Unexpected Desire: Trapped With My Bad Boy Roomie
Language: en
/1/128789/coverbig.jpg?v=4412adff84ad461c96c5065edea1d709)
Elena wanted nothing to do with Oliver, the rugged new owner of the auto repair shop across from her school. Unfortunately, her car broke down right outside his door, forcing her to accept his help. To her surprise, he fixed it without his usual teasing. Soon, rumors about them spread across campus, especially after circumstances forced them to live under the same roof. Elena insisted they barely knew each other, but Oliver had other ideas. That evening, he pinned her against the door, kissed her breathless, and murmured, "Barely know each other? Really?"
Available chapters
Chapter 1
Elena Barrett pulled out of the Crest University garage. All over campus, the magnolias had already bloomed, but she barely noticed them.
As she approached the university entrance, a tire-pressure warning suddenly appeared on the dashboard.
For a moment, the steering wheel became noticeably heavier. She didn't dare drive all the way to a dealership farther away, so she looked across at the auto repair shop directly opposite the university.
Unfortunately, that meant dealing with its owner, Oliver Stewart, whom she had no interest in seeing.
Three months earlier, the prime spot across from the university had suddenly been turned into an enormous auto shop. The newly renovated five-hundred-square-meter business had opened with a bang, and it quickly became a hot topic among Elena's colleagues.
During breaks, they would joke about it in the faculty lounge. "Who opens an auto repair shop in front of a university? Wrong crowd. Does he actually think he'll make money there?"
Yet the scene on opening day had told a completely different story. Luxury vehicles had filled the entrance.
The place soon developed another reputation. Wealthy young heirs began treating it like a place to spend their free time, showing up in groups and fooling around rather than doing anything productive.
Elena had little reason to think highly of Oliver either. After all, birds of a feather flocked together.
Her knowledge of him had initially come from nothing more than his looks.
His name came up constantly among the female students whenever Elena walked around campus, and even some of her female colleagues enjoyed discussing him.
According to the rumors, he was a flirt who had women constantly hanging around his shop.
The more Elena heard, the more irritated she became. In her mind, a man who flirted that carelessly was asking for that kind of gossip.
She certainly did not consider the business across the street a respectable place.
The tire warning remained on the dashboard, forcing her to reconsider. After a short hesitation, she decided to have the problem checked there.
The pressure was falling, but there was still enough air left for her to cross the road safely.
She switched on the hazard lights and carefully drove toward the shop.
During the daytime, the wealthy heirs who frequented the place were nowhere to be seen. They apparently preferred coming after dark, when the repair shop took on the atmosphere of a nightclub.
The actual repair area was beside the main entrance. Elena had barely stepped inside when she noticed Oliver. He was dressed in a dark gray work uniform and had just slid out from underneath a vehicle, supporting himself with one hand against the floor.
As he rose, the broad muscles across his shoulders and back shifted beneath the uniform. Grease stained his neck and forearm, while the veins along his skin stood out prominently.
He towered over most people. Standing there, he looked rugged and unapproachable.
He noticed someone nearby and turned his head. Elena's face was the first thing he saw, its cool, refined beauty immediately catching his attention.
His eyes settled heavily on her.
The look he gave her was so stern he looked like he was there to collect a debt.
Elena frowned and surveyed the repair area. There was no one else there.
For a shop this large, the absence of workers was striking. It was already late morning, yet aside from the receptionist sitting at the front desk, not a single mechanic could be seen.
That kind of careless management only made Elena more suspicious. If Oliver treated his business this casually, how good could he really be at fixing cars?
She decided against using the shop. Her expression grew colder as she stepped backward. If necessary, she would simply call a tow truck instead.
She had barely turned when Oliver's rough voice stopped her. "Why are you leaving? Is there something wrong with your car?"
Elena paused. Since he had already asked, she saw no reason to be rude. Keeping her voice calm, she explained, "The tire-pressure warning came on. I think I may have driven over a nail."
Oliver tilted his chin toward the entrance. "Come on. Let's check it."
Elena assumed he only wanted to inspect it, which seemed harmless enough.
If he could fix it, she could avoid wasting time waiting for a tow truck and still make her next appointment.
After thinking it over briefly, she gestured toward the entrance. "It's over there."
Her white Audi was parked in a spot beside the entrance.
Oliver walked around the car once before crouching beside the front right tire.
Elena's brows drew together. How had he known which car belonged to her?
"The tire's flat," Oliver said, taking a small flashlight from his pocket. "When did you first notice?"
"The warning appeared just after I drove through the campus gate."
"That doesn't mean you picked up the nail there." He shone the light across the tire. "A small puncture usually lets the air escape gradually. You won't notice much at first. The sensor only alerts you after the pressure drops far enough."
"I see," Elena silently agreed. He actually seemed to know what he was talking about.
She pressed one hand against her stomach when he wasn't looking. She had skipped breakfast and had already taught two classes without eating anything.
"Here." Oliver found the puncture and directed the flashlight toward it. "It's on the tread, so a patch will work. But the nail is fairly large, which explains why the pressure dropped so quickly."
Elena bent down to examine it herself. When she straightened, dizziness suddenly swept over her.
She brought a hand to her chest as the tightness intensified. Her brows knitted slightly, and even in pain she looked striking.
"How long will the repair take?" she asked, her voice suddenly more urgent.
"I'll handle it now. It won't take long."
