I Returned to the Day He Brought His First Love Home-Chapter 150: Defenses Shattered

"Archer..."

Wendy Quinn’s eyes widened in disbelief.

When she heard Archer Rhys was at the school, she had excitedly put on a new outfit, hoping to dazzle him and make a good impression.

’And this was the treatment she received in return?’

At that moment, it felt as if her heart was being torn from her chest. The pain was unbearable.

Especially with all the onlookers pointing and whispering as they watched the drama unfold.

She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

’This is so humiliating.’

They had always gotten along so well when they were children.

The last time they met, she had greeted him and he had responded.

’Why had things turned out like this?’

"Why..."

Seeing Wendy Quinn’s heartbroken expression, Archer Rhys’s gaze didn’t flicker in the slightest.

However, Byron Sinclair, who was standing beside him, couldn’t watch any longer. He took a step forward. "You’re from the Quinn family, right? I’d advise you to focus on your studies instead of entertaining these... fanciful notions."

"You and him... it’s impossible."

"Why don’t you go home and ask your elders what exactly happened all those years ago? Once you find out, you can decide whether or not to keep pestering him."

He extended a hand to her.

Wendy Quinn, however, didn’t take his hand to get up. She scrambled to her feet on her own, her face streaked with tears as she looked at Archer Rhys. "Archer Rhys, I hate you! I despise you!"

With that, she covered her face and ran off, sobbing.

Byron Sinclair shook his head, mimicking Wendy Quinn’s tone. "Archer Rhys, I hate you! I despise you!"

"Ooh, did you hear that, Comrade Archer? The little lady is heartbroken. She despises you."

Archer Rhys shot him a sideways glance. "You seem to have a lot of free time."

"I am pretty free," Byron Sinclair said with a helpless shrug. "The old man wants me to take his place, but you know what I’m like. I’m not interested in any of it, so I’ve been fighting with my family lately."

The onlookers were reluctant to leave; after all, the two men were incredibly easy on the eyes.

When Grace Winslow got to her classroom, she could still hear people talking about two incredibly handsome men who had come to the school, though no one knew why.

She paid them no mind, simply sitting down and starting to read.

When it was time for class to start, she saw Wendy Quinn walk in with red eyes. It was obvious she had been crying, and her clothes were dirty.

The girls sitting nearby were whispering among themselves.

"That was Wendy Quinn from our class. She ran up and hugged the guy, calling him ’Archer’ or something, and he just threw her to the ground with a shoulder toss. He even told her they weren’t close and that she should stop spreading rumors about being his fiancée."

"No way! How embarrassing! Wasn’t she always saying her fiancé was back from the military and that their two families were arranging the marriage? So it was all fake?"

"Exactly. The guy was so handsome, a real tall drink of water, over six feet. He must be some big shot in the military. Wendy Quinn is so shameless. I actually believed they were engaged, but it turns out she was just making it up."

"Tsk, tsk. No wonder she came back crying. It was because she got exposed. So humiliating."

The girls laughed as they spoke, their eyes frequently darting over to Wendy Quinn.

Their voices weren’t loud, but they weren’t quiet, either.

In the quiet classroom, Wendy Quinn could, of course, hear everything clearly.

Her mind was filled with the image of Archer Rhys’s indifferent expression, of his gaze devoid of any warmth.

And his merciless words.

Her mind was in a turmoil, and hearing the discussion from the gossips around her made her snap.

She slammed her hand on the desk and shot to her feet. "What are you yapping about, like a pack of mad dogs? My affairs are none of your business! The Quinn family and the Rhys family have a marriage contract. It’s not up to him to deny it. If he doesn’t acknowledge it, he’s faithless!"

"If I hear you gossiping about me behind my back again, I’ll make you regret it!"

Saying this, she grabbed her schoolbag and left the classroom without looking back.

Grace Winslow, listening to a cassette on her headphones, didn’t hear any of it. She only saw Wendy Quinn’s back as she rushed out, but she merely glanced once before returning her attention to her work.

The drama with Wendy Quinn was the talk of the school for a few days.

Grace Winslow didn’t pay much attention to other people’s business.

She was busy as a bee every day.

Claire Dunn had high hopes for her and would even pull her aside during breaks for some one-on-one tutoring.

Grace Winslow was both happy and annoyed by this.

She was annoyed that her study schedule was completely thrown off.

She was happy because Claire Dunn really knew her stuff. Studying with her for a few days was more effective than half a month of burying her head in a book.

In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived. Grace Winslow headed straight home after her classes on Saturday.

When she got home, she saw several packages piled up inside.

When Irene Lynch saw her, she pointed to the packages. "Your sister-in-law sent over some clothes. She said to sell what you can and that you don’t need to give her the money."

Grace Winslow was a little surprised. ’She sent so many all at once?’

She went over to open the packages and have a look. They were filled with spring and autumn jackets, as well as dresses and blouses to wear underneath. The styles weren’t as novel as the ones she had designed before, but they were still quite nice.

They were all classic styles, with basically nothing wrong with them.

With several large packages, there must have been over a hundred outfits.

"Has my second sister-in-law struck it rich?" Grace Winslow asked, astonished. "To send me so many clothes in one go... I could sell clothes every single day and still not get through all of this."

"She sent a letter, you can read it yourself. Says she’s opened two branch stores. These clothes were made by your first sister-in-law; she made the samples and found a clothing factory to help with production."

"I think she also sold the designs to the factory, and the factory sells them down south." Irene Lynch shook her head; she wasn’t too clear on all this.

She herself had been busy with renovations every day lately.

Sean York had been a huge help. He didn’t just introduce her to a foreman; he also came over personally to help supervise the renovations.

The more Irene Lynch saw of the young man, the more she liked him. She was dying to make him her son-in-law.

Unfortunately, ever since the incident with Caleb Forrest, her daughter still had no interest in dating.

And she couldn’t bring herself to force Grace.

"Sean is coming over for dinner in a little while," Irene Lynch said, unable to resist putting in a few good words for Sean York. "It’s all thanks to his help these days. Otherwise, at my age, knowing nothing, I would’ve definitely been cheated on the renovations."

Grace Winslow found it strange. "Isn’t he busy selling houses? How does he have so much free time that he can come over every day to help supervise the renovations?"

"He’s just being kind. Besides," Irene Lynch shot Grace an exasperated glance, "you should think for yourself why he’s so attentive to our family’s affairs. You’re not a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl anymore. Surely you’re not that naive, are you?"

Grace Winslow’s mouth twitched. ’She did have her suspicions, but logically, it didn’t add up. She had already spoken to Sean York about it, and his attitude toward her didn’t seem like that of someone pursuing her.’

He was nice, yes, but it always felt like there was some kind of barrier between them.