Ch. 21..30
Chapter 21
They quickly figured out that they were both students of Cary Burns.
“Cary told me you just got back to Pyralis,” Bonnie said.
“He told me he’d taken in one last student, but because I lived abroad all these years, I never had the chance to visit. I didn’t think it was you! He always speaks highly of you, you know.”
“I didn’t think you’d turn out to be my senior either. No wonder you’re so good.”
“Come on, you’re the real genius. Cary is right. You’re a natural.
“You mastered kickboxing even though you’re only 20. You’ve only been training with him for a short time, too.
“All your seniors, including me, had to work hard for a long time, you know?
“To be honest, you’d beat all of us if we were your age.”
As Masie spoke, she smoothed down Bonnie’s hair and dress.
Ivor and others arrived just in time to see it happen.
They gaped, and their eyes widened in disbelief.
“What the hell is going on, mom?” Ivor asked.
Masie held Bonnie’s hand and laughed. “I just sparred with her and discovered that we both learned kickboxing from the same person.”
Ivor was stunned.
“For real?” Ged’s jaw dropped.
The others who had arrived thought they had misheard.
After all, Maisie had learned kickboxing from Cary, the greatest kickboxer in Arvandor. It was a shock
to find that Bonnie was his student too.
“Are you sure,
mom?” Ivor glanced at Bonnie discreetly.
“Of course, I am! She’s Cary’s last student,” said Maisie with certainty.
Ged felt he had been so wrong about Bonnie. He had always thought that she was a complete loser, but now it seemed that he had seriously underestimated her.
Maisie nudged Bonnie toward Ivor. “Come say hello to my teammate.”
Ivor was exasperated.
Bonnie patted his shoulder.
“I didn’t know you were my senior’s son. Now that I do, I’m going to look out for you.”
Ivor couldn’t take it anymore.
He pushed her hand off his shoulder.
Sigmund hurried over. “Why are you all talking about kickboxing? You’re getting engaged today!”
He took a deep breath and looked at Maisie. “Will you still object to their marriage?”
Masie turned to hold Bonnie’s hand again. “To be honest, my son isn’t good enough for you. As your senior, I think you should say no to the engagement.“”
Ivor was speechless. Ged tried hard not to laugh.
“However,” Maisie continued, “as Ivor’s mom, I wish you would say yes.”
Bonnie smiled. “I’ve made a deal with Sigmund. If Ivor and I still don’t like each other in one month, we’ll go our separate ways.
“I see.”
Maisie didn’t know about that.
“Oh, Ivor’s grandma gave this to me. I want you to have it.”
Masie removed her bracelet and tried to put it on Bonnie’s wrist.
“Woah, this is too much!”
“Come on. It’s a gift.”
“But-
“What? Don’t you like it?”
“I do!”
Chapter 22
“Then it’s yours, okay?”
Maisie managed to put the bracelet on her wrist.
“It looks good on you, doesn’t it?”
Bonnie smiled.
Ivor felt a mix of emotions as he saw his mother and Bonnie being so friendly.
“It’s getting late. Let’s get the party started.” Maisie took Bonnie’s hand and led her to the car while continuing their conversation affectionately.
Ged walked behind Ivor and patted his shoulder silently.
Ivor shot him a glance and slapped his hand away before going after them.
After the engagement party ended, Bonnie stayed at the Knight Residence.
She had promised Sigmund she would live with them for a month.
After dinner, Ivor brought Bonnie to the second floor.
“This is your room.”
“Okay, thanks,” said Bonnie politely.
Ivor said dryly, “I’m just doing what my grandpa told me to. Besides, you’re a guest.”
Bonnie knew Ivor was trying to tell her to mind her boundaries.
“I’ll be staying in the room next to yours as he wanted. You shouldn’t enter it without my permission, and I won’t go in your room either,” Ivor continued.
Bonnie said, “Don’t worry, I won’t go to your room. I’ll never fall for you either.”
“Good.”
They went to their rooms.
The next morning, Bonnie received a text message from Heath.
“The Knight is waiting for you at the private club. What’s your ETA?”
Bonnie yawned. “I’ll be right there.”
“You were sleeping, weren’t you?”
“I was exhausted, so I overslept. I’ll go as soon as I wash up, okay?”
“I’ll drive you.”
“You’re going too?” Bonnie asked.
“You bet your ass 1 am!” Heath sounded excited. “This is the ultimate game between two of the greatest chess players of all time. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”
In a private room of the club, Ivor could hardly contain his excitement.