Elena pressed her lips together. Before she could say anything else, her sight began to swim, and a layer of sweat spread across her back.
Something was clearly wrong. She reached toward the car for support, but her hand missed the door handle as darkness gathered at the edges of her vision.
Her body lurched forward. A sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her ankle, and before she could steady herself, she fell straight toward Oliver.
He reacted instantly, catching her in his arms before she could hit the ground.
"Sugar..." she whispered faintly.
Oliver knew right away it was low blood sugar. He slipped one arm beneath her knees, lifted her with ease, and called toward the shop, "Lucy! Bring some sugar water!"
The young receptionist, Lucy Fowler, jumped to her feet. "What happened to the client?"
"Her blood sugar is too low." Oliver carried Elena over to the sofa in the reception area. "Quickly."
"Right away!"
There was plenty of sugar for the coffee on the round table, so Lucy dissolved three cubes into a glass of warm water.
Oliver kept Elena supported against him while Lucy quietly wondered what was going on between them and carefully fed Elena the drink.
Several minutes passed before Elena's brows tightened and her eyes gradually opened.
She soon realized that she was practically leaning against Oliver, and she immediately tried to sit up.
Oliver pressed her back down gently. "Take it slow. You just fainted, and you're already trying to jump up. Your blood sugar dropped too low. Give yourself a moment."
"Thank you," she murmured, her throat dry and her voice faint.
She felt a little embarrassed. She had disliked him for so long, yet he was the one who caught her when she went down.
A basket filled with snacks sat on the round table nearby. Oliver picked out a packet of cookies and a banana and placed both in her lap. "Eat."
"Thank you." Elena slowly sat upright against the sofa, eager to create some space between them. Being this close to him made her uncomfortably aware of his imposing presence.
The moment she tried putting her right foot down, however, a sharp burst of pain shot through her ankle.
She sucked in a breath and immediately dropped back onto the sofa. Looking down, she realized the swelling had become much more severe.
She hadn't noticed the injury earlier because of the dizziness and sudden loss of consciousness. Now that her senses had returned, the pain had become impossible to overlook.
Oliver got to his feet and quickly prepared an ice pack before returning to her. "Raise your leg."
Elena instinctively grabbed the edge of her skirt.
A brief, amused look crossed Oliver's eyes as he gave a quiet scoff. He picked up a cushion and threw it toward the other end of the sofa. "Put your leg on that and keep it raised."
Elena carefully positioned the cushion beneath her leg.
She realized she had read him all wrong.
Oliver had put the ice inside a large Ziploc bag, making it broad enough to cover the swollen area while also allowing it to fit closely around her ankle.
"Thank you," Elena said again. While the ice worked on her ankle, she made herself eat the cookies and banana, trying to get some food into her empty stomach.
The tire repair itself didn't take long. Even with the nail removed, the tire patched, the wheel balanced, and the pressure checked again, everything was finished within forty minutes.
Once the work was done, Oliver returned to the shop and tossed Elena her car keys. The timing worked out perfectly. By then, her ankle had received enough ice.
Elena took out her phone to make the payment. Oliver calmly displayed his WhatsApp username. "Add me on WhatsApp. I'll send you the bank details."
She added him and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"One hundred dollars." Oliver slipped his hands into his pockets. "Nail removal, tire repair, wheel balance. And a quick wash."
Only after transferring the money did Elena realize that adding him on WhatsApp hadn't actually been necessary. He could simply have given her the bank information directly. She glanced at the username, Vanguard Auto Repair, and asked casually, "Is this your personal account?"
Oliver met her eyes for a couple of seconds before answering without expression, "It's the shop's."
Elena nodded. The phone in his hand was probably meant specifically for business.
She had just put her phone away when it suddenly rang.
Oliver was tall enough to see the caller ID on her screen: "Blind Date NO. 9."
Elena answered the call. "Where are you?" the man on the other end asked immediately.
"I'm sorry, but I injured my foot. We'll have to arrange another day." Her expression became composed at once, and her voice turned noticeably distant.
The man, who was a doctor, immediately offered to come over and check her injury.
"I've already iced it," she said firmly. "My car broke down, and I'm at the auto repair shop across from the university. Dr. Brown, let's meet another time."
"I'm actually close to your campus," Liam Brown replied. "I could use a car wash anyway. Stay there and wait for me."
Elena stared at her phone. What the hell did he mean by that? Was he seriously going to do their blind date at Oliver's auto shop?
As she approached the university entrance, a tire-pressure warning suddenly appeared on the dashboard.
For a moment, the steering wheel became noticeably heavier. She didn't dare drive all the way to a dealership farther away, so she looked across at the auto repair shop directly opposite the university.
Unfortunately, that meant dealing with its owner, Oliver Stewart, whom she had no interest in seeing.
Three months earlier, the prime spot across from the university had suddenly been turned into an enormous auto shop. The newly renovated five-hundred-square-meter business had opened with a bang, and it quickly became a hot topic among Elena's colleagues.
During breaks, they would joke about it in the faculty lounge. "Who opens an auto repair shop in front of a university? Wrong crowd. Does he actually think he'll make money there?"
Yet the scene on opening day had told a completely different story. Luxury vehicles had filled the entrance.
The place soon developed another reputation. Wealthy young heirs began treating it like a place to spend their free time, showing up in groups and fooling around rather than doing anything productive.
Elena had little reason to think highly of Oliver either. After all, birds of a feather flocked together.
