Ch. 1611..1620

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1611

No Escape For Vivian

“Vivi, everyone in school knows about you leaving with Prince Jason last night.”

“What?”

The smile on Vivian's face vanished instantly.

Fearing her best friend would misunderstand, she anxiously tried to explain herself. “Please don't get the wrong idea, Sonia. There's nothing going on between Prince Jason and me. He just invited me over to his place because he wanted to show me something, that's all!”

“It's not me who has gotten the wrong idea, Vivi. Everyone in school just tends to jump to conclusions, especially after what happened with Dwayne. When I passed by the female dorm earlier, everyone was talking about you,” Sonia replied.

“What did they say?”

“Um, you know… Some really nasty things… Like how you set your sights on Prince Jason after Dwayne left. Trust me; you're better off not hearing it.”

Of course, what the students said was actually a lot worse than that, but Sonia could not bring herself to tell Vivian about it.

The girls who liked Dwayne were upset and furious when he dropped out of school for no reason back then, so rumors about Vivian and Jason only added fuel to the fire.

Everyone in school called Vivian a snob, saying that she got rid of Dwayne because he was not good enough for her and that she eagerly made her move on Jason after laying her eyes on him at the banquet.

Upon hearing Sonia's words, Vivian was rendered speechless. What the hell is wrong with these people?

Paying no heed to the rumors, she walked into the building with her best friend.

However, the students picked on her wherever she went. Not only did she lose her seat in the classroom, but she even had paper balls thrown at her while walking through the school.

Enraged, Vivian went straight to her teacher for help.

“These students keep bullying me, miss. Please help me take care of this.”

“I think you're the main cause of the problem here, Vivian. So far, you're the only one who has managed to cause such a public outrage in the school. Maybe you should reflect upon your actions instead.”

To her surprise, the teacher took the side of the bullies.

Vivian seethed with rage and almost rolled her eyes at her teacher.

What kind of logic is this? I didn't do anything wrong, so why should I reflect upon my actions?

It was the first time Vivian had felt so disappointed in the way the school handled things. With tears in her eyes, she ran out of the teachers' room, but instead of returning to the classroom, she headed straight for the school gate.

“Hey! Where are you going, Vivi? We're still in the middle of a class right now!” Sonia shouted anxiously while running after her.

“Do you want me to attend class so that they can continue throwing stuff at me? I haven't done anything wrong, Sonia! How could that teacher tell me to reflect upon myself? How could she?”

Vivian was devastated after being subjected to such unfair treatment.

Sonia kept quiet as she knew fairness was practically nonexistent in a capitalist school like Royal Academy, where everyone cared more about their personal interests.

With pretty much everyone in the school against her, there was no way the teacher would take her side.

In the end, Sonia decided to skip class with her best friend, planning to bring her out for a walk and have some comfort food and only return when Vivian was feeling much better.

After a round of shopping and snacking at a nearby mall, Vivian, who was originally a carefree person, perked up significantly, much to Sonia's relief.

“Let's head back to school, Vivi. Your parents would be worried if the school calls them up about this,” she urged.

“Okay,” Vivian agreed at last.

Right as they were about to return to school, a red sports car pulled up beside them with a loud screech.

A blond guy wearing a pair of sunglasses could be seen looking in their direction from the driver's seat.

“D-Dwayne?”

Sonia's eyes popped with surprise.

Vivian, too, was just as shocked to see him.

After glancing at them, Dwayne turned toward the long-haired girl sitting beside him and said, “We're here. You go on ahead. I'll be with you in a minute.”

“All right.”

The beautiful and sexily-dressed girl then got off the car and walked off while the two young women stared blankly at her.

Only when Dwayne got out of the car and approached them did they snap out of their daze.

“Shouldn't you girls be in class right now? What are you doing here?”

“W-Well, you see… Vivi was in a bad mood, so… I took her out for a walk to help her feel better…” Sonia hastened to explain, albeit stammering from nervousness.

In a bad mood?

Although Dwayne still had his sunglasses on, the two of them could see the mocking look in his eyes as he said sarcastically, “Really? The great Ms. Vivian is in a bad mood? Didn't you go to the royal residence last night? What, is Prince Jason not to your liking either? Did he do something to upset you?”

“What did you say?” Vivian's expression changed instantly. “Dwayne, there is nothing going on between Prince Jason and me.”

“Is that so? Everyone, including those from the royal family, knows that Prince Jason brought an Astorian girl home last night. They say his family is preparing to have you study in their public school!”

Dwayne revealed another piece of shocking news.

What? The royal family's public school? Is he referring to Regalius Academy? Oh, my gosh!

The color drained from her face, and she immediately denied it.

“W-Where did you hear that from? I'm not going to school there!”

There was no way Vivian would show herself before Jason and Daphne again, especially after barely escaping from such a dangerous situation last night.

They were like monsters! I don't believe him!

To her horror, Dwayne simply chuckled and said, “Where did I hear it from? I'm a student there, Ms. Vivian. Haven't you heard? I went there after dropping out of Royal Academy. I bet your daddy never saw this coming, huh? In the end, we're still going to the same school!”

Vivian felt like she had fallen into a bottomless pit of despair after hearing that.

All she could think of at that moment was to call her father for help.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1612

The Princess Goes To Her Daddy

Vivian then rushed home as quickly as possible and immediately gave Sebastian a call.