Ged walked in and saw Ivor looking at the door, but he looked disappointed when he saw that it was just Ged
“You thought I was the Shepherd, huh?”
“Why isn’t he here yet?” Ivor looked anxious despite himself.
He had always been poker–faced, but he loved chess too much.
“She’s on the way.” Ged sat down.
“Who do you think is more likely to win, Ivor? You or the Shepherd?”
“It’s hard to say.”
Suddenly, they heard footsteps, and the sound of the door being pushed open.
Ivor and Ged looked at the door.
The door to the private room opened, and Bonnie walked in!
Chapter 23
“Why are you here?” Ivor frowned.
Ged added, “You have the wrong room.
“Oh, sorry.” Bonnie stepped outside and checked the room number.
“Heath, you said the room number was 007, right?”
Heath was puzzled. “Yeah, this should be it.”
Bonnie opened the door again and walked in.
“Why are you back?” Ged asked, baffled.
She looked at them and said, “You guys have the wrong room. We’re supposed to meet someone in
Room 007.
“Hey, I booked the room, okay? You’re the ones who must have made a mistake,” Ged said confidently.
Bonnie frowned and asked, “Are you sure?”
Ged showed them the booking information on his phone.
“See for yourself!”
Astonished, Bonnie looked at Ivor, then at Ged. “Which one of you is the Knight?”
Ivor and Ged stared at Bonnie and the good–looking man beside her in astonishment.
“You’re here for the game?”
Ivor stood up. His gaze wavered between Bonnie and Heath and eventually settled on the latter.
The Shepherd was young indeed.
“Yup,” Bonnie answered and asked again, “So which of you is the Knight?”
Ivor sat down beside the chessboard.
It was clear that it was him.
Raising her brow, Bonnie tried not to look surprised and sat down across from Ivor.
Ivor’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“You’re the Shepherd?”
“My family name is Shepard. Isn’t it obvious?” Bonnie said blandly.
Ivor bolted to his feet and frowned.
“What the fuck?” Ged gaped at Bonnie. He was even more shocked than when he found out she was the last student of Cary Burns.
“You’re the Shepherd? Oh my God! This can’t be happening!” Ged thought he had lost it. He scratched his head a few times, but could not seem to recover from the shock.
Ivor was equally astounded, although he did not show it. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Bonnie.
“Don’t you want to play chess with me? I’ve been waiting for this day too. Sit down so we can begin.”
Bonnie flipped a coin and covered it as it fell on the back of her hand.
“Heads or tails?”
Ivor tried to remain calm and sat back down.
“Heads.”
Bonnie revealed the coin. “You make the first move.
In a chess game between experienced players, one wrong move could lead to defeat.
Chapter 24
Ivor played fast and hardly needed to think.
It was the same with Bonnie. The minute Ivor made his move, she made hers. All anyone could hear was a series of thuds as they moved the chess pieces.
Heath and Ged watched the game closely and almost cheered out loud several times. They were amazing! This was the ultimate showdown, all right. There was no telling who would win.
Half an hour later, Bonnie picked up a glass of water and took a sip. Ivor made his move and looked up at Bonnie. His gaze lingered as he was enchanted by her poise and grace.
Bonnie put down her glass and saw Ivor looking at her.
“Is there something on my face?”
Ivor caught himself and frowned.
“It’s your turn.”
“Oh.”
Bonnie made her move.
After some time, Ivor suddenly slowed down and studied the chessboard with a frown.
Ged started feeling anxious. Was Ivor going to lose?
Bonnie waited quietly.
After a minute, Ivor made his move.
Ged was relieved.
It was Bonnie’s turn to ponder her next move. Heath anxiously picked up a fan and started to waft it
at her.
Bonnie threw Heath a glance, silently telling him to relax. Embarrassed, he pumped his fist at her.
Ivor narrowed his eyes when he saw their interaction.
A thud sounded as Bonnie made her move and met Ivor’s gaze. “Your turn.”
The intense game continued, but neither Ivor nor Bonnie could gain the upper hand.
After a moment, Bonnie and Ivor stopped playing.
“I think we should call it a draw.”
“I agree.”
“We’ll play again next time.”
“Hav,”
Bonnie got up and stretched her limbs,
“It’s noon. Are you hungry? Let’s grab some lunch,” Heath sald.