Her knowledge of him had initially come from nothing more than his looks.
His name came up constantly among the female students whenever Elena walked around campus, and even some of her female colleagues enjoyed discussing him.
According to the rumors, he was a flirt who had women constantly hanging around his shop.
The more Elena heard, the more irritated she became. In her mind, a man who flirted that carelessly was asking for that kind of gossip.
She certainly did not consider the business across the street a respectable place.
The tire warning remained on the dashboard, forcing her to reconsider. After a short hesitation, she decided to have the problem checked there.
The pressure was falling, but there was still enough air left for her to cross the road safely.
She switched on the hazard lights and carefully drove toward the shop.
During the daytime, the wealthy heirs who frequented the place were nowhere to be seen. They apparently preferred coming after dark, when the repair shop took on the atmosphere of a nightclub.
The actual repair area was beside the main entrance. Elena had barely stepped inside when she noticed Oliver. He was dressed in a dark gray work uniform and had just slid out from underneath a vehicle, supporting himself with one hand against the floor.
As he rose, the broad muscles across his shoulders and back shifted beneath the uniform. Grease stained his neck and forearm, while the veins along his skin stood out prominently.
He towered over most people. Standing there, he looked rugged and unapproachable.
He noticed someone nearby and turned his head. Elena's face was the first thing he saw, its cool, refined beauty immediately catching his attention.
His eyes settled heavily on her.
The look he gave her was so stern he looked like he was there to collect a debt.
Elena frowned and surveyed the repair area. There was no one else there.
For a shop this large, the absence of workers was striking. It was already late morning, yet aside from the receptionist sitting at the front desk, not a single mechanic could be seen.
That kind of careless management only made Elena more suspicious. If Oliver treated his business this casually, how good could he really be at fixing cars?
She decided against using the shop. Her expression grew colder as she stepped backward. If necessary, she would simply call a tow truck instead.
She had barely turned when Oliver's rough voice stopped her. "Why are you leaving? Is there something wrong with your car?"
Elena paused. Since he had already asked, she saw no reason to be rude. Keeping her voice calm, she explained, "The tire-pressure warning came on. I think I may have driven over a nail."
Oliver tilted his chin toward the entrance. "Come on. Let's check it."
Elena assumed he only wanted to inspect it, which seemed harmless enough.
If he could fix it, she could avoid wasting time waiting for a tow truck and still make her next appointment.
After thinking it over briefly, she gestured toward the entrance. "It's over there."
Her white Audi was parked in a spot beside the entrance.
Oliver walked around the car once before crouching beside the front right tire.
Elena's brows drew together. How had he known which car belonged to her?
"The tire's flat," Oliver said, taking a small flashlight from his pocket. "When did you first notice?"
"The warning appeared just after I drove through the campus gate."
"That doesn't mean you picked up the nail there." He shone the light across the tire. "A small puncture usually lets the air escape gradually. You won't notice much at first. The sensor only alerts you after the pressure drops far enough."
"I see," Elena silently agreed. He actually seemed to know what he was talking about.
She pressed one hand against her stomach when he wasn't looking. She had skipped breakfast and had already taught two classes without eating anything.
"Here." Oliver found the puncture and directed the flashlight toward it. "It's on the tread, so a patch will work. But the nail is fairly large, which explains why the pressure dropped so quickly."
Elena bent down to examine it herself. When she straightened, dizziness suddenly swept over her.
She brought a hand to her chest as the tightness intensified. Her brows knitted slightly, and even in pain she looked striking.
"How long will the repair take?" she asked, her voice suddenly more urgent.
"I'll handle it now. It won't take long."
Elena pressed her lips together. Before she could say anything else, her sight began to swim, and a layer of sweat spread across her back.
Something was clearly wrong. She reached toward the car for support, but her hand missed the door handle as darkness gathered at the edges of her vision.
Her body lurched forward. A sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her ankle, and before she could steady herself, she fell straight toward Oliver.
He reacted instantly, catching her in his arms before she could hit the ground.
"Sugar..." she whispered faintly.
Oliver knew right away it was low blood sugar. He slipped one arm beneath her knees, lifted her with ease, and called toward the shop, "Lucy! Bring some sugar water!"
The young receptionist, Lucy Fowler, jumped to her feet. "What happened to the client?"
"Her blood sugar is too low." Oliver carried Elena over to the sofa in the reception area. "Quickly."
"Right away!"
There was plenty of sugar for the coffee on the round table, so Lucy dissolved three cubes into a glass of warm water.
Oliver kept Elena supported against him while Lucy quietly wondered what was going on between them and carefully fed Elena the drink.
Several minutes passed before Elena's brows tightened and her eyes gradually opened.
She soon realized that she was practically leaning against Oliver, and she immediately tried to sit up.
Oliver pressed her back down gently. "Take it slow. You just fainted, and you're already trying to jump up. Your blood sugar dropped too low. Give yourself a moment."
"Thank you," she murmured, her throat dry and her voice faint.
She felt a little embarrassed. She had disliked him for so long, yet he was the one who caught her when she went down.
A basket filled with snacks sat on the round table nearby. Oliver picked out a packet of cookies and a banana and placed both in her lap. "Eat."
"Thank you." Elena slowly sat upright against the sofa, eager to create some space between them. Being this close to him made her uncomfortably aware of his imposing presence.
The moment she tried putting her right foot down, however, a sharp burst of pain shot through her ankle.
