"Bradley, why do you have to humble yourself in front of a woman like that? She can't even hold a candle to me! Why do your eyes only see her?" Erin asked, showing up from nowhere. She glared at Michelle's receding figure with burning eyes. If eyes could kill, Michelle would have been murdered thousands of times.
"You won't understand me. That's because you haven't met someone who makes you want to be humble, someone that you are willing to do everything for." Bradley was also a little confused by himself now. At the very beginning, he had just wanted to teach Michelle a lesson. He had been insulted as she hadn't fawned on him like the others girls. But now, he had developed a special feeling for her, and he hadn't had this kind of feeling before. He hated it but he couldn't do anything about it. Could he?
"Oh my god! Are you saying that the great and handsome Bradley, Greek god of this school, who could have any girl he wants, has fallen in love with that rat, Michelle?" Erin asked sarcastically. She looked confident on the outside, but deep inside, she prayed that Bradley would deny it, and that he just wanted to make fun of Michelle, instead of falling for her.
"It's none of your concern! By the way, I must remind you not to make trouble for Michelle from now on. Otherwise, I won't let it pass. You know how I punish those who disobey me, and you won't be willing to give it a try."
Bradley cast a warning glance at Erin and flashed an evil smile before leaving.
Erin stood frozen and startled. 'Did he just admit that he has a thing for that slut? Then what about me? I've been going after him for almost half a year! Why is a poor woman like Michelle able to attract his attention? No matter how hard I've tried, he just ignores me. Damn that woman! I wish she had never come to this school!' she thought.
Ever since Bradley made his statement in public, Michelle could hear the hushed gossiping about some relationship between her and Bradley. This extremely annoyed her. Although she had told herself countless times not to mind what others said, those harsh words still came into her ears — "She doesn't deserve Bradley!" "Ugly duckling!" "Poor woman!" "Shameless slut!" Those words hit her like a sharp knife, ripping her soul. She could do nothing but speed up to get away from them as fast and as far as she could.
On the weekend, Michelle spent the whole morning cooking a meal. She had been taking cooking classes, and now was the best time for her to apply what she had learned. Considering that Luke and Michelle had their own life together, Cynthia finally stopped insisting that they should eat in the Mu family house all the time. So Michelle took this opportunity to make a meal for Luke, hoping that he would like it. "Luke, have taste of this. I made it just for you," Michelle said with a hopeful expression when her husband came to the table.
"You made it?" Luke asked in disbelief, his eyes wide. He was really doubtful of her skills, thinking that the dishes might taste really bad. Michelle's parents had told him that she didn't know how to cook. Luke stared at the dishes on the table and hesitated.
"Come on! Please give it a try!" Michelle pleaded, pursing her lips.
"I've been learning them in cooking class. You know, I have plenty of time. I thought I told you about it too," Michelle said, shrugging. Since she had gotten married to Luke, she had tried hard to become a housewife. No matter how hard it might be, she had promised herself that she would try her best to adapt to her new role.
"A cooking class? That's a surprise! This is so not you." Luke was a little moved, thinking whether she had done all of this because of him. She went to learn painting to be more educated and refined, and also learned cooking to make him delicious food.
"Well, I have a new role as your wife now. So I need to change. I used to be a gang member. Now I want to improve myself in various aspects," Michelle said with a bitter smile. She wanted to develop herself, to be a woman good enough to deserve Luke. Even if he still did not love her, at least she had tried her best. And she would keep trying until she no longer had the strength to try.
"Uh... Sorry... I didn't mean it that way," Luke apologized with a frown. He remembered what harsh words he had said to her, but he hadn't meant it that way. He had just been talking in frustration.
"I know you didn't mean to hurt me, but what you said was all probably true. I know my identity as a gang member has dishonored you. But I am trying hard to improve myself. And I feel really sorry for having pestered you in the past. Now I realize how annoying I was at that time." Michelle made a sincere apology to Luke, which moved the latter. The sincerity showed on her face made him notice that something was different about her this time. .
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