The Court of the Girl

Episode 8

Sitanggang Family

The room was filled with the aroma of tea. The president took a teapot and poured water into a teacup. The brownish-colored tea gave off a soft aroma.

Attentively, he gave Juliette's father a filled teacup, saying, "After the end-of-year Awke ceremony, what if Julie is engaged to him?"

Juliette's father could not believe her hearing and was full of anxiety. "How could that be, President? How could Julie be worthy of Mr Awke?"

In a heavy voice, the President replied, "Don't rush to refuse. This is the last plan I've thought of for you. Awke is the second son and from the beginning is not destined to be the heir. He does not need a marriage bond as required by Alri. Julie is amazing and beautiful, and she fits Awke perfectly.

More importantly, if Julie is engaged to Awke, even if I'm not here, my son will solve the problem with you. At best, he will revoke your office and power. For the sake of maintaining self-esteem, he won't send you to jail."

Juliette's father never thought that the Chairman had considered things so far, even being able to sacrifice the happiness of his granddaughter in order to smooth his way.

However, if Mr Awke has no feelings for Julie, and the President forces her to get engaged, will things go as they imagined?

Juliette's father resolutely refused, "President, you don't need to consider this for me. Julie's not a good match for Mr. Awke."

The president's expression became unclear. "You don't have to think too much about this. I'll take care of it. I have no other business here, so you can leave early."

Juliette's father knew that the President did not like the interference of others in his decision and obediently nodded, saying, "Alright, President, I will return to the company first."

Standing up, Juliette's father bowed respectfully to the aged President, then turned around and opened the sliding door to leave.

When he stepped out, he saw Awke leaning against the wall, holding a tray and looking at him with an expressionless face. It was unclear whether Awke had heard their conversation or not.

Carefully, Juliette's father closed the door and slightly nodded his head at Awke, saying, "Mr Awke."

Awke, with a grim face and light tone, held the tray while saying, "So, you don't expect me to be your future son-in-law?"

Juliette's father, cunning and full of ingenuity, replied without showing much, "Mr Awke joked. Julie doesn't deserve your attention, and the old President's words don't have to worry you."

Awke fixed his position slightly, so the water in the glass in the tray swayed slightly.

The sunlight outside made shadows on his face, dividing it into light and dark areas. He mocked, "Indeed right, inappropriate."

"You didn't reach your current position for no reason. It is important to have self-awareness. I hope you remember these words," said Awke, with great respect.

"Of course, I will remember it, Mr. Awke," Juliette's father replied, nodding his head.

After saying so, Juliette's father left regardless of Awke.

Before returning home, Juliette's father had managed to calm her emotions.

On the way home, he thought about the old President's proposal in the car. It does look like the best way out, but Awke's unpredictable nature remains the biggest variable.

He could not be sure if Awke would allow himself to be manipulated by the old President. The breakthrough still has to come from Julie. However, getting Awke to really like Julie was no easy task.

--

The holiday passed quickly, and before waking up, it was already Monday.

Today, at Hope High School, the atmosphere is a bit more rowdy than usual as the time for the Secret Friend game has arrived.

Secret Friends is a special evaluation system at Hope High School. Once a year, everyone in the class writes his name on a piece of paper and puts it in a box that is not translucent to mix.

Then, the papers were pulled from the box, and the name listed on the drawn paper became the one who had to be secretly watched for a month.

During this period of a month, one should try their best to help and protect the assigned person.

The whole process is done anonymously and must be done discreetly. You must not let others know your identity while doing good secretly for them.

At the end of the month, the person being watched gives an assessment to their Secret Friend, and his or her score is recorded in the comprehensive life record as part of the student's behavioral assessment.

Since Hope High School was an elite school with a small number of students in the class, it was easy for those who were being watched to know who their Secret Friend was. Therefore, elections are conducted randomly throughout the force.

4th Floor Teaching Building, Class 3-1.

The annual Secret Friends game is always interesting.

They often approach the person directly, either by coercion or seduction, to force them to give a high assessment at the end of the month.

On the other hand, if someone in need of social attention is paired with a conglomerate heir, they will be more distressed because their poor background gives them limited options for giving gifts or acts of kindness. As a result, they often receive low ratings in the end.

However, if the heirs of conglomerates were to pair with the heirs of other conglomerates it would be different. This is a good opportunity for those with uncertain relationships to express their feelings.

Following the previous talent test rankings, Jordan was the first to take the step. He stood up from his chair and walked towards the podium, slipping his hand into the blurry box.

Without hesitation, he randomly pulled out a piece of paper, facing towards his companions. He opened his hand, revealing the name "Xeldous" on the piece of paper.

The second person to take the step was Juliette, who once earned the name Jordan in her past life.

In this life, it remains to be seen if there will be any changes.

He slipped his hand into the box, stirring it for a moment before pulling out a piece of paper. He opened it, and indeed, it was still Jordan, without much difference from his past life.

Juliette grasped the piece of paper tightly and returned to its place slowly.

Jordan withholds his desire to turn his head and see Juliette. She was curious about who Juliette took this time and who she should protect.

Xeldous took the name Martius, and Martius took the name Awke.

After all the students in the class have finished taking names, the teacher takes the box to the next class, which is the Awke class.

Since Awke is the second son of the CEO of the RO Group, the teacher gives him preferential treatment.

No matter what the situation was, he was always given priority. This draw was no exception as he was the first to take the name.

He walked up to the podium, slipped his hand into an opaque box, and pulled out the piece of paper that his fingers touched first.

The piece of paper crinkled in his grasp. Once opened, a beautiful and neat word was written there: "Juliette."

After paying homage to their homeroom teacher, everyone started packing their belongings, preparing to go home after school.

Juliette was slow-moving, her desk full of notes, books, and a thick collection of poems, which she meticulously stuffed into her backpack, one by one.

This Monday, Jordan has a full schedule because he has to work part-time. After quickly arranging his backpack, he stood up and left.

The moment he reached the door, his footprints came to a halt, and he silently turned his head to steal a glance at Juliette.

The young girl kept her head down, slowly and carefully stuffing her book into her backpack.

She always looked calm and gentle, no matter what she did, exuding an additional touch of elegance. On the contrary, Jordan was always in a hurry, constantly pursued by a life of deprivation, pushing him forward.

Jordan did not look at him anymore. He stepped up his legs and hurriedly left, not letting him be late to his part-time job, as this would result in cutting his salary.

When Juliette exited the school, she hoped most of the luxury cars near the school gates had disbanded.

Only Benny's driver was standing next to the car, waiting for him to come out. She smiled as she quickly walked towards Juliette, taking her backpack from her hand. "Miss, you worked hard today."

Juliette returned her friendly smile. "Not too heavy. I'm spending time packing and you're waiting anxiously, aren't you?"

Driver Benny runs to the side of the car, opening the door for Juliette. "Miss, that's my job."

Juliette smiled, ducking to get in the car.

Benny's driver waited until he tightened his seatbelt before closing the car door. Then, he went to the driver's seat and started the car.

Juliette sat in the back row, opened the crumpled paper in her hand and placed it on her sea blue skirt. The paper was crumpled, and the word "Jordan" was partially obscured.

He wondered what he could do for Jordan, to give a touch of cheer to his dark and broken heart.

People who live in the shadows and mud have never seen sunlight before.

After they looked a little, he believed they would be eager to hold onto it and look for a way out.

He wanted to give her hope, only to push her back into the darkness repeatedly. Only then would she be willing to give Juliette everything she had.