She sucked in a breath and immediately dropped back onto the sofa. Looking down, she realized the swelling had become much more severe.
She hadn't noticed the injury earlier because of the dizziness and sudden loss of consciousness. Now that her senses had returned, the pain had become impossible to overlook.
Oliver got to his feet and quickly prepared an ice pack before returning to her. "Raise your leg."
Elena instinctively grabbed the edge of her skirt.
A brief, amused look crossed Oliver's eyes as he gave a quiet scoff. He picked up a cushion and threw it toward the other end of the sofa. "Put your leg on that and keep it raised."
Elena carefully positioned the cushion beneath her leg.
She realized she had read him all wrong.
Oliver had put the ice inside a large Ziploc bag, making it broad enough to cover the swollen area while also allowing it to fit closely around her ankle.
"Thank you," Elena said again. While the ice worked on her ankle, she made herself eat the cookies and banana, trying to get some food into her empty stomach.
The tire repair itself didn't take long. Even with the nail removed, the tire patched, the wheel balanced, and the pressure checked again, everything was finished within forty minutes.
Once the work was done, Oliver returned to the shop and tossed Elena her car keys. The timing worked out perfectly. By then, her ankle had received enough ice.
Elena took out her phone to make the payment. Oliver calmly displayed his WhatsApp username. "Add me on WhatsApp. I'll send you the bank details."
She added him and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"One hundred dollars." Oliver slipped his hands into his pockets. "Nail removal, tire repair, wheel balance. And a quick wash."
Only after transferring the money did Elena realize that adding him on WhatsApp hadn't actually been necessary. He could simply have given her the bank information directly. She glanced at the username, Vanguard Auto Repair, and asked casually, "Is this your personal account?"
Oliver met her eyes for a couple of seconds before answering without expression, "It's the shop's."
Elena nodded. The phone in his hand was probably meant specifically for business.
She had just put her phone away when it suddenly rang.
Oliver was tall enough to see the caller ID on her screen: "Blind Date NO. 9."
Elena answered the call. "Where are you?" the man on the other end asked immediately.
"I'm sorry, but I injured my foot. We'll have to arrange another day." Her expression became composed at once, and her voice turned noticeably distant.
The man, who was a doctor, immediately offered to come over and check her injury.
"I've already iced it," she said firmly. "My car broke down, and I'm at the auto repair shop across from the university. Dr. Brown, let's meet another time."
"I'm actually close to your campus," Liam Brown replied. "I could use a car wash anyway. Stay there and wait for me."
Elena stared at her phone. What the hell did he mean by that? Was he seriously going to do their blind date at Oliver's auto shop?
Chapter 2
Elena couldn't walk or drive with her injured foot, so she had no choice but to stay at the shop and wait.
Still, a blind date at an auto repair shop? Talk about awkward.
She let out an uneasy laugh and tried to explain the situation to Oliver. "I can't put any weight on my ankle right now, but one of my friends is picking me up later."
She kept her face composed, but the way she looked away gave her away.
"Okay. You can wait here," Oliver replied, kindly letting the obvious lie slide.
Every second Elena sat there felt like an hour.
It turned out that her blind date really was close by. He walked into the shop less than ten minutes later. He wore a crisp suit and looked decent enough.
Lucy went over to welcome him.
"I'd like to get my car washed," Liam said. "And I'm here to meet someone."
"Please come this way."
By then, Elena had already noticed him. It only took him another second to spot her.
"Don't get up. Just stay there." Liam saw her start to move and quickly walked over. "They're washing my car anyway, so we may as well sit and chat."
Elena gave him a small, restrained smile while keeping her usual polite distance.
"You're even prettier than you looked in your pictures." Liam couldn't stop staring at her.
Elena wasn't the kind of beauty who dazzled you at first glance. Instead, there was a quiet elegance to her delicate features. Something soft and fragile about her made her seem almost untouchable. She reminded him of fine porcelain—beautiful, cold, and impossible to ignore.
"Would you like something to drink, sir?" Lucy came over and put an end to Liam's shameless staring.
"Bring us two coffees, please. The snacks are free, aren't they?"
Lucy smiled politely. "Yes, they are. I'll bring some over right away."
Elena immediately tried to stop her and said she didn't need anything. She wasn't about to mooch off the shop like that.
"Don't worry about it. We're paying clients. It's all part of the service." Liam brushed aside her concern before turning to Lucy. "Make sure everything looks good when you serve it."
"Of course." Lucy gave him a perfectly professional smile.
Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did he think he was in some fancy café?
"I heard about this place a while ago. People said it offered incredible service, so I thought I'd see what it was like," Liam explained in a deliberately casual tone.
Soon afterward, Lucy came back with two beautifully prepared sets of refreshments.
Each set included a hot latte and handmade butter cookies. Three cookies sat on every small plate with a gold rim, and each one had a different color and flavor. Delicate foam art decorated the lattes, and each cup sat on a silver coaster. Lucy had arranged everything neatly on a wooden tray, which made the entire spread look simple yet elegant.
The sight left Elena speechless. Everything looked so exquisite that she wondered if the shop was losing money every day.
"This looks nice," Liam exclaimed. "The coffee looks freshly ground, and these cookies look pricey. You'd pay a fortune for this at a café. Try it."
Elena just stared at him, at a complete loss for words.