“I don't want to go to Regalius Academy, Daddy! Please tell them not to transfer me there!”

The young woman began crying out loud the moment the call got through.

Even at the age of seventeen, she still behaved like a child in front of her parents. That was mainly due to her being pampered since she was a child.

Sebastian was having a video conference with the business department staff at the time, so everyone was able to hear her wailing over the phone. While he knitted his brows, the others exchanged glances.

Is that his little princess? Why is she crying on the phone like this? Did she get bullied or something?

No one dared to say a word.

“What is it? Tell me what happened,” Sebastian asked.

When the meeting started, he was emanating an overbearing aura that terrified others to the core. However, his tone became ridiculously gentle and affectionate when he was talking to his daughter, giving everyone goosebumps.

That was probably the best representation of differential treatment.

“L-Lady Adalyn was attending a party… She brought a classmate of mine and me along… W-We met the king, a-and… Today, I heard from someone that the king wants me to study at Regalius Academy! I don't want to go there, Daddy! I want to stay here… N-No, if possible, you could transfer me to another school too! In fact, it'd be nice if I could study in Atlantius. Kurt is in that city too, so it'll be easier for us to look out for each other.”

Vivian was so upset that she ended up rambling incoherently, much to Sebastian's dismay.

A few minutes later, he hung up the phone and ended the video conference as well.

He then summoned Karl into the study. “Vivian has run into some trouble. Roppell is preparing to transfer her over to Regalius Academy.”

“What?” Karl was shocked.

What's with this rapid escalation of events? Didn't Ms. Vivian just meet Roppell's son last night? Why are they transferring her to Regalius Academy the next day? Isn't this all a little too soon?

“Mr. Hayes, could it be that Roppell has realized we're onto him? Maybe that's why he's deliberately doing this to Ms. Vivian.”

Frowning, Sebastian sighed. “No, I don't think so. Vivian's encounter with Jason last night was by accident. She hasn't gotten over Calvin after all these years, so it's normal for her to get a little curious when she finds someone who looks so much like him.”

Karl could understand Vivian's behavior as he was just as dumbstruck when he saw Jason and could not take his eyes off him the whole time.

“I've been keeping an eye on them for over three years now, and I don't think there's anything wrong with Roppell. On the other hand, Jason's mother, who rarely shows herself in public, seems awfully suspicious.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. You see, Calvin was only twenty-one years old when he died. He had been living in SteelFort until he was twenty, so there was no way he could've had an illegitimate son. After that, he…”

Karl's eyes reddened halfway through his sentence, and he could not bring himself to finish the rest of it.

Sebastian shot him an impassive glance and soon changed the topic. “Jason isn't related to Calvin. Are you trying to say that there's something wrong with his face and his mother?”

“That's right.” Karl nodded.

After regaining his composure, he continued, “Calvin's father is the king of the Elysium tribe. I've looked up all of his children, but none of them look like Calvin at all. In fact, his brother Channing doesn't look like him either. Oh, and let's not forget his half-brother, Kurt. Their mothers are sisters, but they look very different.”

While it was indeed impossible for the two to be related, Karl had not been able to find any information on Daphne and Jason despite having investigated them for three years.

He even made a trip to Elysium at some point, but he did not find anything useful there either.

To his surprise, Sebastian did not seem bothered by the issue he mentioned at all.

“For now, let's not worry about how he got his face. Our main priority is to find out the reason behind this face's reappearance. Calvin is dead, so why is his face showing up now?”

“What do you mean, Mr. Hayes?”

Sebastian lit a cigarette and held it up to his nose. Instead of puffing on it, he simply took a whiff of the smoke before replying with a sneer, “I heard that the old man in Elysium is on his deathbed, and his sons are fighting over his position as the king of the tribe. No one in Elysium has heard of Calvin and Channing ever since they escaped, and now, someone with Calvin's face appears out of nowhere? What do you think this means?”

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1613

To Wear A Crown

That gave Karl an epiphany, and he finally understood what Sebastian was implying.

“You mean Jason is planning on returning to Elysium to fight for the king's position?” he asked.

With his eyes still fixated on the cigarette, Sebastian's lips curled in disdain as he replied, “Perhaps. It's also possible that he's simply being used as a pawn by someone else.”

Karl froze.

A pawn? What does he mean by that?

“You mean…”

“Calvin had never left SteelFort when Charles went looking for him, so no one had ever seen his face. After that incident in which Calvin was captured, that b*stard was the only one who had seen him, but he's dead now. Who else do you think would still remember his face?”

Karl stared at Sebastian, his mind in turmoil.

He's right! Why didn't I think of that? Being SteelFort's best assassin, Calvin rarely showed himself before his enemies! Even if he did, he would be sure to keep his face hidden. The first time he showed his face was when he parted ways with Mr. Hayes at the nightclub in Jadeborough. They were dealing with the Jadesons at the time. But shortly afterward, he was captured by that b*stard Hubert, and no one else seemed to have come into contact with him until Sabrina rescued him later on. Hubert worked for Alfred at the time. And Alfred works for Eddie!

His eyes were bloodshot after he came to that realization.

It was already evening by the time Vivian received a video call from Sebastian.

“Vivian, I have a question for you. Will you answer it for me?”

“Sure thing, Daddy!” Vivian replied while sitting in front of her laptop.

