Chapter 382
Chapter 382:
For example, she couldn’t bring herself to respect Robert. In her mind, he wasn’t worthy of being called a father. Moreover, he never regarded her as his daughter. She was nothing more than an object for his use.
“But if you disregard them, won’t that leave you feeling uneasy?” Neal muttered, almost as if to himself, but his words were directed at Fernanda. “The one thing you can’t betray is your own conscience.”
Fernanda’s brows furrowed slightly. Her instincts told her that Neal was dealing with something deeper.
“Neal, we’ve been friends for a while now,” she said gently. “If something’s bothering you, you can talk to me. Or if you’re facing any difficulties, you can share them with me. Friends are supposed to support each other.”
Her words caused Neal to feel a tightness in his chest. Was it that obvious? Had she really noticed? Yet his pride wouldn’t allow him to open up, especially not in front of Fernanda.
“You’re overanalyzing things,” Neal laughed, trying to downplay it. “I asked you a couple of questions, and look, I managed to pull one over on you, didn’t I?” With that, Neal stood up, joined Alex, and threw his arm around Alex’s shoulder as they sang together.
Fernanda watched his back, her expression unchanged.
She trusted her intuition, and it was clear to her now that Neal was only pretending to smile. Since he didn’t wish to talk, Fernanda decided to let it go.
With no classes the next day, the group partied until late and then headed back to campus.
Sloane had gone a bit overboard, vomiting several times throughout the night.
“Fernanda, why do you seem fine?” she asked in surprise, pointing at Fernanda. “Are you a tank?”
Fernanda didn’t respond.
Jeff arrived to pick up his sister, and hearing Sloane’s comment, he couldn’t help but laugh. “She’s just teasing you because she’s drunk. Don’t take it seriously.”
New chapters now on gαlnσv𝒆ls․cøm
Fernanda smiled and shook her head. “I know she’s joking. It’s okay.”
“I heard you entered the beauty pageant,” Jeff said while placing Sloane in the backseat, then leaning against the car door to talk to Fernanda. “At first, I thought it was just a school competition. I even joked that the winner would definitely be you. But now it’s a bigger, joint competition across universities, and the rivalry will be much more intense.”
This contest was about more than just looks; it also involved academics and talents. Only those excelling in all areas could be considered the best among university women, making the competition more exciting.
“I remember the age limit for the contest is pretty flexible,” Fernanda said. “Any undergraduates, master’s, or doctoral students can participate.”
Jeff nodded. “That’s right.”
Typically, freshmen were the most eager to join such events, with upperclassmen, especially graduate students, participating less frequently.
“Good luck, Fernanda,” Jeff smiled encouragingly. “Make sure everyone knows Esaham University isn’t just about book smarts.”
.
.
.