"You should taste it," Lucy suggested to Elena with a friendly smile. "Our boss made the coffee and cookies himself."
Oliver had made all of this? Elena blinked in surprise.
Every cookie had been baked to the same size, and the edges had turned a perfect golden brown. Finely crushed almonds covered the tops—they looked like they came from a specialty bakery.
Had Oliver also baked the sandwich cookies she ate earlier when her blood sugar dropped? She honestly hadn't expected him to be good at something like this.
Curiosity finally got the better of Elena, so she took a bite. The sweetness was just right, and the crisp almonds went perfectly with the smooth, rich latte. Oliver could honestly open his own café.
"These really are better than most cookies. Your boss really doesn't cut corners," Liam said through a mouthful.
"Anything for our clients. We're happy as long as you're enjoying them."
Elena turned toward the speaker and discovered that Oliver had come over without her noticing.
His expression remained composed and serious, yet quiet amusement showed in his eyes.
For a moment, Elena couldn't make sense of it.
The cold look from before was gone. Still, she couldn't figure out what he found so funny.
When Liam glanced over his shoulder, he stared at Oliver as if he had seen some movie star.
After blinking in surprise, he asked, "Sorry, who are you?"
"I own the shop. Was there something else you needed?" Oliver asked as he looked at Liam.
Liam surveyed the shop before asking, "Do you offer anything else for free? I've never been here before."
Oliver gave Elena a quick look, and it seemed he was only humoring Liam because of her. "First visit, so I'll throw in a premium wash. Lucy can tell you about the rest later."
"Wow, that's really generous." Liam eagerly rubbed his hands together.
Any trace of a smile disappeared from Oliver's face. "Consider it part of the service," he replied coolly.
"Thanks. These cookies are delicious, too. Could I take some home?"
Oliver went silent for a beat, then let out a short laugh, not amused at all. "Fine."
Elena wished the floor would open up beneath her. Liam seemed determined to squeeze every free thing he could out of the shop.
Even worse, Oliver's laugh sounded painfully sarcastic to her.
She couldn't pretend to be unfazed anymore. Her face burned.
Liam leaned back in his chair and grinned at Elena. "This owner's pretty generous. Glad I came over today."
Elena didn't know how to respond to that. She glanced out the window, her patience entirely depleted. Dark clouds covered the sky, and rain seemed ready to fall at any moment.
She decided not to drag things out any longer. "Dr. Brown, we've both seen each other's profiles. This was just to see if we clicked. Sorry, but I don't think we do."
Liam stared at her in surprise. "We haven't even had a real conversation yet."
"I'm still sorry," Elena muttered.
Since Oliver was right there, Liam couldn't make a scene. He looked down and quickly finished the rest of his coffee and cookies.
As he left, he gave an offended snort. Even then, he didn't forget to take two bags of cookies with him.
Elena finally turned to Oliver because she had no other choice. "Charge me for everything on the table. Will two hundred cover it?"
One of Oliver's eyebrows rose. He sat opposite her and responded with a question of his own. "Did you like the cookies, Professor Barrett?"
"How do you know who I am?" Elena hadn't expected that, and suspicion immediately entered her eyes.
"Of course I know you." Oliver looked directly at her. There was something wild in his eyes, though his voice stayed lazy. "You're the prettiest professor at Crest University. Who hasn't heard of you?"
"I could say the same about you. My colleagues and students talk about you all the time," Elena retorted, unwilling to let him have the upper hand.
A quiet laugh came from Oliver. His easy smile softened the cold edge of his sharp, handsome face.
The view beyond the window grew darker. Moments later, rain began pattering against the glass.
Elena wanted to leave as soon as possible, so she transferred two hundred dollars to him. She was preparing to get up when her phone suddenly rang.
Her aunt Dina Smith was calling. She was also the person responsible for setting up that awful blind date with Liam.
Ignoring the call would only make things worse. Dina would keep calling and then corner her with a long lecture the next time they met.
Elena picked up at once. "Hi, Aunt Dina."
"Elena, what were you thinking? You agreed to meet Liam, so the least you could do was give him a fair chance. How could you turn him down when you barely spoke to each other?"
Had Liam already run to Dina and complained?
Elena let out a scoff. "Dr. Brown is way too good at mooching. I'm not worthy of him."
"What's so bad about saving money?" Dina launched into a rapid lecture. "Fine, then tell me what kind of man you're actually looking for. You find something wrong with every single one I introduce you to."
Rain hammered the windows as Elena answered wearily, "Just someone normal. That's all I want."
Oliver let out a quiet, low laugh.
Elena ended the call before she could give him anything else to laugh about. Meanwhile, she desperately searched her mind for someone who might be able to pick her up.
Once she went through her contacts, she had to admit that there wasn't anyone she could call.
Her only close friend who could help was away on a business trip.
Hoping Lucy might be an option, Elena looked over at her. Unfortunately, Lucy couldn't drive.
"Why don't you let our boss take you?" Lucy noticed a small signal from Oliver and quickly spoke up. "We took your car for a test drive, but we still need to check how it handles on a normal road."
Elena fell silent. She couldn't tell whether Oliver had another reason for offering or if the shop really offered service like this.
"And you shouldn't be driving with that foot," Lucy added in a gentle voice when Elena continued to hesitate.
Elena looked down and considered her choices. Getting the car home was the real problem. Otherwise, she could have simply taken a cab.
They probably wouldn't see each other again after today. Besides, she'd already paid him what she owed.