Feeling relieved, Sebastian wasted no time asking his seventeen-year-old daughter, “Vivian, do you still remember Calvin?”

“Huh? H-How did you know about that, Daddy?” she stuttered, panicking a little as she did not tell Sebastian about her meeting someone who looked the same as Calvin.

While guilt ate away at her conscience, she stared at her father anxiously.

To her surprise, however, Sebastian did not get mad at her in the slightest. Instead, he maintained that gentle look in his eyes as he said, “I've always known that, Vivian. I know you can't bring yourself to forget him. Now that the bad guys who caused his demise back then have reappeared, I want to ask you if you're willing to avenge Calvin by bringing them to justice.”

Vivian, who had spent the entire day waiting for Sebastian's update, did not expect him to say such a thing at all.

Had Kurt been around to hear that, he, too, would find it rather unbelievable. In his opinion, most fathers would want to keep their daughters as far away from danger as possible, yet Sebastian did the exact opposite.

Sasha had tears in her eyes as she watched from the side.

The next thing they saw was Vivian, who used to be a scaredy-cat, leaped to her feet upon hearing that she could avenge Calvin by bringing the bad guys to justice.

“Really? I'll do it, Daddy! I want to avenge Brother Cal! I want to get those bad guys arrested! I'm willing to help!”

Sebastian had been hesitant about asking her that question as he did not know how she would respond. Thus, seeing her agree to it readily set his heart at ease.

Unlike most parents who would want an easy life for their children, he preferred for them to become capable individuals.

Ian was probably the best example of what he wanted out of his children.

Noticing that Ian was devastated by his best friend's betrayal, Sebastian helped him get back on his feet by giving him missions.

He did not want to overindulge his children because that would make them weak. Just like how a good sword would require a lot of tempering, a person would have to go through many hardships to grow stronger.

To wear a crown, one must bear its weight.

Like her brother, Vivian accepted the mission that Sebastian had tasked her with.

Sasha waited until the two of them had ended the video call before asking worriedly, “If that mother and son duo truly are suspicious, wouldn't it be dangerous for Vivian to go to school there?”

“Don't worry about that. I'll arrange for Karl to protect her during her time there,” Sebastian reassured.

“All right, then…” she replied, feeling at ease that Vivian would be under Karl's protection.

However, she soon thought of Kurt.

“What about Kurt, then? He'll go looking for Vivian if he knows she has transferred all of a sudden, won't he? Do you think he'd interfere with the plan if he finds out about it?”

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1614

Confession

“No, he won't. I've arranged for him to do an internship.”

“Huh?”

Sasha was dumbfounded, finding it strange to have Kurt undergo an internship when he had only started attending classes not long ago.

Nevertheless, she could not voice any objections to Sebastian's arrangement since he always had his reasons for every decision he made.

Little did she know that even Karl could not seem to understand the logic behind Sebastian's decision.

“Why did you send Kurt away, Mr. Hayes? If that mother and son duo are related to Elysium, then wouldn't it be safer to keep Kurt near Ms. Vivian so that he can protect her?” he asked as he prepared to head out.

“Kurt doesn't know that both of his brothers died serving the Hayeses,” Sebastian replied coldly.

His gaze had darkened, and his tone carried a touch of sorrow.

In his lifetime, the death of the brothers' struck the greatest remorse in his heart.

Just as many had died for his sake, many had also died at his hand. The more notable examples were his mother, Frieda, and his best friend, Shawn.

However, their deaths were mainly due to the nature of their relationship with him. Frieda died for him because she was his mother, and Shawn died for him because they were best friends.

Had their positions been reversed, Sebastian would have sacrificed his life to save theirs, too, if they were in danger.

The two brothers were a whole different story, though.

As employees of SteelFort, they had dedicated their lives to serving the Hayes family. In other words, their relationship with Sebastian was that of a superior and subordinate, so he had only taken from them without giving anything in return.

As such, he did not deserve to have them sacrifice their lives for him like that, especially since he would not have done the same for them back then.

Sebastian gently stroked the other eagle-shaped cufflink as he continued, “Kurt has nothing to do with this operation, and I intend to keep it that way. Since he doesn't know about the existence of his two brothers, it would be best if he never finds out.”

“Got it, Mr. Hayes!”

Having finally understood the situation, Karl took the eagle cufflink over and left in a hurry.

He's right. This tragic incident is all in the past now, so nothing we do will change what happened in any way. Since Kurt doesn't know about the existence of his brothers, he is spared from the pain of losing them. It's probably best for things to remain like that.

With that in mind, he headed over to Yartran later that night.

Meanwhile, Vivian was anxiously waiting for Kurt's return in the garden of the villa. After what seemed like forever, she finally saw him approaching from the distance. As always, he had on a blue hoodie and was carrying a canvas bag over his shoulder.

“Kurt!”

Her eyes lit up with joy as she ran toward him as quickly as she could.

A faint smile formed on Kurt's lips when he looked up and saw how elated she was to see him.

Vivian wrapped her arms around his and beamed at him, chirping, “You're finally back!”

Although the two of them had gotten a lot closer lately, Kurt still tensed up from shyness when he saw the housemaids looking at them.

“Yeah, I'm back. Why did you come out of the house? It's cold out here,” he replied while trying to pull his arm out.

To his dismay, Vivian only tightened her grip on his arm even further when she felt his movement.

