened. "I’ll leave after your college entrance exams."

By nature, Vera wasn’t the type of girl to depend on others. But having someone who cared about her by her side during one of the most important moments of her life... that didn’t feel bad at all.

She asked softly, "Will this affect your mission?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"It won’t," Nathaniel Nathan replied.

Vera knew he had good judgment when it came to these things, so she didn’t ask how he would get back. She just said softly, "Nathaniel, thank you."