Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary)

"I had Liana keep an eye on her, but who knew what Trina's purpose for coming back was," Owen said as he jogged alongside Natasha, but there was little they could do.

The event was crowded with alumni from the past three graduating classes, making it difficult to spot anyone.

"I'll give Liana a call," Owen added.

Ten minutes later, Liana appeared with a dejected look on her face. "I'm sorry, there were just too many people, and Trina seemed very cautious. She made several loops in the crowd, and I lost her."

Natasha gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "It's okay. We might still run into her."

Finding Trina was a personal matter for her, and she couldn't let her friends feel disappointed for trying to help. Though it was easy to say, it was proving difficult in practice.

Hawthorn University had ordered an enormous cake to celebrate, but getting a piece was no small feat.

"Do you think Trina came back to find Nicole?" Liana asked, throwing out a possibility, though it didn't seem likely.

"Whether Trina pushed me down because she hated me or because Nicole ordered her to, she would never dare show up again."

From what Natasha knew about Nicole, if Nicole had instructed Trina, the latter wouldn't have stayed at the same university as Natasha for four years. That would have been too much of a threat.

If Trina acted on her own, she certainly wouldn't want to face Nicole again.

"Then why do you think Trina is here today?" Liana was still puzzled. She wouldn't risk being recognized just for a slice of cake.

"I don't know, but one thing's clear-Trina knows something."noveldrama

Otherwise, she wouldn't be deliberately trying to avoid people. Whatever she was

up to, it was definitely something she didn't want others to see.

"Let's not worry about it too much. If we can find her, we will."

Natasha sighed, and they split up to search in different directions.

The man standing in front of the security monitor rubbed his chin, his expression unreadable.

By evening, after a long day of searching, the three of them still hadn't found any sign of Tina.

"Let's go. Most people have left the celebration, so she must have slipped out through another exit," Owen said.

He and Liana collapsed onto a nearby bench, completely drained. Natasha stood with her hands on her hips, surveying the area, feeling a little disappointed.

"Don't get discouraged. While we were looking for her, I also gathered some information about Trina," Owen said, noticing Natasha's down-sodden mood.

He immediately tried to cheer her up.

"We've been at it all day. Let's grab a spicy seafood boil-my treat," Natasha offered, her tone casual but laced with weariness.

Whether she was in a good mood or a bad one, a hot, spicy boil was always her go-to. The problem was, her spice tolerance was on another level-way beyond what Owen could handle.

So, she ordered two seafood boils. "Mussels, shrimp, crab legs, and squid for now. We'll add more if it's not enough," Natasha said, rattling off the items like second nature.

This place had been their university hangout spot-a taste of nostalgia.

"Natasha?"

A warm, familiar voice called her name.

She froze for a moment-it sounded both distant and oddly familiar. She turned and saw a tall guy with sharp features, a backpack slung over one shoulder, grinning warmly.

"Xavier?" she blurted out before she could stop herself. That name had slipped off her tongue so many times before it was practically reflex.

Liana and Owen exchanged confused glances-clearly, neither of them knew him. "Is this seat taken? Mind if I join you guys?" Xavier Jones asked.