“I came out to welcome you home, Kurt! Daddy told me you're going to Ipston with the professor tomorrow. Will you be gone for long? How about we go out for a nice dinner tonight?” Vivian pleaded with a pout while clinging tightly to him.

For some reason, it pained Kurt to see her behaving like that.

“I can choose not to go there if you don't want me to.”

“Huh?”

Vivian stared wide-eyed at him in surprise.

What? He can stay? I mean, of course, I don't want him to go! Heck, I would even go to Regalius Academy with him if I could! But Daddy said the bad guys responsible for Brother Cal's death are no ordinary people! He even ordered Mr. Frost to come over and protect me personally! If it really is so dangerous, then all the more reason for me not to put Kurt's life at risk!

With that in mind, Vivian replied, “No, that's not it! I'm really happy to hear that you're going to do an internship with your professor so soon, Kurt! It's just that I'm going to miss you dearly while you're away, that's all.”

Her confession was so clear and straightforward that Kurt found himself blushing hard after hearing it.

If it were not for his high level of self-control, he probably would have done something irrational right there and then.

“All right,” he said with his head lowered to hide his flushed cheeks.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1615

Laughingstock

On Vivian's first day at Regalius Academy, Karl drove her there.

Worried that she would be afraid, he tried to console her after dropping her off at the school. “Vivian, there's no need to be scared. The king called your father and asked for you to study here. Therefore, everyone in this school knows who you are. No one would dare to bully you.”

However, Vivian was not scared at all.

She was here to carry out a mission under Sebastian's request. Thus, she was determined not to give up no matter how daunting it was and to persist even if bad guys stood in her way.

Before heading to her classroom, she went to the teachers' room to register her name.

“Did you see her? She's the one that suddenly transferred to our school.”

“My, she's an Astorian. I wonder who she is. How is she able to attend our school? Doesn't she know that only the children of royalties and aristocrats can be enrolled here?”

“Who knows?”

Once Vivian entered the classroom, all the students expressed their displeasure and objection to her arrival.

However, she did not bother to entertain them.

Do you think I want to be here? I wouldn't have come to this godd*mn place if not for Daddy's mission.

Ignoring her classmates, Vivian pondered over how she should look for Jason in his class during the break. Her mission was to get close to him and then probe for information from him.

When the lesson began, she gave her undivided attention to the teacher.

Right after the first period ended, a blond girl barged into the classroom all of a sudden.

She stormed toward Vivian and asked haughtily, “Are you Vivian, the new transfer student?”

Although the latter was weirded out by her attitude, she still responded, “Yes, who are you?”

“I'm Helenora Goldin, Helena's younger sister. You can't tell who I am?” the girl shouted shrilly and flipped Vivian's desk.

Bam!

The sound resounded through the class as Vivian's things, including her desk, fell onto the floor.

At that, Vivian paled a little. Staring at Helenora, who was acting like a madwoman, she got up from her chair and took a step backward.

“What do you want? I'm warning you—you better not do anything stupid. Do you remember what happened to your sister? My daddy will never forgive you if you do anything to me!” she cautioned sternly.

No one had ever treated her in such a way. Although she was afraid, she refused to back down.

Instead of being intimidated, she gathered her courage and warned Helenora.

As expected, her stern voice frightened the latter off. Even though she was still glaring at Vivian venomously, she dared not move a single muscle.

The onlookers, too, felt embarrassed upon witnessing the confrontation between Vivian and Helenora.

They reckoned that Vivian must be someone of great importance if she could get the king to arrange for her to study there. Furthermore, as part of the upper-class society, they all knew about the incident regarding the Goldin family.

Thus, no one in school, including Helenora, dared to be hostile toward Vivian openly after she uttered that threat.

Since they could not do anything to her in the open, they resorted to pranking her in secret, for example, breaking the faucet in the restroom.

“Ah!” Vivian shouted in shock.

It was after the third period that she went to use the restroom. As soon as she turned on the broken faucet, water sprayed all over her.

As it was the middle of winter, the water was frigid. Befuddled by the coldness, Vivian could only stand still and let the liquid drip down her.

“Hahaha… Serves you right!” a girl mocked.

“Yeah! You should know your place in this school. Well, this is just the beginning. There's more to come!” another girl taunted.

Seeing that Vivian had fallen victim to the prank, the girls outside the restroom burst into peals of laughter.

They all gloated over her disheveled appearance.

Vivian was shaking with fury, but she could only bite her lip hard and repress her rage.

After all, she did not have any friends in that school. No one would come to her aid even when something happened to her. Besides, it was not like she could ask Karl for help.

Holding back her tears, she grabbed a few tissues and wiped her face and hair. Then, she exited the restroom, thinking of finding some dry towels in the store on campus.

To her surprise, a familiar person showed up before her. “Oh, so you're here. How are you feeling? It seems that you have experienced how hostile this school is.”

At his appearance, Vivian quickly concealed her wretched expression.

“Dwayne, why are you here?” she asked.

“Me? I came here to see you since we were schoolmates in the past. I didn't expect them to bully you so soon. It's much sooner than I've expected,” Dwayne answered, holding a big, fluffy towel.

Although it seemed like he had prepared it for her, his tone was imbued with ridicule and mockery.

When Vivian took in his words, her already soured mood turned worst.

