Chapter 5

Lorena POV

"Seth, if you have something to discuss with me, just come to me. Don't involve my family," My voice is so hoarse that it didn't sounded like mine,but I didn't want to step back.

Seth paused for a second, he stared at me, "I didn't intend to involve you all. My mom woke up this morning and told us that we wrongly accused you of what happened last night."

"Thank you for your kindness, but I cannot and will not accept it." I heard Seth say that he brought something to my house, but politely refused, "Please don't disturb my family anymore. I don't want to come back to your house. Let's maintain our current level of contact. If you ever want to reject me, just contact me."

"Lorena, what are you saying? I have already apologized," Seth's tone was low and helpless, "Or tell me what you want me to do. Just say it, and I'll do as you say."

"No need, your family has their own affairs to take care of, I don't need you to do anything for me. Besides, I did make a mistake in this matter."

My attitude was calm, without any sarcasm or sharpness. At this moment, I just wanted to live a quiet life for a while.

"Lorena, I'm sorry, come back with me. I promise to change my attitude towards you, okay?"

Without hesitation, I refused, "I really don't want to go back. I initially agreed to let your family dislike me, and so you can reject me. But living with you all is too exhausting. The first time you told me to leave, the second time you accused me of being a thief, and the third time, you thought I harmed your mother..."

"Besides, I am still studying, and summer vacation is ending soon. Going through all this will delay my studies. I plan to rent a place outside to live."

"If you don't want to stay at the Rodriguez's house, we can move to my villa outside."

I was surprised for a few seconds, wondering why Seth would say something like that. But I still didn't feel anything, "No, it's fine. You don't like me, and we wouldn't be happy living under the same roof. I'll just rent a small apartment for myself, it's more comfortable that way."

Seeing him not saying anything, I said again, "Seth Rodriguez, I'm hanging up, goodbye."

The phone ended with a "click".

In the hotel.

I put down my phone and looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. Half of my face was swollen like a steamed bun, and it hurt to touch.

I sighed. I was still angry and wanted to curse Seth on the way out, but when I answered the phone, I pretended that everything was normal.

Don't I want to lose my temper? Of course I do.

But now I am determined not to have any involvement with the Rodriguez family anymore. If I keep holding onto it, it will only continue to cause conflicts. Besides, I've also heard the saying about leaving a way out when dealing with people.

In the end, it was still a bit scary for me after what happened to Luna last night. The Rodriguez family is like a giant, capable of crushing me like an ant.

Currently, the most pressing task is to find myself an apartment. I can't keep staying in a hotel.

Originally, I planned to rent near the university so that I can go back to the apartment to rest when I have time. But I thought finding a rental would be an easy task, but after looking for two days, I haven't found one that I like.

Some rooms are too dirty and the furniture is too old, while others have inconvenient transportation or high rent.

While I was feeling troubled, Wesley called me on the phone. It was obvious that he wanted to know what happened between Seth and me. However, he didn't seem to be hiding anything and went straight to the point, saying, "Can I know what happened between you and Seth? Why do you have to move out?"

"It's just that I'm not suited to living there."

"Seth actually wanted you to stay."

"Why? He can live well even if I don't stay."

"You're determined, and I won't stop you. But if you need a place to live, do you want me to help you?"

"What?" I was a bit surprised.

"I have a friend in real estate who has a very high-end apartment for rent. It's in a good location and newly renovated. The owner is in urgent need of money and wants to rent out the apartment in advance. If you need it, I can help you get in touch. Of course, you don't have to worry, I'm doing this privately to help you."

I hesitated a bit, but searching for a house was indeed a tiring task, and this seemed like a shortcut provided by Wesley. So, I reluctantly agreed. I wasn't expecting much, but when I went to see it, I absolutely loved it.

It's a loft apartment with exquisite and cozy decoration. It has a TV, refrigerator, and air conditioning. Downstairs is the living room and dining room, while upstairs there is a small study on one side and a bedroom on the other.

"How much is the monthly rent for this apartment?"

