Chapter 16 - The True Heiress's Choice
Spring arrived in Oakridge, bringing warm breezes and blooming cherry blossom trees along the high school campus walkways.
Graduation day was only two weeks away.
Leo sat on a bench near the central courtyard fountain, reading a physical hardcopy of an advanced quantum physics journal.
Chloe stepped up to the bench, holding two iced teas—one plain green tea, and one sweet peach tea.
“Mind if I join you?” she asked with a bright smile.
Leo smiled up at her, closing his journal. “Not at all.”
Chloe sat down beside him, handing him the plain green tea. “I made sure there’s no coffee anywhere near this,” she joked playfully.
Leo chuckled—a rare, genuine sound that made Chloe’s heart flutter. “I appreciate the safety precaution.”
They sat together in comfortable silence for a moment, listening to the fountain spray water into the marble basin.
“So,” Chloe said, turning to him. “Word on campus is that you’ve been accepted into MIT, Stanford, and Oxford.”
“That’s true,” Leo acknowledged. “But I’m actually deferring my enrollment for a year.”
Chloe looked surprised. “Really? Why?”
“Aegis is expanding into global clean-energy distribution,” Leo explained, looking into her eyes. “And... I want to spend some time living like a normal nineteen-year-old for a change. I spent my whole youth planning a corporate war. I want to enjoy peace.”
Chloe looked at him softly, touched by his vulnerability. “You deserve peace, Leo. More than anyone I know.”
She reached out, gently placing her hand over his on the wooden bench. Leo looked down at her hand, then looked back up into her warm brown eyes. He didn't pull away.
“Are you going to the senior prom next week?” Chloe asked, a subtle blush appearing on her cheeks.
Leo raised an eyebrow with a playful smirk. “A billionaire CEO at a high school prom? Wouldn't that ruin my mysterious street cred?”
Chloe laughed softly. “Only if you don't have a beautiful date.”
May you like
Leo smiled gently, wrapping his fingers comfortably around hers. “In that case, Miss Montgomery... would you do me the honor of being my date?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Chloe smiled, leaning her head gently against his shoulder under the warm afternoon sun.