With that settled, she raised her head and responded, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Stewart."
"It's no trouble," Oliver said. "Just bring me more business next time."
Elena gave him a courteous smile without answering and passed him the keys.
Still, a blind date at an auto repair shop? Talk about awkward.
She let out an uneasy laugh and tried to explain the situation to Oliver. "I can't put any weight on my ankle right now, but one of my friends is picking me up later."
She kept her face composed, but the way she looked away gave her away.
"Okay. You can wait here," Oliver replied, kindly letting the obvious lie slide.
Every second Elena sat there felt like an hour.
It turned out that her blind date really was close by. He walked into the shop less than ten minutes later. He wore a crisp suit and looked decent enough.
Lucy went over to welcome him.
"I'd like to get my car washed," Liam said. "And I'm here to meet someone."
"Please come this way."
By then, Elena had already noticed him. It only took him another second to spot her.
"Don't get up. Just stay there." Liam saw her start to move and quickly walked over. "They're washing my car anyway, so we may as well sit and chat."
Elena gave him a small, restrained smile while keeping her usual polite distance.
"You're even prettier than you looked in your pictures." Liam couldn't stop staring at her.
Elena wasn't the kind of beauty who dazzled you at first glance. Instead, there was a quiet elegance to her delicate features. Something soft and fragile about her made her seem almost untouchable. She reminded him of fine porcelain—beautiful, cold, and impossible to ignore.
"Would you like something to drink, sir?" Lucy came over and put an end to Liam's shameless staring.
"Bring us two coffees, please. The snacks are free, aren't they?"
Lucy smiled politely. "Yes, they are. I'll bring some over right away."
Elena immediately tried to stop her and said she didn't need anything. She wasn't about to mooch off the shop like that.
"Don't worry about it. We're paying clients. It's all part of the service." Liam brushed aside her concern before turning to Lucy. "Make sure everything looks good when you serve it."
"Of course." Lucy gave him a perfectly professional smile.
Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did he think he was in some fancy café?
"I heard about this place a while ago. People said it offered incredible service, so I thought I'd see what it was like," Liam explained in a deliberately casual tone.
Soon afterward, Lucy came back with two beautifully prepared sets of refreshments.
Each set included a hot latte and handmade butter cookies. Three cookies sat on every small plate with a gold rim, and each one had a different color and flavor. Delicate foam art decorated the lattes, and each cup sat on a silver coaster. Lucy had arranged everything neatly on a wooden tray, which made the entire spread look simple yet elegant.
The sight left Elena speechless. Everything looked so exquisite that she wondered if the shop was losing money every day.
"This looks nice," Liam exclaimed. "The coffee looks freshly ground, and these cookies look pricey. You'd pay a fortune for this at a café. Try it."
Elena just stared at him, at a complete loss for words.
"You should taste it," Lucy suggested to Elena with a friendly smile. "Our boss made the coffee and cookies himself."
Oliver had made all of this? Elena blinked in surprise.
Every cookie had been baked to the same size, and the edges had turned a perfect golden brown. Finely crushed almonds covered the tops—they looked like they came from a specialty bakery.
Had Oliver also baked the sandwich cookies she ate earlier when her blood sugar dropped? She honestly hadn't expected him to be good at something like this.
Curiosity finally got the better of Elena, so she took a bite. The sweetness was just right, and the crisp almonds went perfectly with the smooth, rich latte. Oliver could honestly open his own café.
"These really are better than most cookies. Your boss really doesn't cut corners," Liam said through a mouthful.
"Anything for our clients. We're happy as long as you're enjoying them."
Elena turned toward the speaker and discovered that Oliver had come over without her noticing.
His expression remained composed and serious, yet quiet amusement showed in his eyes.
For a moment, Elena couldn't make sense of it.
The cold look from before was gone. Still, she couldn't figure out what he found so funny.
When Liam glanced over his shoulder, he stared at Oliver as if he had seen some movie star.
After blinking in surprise, he asked, "Sorry, who are you?"
"I own the shop. Was there something else you needed?" Oliver asked as he looked at Liam.
Liam surveyed the shop before asking, "Do you offer anything else for free? I've never been here before."
Oliver gave Elena a quick look, and it seemed he was only humoring Liam because of her. "First visit, so I'll throw in a premium wash. Lucy can tell you about the rest later."
"Wow, that's really generous." Liam eagerly rubbed his hands together.
Any trace of a smile disappeared from Oliver's face. "Consider it part of the service," he replied coolly.
"Thanks. These cookies are delicious, too. Could I take some home?"
Oliver went silent for a beat, then let out a short laugh, not amused at all. "Fine."
Elena wished the floor would open up beneath her. Liam seemed determined to squeeze every free thing he could out of the shop.
Even worse, Oliver's laugh sounded painfully sarcastic to her.
She couldn't pretend to be unfazed anymore. Her face burned.
Liam leaned back in his chair and grinned at Elena. "This owner's pretty generous. Glad I came over today."
Elena didn't know how to respond to that. She glanced out the window, her patience entirely depleted. Dark clouds covered the sky, and rain seemed ready to fall at any moment.
She decided not to drag things out any longer. "Dr. Brown, we've both seen each other's profiles. This was just to see if we clicked. Sorry, but I don't think we do."
Liam stared at her in surprise. "We haven't even had a real conversation yet."
"I'm still sorry," Elena muttered.