She could not fathom why the friendly and approachable Dwayne suddenly became a completely different person. His voice dripped with sarcasm, and he kept barraging her with mocks the moment he saw her.

Vivian's expression hardened as she replied, “Yes, I may seem like a laughingstock to you, but it doesn't matter. It's going to take more than this to intimidate me. You can wait and see.”

With that, she straightened her back and walked away, leaving the livid Dwayne behind.

His rage only intensified when he saw her walking toward the classrooms for the senior students.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1616

Time To Use Her Brain

Vivian found out where Jason was.

She had just walked near his classroom when a royal guard blocked her way. “What are you doing here? This is the classroom for the royalties. You'd better stay away.”

Although Regalius Academy was a public school for royalties, the children of the royal family were still separated from the children of aristocratic families.

Under normal circumstances, descendants of aristocrats were not allowed to enter the classroom for the royalties.

Vivian was furious and desperate.

I can't even go in. What should I do?

Standing still on the spot, she began to rack her brain for an idea.

Up to that point in her life, Vivian rarely needed to use her brain for such situations as she had been well-protected since she was young. Therefore, she never had to figure things out by herself.

Thank goodness. My brain still works!

All of a sudden, tears welled up in her eyes.

The royal guard watched wordlessly as the clear beads of tears streamed down her face.

“Mister, someone… someone bullied me. See, my clothes are all wet. If you won't let me enter to talk to Prince Jason, then could you give Mr. King a phone call? If they keep bullying me, I… I don't want to study here anymore. I want to go back to my previous school,” Vivian pleaded.

Matched with her drenched clothes and tearful gaze, she looked pitiful as ever.

The guard could not help but soften his attitude.

Anyone would take a liking to an adorable and pitiful girl like her. Thus, he was distressed to see her cry so miserably.

Moreover, Vivian mentioned that she would speak to the king. If she did, guards like him would be in deep trouble. After all, the king had personally arranged for her to attend that school.

After pondering over it, the guard went to speak to Jason in the classroom while Vivian waited patiently outside.

A few minutes later, she saw the young prince walking out of the classroom.

He was handsome as ever because his face was identical to Calvin's.

However, Jason's expression turned cold when he noticed her. Upon taking a closer look, one could see a hint of wariness in his countenance. Evidently, he was cautious of Vivian because of that night's incident.

“What do you want this time?” he asked impatiently.

Vivian blinked her misty eyes upon hearing him, causing big fat drops of tears to roll down her cheeks.

“P-Prince Jason… Just now, a group of people pranked me in the restroom and wet my clothes. C-Could you help me get a new set of clothes so that I won't catch a cold?” she implored, her tear-stained face reminding him of an abandoned puppy.

Jason was rendered speechless.

He had seen many pretty girls, but none of them looked as exquisite and silly as her.

Is she dumb? A few nights ago, she and her bodyguard had a clash with Mother and me in our residence, yet she still dares to seek my help after someone bullied her? Isn't she afraid that I'll use this opportunity to harm her?

Staring at the foolish-looking Vivian, he seethed with rage and balled his fists.

Moments later, he unclenched his fists and stepped out of the classroom. “Come with me.”

“Okay! Thank you, Prince Jason,” Vivian said, her face lighting up with elation.

With that said, she followed the young prince.

I made the right guess. He's not as cold and heartless as he seems and takes compassion on me when he sees that I look a sorry sight.

Vivian followed Jason into the drama room, where he told her to choose one of the costumes to wear.

Can I wear them?

Blinking her doe eyes, she turned to him and asked worriedly, “Prince Jason, these are all costumes for your plays. Is it okay for me to wear them?”

“Just do as I say, and stop asking questions,” Jason snapped, his patience running thin.

At that sight, Vivian did not dare to upset him further. She entered the drama room and rummaged through the costumes.

The whole time, Jason waited for her outside.

The royal children indeed used the drama room for performances. Every costume there was bespoke and cost a hefty sum. For example, the nineteenth-century Epean royalty's outfits that they had easily cost more than ten thousand.

In case anyone came over to cause trouble again, Jason stood guard by the door.

After around ten minutes, the door finally opened again. The young prince looked over his shoulder instinctively and saw Vivian walking out in an aqua-colored dress.

That's…

Jason was dazed for a moment and let his gaze linger on her.

It was a well-known dress in the drama room for a character named Azurine.

Azurine was a character in a nineteenth-century fairytale, which was still famous then. She was a princess who had fallen into the underworld after someone betrayed her.

In the end, she became a powerful and evil enchantress.

The actress playing Azurine would put on the costume that Vivian was wearing before the character turned evil. The dress was to show how the princess used to be as pure as the driven snow.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1617

Naivety Is The Greatest SinJason had been in that school for a long time but had never seen anyone wear it as perfectly as Vivian.

“Why… What's wrong? Is this a dress that I shouldn't wear? Prince Jason, I searched through the costumes for so long, and only this fits me. Is it too valuable? I'll change into another dress now.” Vivian grew nervous when she realized he was keeping his eyes fastened on her.

She was afraid of angering him again as that would cost her hard-earned opportunity to get close to him.

Therefore, she went back in to search for something else to wear.

Just as she spun around, a hand pulled her back.

It was Jason. Holding her arm, he said, “No, you don't have to change. This dress is fine.”

Only when she heard his affirmative answer did she breathe a sigh of relief.

