Beyond The Gaze: A Love Unseen

Chapter 19

Past - 2

Elysia's POV:

I stared at her, momentarily too shocked to respond. She extended her hand for a shake and smiled.

"Is there something on my face?" She asked playfully, bringing me back to reality.

I quickly shook my head and cleared my throat. "Oh, no, no. I... I didn't mean to stare. I'm sorry, you are just really beautiful."

I smiled and quickly shook hands with her. "Nice to meet you, Aubrey."

"Thank you, and nice to meet you too," she replied with a sweet smile.

"Your surname is Lawson. I've never heard of it here. Did you recently move from abroad?" She asked, curiosity written all over her face.

My smile froze, and I lowered my gaze to my desk. This had happened to me before. When people learned I wasn't from the same prestigious background as them, they never bothered to talk to me again.

"N-no, I didn't move," I replied shortly. She blinked once and snapped her fingers.

"I know now, are you, by any chance, related to Robert Shin Lawson? The jewelers in the US?" She asked quickly. I immediately shook my head.

"No, my family runs a small bakery café. I'm not related to any other Lawson," I answered firmly, feeling proud of my parents.

Even if I lost friends during my time here until I graduated, I would never be ashamed about my background or my parents. I loved and respected how they earned a living by working so hard, and I always valued honesty in their work.

Her smile faltered for a moment upon hearing my words. "Oh, that's... that's nice."

Just then, another teacher entered the classroom, halting our conversation. Aubrey turned to face the front as everyone greeted the middle-aged man who was Mr. Mitchell, our mathematics teacher.

After silencing the class, he noticed me with confused eyes for a moment before exclaiming, "Oh, you must be the new transfer student, Elysia Lawson, right?"

I quickly stood up and nodded politely. "Yes, sir."

"Very nice, very nice. I happened to see your past records. It was highly impressive. I must say, you're the most deserving candidate for the scholarship. Excellent, kid! Full marks in my subject. Very good," he praised, clapping his hands.

The whole class erupted in applause at Mr. Mitchell's appreciation. A wide yet shy smile appeared on my lips.

"Thank you, thank you, sir," I respectfully thanked as he gestured me to sit.

"Okay, now. Let's start today's lesson." Mr. Mitchell began explaining the structure of the course. Just as he started talking about the course outline, our classroom door swung open, and a boy entered.

His appearance was visibly rough. His hair was disheveled, the collar of his shirt was undone, a few buttons were open, and his tie hung loosely around his neck. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, one hand in his pocket, and the other holding his bag over his shoulder. His whole attire screamed carelessness, with his shirt out of his pants and a missing belt. Mr. Mitchell's serious face turned into a scowl as he glared at the newcomer.

I glanced around and noticed the girls in the classroom were swooning and gazing dreamily at the guy. When my gaze moved to Aubrey, she didn't seem affected by the new guy's presence. Instead, she had an expressionless face while watching the whole scene unfold.

My eyes automatically turned toward the guy again. He had silky straight dark brown hair, silver-grey eyes, sharp features, and piercings in one ear, giving him a cold and edgy look. He was probably an inch taller than Ares, and apart from their hair color, there was nothing common between them.