The agent smiled and said, "One thousand."

"One thousand?" I was stunned, "That can't be true."

"Actually, it is. However, you have to pay six months' rent upfront because the owner urgently needs the money."

"No problem, I'll rent it."

I didn't hesitate any longer, jokingly, with such a cheap and upscale house, it's not a problem to pay for half a year or even two years at once.

After signing the contract, I immediately changed the door code and moved my belongings from the hotel. This is the first time in my life that I truly have a house of my own, and I am extremely happy.

Although the Jones family is nice, it made me feel like a guest. Not to mention the Rodriguez family, always being disliked and looked down upon, and constantly criticized by the Seth family.

I won't do that anymore. In this house, I can do whatever I want.

Excitedly, I went downstairs to the supermarket and bought a lot of daily necessities.

After two busy days, I finally decorated the house to make it feel like home, and then I called my friend Jill.

"Jill, when are you coming back to the city? I rented an apartment outside, you can come stay with me before you return to school, and we can go out together."

"Didn't you find a mate? Why are you still renting a place outside?" Jill wondered, "Did your mate finally die?"

Ah? I can't let Seth hear these disrespectful words.

I laughed, "No, it is because my mate is full of life now that we had some conflicts living together, so I decided to move out. And you know what, I found a great deal, this apartment is not expensive to rent."

"Sure, I'll come over tonight."

"You're coming back today?" I was pleasantly surprised.

Jill was silent for a moment before she said, "I've been back in the city for half a month now, doing part-time jobs and such."

"Well, you didn't even tell me when you came back. Are we still BFFs?" I pretended to be angry. I also knew Jill's situation. Although her life wasn't easy, she was always a hardworking person.

"I've been busy." Jill's voice sounded tired. "Let's talk later. I maybe can finish work early today. Where are you staying?"

"I'll come pick you up," I said with a smile. "I bought a new car. We can go for a drive tonight and I'll treat you to dinner."

"Not bad, then you definitely have to."

I stayed in the apartment until 8:30 in the evening when Jill sent me a voice message.

"I'll send a cake to the Bruce Hotel near you later. Meet me there."

"Do you want to park your electric bike directly at the hotel?"

"No, that's not possible. I'll take the subway instead of riding the electric bike."

"Okay, I'll head over now."

The Bruce Hotel is quite far from my apartment, but it's in the northern part of the city near the Royal City district.

I've heard people say that the Bruce Hotel is a place where wealthy celebrities often go. Apparently, the expenses there are incredibly high.

I parked my car on the roadside near the hotel and walked down.

After waiting for about five minutes, Jill appeared in my sight, carrying a luxurious two-tiered cake and walking swiftly.

I almost didn't recognize my friend. The previous Jill had shiny black hair, a tall figure, and a beautiful face. She had a cool and elegant temperament, and even though she didn't dress up, she attracted a lot of attention on campus.

But now, she has lost weight and tanned a lot. She looks quite disheveled.

I almost didn't recognize her and asked, "Jill, did you go mining or something? Why did you change yourself like this?"

"Working, earning money to pay for tuition."

"But didn't you earn enough money for tuition in the first half of the year? And even if you're short on money, you could have told me. I could have lent you some. Is it necessary to exhaust yourself like this?"

"It's a long story. Let me deliver the cake first, and we can talk later." Jill seemed to be in a hurry. After greeting me, she headed towards the hotel entrance with the cake in hand.

There were two strict security guards standing at the hotel entrance. They carefully checked the delivery order before allowing her to enter.

I thought delivering food would take at most ten minutes, but I waited for half an hour and didn't see anyone coming down. I felt a bit worried and called Jill's phone.

The phone rang for a long time before she answered, "Lorena, I..."

"Why are you answering calls? You should be compensating for the loss!"

After a sharp voice came from the other side, it seemed like the phone fell to the ground, making a loud noise, and then the call ended.

A sense of unease surged in my heart, so I quickly got out of the car and rushed towards the hotel entrance.