Since Oliver was right there, Liam couldn't make a scene. He looked down and quickly finished the rest of his coffee and cookies.
As he left, he gave an offended snort. Even then, he didn't forget to take two bags of cookies with him.
Elena finally turned to Oliver because she had no other choice. "Charge me for everything on the table. Will two hundred cover it?"
One of Oliver's eyebrows rose. He sat opposite her and responded with a question of his own. "Did you like the cookies, Professor Barrett?"
"How do you know who I am?" Elena hadn't expected that, and suspicion immediately entered her eyes.
"Of course I know you." Oliver looked directly at her. There was something wild in his eyes, though his voice stayed lazy. "You're the prettiest professor at Crest University. Who hasn't heard of you?"
"I could say the same about you. My colleagues and students talk about you all the time," Elena retorted, unwilling to let him have the upper hand.
A quiet laugh came from Oliver. His easy smile softened the cold edge of his sharp, handsome face.
The view beyond the window grew darker. Moments later, rain began pattering against the glass.
Elena wanted to leave as soon as possible, so she transferred two hundred dollars to him. She was preparing to get up when her phone suddenly rang.
Her aunt Dina Smith was calling. She was also the person responsible for setting up that awful blind date with Liam.
Ignoring the call would only make things worse. Dina would keep calling and then corner her with a long lecture the next time they met.
Elena picked up at once. "Hi, Aunt Dina."
"Elena, what were you thinking? You agreed to meet Liam, so the least you could do was give him a fair chance. How could you turn him down when you barely spoke to each other?"
Had Liam already run to Dina and complained?
Elena let out a scoff. "Dr. Brown is way too good at mooching. I'm not worthy of him."
"What's so bad about saving money?" Dina launched into a rapid lecture. "Fine, then tell me what kind of man you're actually looking for. You find something wrong with every single one I introduce you to."
Rain hammered the windows as Elena answered wearily, "Just someone normal. That's all I want."
Oliver let out a quiet, low laugh.
Elena ended the call before she could give him anything else to laugh about. Meanwhile, she desperately searched her mind for someone who might be able to pick her up.
Once she went through her contacts, she had to admit that there wasn't anyone she could call.
Her only close friend who could help was away on a business trip.
Hoping Lucy might be an option, Elena looked over at her. Unfortunately, Lucy couldn't drive.
"Why don't you let our boss take you?" Lucy noticed a small signal from Oliver and quickly spoke up. "We took your car for a test drive, but we still need to check how it handles on a normal road."
Elena fell silent. She couldn't tell whether Oliver had another reason for offering or if the shop really offered service like this.
"And you shouldn't be driving with that foot," Lucy added in a gentle voice when Elena continued to hesitate.
Elena looked down and considered her choices. Getting the car home was the real problem. Otherwise, she could have simply taken a cab.
They probably wouldn't see each other again after today. Besides, she'd already paid him what she owed.
With that settled, she raised her head and responded, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Stewart."
"It's no trouble," Oliver said. "Just bring me more business next time."
Elena gave him a courteous smile without answering and passed him the keys.
Chapter 3
The rain was still coming down hard. Oliver held out his arm to help Elena.
Instead of taking it, Elena reached for Lucy's arm.
She wasn't deliberately giving him a hard time. He was simply too tall and broad.
The difference in their size was hard to ignore, and him being that close made her feel cornered.
Elena finally relaxed once she was safely inside the passenger seat.
Oliver got behind the wheel and fastened his seatbelt. "Where do you live?"
"Elmwood Apartments," Elena said.
Oliver glanced at her. "Elmwood Apartments? That's pretty far from the university."
"I like the area. It's nicer there," Elena responded.
Oliver started the car and pulled onto the main road. After a moment, he casually asked, "How much do you pay in rent? I'm thinking about finding a place too."
Elena gave him a surprised look. He was looking for a rental?
If he ran around with rich guys like that, he probably wasn't short on money.
Then again, he owned an auto repair shop. When rich heirs wanted to play with cars, they went to private tracks or exclusive clubs—not some ordinary repair shop on the street.
Besides, Oliver had personally worked on her car, and she couldn't deny that he had handled everything with skill and professionalism.
Elena wasn't the type to dig into someone else's business. Whatever Oliver's situation was, it had nothing to do with her, so she let it go.
"Two thousand a month," she said.
Oliver seemed to think about it. "Isn't Elmwood Apartments pretty old? I heard the security there isn't that great."
"It's good enough," Elena answered.
He wasn't exactly wrong. Elmwood Apartments had been around for years, and most of the guards at the entrance were old men who dozed off on the job.
Still, Elena had moved there a few months earlier after a huge argument with her mother over all the blind dates.
Her father had died when she was young. Afterward, her mother had worked hard to raise her and her older sister on her own.
Her sister eventually married into a wealthy family, and the whole family rose with her. From then on, her mother turned her attention to her and kept pressuring her sister to set her up with rich men.
As far as her mother and sister were concerned, only one thing mattered: money.
Elena couldn't stand that way of thinking. It bothered her even more because her father's death had been caused by a group of wealthy heirs racing their cars through the streets.
Thirteen years had passed since the accident, but the pain had never completely left her. Like the endless rain outside the window, it had stayed inside her—dark, cold, and impossible to shake.
By the time they reached Elmwood Apartments, the rain had finally let up.
Oliver got out of the car and handed Elena her keys. "What floor are you on?"
