Bryce shook his head and muttered, “I dislike all women other than Mom.”
He paused, watching Justin’s surprised expression. Quickly, he added, “But if you like her, I have no problem with it.”
Justin snapped out of his daze and ruffled his son’s hair, a smile tugging at his lips. “Brat. Just finish your drink. No more of this nonsense, okay? You’ve been spending too much time at your mother’s. Look at how she’s spoiled you.”
Bryce used to never dare ask for junk food in the past. It was clear now: Tina must’ve been indulging him.
“It’s not her fault,” Bryce protested. “It’s me who wanted it.”
“You’re only allowed to have it once a month,” Justin responded firmly.
After leaving the tea shop, Stella paused by a floor-to-ceiling window. As she looked back at the street, a small sense of relief washed over her. The father and son were still deep in conversation, clearly not upset by her presence. They were chatting like nothing had happened.
Stella felt a pang of guilt toward Justin. It wasn’t that she regretted not being with him, but rather the thought that situations like this were entirely up to personal choices. What troubled her more was the way she often had to burden him with her issues.
Her mind lingered on the awkward dinner they had shared before, especially Weston’s cold behavior. It was a relief that nothing worse had happened with Bryce that day—otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to face Justin.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips.
Just then, her phone rang, perfectly timed with the sound of the class bell. Stella answered, speaking with Roger as she made her way toward the school building.
Roger, busy with some debugging work in the lab, had initially planned to go with his classmates. But when the moment came, he paused. “You guys go ahead and have lunch. I still have some things to finish up. I won’t be joining you.”
His roommate stopped, eyeing him with curiosity. “Who are you meeting for lunch, then? Could it be the girl who confessed to you this morning?”
The guys laughed, but Roger didn’t react much to their teasing. He handed his bag to them casually. “Just remember to take my seat for the afternoon session.”
“Sure, but if you’re really meeting up with her, let us know when you’ll be back,” one of them joked.
Roger chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “You guys go on. I’ll see you later.” He waved them off before jogging away.
Outside the lab building, Stella stood waiting beneath a large tree. A few students passing by couldn’t help but notice her. While there were many beautiful girls on campus, something about Stella drew more than a passing glance.
When Roger arrived, he noticed a couple of eager boys attempting to strike up a conversation with her. Annoyed, he strode up to her, stepping between the boys and blocking their view.
“Let’s go for lunch,” he said, his tone casual but firm.
The boys were caught off guard when they saw Roger approach. “It’s you?” one of them asked, his voice tinged with surprise.
Roger, popular among the female students, was the subject of countless rumors and gossip. The boy, clearly jealous, added, “So, this beautiful girl is here to meet you? Didn’t you just get together with someone this morning? Why are you…” He trailed off, his words leaving an obvious question hanging in the air.
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