Bonnie patted her stomach. “I’m starving. Come on.”
“Where should we go?”
“Let me think.”
They talked as they headed out.
Ivor started feeling Jealous as he saw how close they were.
Chapter 25
“The engagement might not have been our idea, but don’t forget that you’re still my fiancée for a month, Bonnie. You shouldn’t date any other guys, okay?”
Bonnie looked over her shoulder and said drily, “Just date some other girls, and we’ll call it even.”
Ivor was at a loss for words.
“Let’s go,” said Bonnie to Heath. They left together.
Ivor stated after her and pursed his lips.
Ged couldn’t help but say, “Bonnie is really something else. She fixes robots, she fights, and she’s also turned out to be The Shepherd. I guess she’s not the loser we thought she was. You should cherish her, Ivor. She might be full of shit sometimes, but I think she’s good enough for you.”
Ivor frowned, and his gaze became pensive.
***
After having lunch with Heath, Bonnie went home to pack her clothes.
“What are you doing?” Vera was puzzled.
“I’m going to move out so I can focus on preparing for the college entrance test,” Bonnie said as she filled her luggage.
“Where are you going? Have you found a place?”
“Uh–huh.”
“Where is it? What’s the rent?”
Vera was worried that Bonnie would find an expensive place to stay.
Bonnie knew what she was concerned about. “It’s not as expensive as where Trina moved to.”
But Vera was alarmed.
Two years ago, the rent for Trina’s place was more than 3,000 dollars. A cheaper place would still cost. around 2,000 dollars a month.
“Can’t you find a cheaper place? I’ll try to find one for you.”
Vera opened a rental app as she spoke and said, “Look at this. It’s only a few hundred dollars a
month, and there’s an en suite bathroom.”
Bonnie looked at the photo. The room looked like it was in terrible condition, and it didn’t even have a
desk.
“So am I supposed to study on the bed?”
212
Vera supposed that Bonnie did need a desk.
“How about this on? There’s a bed, a desk, a closet, and even an air conditioner. It’s a bit more expensive though. Around 400 bucks.” Vera seemed very concerned about the cost.
Bonnie narrowed her eyes.
“You never complained about the rent when Trina moved out.”
“You’re n not her, okay?” Vera blurted out. Bonnie just stared. Vera caught herself.
“Well, it’s not that I’m partial to her, but her results were great, and it seemed likely that she would get into Pyralis University.”
Chapter 26
“And you? It’s not that I look down on you, but you should know better.
“Getting into a third–rate college would be a miracle for someone like you.
“So what’s the point of moving to an expensive place? That would just be a waste of money.”
Bonnie smiled confidently. “I told you I could get Into Pyralls University, didn’t I?”
Vera felt a little guilty about what she had just said, but she was also starting to feel annoyed as she thought that Bonnie was bragging again.
“I’ve had enough of this, Bonnie!
“If you w
you want me to pay your rent, apologize to me right now! If you promise not to brag again, I’ll get you the place that costs 400 bucks a month.”
“I was never going to ask you to pay for it,” said Bonnie firmly.
“Oh, yeah? How are you going to pay for it, then?” Vera was exasperated.
Bonnie chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Vera frowned.
“You give Trina everything she wants even though I’m your biological daughter. It’s funny if you
think about it.”
Livid, Vera widened her eyes.
She found her voice after a moment.
“You want to blame me for that? Trina has worked hard to make me and your dad proud! She’s a great student, she’s won piano competitions, joined the equestrian club, and so much more. She’s done a lot for this family!
“Your grandpa and grandma’s birthdays are coming soon, and she’s even bought them presents with the money she’s saved in the past year. You? All you do is fool around! Why should I spend so much. on you?”
Annoyed, Bonnie said, “When have I ever spent your money? I’ve always supported myself! And I’ll get grandpa and grandma better gifts than Trinal”
Vera crossed her arms and laughed dismissively.
Bonnie lost her patience. “That’s it. I’m leaving.”
She left with her luggage.
“Come back!” Vera shouted after her. “Do you hear me, Bonnie? Get your ass back here. If you don’t, I’ll never pay your rent!”
Bonnie Ignored her and eventually disappeared from view.
“Finel Let’s see how you survive without me!”
It was dark when Boule reached the Knight Residence.
She saw Ivor sitting on the sofa as if he was waiting for someone.
Before she could ask who he was waiting for, Ivor spoke first.
“Why are you back so late?”
