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Novel Catalog
Chapter 70: I Lose My Phone
Ainsley carefully gathered the bags from the ground, but her hands were full, and there were still a few left behind. “Could you help me out here?” she asked, her voice laced with a bit of frustration.
In an instant, all the bags were taken from her hands. Manuel, stepping in, swiftly grabbed the bags and followed her upstairs.
“Mr. Gage, let me help with some of them,” Ainsley offered, wanting to ease his burden.
Serina and Lainey had already taken the elevator and were on their way up, so Ainsley and Manuel waited for the next one.
“Let me,” Manuel insisted, his voice firm.
“Mr. Gage, there are just so many bags. Let me carry some of them,” Ainsley said again, reaching out.
Though the bags weren’t heavy, the sheer number of them made it difficult to manage them all at once.
When the elevator finally arrived, Manuel held the doors open for Ainsley. She stepped inside, but as he followed, the doors began to close, trapping him. The bags were too large, and he was stuck. Quickly, Ainsley tugged at the bags, but in the process, Manuel reached out, drawing her into his arms.
They entered the elevator together. Ainsley, now pressed against the wall by both the bags and Manuel’s presence, blushed deeply, her heart racing.
“Move over there,” she mumbled, feeling flustered.
“Where?” Manuel’s voice was teasing, his body close to hers.
“You’re doing this on purpose,” she muttered, trying to squeeze past him, but the space was tight. There was no room for her to maneuver, and she ended up even closer to him.
When the elevator doors opened on their floor, Lainey and Serina were standing there, both staring wide-eyed. At the same moment, they shouted, “We didn’t see anything!”
Ainsley’s face turned beet red. She pushed Manuel away, stammering, “It’s not what you think!” before quickly walking out of the elevator to open her apartment door.
Once inside, Ainsley finally saw what Lainey had brought. Bags upon bags of clothes and jewelry, all carefully chosen, with matching sets for both Lainey and her.
“I bought these when I went shopping today! And I got you so many clothes! They’re perfect for us to wear together!” Lainey exclaimed excitedly. She rifled through the bags, pulling out accessories. “Look, I even got you some hairpins! You need to update your look. It’s all about keeping up with your age.”
Ainsley, already feeling overwhelmed, smiled, but Lainey wasn’t done. “Look! And Serina, pick out what you like. Consider it a gift from me.”
Serina immediately picked out a few hair accessories, which Lainey happily let her have. After a while, Manuel left, but not before Lainey handed him a glass that Ainsley also had.
As he walked out, Serina couldn’t contain her excitement. “Manuel, you and Ainsley have matching glasses! Only couples do that!”
Manuel smiled softly, his eyes lingering on Ainsley for a moment before he turned and left.
Once the door was closed, Lainey turned to Ainsley with a more serious expression. “Serina told me everything. Is Kaitlin insane? What’s her obsession with plotting against you?”
Ainsley sighed. “It’s complicated, but I didn’t just go there because of the contest. I promised Serina I’d try to help, and Mollie’s a big name in the field. She could help me a lot.”
Lainey shook her head. “But have you helped Serina yet?”
Ainsley looked a little defeated. “No, unfortunately. Manuel already tried to talk to her earlier.”
Lainey paused before changing the subject, her mood lightening. “Come on, try on the clothes I bought you!”
Ainsley laughed and walked over to the bags, starting to pull out the clothes Lainey had chosen for her.
As she began to try on the new outfits, Lainey couldn’t hold back her irritation. “That jerk! Don’t see him again, Ainsley! I can’t believe he actually accused you of having an affair!”
Ainsley’s eyes grew cold. “I finally know his true colors.”
The next day, when Ainsley arrived at school, she quickly realized her phone was missing. She felt around in her bag and then retraced her steps from the previous night, but it was nowhere to be found.
Just as she began to panic, Cody approached her with a grin. “Ainsley, I can’t believe you managed to get Mollie! Have you met her already?”
Ainsley looked confused. “Professor Wade, I met her yesterday, but she hasn’t given me a definite answer yet.”
Cody frowned. “No way. I called you this morning. You told me yourself!”
Ainsley’s heart dropped. “What? That’s impossible. I lost my phone!”
“Seriously? Think carefully. Where did you lose it? Who answered it?” Cody asked, his concern growing.
Ainsley’s mind raced. “I’m not sure who picked it up, but they lied to you.”
Cody’s face grew more serious. “This is bad. The school leadership already knows that you invited Mollie. They’re planning to announce it to the entire school and invite the media to make a big deal about it. What if Raymond also got a call? If someone lied to me, Raymond might be tricked too.”
Ainsley bit her lip, worried. “Only people from the Baldry family would have a grudge against me. Who could have taken my phone?”
She knew the person who had answered the phone must have been very skilled—someone who knew her password but had managed to bypass it.
“Professor Wade, I have to find my phone right now,” Ainsley said urgently. “If I can’t find it, I’ll at least get a new SIM card, but I need to make sure this doesn’t cause more problems.”
Cody nodded, his expression serious. “Go ahead. I’ll head to Raymond’s office to warn him.”
“Thanks,” Ainsley said, watching as Cody left.
Moments later, some students from the Organization Department arrived, buzzing with excitement.
“Ms. Easton, you really did it! You got Ms. Randall to agree to judge the contest!”
One of them pulled out their phone, showing her the latest school forum posts, all filled with praise for Ainsley. Her efforts had already become a trending topic.
Ainsley tried to suppress a sigh. “Actually, I…”
The student eagerly interrupted. “Ms. Easton, we’re setting up for the event now! We want everything to be perfect when Ms. Randall arrives.”
“Yes, we want to make sure she sees how great our school is!” another student added.
Ainsley watched them leave, her thoughts swirling. She couldn’t tell them the truth—not now, not when things were already out of control.