After glancing at his hand on her arm, she resisted the urge to pull away and affected a cheerful look. “That's great to hear! Well, I'm going back to class now, Prince Jason!”

Jason replied in surprise, “You're going to class wearing this?”

Vivian nodded. “Yes, I still have to attend the lessons. Can't I wear this to class?”

Again, she widened her bright, clear eyes and gazed at him carefully.

Jason could not say anything for a moment.

His heart skipped a beat as he was mesmerized by her eyes.

“Of course not! Do you want them to tear this dress off you?” he said in an embarrassed tone and averted his eyes.

That caused Vivian to blink.

Oh, right. Why didn't I think of this? They're already annoyed with me as I'm attending this school even though I'm an outlander. If they see me wearing their most expensive costume…

At that thought, she shuddered with horror.

“Prince Jason, can… can I go to class with you? I don't want them to gang up on me…” she sobbed, hugging his arm.

Even then, he still had not loosened his grip on her.

It was impossible to reject an adorable young lady asking for help.

Hence, Jason eventually caved in and brought Vivian to his classroom.

Furthermore, she sat beside him the whole afternoon.

“Prince Jason, your class is too difficult. I can't understand anything. Can I take a nap?” Halfway through the lessons, the adorable girl started pouting and imploring for his permission to nap.

Jason hesitated for a moment.

Later, he could not remember what he answered her.

All he knew was she was already sleeping soundly with her head resting on her arms by the time he returned to his senses.

After noticing that she had drooled in her sleep, he took a tissue and gently wiped her face.

Hah, she's still drooling at this age.

Jason could not focus on the lesson at all.

For the remainder of the period, he could not stop looking at Vivian. As they were close, he could almost smell her sweet fragrance.

Finally, it was evening. The school day finally came to an end.

Ring, ring, ring!

“School's over!” Jason said.

Vivian finally woke up and rose to her feet abruptly.

He raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

Thank goodness there are not many people left in the classroom. Otherwise, they'd laugh at me.

Then, Jason led her out of the school. As she was still wearing the costume, he deliberately guided her through the back door so that no one would see them.

Soon, Vivian's car arrived. Before entering the car, she turned to him and said, “Prince Jason, thank you so much for today. Do you like strawberries? I'll make a strawberry dessert for you and bring it to you tomorrow.”

Initially, Jason wanted to refuse.

After the class ended, he had some time to gather his thoughts. That was when he recalled his mother's warning. She had told him to keep a distance from Vivian.

However, he was tempted to accept the offer since she mentioned she would be making it herself.

In the end, he answered, “Sure.”

Vivian got into the car happily upon hearing his answer.

After her car drove away, Jason turned around and saw someone waiting for him nearby.

It was Dwayne. “Prince Jason, you seem fond of the new transfer student.”

He had been observing them for the whole day and suppressing his anger for a long time.

Jason's eyes turned cold when he saw Dwayne. His expression contained a hint of annoyance and disdain toward the unwanted company. Those feelings stemmed from the fact that the latter was not a royalty or nobility, yet his family managed to enroll him in the school through flattery.

“What does this have to do with you?” he asked sternly.

“Of course, it doesn't. It's just that you seem to get along with her, so I want to tell you what she likes. Did you forget that I studied in the same school with her before this?” Dwayne answered calmly.

At that, Jason's gaze became less hostile.

Unbeknownst to him, the young man he disdained took out his smartphone and captured a couple of photos of Vivian's car just as he retracted his gaze.

It seemed that things would become more complicated from that point onward.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1618

A Change Of Bodyguard

Meanwhile, Karl sent Vivian home.

As soon as she arrived home, she rushed off to contact her father. “I'm going to find Daddy to report what I found today.”

It was her first time carrying out a mission, so she was understandably filled with excitement.

Wearing an amused yet helpless smile, Karl watched her run upstairs.

A few minutes later, Vivian reached her room and began a video call with Sebastian. Once he accepted the call, she quickly reported what she had discovered that day.

“Daddy, guess what? I succeeded in getting close to Jason. He doesn't suspect anything. I even spent the whole afternoon with him,” she said excitedly.

“Really? Sweetie, you did so well on your first mission.” Sebastian did not hold back with his praises at all.

As expected, she was happy to hear his praise. Her face flushed with joy as she sat before her laptop.

“Yes, Daddy. Don't worry about it. I have arranged to meet him tomorrow. What do you want me to do next? You can tell me,” Vivian said.

Sebastian was still worried about her, so he advised, “Let's not rush things. We need to wait until he has lowered his guard before doing anything. Also, remember not to be too obvious. Otherwise, he will suspect something is up.”

Vivian agreed with him obediently.

She was a smart child, after all.

Sasha, sitting beside Sebastian, queried him after he ended the call. “Sebby, what do you want Vivian to do next? Are you going to ask her to sound Jason out?”

“Of course not. We can't get any information from him.” He denied it, much to her surprise.

Soon, her eyes widened with realization.

If it's not Jason, does it mean that he wants to…

“You—”

Perceiving her concern, he hurriedly explained, “Don't worry, I have planned everything. I won't ask her to interact with that woman directly. Her mission is to gain Jason's trust and find out his mother's secret from him. Once she does that, Karl will be able to take over. By then, she will have retreated.”

Sebastian was telling the truth. Jason's mother must have something to do with his appearance that resembled Calvin one hundred percent. Presuming that she had conspired with Eddie's men that year, she must have been in contact with them for the past twenty years.

