The Girl They Ignored Returned as the Woman Seven Men Would Die For novel Chapter 19

Seraphina despised this utter lack of control.

Whether it was her loyal lapdog Jude suddenly ignoring her, or her notoriously ugly best friend Mika magically glowing up.

It made Seraphina feel like her personal belongings were secretly plotting a betrayal.

She bit her lip as an inexplicable, toxic possessiveness flared in her chest.

"I'm coming too!"

Seraphina batted her eyelashes, looping her arm affectionately through Mika's. "Mika, you're not going to ditch your absolute best friend just because you have a boyfriend now, right?"

"Sure," Mika said, setting down her fork. The faintest trace of mockery curved her lips.

"You're my very best friend. How could I ever leave you behind?"

Her 'best friend' had been unconditionally worshipped for her beauty her entire life. If Mika had actually invited her, Seraphina probably would have sneered and rejected it.

But by deliberately excluding her, Seraphina grew paranoid, obsessive, and utterly incapable of handling being ignored.

Thinking about the psychological warfare destined to unfold at Mount Azure this Saturday, a glint of absolute amusement flashed in Mika's eyes.

-

For the rest of the week, Mika spent all her free time running her rehab station at the track.

Thanks to the glowing recommendations from her first three patients, the number of students actively seeking her out skyrocketed.

In just one week, she had added over sixty contacts, forcing her to create a dedicated group chat just to manage the barrage of appointment requests.

Saturday finally rolled around.

Jude had explicitly borrowed his coach's rugged SUV, pulling up to the women's dorms in incredibly flashy style.

Since Seraphina was still doing her makeup, Mika headed down first.

She was dressed in a crisp white athletic jacket and cargo pants, her hair tied back in a sleek ponytail, giving her a radiantly fresh and energetic vibe.

Jude couldn't help but recall a recent thread he had stumbled across on the campus forum.

[Seriously, who the hell keeps saying Seraphina's best friend is ugly? That's just vicious bullying!]

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're a massive simp," Mika said, casually glancing over her shoulder.

"Nobody cherishes something that's practically thrown at them. You constantly trip over yourself trying to please her, so she assumes she can just string you along forever because you're obviously not going anywhere."

Jude's face darkened with fury. "Seraphina isn't like that."

Seraphina was practically an angel. Why would she ever manipulate him?

She just hadn't been fully won over by his dedication yet!

"Why don't we test it, then?" Mika leaned in, her eyes dancing with wicked amusement.

"Today, keep your attention strictly on me. Ignore Seraphina, treat her with nothing more than polite distance, and see what happens. You might be shocked by the results."

Bathed in the sunlight, the girl looked vibrantly alive. Her oval face still held a touch of baby fat, and her dark, expressive eyes glimmered with cunning mischief.

Jude caught another breath of the faint, addictive scent radiating off her, and completely against his will, his heart skipped a heavy beat.