Chapter 276 Too Aggressive for My Taste
Oliver took a breath, seemingly uneasy with the turn of events. After a long pause, he said firmly, “I’ll make another trip to Elmsbury and get to the bottom of this.”
“Take it slowly,” Courtney answered as she gazed at him. “We can’t afford to miss out on any details this time, so we have to deal with it step by step.”
“I know.” He was embarrassed and looked sheepish as he muttered. “I don’t think I can live with myself if I don’t get to the bottom of this.”
She raised her brow and teased, “Why? Is it because you’re the Sherlock Holmes on campus?”
Upon hearing that, his eyes widened and he gaped at her as blood rushed to his face. “H-how did you find out about this?” he asked in awkwardness.
His peers had called him Sherlock Holmes for the fun of it, but he thought it was embarrassing. He then ordered all of the juniors in his faculty to stop addressing him by that nickname. However, it only made it worse—oppression was often met with resistance and the more he fought against it, the more his juniors took pleasure in torturing him.
Even the teachers in school jumped on the bandwagon toward the end.
How did Courtney find out about it, though?
Courtney grinned. “It’s not a big secret. Didn’t you hear someone calling you that when we were on our way here? I’m pretty sure there were people who pointed at you when we cycled past them.”
Oliver buried his face in his hands, wishing that a hole would appear on the ground and swallow him up. He was sure that he would die of embarrassment.
She had always treated him like he was a kid and she probably thought he was all the more childish after learning about his ridiculous nickname.
“Here you go. Two hot caramel macchiatos.”
The awkward silence was interrupted by the sound of the tray hitting the table. The girl who bantered with him was serving their orders and as she straightened her posture, she irritably snapped at him, “Why are you acting shy? It’s disgusting.”
With that, she retrieved the tray and moved to step away from their table.
“Hey! Who are you calling shy?” Oliver barked, causing her to stop in her tracks. He then added disgruntledly. “Are you blind? I wasn’t acting shy at all!”
“Me? Blind? I think the only person who’s blind around here is her!” The girl retorted and turned to address Courtney angrily. “Miss, you probably don’t know this, but Oliver is a complete Lothario on campus. Heaven knows how many women he’s brought here—both young and old—and he always gets two caramel macchiatos on every date!”
Oliver’s face grew thunderous. “What kind of nonsense are you spewing about?”
Courtney, on the other hand, was nonchalant. She shifted in her seat and looked up at the girl while smiling and asking, “Is that so? You mean to say that he’s pursued older women too? He must be a lunatic then!”
“He’s a pervert and a lunatic!” The girl nodded with conviction. “So, don’t trust anything that comes out of his mouth. He’s nothing but a womanizer.”
“That’s not—” Oliver’s lips twitched as he stared at the girl in utter disbelief. “You know what, Tessa? If you were to promote your menu in the same way that you make up all those ridiculous stories about me, your milk tea would be selling like hotcakes!”
“I’m not making anything up,” the girl countered primly.
Courtney blinked and although she was thoroughly amused, she felt the need to introduce herself anyway. “I appreciate the warning, but I’m just an older sister to him.”
Upon hearing that, the girl stiffened with shock. “An older sister? As in, you’re related to him by blood?”
Oliver rolled his eyes at her. “No, we’re not related by blood, but she means a lot more to me than I imagine an older sister would.”
“Really??” The girl grew flustered at the unexpected revelation. She felt like she was just thrown a curveball.
“Of course. I have a five-year-old kid at home,” Courtney answered pleasantly with a playful glint in her eyes. “So, is it true that Oliver is really as notorious as you say when he’s on campus? He’s going around breaking girls’ hearts? You should keep an eye on him on my behalf then.”
The girl blushed furiously. “W-Why should I keep an eye on him? I won’t do it. I—” She broke off nervously and ducked her head. “I’ll bring the pizza over for you right now, Miss. Just give me a moment!”
As she dashed off, he yelled, “Hey! We didn’t order a pizza!”
“It’s for your sister! My treat!” Tessa answered hastily and disappeared into the kitchen.
“What a freak,” he scoffed, but when he turned his gaze to Courtney, he saw that she was eyeing him with a meaningful look. He frowned. “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
Courtney shook her head. “No, there’s nothing on your face, but I think that girl just now may ave a thing for you.”
“Huh?”
Seeing the confusion that was written all over his face, she pursed her lips. After a thoughtful pause, she leaned forward like she was about to divulge a dirty secret or two and asked curiously, “Oliver, can’t you tell that she likes you?”
“What?” Oliver exclaimed with widened eyes and lowered his voice as he hissed. “Courtney, you can’t go around making jokes like this. It’s not funny at all!”
She did not understand why he was making a big deal out of it. “What’s wrong with what I said? She’s a really cute girl—is she not good enough for you?”
“No, it’s not a matter of how cute she looks; it’s the fact that she’s a total psychopath!” Upon having said that, he groaned in protest and looked incredulous as he asked. “Do you know what course she’s in?”
“What is it? Nursing? Information Science?” Courtney knew that the courses that Oliver’s school provided were limited when it came to a female-friendly curriculum, but there were still a couple of courses that were more suited for girls.
However, he drew in a shaky breath, as though the answer had intimidated him. “Courtney, have you ever heard of the school’s Blue Eagles Program?”
“Blue Eagles?” She frowned in thought before she said hesitantly. “I’ve heard of it. Isn’t that the military training program for gifted folks?”
Oliver nodded solemnly. “Yes. Once these gifted students complete the program, they are immediately recruited and recognized as part of the army’s special forces. These are the same people who will be dispatched to secure our borders and fight in our wars. The school keeps a close eye on all of them and they have strict rules to follow—dating is absolutely forbidden. She knew this when she signed up for and passed the entrance exam for the Blue Eagles Program. How could she be interested in dating anybody when she knows that she will be punished?”
“Wait—are you telling me that the girl is a member of the Blue Eagles?”
Courtney found it hard to believe what she heard despite his nod of confirmation.
Tessa was not that tall; she barely surpassed five feet three. She was fair-skinned and slender. On top of that, there was something adorable about her that did not go hand-in-hand with being a trainee for the military’s special forces.
“No one else has broken her record in the shooting range—a record that she set in her first year in the program. She can take up to ten grown men in close combat and these are men who have all been trained! It’s like she turns into a complete maniac when she’s on the training field; she has injured hundreds of her opponents, if not thousands. I’ve never met anyone who takes training as seriously as she does. Trust me, Courtney, she’s not as delicate as she looks. She’s too aggressive for my taste.”
Courtney watched Oliver’s face twist into a grimace, which piqued her curiosity even more. “Tell me about the so-called taste of yours. What kind of girl would pique your interest? I could set you up on a date. You were rather popular with the ladies back at the hotel; there are plenty of women with wonderful personalities out there—only if you have nothing against dating older women.”
“Age doesn’t matter to me,” Oliver replied. He leaned back in his chair and stared thoughtfully into space, avoiding Courtney’s imploring gaze. His voice grew smaller as he said. “I’m looking for a girl who is gentle with her loved ones and courteous with others, but she won’t hesitate to take a stand against her enemies. She’s kind and she won’t back down just because life gets in her way. She’s someone who is strong-willed and soft-hearted—that’s the kind of girl I’m looking for.”
he raised her brows. “Does a girl like that even exist?”
“Yes and she takes good care of me. She slices apples for me and she buys me snacks. Every now and then, she checks in on me to make sure I’m doing okay.”
Courtney assessed him and after a while, she drawled, “Does this woman happen to be your mom?”