Sebastian probably had never caught wind of it because Jason's mother either hid it too well or the mastermind arranged it for her. Otherwise, with his power and connections, he would have found out about it ages ago.

Sasha understood Sebastian's intention after hearing his explanation.

Nevertheless, she was still a little worried.

“Judging from your plan, Vivi will have to follow Jason to the royal residence. Who will protect her there? We don't know much about Jason's mother. Wouldn't Vivi be in danger without a bodyguard?” she asked.

Her concern caused Sebastian to fall deep in thought.

She's right. I can't let Vivian be in danger.

At Ipston, Kurt only found out that Vivian had transferred to another school the following morning.

Furthermore, he discovered that she had a new bodyguard who would be following her into Regalius Academy by pretending to be a student there.

What is going on?

He stood motionlessly at the construction site after receiving two photos from an anonymous sender on his smartphone.

Seeing that he was not moving, the professor shouted quickly, “Kurt, what are you doing? It's dangerous there. Come over here now.”

Kurt finally came to his senses and averted his gaze from the screen. With a stiff gait, he followed the professor out of the construction site.

What shocked him was not Vivian's sudden transfer to another school but the fact that they had changed her bodyguard. It was out of the blue, and he was not informed about it.

How could they change her bodyguard just like that?

Kurt was in a daze for the whole afternoon. Once the survey at the construction site was over, he could not bear to wait anymore and quickly called a number on his smartphone.

Beep… Beep…

“Hello?” said a familiar, deep, and authoritative male voice.

Kurt became nervous instantly. “M-Mr. Hayes, it's me, Kurt.”

“Yes, I know it's you. What's wrong? Is something the matter?” Sebastian asked.

His tone was calm, just like how he usually sounded whenever they communicated.

On the other hand, Kurt gripped his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

“Mr. Hayes, I… I want to ask you something. Have you planned anything else for me? I have been following the professor to the construction site for my internship for the past two days. It's a little boring,” he said.

Although he wanted to ask Sebastian about the sudden change of Vivian's bodyguard, he decided against it and chose to approach the matter indirectly.

The young man still distanced himself from the Hayeses. He would have asked Sebastian directly if he viewed himself as a part of the family. However, he did not.

Despite urgently wanting to inquire about the matter, he resisted the urge and used a more tactful method to query.

“Yes, I have another assignment for you,” Sebastian answered flatly.

In a split second, the color drained from Kurt's face.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1619

Bullied

In the end, Kurt hung up the phone without asking anything else.

He always behaved with the utmost propriety and would not ask anything he was not supposed to. Although Sebastian and Sasha treated him well, he would never forget his identity.

“Where have you been? Why do you look so pale? Are you not feeling well?” the professor asked when Kurt returned to the construction site.

The young man did not utter a word.

He stood expressionlessly for a long time before saying, “It's nothing. What else are we doing?”

“Let's check the measurements. This is also very important.”

Instead of responding, Kurt merely followed behind the professor. His expression made it seem like he was carrying out a mission.

Vivian went to school again the next day.

True to her words, she did make some strawberry cupcakes by herself. When she arrived at the school, she headed toward the classroom for royalties first.

“Why are you here again?” the royal guard outside the classroom asked.

“No, mister. I'm here to give Prince Jason some cupcakes. He helped me yesterday, and I'm returning the favor with some gifts. I told him yesterday,” Vivian hurriedly explained to him.

Indeed, that was how she planned to approach Jason that day.

To her disappointment, the guard was uncompromising, refusing to let her in no matter how hard she pleaded. In fact, he was also hinting to her that she should not pester Jason anymore.

Vivan was rendered speechless.

What's going on? Did news about me being with Jason yesterday spread to the royal residence? And then his mother started to interfere?

Chills ran down her spine at the thought of the woman, and she no longer dared to bug the guard anymore. After giving the cupcakes to him and asking him to hand them over to Jason, she left.

Kurt said that Daphne altered Jason's face with a drug. In hindsight, Vivian reckoned she could not be an ordinary person.

Additionally, she saw her terrifying eyes that night. They were green, just like the eyes of a venomous snake lurking in the darkness.

That mere recollection of Daphne caused her to shudder.

In the end, she returned to her classroom and decided to observe the situation before making the next move.

As expected, Jason did not look for her that day, and she never heard back about the cupcakes.

However, Vivian realized one thing—the descendants of aristocratic families never bullied her again. Although they still despised her, they stopped bothering her.

Since she had started using her brain to think, she immediately knew Jason was the reason they stopped bullying her.

The school bell finally rang at noon.

Vivian packed her books and was about to go for lunch but bumped into Dwayne again when she went down the building.

“What? It's only been a day, and Prince Jason has stopped looking for you?”

He's here again.

Staring at him, Vivian could not believe that Dwayne, who used to be an animated and cheery boy, would become such a cynical and despicable person.

“Get out of my way!” came her curt reply.

However, his expression darkened when he heard her.

All of a sudden, he said venomously, “Vivian, why won't you give up? Heed my warning—if you continue to hang out with the young prince, you'll be miserable in this school.”

At his words, a scowl marred Vivian's beautiful face. Refusing to entertain him further, she brushed past him and went straight to the cafeteria.

Unexpectedly, when she went into the cafeteria, many female students turned around immediately and glared at her as though they wanted to skin her alive.

