Richest Mogul

For the past couple of days, Claudio noticed Joe getting ready to stir up trouble in Jipsburg. It made him think of Skylar.

She really had a way of getting under his skin.

After meeting her, other women seemed utterly dull in comparison. Perhaps it was the idea of her being unattainable that made everything seem most enticing and tantalizing. Just as Claudio was about to say more, Skylar decisively hung up the call, leaving only the dial tone in his ears.

"Damn! I'll just wait for her to come to me. If she ever throws herself at me, I'll have to think about whether she's even worth my time!"

In her dorm room, Simona sat in front of her laptop and spaced out. Her mind was blank.

Her roommate noticed the unusual behavior as Simona was usually very lively, especially now that she was dating Stephen.

Their passionate relationship had filled her days with joy and romance, so this detached look was completely unlike her.

"Simona, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?" her roommate asked.

Simona snapped out of her reverie before looking at her roommate. "Huh? No, I was just thinking about something."

"Thinking? Haha, don't tell me you're thinking about Stephen. He didn't come to see you much these few days. Is your love sickness acting up?

"Didn't you say he's busy helping his relatives who are visiting? It's only been a few days, and you're already missing him this much?" her roommate, Kelly Clarkson, teased.

Simona's expression changed subtly. "No, it's not that. A friend of mine is dealing with something, and I was thinking about her."

Kelly raised an eyebrow but didn't press further, though she seemed unconvinced.

Even though she hadn't asked about Simona's family background, after years of being roommates, she could tell she was from a well-off family. Simona was different from the average background of most of the other students. Yet Simona had no airs about her. She always got along with her classmates and roommates, and they were all very comfortable with one another.

Simona then closed her laptop, intending to lie on her bed and scroll through her phone when Stephen called.

She looked at his name on the screen and hesitated. After a few moments, she decided to answer the call.

Kelly, who was observing her, sensed something was off.

Could Simona and Stephen be having an argument? Otherwise, she wouldn't stare at her ringing phone for a long time without answering.

Simona had even set a special ringtone just for him. Kelly and their other roommates had once joked that Simona was utterly smitten with Stephen because of it.

"Simona, I was busy when you called. I just finished up. Please don't be mad at me. Once my uncle's surgery is done, we'll be able to see each other every day again," Stephen said with a voice as gentle as ever.

Normally, Simona's frustrations would subside after hearing him comfort her like this. She could never stay mad at him.

But today felt different-especially when he mentioned his uncle who wasn't actually hospitalized at the oncology center. It made Stephen seem insincere, like he was lying through his teeth.