Chapter 27
Bonnie raised her brow. She had a strange feeling that he sounded jealous.
“I had to tell my family I was moving out,” she said, as she dragged her suitcase toward the stairwell.
“Let me help you.” Ivor strode over and took the suitcase from her.
Bonnie threw Ivor a baffled look. Wasn’t he upset?
“It’s okay. I can do it.”
Bonnie tried to take the suitcase back.
But Ivor refused to let it go and carried it upstairs himself.
He reached her room, pushed the door open, and went in.
Bonnie was bewildered. Didn’t he say he would never set foot in her room?
She went into the room and thanked him politely.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
After two seconds, Bonnie saw that Ivor wasn’t leaving and grew puzzled.
“You can go now.”
Ivor frowned.
“Let’s play another round.”
Bonnie realized he wanted to play chess with her.
“It’s late, and I need to go to school tomorrow. We’ll do this some other time, okay?”
Ivor checked his watch. “Huh, I guess it is late.”
The room fell into awkward silence again.
Bonnie stared at Ivor. Why wasn’t he leaving?
Ivor frowned. He realized Bonnie was probably going to tell him to leave and quickly said, “So how did it go with your family?”
“I told them I’d be staying somewhere else for a month.”
“And they agreed to that? They didn’t ask you anything? Weren’t they worried about you moving out? “Ivor asked.
“I lied. I said I was moving out to prepare for the college entrance test.”
Ivor knew Bonnie had been doing badly at school. He hesitated for a moment and said, “I graduated from high school years ago, but I can tutor you in subjects like English and math.”
He wanted to tutor her? Did he really think she was struggling at school?
“Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t need any help.”
Ivor thought he had upset her because he had been too blunt.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
Bonnie smiled. “I’m doing fine at school, and you could never hurt my feelings. Anyway, you should leave, Mr. Ivor.”
But Ivor remained where he was.
Bonnie got into bed, propped herself up on her side, and smiled at him.
“You don’t plan on sleeping here with me, do you?”
Ivor’s eyes lit up as he saw her curves and seductive yet innocent smile.
He couldn’t help but start to feel warm, and his ears started to turn red.
He turned around, coldly pushed the door open, and left the room.
The next morning, Bonnie got out of bed and went downstairs. She saw Neville anxiously scratching the back of his head.
As she approached him, she realized he was doing his homework.
“What’s the matter? Didn’t you finish your homework yesterday?”
Neville quickly shushed her.
Chapter 28
“I was right, huh?” Bonnie said..
Neville looked embarrassed and desperate. “Are you going to refuse to mentor me because of this?”
“Why would I? I’ve never done my homework. Hell, I never even bothered answering any exam papers,” said Bonnie casually.
The questions were too easy for her. She would rather spend her time solving problems at the
research institute.
“You’re so cool!” Neville gave her a thumbs–up, then frowned.
“I don’t have time to talk right now. This applied problem is really tough, and I need to solve it quickly. Otherwise, my teacher will give me a hard time.”
Bonnie saw that he was really anxious, so she said kindly, “I can help you if you don’t know how to
answer that.”
“Huh? You’ll help me? How could you possibly know how to do this?” Neville was surprised.
just elementary school math. I’m not stupid, you know.”
“No, no, I’m not saying you’re stupid, but I attend the finest private school for the elite. All the teachers there have at least a doctoral degree, so the questions they give are so hard that not even
college students know how to answer them.”
“Wait.” Bonnie pulled Neville’s workbook over and started to answer some of the questions.
A few seconds later, she pushed it back toward Neville.
“Take a look. Let me know if you have any questions.”
Neville stared at her solutions with wide eyes. He was impressed that she had made them so easy to
understand.
Bonnie got up from the sofa. “I won’t be having breakfast here. I need to go to school.”
Neville stared after her and tried to recover from the shock.
“I thought she was doing really badly at school. Not even high school students could answer these questions!”
Just as Neville said that, a deep voice came from behind him.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Bonnie. She’s really amazing. She even-” Neville caught himself.
He wanted to tell Ivor about what had happened, but he couldn’t risk Ivor finding out that he hadn’t finished his homework yesterday.
“Oh, what was 1 saying?” Neville scratched his head and walked to the dining table.
“You know what, I can’t remember. Just forget what I said. I need to have breakfast and go to school
now,”
At the mention of “school“, Ivor thought about Bonnie and her beautiful face.
“Have you seen Bonnie?”
