The Moment I Stepped Into His World as the Fake Girlfriend, I Became the Real Prize novel Chapter 36

"I don't believe you'd just change your mind out of nowhere, and definitely not this completely!"

Sasha's shrill voice echoed across the courtyard.

"That's a really bizarre way to look at it. She refuses to accept his feelings, yet she expects him to just endlessly pour his heart out and keep trying day after day?"

"Ask yourself honestly, is that fair? Sterling is a human being with his own emotions. Trying to melt a block of ice is exhausting, and giving up when you're tired isn't called 'changing your mind'—it's called making the right choice."

Elena delivered her verbal takedown with agonizing slowness before turning her sights back to Lydia. "What do you think, school belle?"

Lydia stood quietly in her uniform, the spring breeze catching her long hair and giving her a fragile, almost heartbreaking beauty.

"Whatever is going on between you and your boyfriend is none of my business, and I have no obligation to answer you."

From start to finish, her attitude was glacial, as if she truly couldn't care less.

Sasha was frantic. "Lydia, this is not the time to be stubborn..."

"Sasha, stop embarrassing me."

Lydia's eyelashes fluttered slightly, a hint of desperation bleeding into her voice. "Sterling has a girlfriend now. I just want to keep my distance from him."

Inside the car, Sterling listened to her words, a heavy, suffocating weight pressing down on his chest.

"Lydia, are you crying?"

Sasha's sudden gasp made him snap his head up.

Lydia was looking down, hiding her face from him.

He only heard her quiet denial, laced with the faintest hint of a sniffle. "No. I'm not crying."

She was definitely crying!

Sterling let out a soft sigh, ready to end the charade once and for all.

"Babe, didn't we agree you'd follow my lead?"

As her feet hit the pavement, the back of her skirt hiked up slightly, exposing a tantalizing glimpse of her creamy upper thighs.

Noticing the wardrobe malfunction, Sterling instinctively reached out and tugged the hem of her skirt down the second she was out of the car.

It was an incredibly subtle gesture, but Lydia caught it instantly, her throat suddenly feeling painfully tight.

For the very first time, she scanned Elena from head to toe.

That was when she realized that Elena wasn't just armed with a pretty face. Even hidden beneath the standard school uniform, her body was a masterclass in stunning curves.

The long legs peeking out from beneath her skirt were slender, luminous, and flawlessly smooth.

She was an absolute knockout in every sense of the word.

It wasn't until this exact moment that a cold, suffocating wave of panic finally washed over Lydia.

This girl was gorgeous. She was so gorgeous... it was downright dangerous!