No Escape from Love

"Julian, did you purposely come to this coffee shop to run into Serena because you can't let go of her?"

"No way!" Julian snapped, though there was a tinge of guilt in his voice. "My heart belongs to Elena, of course. Serena... I'm just messing around with her."

I scoffed, turning away without another word.

When I returned from my delivery, I found Elena sitting there.

Dressed in a white dress, she sat beside Julian, her every movement and expression exuding grace as she whispered to him.

Julian, whose expression had darkened at the sight of me, seemed far more cheerful now that Elena was there.

"Julian, is that... Serena?" Elena turned to look at me, her voice laced with disbelief. "What's she doing here?"

Suspicion and caution flickered in Elena's eyes. I couldn't be bothered to entertain her, so I just ignored her.

It was clear she had seen me when I first walked in, but now, she was pretending otherwise. With such impressive acting skills, I wasn't interested in playing along.

"Yes," Julian said smugly, draping his arm around Elena. He glanced at me with a hint of defiance. "She works at this coffee shop."

"Really?" Elena exclaimed, genuinely surprised. "But I heard from our other classmates that Serena is the daughter of the Hastings family. Why would

someone from that family need to work?"noveldrama

Elena, who had just returned from abroad, attended the same university as Julian and me, so she knew. But Julian's other friends didn't.

When Elena spoke, everyone turned to look at me in disbelief.

"Hastings... The daughter of the Hastings family? You mean that Hastings family?"

Julian's friends now looked at me with newfound respect.

I didn't feel the need to explain, but Elena stood up and walked over to me. "Serena, why are you working here?"

"To make money," I replied, not wanting to engage with Julian any further.

Elena turned to look at Julian before smiling sweetly at me. "Serena, is there some misunderstanding between you and Julian?"

"No," I replied calmly.

"Aren't you Julian's girlfriend?" Elena's eyes held a touch of provocation, but her voice remai

soft and gentle. "Why aren't you two

content belongs to

I set the towel down and met her gaze.

Maybe my look was too intense because for a brief moment, Elena's eyes shifted.

"Aren't you Julian's girlfriend?" I

asked, feigning surprise as I looked

at her with confusion. "Ever since you came back from abroad,

Julian's been all over you. I even saw the two of you shopping together. So you're not his girlfriend?

With that, the mask of innocence slipped from Elena's face.

"Serena, why are you dragging Elena into our r business?" Julian strodes

over, positioning himself in front of Elena as though I were some kind of monster.

I frowned and scoffed. "She's slandering me, and I can't even defend myself?"

"What is she accusing you of?" Julian's eyes flashed with anger.

"She said I'm your girlfriend," I replied calmly.

"You..." Julian froze for a moment before his face flushed with anger. "Serena,

don't flatter yourself. I would never go for someone like you."

With that, he turned to Elena, gazing at her with affection. "Elena is the one I truly love."

A blush spread across Elena's face, and she lowered her head shyly. "Julian, Serena is still here."

I put down the towel and picked up my bag. "I'm off work. Excuse me."