“She’s gone to school.”
“Without breakfast?” Ivor frowned.
“Yeah.”
Ivor looked concerned.
Bonnie entered the classroom.
Some students were reading, and some were gossiping.
“My dad told me the hottest bachelor in Pyralis has gotten engaged!”
“Are you talking about the CEO of the Knight Group?”
“Who else? I wonder who the lucky girl is?”
“I’m so jealous!”
“Why are you jealous? Let’s be realistic about this. There’s no way we could ever meet the richest man in the city. I’d be happy to meet a rich guy like Sacha’s boyfriend.”
Sacha smiled proudly as she heard them mention her name.
She saw Bonnie leaning against the window and narrowed her eyes maliciously.
“Bonnie, I’m curious about something. How on earth did you meet Ms. Kay? Not through her uncles, I hope?”
Everyone in the classroom looked at Bonnie, waiting for her answer.
Chapter 29
As they had wondered the same thing, the students stopped what they were doing and stared at
Bonnie.
Sacha was very mean to imply that Bonnie had become a mistress to an older man. Anyone else would have gotten mad, but Bonnie just glanced at Sacha and said nothing.
Bonnie’s silence infuriated her classmates. They were already upset about what had happened at Regal Karaoke, so they started to attack her verbally.
“Don’t bp
“Don’t be a snob. So what if you know Ms. Kay?”
“I bet Ms. Kay will tell you to fuck off once she finds out who you really are! Hell, she might even give you a good beating.”
Bonnie finished drinking her yogurt and turned to them.
“You’re in school to study, not to gossip about other people. You should focus on your studies. I feel bad for your parents, you know.”
Her classmates couldn’t believe what she had just said.
“Hey, Bonnie, don’t you have any shame? You’re always getting zeros in exams. You’re the one who needs to focus on your studies!”
“Getting zeros doesn’t mean I’m a bad student. I just didn’t want to waste my time answering the papers because they were too easy. Instead, I spent my time solving the P versus NP problem.”
The P versus NP problem was one of the seven most challenging mathematical problems in the world that had baffled many geniuses.
But she had solved it in less than a day, to the shock of mathematicians around the world.
A student laughed. “Do you really expect us to believe that?”
“A loser like you solved the P versus NP problem? That’ll happen when pigs fly!”
The students laughed as they ridiculed Bonnie.
“If you’re as good as you say you are, Bonnie, you must be trying to get into Pyralis University.” Tilda mocked.
“Pfft, are you kidding me? Pyralis University is the best university in our city, and only the cream of the crop can get in. I don’t think a single person in this whole school will be able to do that, let alone anyone from our class. If Bonnie can do it, I’ll shave my head!”
Chapter 30
“Count me in!”
“Me too!”
The students continued to ridicule Bonnie.
She looked at them calmly and said, “Well, how about a bet?”
“What are we betting on?”
“Whether I can get into Pyralis University. If you lose, you’ll all have to shave your heads.”
“All right! But if you lose, you have to shave yours as well.”
“Deal,” said Bonnie.
A student held up her phone.
“I’ve in
recorded what you said. Bonnie, if you lose and don’t do as you promised, we’ll put this online and show the world what a liar you are!”
Almost every student at school heard about the bet before the day was out. Sacha and her gang had spread the news to make Bonnie a laughing stock and ensure there was no turning back.
If Bonnie ended up breaking her promise, she would lose everyone’s respect.
Bonnie had been harassed in school all day, so she thought she would be able to find peace at the Knight Residence. But when she returned, she became the target of two uninvited guests.
“A country bumpkin like you doesn’t belong here, Bonnie! You’re not worthy of my cousin! I can’t believe my grandpa wants him to marry you! And how could Aunt Maisie give you her blessing? I don’t care what she said. You need to leave Ivor immediately!”
Halle Knight disliked Bonnie because she wanted her best friend, Rowena Paul, to marry Ivor.
Bonnie chuckled. “Who the fuck you think you are? Why should I listen to what you say?”
“I–You-” Halle was so exasperated that her face flushed.
Rowena, who had come in with Halle, glared at Bonnie. “You’re so rude. Halle is Ivor’s cousin. How could you talk to her like that?”
“So what if she’s Ivor’s cousin? She’s the one who’s being rude. I don’t need this shit, okay? Just leave
me alone.” Bonnie turned to leave.
Infuriated, Halle lost her cool and tried to slap her.