Chapter 80
Night fell like a splash of ink across the canvas of the sky.
Drake stood before the bathroom mirror, wet hair dripping onto his tanned, muscular chest. A towel wrapped around his waist concealed most of his long legs
His gaze on his reflection revealed a chiseled face devoid of much emotion. After a moment, he slowly turned away.
In the misty haze of the bathroom, a golden mark, almost dragon–like, could be seen covering his entire back.
Ms. Bryant had once said he had a gold aura about him.
He thought this so–called gold aura might have something to do with the mark on his back.
His eyes lost their chill as he walked out of the bathroom, slipping into his pajamas and smoothing the collar with meticulous care. Only then did he return to his room.
On the desk in his room lay a file.
It contained the information he had requested on the investigation about the Peach Blossom Mark in his palm.
Once he discovered its connection to the Mystical Sects, Drake found it much easier to dig into. The file included a printed page from an ancient book.
A drawing matched the old, hand–painted mark on his palm, with a simple annotation below it.
Peach Blossom Mark, inked with the essence of a millennium–old peach blossom, signifies that the bearers are destined for each other in this life. The almost playful annotation might be dismissed as a hoax from some pirated book by the uninformed.
Had it been before, Drake would have scoffed at such an explanation.
However, after an unexpected encounter with Winnie and seeing she bore the same Peach Blossom Mark in the palm, Drake thought it might not be a joke.
So, that person had left that peach twig there and made such a mark in his palm to let him. know that Winnie could very well be his future wife.
The thought of that young lady, barely eighteen, made Drake unconsciously frown.
That was no laughing matter.
Yet, he found himself somewhat concerned, especially since the girl knew about it but had deliberately deceived him by calling it a protective talisman.
She was spurning him. Considering that possibility made Drake want to smirk.
Though he had no interest in any destined partner, he didn’t like being spurned.
12-75
In a flash, Drake’s expression returned to its usual impassiveness.
Thinking of Winnie’s stern yet deceiving manner, he tossed the file into the desk drawer without emotion.
If she didn’t want to acknowledge it, neither would he.
He was curious to see how this destiny would unfold under mutual avoidance.
Drake thought as much but found the same person standing before his villa the next day. looking utterly dejected.
“Anything wrong?” Drake raised an eyebrow at her.
Even though Drake had known the truth about the Peach Blossom Mark, he hadn’t treated her differently.
Winnie, however, was gazing at him, and the gold aura he seemed to emanate with a grave expression.
“Yes, there is.”
Winnie had reluctantly admitted she had been saddled with the Ghost Baby the day before and was planning to draw a few talismans to nurture it.
But just as she was about to start, she felt the spiritual energy she had gathered in her room. which had cost her a fortune to accumulate, disappear!
Indeed, the energy had gathered.
But it had fled, and it fled not just anywhere but to this beacon of gold aura!
Winnie had witnessed with her own eyes how he had siphoned the spiritual energy she had been harnessing! And she knew he wasn’t doing it intentionally.
Whether it was the little fox or the Ghost Baby and the spiritual energy she had gathered, they all seemed to be attracted to him subconsciously.
And he seemed utterly unaware of the gold aura himself.
Even though Winnie found it troublesome to explain, she laid it all out for him.
Drake’s eyebrows lifted. If he didn’t know she was genuinely versed in supernatural things and not for the mark alone, he might have thought she was making excuses to approach him.
“So, what do you propose we do?”
He hadn’t felt any of this so–called spiritual energy. He didn’t intend to return it even if he had absorbed it.
Winnie just looked at him earnestly before asking. “Do you have any plans to move?”
After all, she had never encountered such a situation before. Winnie thought it must be a matter
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12:35
Chapter no
of proximity.
Hearing it. Drake was speechless.
His handsome face, framed by the gold aura, turned slightly stern.
Drake looked at her and dropped the word. “No.”
Winnie wasn’t surprised by his answer. After all, it was unreasonable to expect someone to move because she had lost some energy while drawing talismans.
So, there was only one other option.
Thinking so, Winnie took out her phone. “Let’s exchange contacts. I can check your location before I start drawing talismans next time.”
Having just moved back to the Bryant Manor, Winnie certainly couldn’t move again, and Drake was unlikely to either.
They would have to manage the situation.
Once school started, she probably wouldn’t see him much, let alone be affected by him.
Drake watched her open the social media app, her face earnest.
His eyes darkened, and a hint of indecision briefly crossed his features. He didn’t add people so casually.
But thinking of the Peach Blossom Mark in his palm, impulsively, he didn’t protest and instead pulled out his phone and added her.
Winnie showed no excitement at adding a member of the prestigious Patterson family, merely completed the social nicety with grace, thanked him, and promptly left with the Ghost Baby, which had once again drawn near to Drake.
Drake watched her leave, then glanced at his phone, where a new contact had appeared. His lips tightened, betraying no emotion as he pondered this unexpected turn of events.
Winnie had added a new friend on her phone while Drake drove off. She was about to head upstairs to continue her artwork when she was stopped in the living room.
“Winnie, got any free time for that spokesperson gig for the city campaign?”
It was Terrell speaking. That wasn’t his area, but since he oversaw the project, he casually brought it up upon seeing her.
Winnie took a moment to process the mention of the spokesperson role.
It took her a while to remember that Kathryn and Suzan had kicked her out over this very opportunity.
In truth, she had no idea how they made the selection.
But if Kathryn wanted it, Winnie was determined not to let her have it.
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12:35
Chapter 60
After all, being a spokesperson for Emerald Bay wasn’t a big deal to her, so she nodded. “I’m free these days.”
Terrell gave a pleasant smile. “Alright, I’ll have my assistant give you the details about the photoshoot schedule later.”
Just as the conversation wound down, Cutler, who was nearby, suddenly cut in.
“They chose the spokespeople from a list of top students at prestigious universities, right? The names submitted are usually those guaranteed a spot at an Ivy League.”
Cutler knew about this because Amber, one of the chosen spokespeople, was on that list.
But he hadn’t expected Winnie to be one of them.
Considering this, he looked at Winnie with a new level of scrutiny. “Which university’s offer did you snag?”
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