“Is she the one who gave Prince Jason the cupcakes in the morning?”

“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“How despicable. She's only been here for a few days, and she has already started to seduce Prince Jason. Just as Helenora says, she's a little b*tch!”

A barrage of insults was directed at Vivian.

Standing at the entrance, she watched as the female students came stomping in her direction. It seemed like they had snapped, judging by how their faces contorted with fury.

Vivian remained quiet.

She only needed to tap the watch on her wrist in such situations, and the bodyguard who entered the school with her would appear. Those few girls would never pose a threat to her.

Just as she reached for her watch, she suddenly stopped.

A few minutes later, the cafeteria echoed with the shrieks and cries of a girl. When a black figure rushed in, Vivian was already lying on the ground, unable to move.

“What are all of you doing?”

The young man emanated a murderous aura instantly.

Right when he was about to kick the girls and send them flying, Vivian, beaten to the ground, raised her tear-stained face and looked at him. “Sam, stop. We're in a school. Get out.”

“But…”

Sam, the new bodyguard SteelFort assigned to protect her, showed a troubled face on his first day on the job.

Nonetheless, under Vivian's insistence, he eventually dismissed the intention of avenging her and helped her up from the ground.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1620

Taking The Bait

“Listen up! Your king personally invited Ms. Hayes to study here, yet you roughed her up today. We will not let this incident slide easily,” Sam warned the female students before supporting Vivian and leaving the cafeteria with her.

The group of female students stood at the same spot. After regaining their composure, they paled as they belatedly realized the gravity of the situation.

That's right. We totally forgot about the new transfer student's identity.

Everyone began to regret their actions.

Meanwhile, Sam was prepared to bring Vivian back to the villa after exiting the cafeteria.

“Ms. Vivian, we'll be skipping the rest of the classes today. Let's head back.”

Sam was recruited after SteelFort received a massive blow from the battle with Eddie. That was around the time when Kurt joined.

However, he was eighteen that year, a year older than Vivian.

Hence, he would take more factors into consideration when he handled things.

To his dismay, Vivian rejected his suggestion and insisted on staying in school.

“Sam, I'm not going back. I let them beat me up for a reason. Also, you shouldn't have shown up today. How could you appear on your own when I didn't call for your help?”

Not only did she refuse, but she also rebuked him.

Indeed, she deliberately allowed the female students to assault and injure her so that she could gain Jason's attention. After all, he was the reason she was being bullied.

However, Sam thwarted her plans by showing up.

While Vivian was frowning in displeasure, the image of another handsome young man popped up in her mind.

If only Kurt were here. He understands me and knows what to do. There might not be a need for me to even come up with a strategy.

Sam went scarlet from Vivian's admonishment. He stood in front of her with his head lowered and apologized, “It's my fault. I'm willing to receive any form of punishment to atone for my mistakes!”

Nevertheless, the kindhearted Vivian could never bring herself to punish him.

After waving her hand irritably to dismiss the bodyguard, she sat in the classroom and laid her face on her desk.

She was so upset that she did not even bother to tend to her injuries.

While she was moping, someone suddenly came over from outside the classroom.

“Vivian!”

“Hmm?”

Vivian immediately lifted her head in response.

“P-Prince Jason?” When she saw the person who came looking for her, her beautiful eyes lit up. Even her bruised face suddenly seemed radiant.

Jason was confused by her reaction.

She's so happy to see me?

The young man had hesitated for a long time before coming to look for Vivian. After seeing her expression at that time, he, too, perked up inexplicably.

By then, Vivian had already calmed down. “Prince Jason, why are you here? Did… Did you hear something? Those things that happened have nothing to do with you.”

Suddenly, she averted her gaze and covered her face with a book, obscuring the bruises on her face from Jason.

When he noticed her wounds, his gaze turned grim.

“Cedric, call the school's doctor over to my private lounge.”

“Yes, Prince Jason.”

“Also, investigate those girls for me. Expel those who took part in assaulting her!”

Jason angrily instructed his guard to give a harsh punishment to those who had injured Vivian.

Vivian was stunned.

This young prince is avenging me? If I continue to use him, will I…

The warmhearted girl started to hesitate.

Right as the hesitation surfaced, her gaze fell upon Jason's face, and the scene of Calvin's tragic death reappeared in her mind.

Right. Why am I even hesitating? I can't be softhearted when I've vowed to avenge Calvin and arrest the bad guys who caused his death. Besides, I have yet to know how the prince's mother managed to alter his face.

In the end, Vivian clenched her fist and steeled her heart.

That day, not only did she follow Jason to his private lounge, but she also requested to revisit the royal residence in order to get the information that her father wanted as soon as possible.

“Prince Jason, I-I'm too scared to go home.”

“Why?” the young prince asked while dressing her wounds.

His mother's warning had long fled his mind after he saw how gentle and adorable Vivian was.

Vivian made up an excuse, saying, “My bruises. If my daddy sees them, he will definitely complain to the school. He might even take it up to your father. Things will turn ugly when that happens.”

As expected, Jason's expression immediately changed.

“Then… If you're not going home, where will you go?”

“I'll stay at a hotel.”

Lowering her head, she pretended to appear helpless.

Without even thinking about it, he said, “That won't do. A young girl like you can't stay in a hotel alone. Come home with me!”