"First floor," Elena lied. "Thanks for bringing me back. I'll call you a cab."
Oliver waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Just get inside."
Elena had asked him to stop near the middle of the residential complex. A long strip of greenery stretched from east to west and separated the parking spaces.
On the other side of the driveway stood a six-story building with eight units. Every apartment on the ground floor came with its own small yard.
Elena hesitated. She didn't actually live on the first floor.
But she had already told Oliver she did, and from the way he stood there, he clearly intended to wait until she was safely inside. Now she was stuck.
Oliver suddenly laughed. "I get being careful when you live alone, but don't you think this is a little much?"
"We barely know each other." Elena gave him a strained but polite smile. "You think I'm being too careful, but aren't you going a little overboard for a client?"
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "You paid me, didn't you?"
His meaning was obvious. In his mind, she'd paid for the service, so he was just delivering it.
"You charged me a hundred dollars to fix the car and gave the other two hundred back," Elena reminded him. "I'd say you've already done plenty." She clearly wasn't going to give in.
If Oliver kept pushing, he would only make himself look suspicious. He backed off. "Alright. I'll leave you alone. Take your time getting inside."
"Thanks." Elena turned away and used the long-handled umbrella from the car like a cane. She slowly made her way forward until she was completely out of his sight.
After reaching her apartment, she went straight to the window and carefully looked downstairs. Oliver was gone.
She finally breathed out in relief. She turned away from the window and flopped onto the couch. Then she hooked a throw pillow with her uninjured foot, pulled it over, and rested her injured ankle on it.
She hadn't even had time to settle down when her phone began ringing over and over.
She checked the caller ID and saw that it was her mother, Martha Barrett. She put the call on speaker.
"Dina told me today's blind date didn't work out either," Martha said the moment Elena answered.
"Yeah," Elena replied coldly.
"See? I told you this would happen." Martha sounded almost pleased to be proven right. "What kind of decent man do you expect to find by yourself? Just listen to us for once and meet the men Rosalie picks for you."
"No," Elena retorted.
Martha's temper immediately flared. "You've gotten bold, haven't you? Rosalie and I are trying to help you. Would we ever hurt you?"
"I haven't liked a single man you've introduced me to," Elena said. "And none of them are good enough for me."
"Not good enough for you?" Martha laughed as if Elena had said something ridiculous. "They're too good for you."
"Then I guess I'm better off staying single for the rest of my life." Elena was usually quiet and distant, but whenever she argued with her mother, her words became unusually sharp.
Martha was so furious that she hung up.
Elena gave a bitter little laugh. Martha had always favored her older daughter, Rosalie Sullivan. She had spoiled Rosalie into something vain and pampered, while Elena had grown into someone quiet, guarded, and difficult to get close to.
But Elena hadn't always been that way. Before she turned fourteen, when her father was still alive and there to protect her, she had been cheerful and carefree.
The rest of the weekend passed quietly while Elena stayed home and gave her injured foot time to recover.
By Monday, it was still throbbing, so she took a cab to work instead of driving.
Her classes weren't scheduled until the final two periods of the morning, so she went straight to the teachers' office when she arrived.
Several colleagues noticed her limp and asked what had happened. Elena simply smiled, told them she was fine, and brushed off their concern.
A new colleague seated by the window leaned toward her. "Hey, didn't your car break down on Friday?"
Elena nodded. "I ran over a nail and got a flat."
"Did you get it fixed? How much did they charge you?"
"A hundred dollars. That included some kind of dynamic balancing, and they gave me a premium car wash for free."
And that wasn't all. The shop owner had also given her coffee and snacks, then driven her home himself.
Oliver had also sent back the extra two hundred dollars she had tried to pay him.
"That's actually pretty cheap. Was it the new shop across the street?"
Elena gave a nod.
A male colleague leaned over from nearby. "How's the service there? I took my car somewhere else for maintenance last week, and they ripped me off for a few hundred bucks."
"Tell me about it," another colleague joined in. "Repair shops are all scams. Half the time they won't even give you a straight quote, and half of them don't know what they're doing."
The deputy dean, who was sitting at the back of the office, looked up with a smile. "You guys seriously haven't heard yet? The logistics department picked a new repair shop for the school this year."
Someone immediately asked, "Which one?"
"Vanguard Auto Repair. The one right across the street," he said. "Staff get thirty percent off with their ID. The school worked out a deal—free services included too. Notice should come out this week."
A female colleague brightened. "And the owner is really handsome."
That immediately set everyone off laughing, and a few teasing comments followed.
Elena gave a small, polite smile. She was never taking her car across the street again.
She had only gone there because she had no other choice. And then she'd ended up having a blind date right there in that shop.
Just thinking about it made her cringe. Running into Oliver again would be a thousand times worse.
A week passed, and Elena's foot finally recovered completely.
After what had happened with her low blood sugar, she made a point of waking up early and putting together a quick breakfast.
She had four major classes scheduled back-to-back that morning, so she left the apartment a little earlier than usual.
Once downstairs, she unlocked her car and opened the driver's door.
She hadn't driven it since Oliver brought her home, so the driver's seat was still pushed way back for his long legs.
Elena got in and reached down with her left hand for the power seat controls. Nothing happened.
She tried the manual lever next. The seat still refused to move.
"You've got to be kidding me..." She frowned at the seat. After all that, she was going to be late because of a stupid chair.
Annoyed, she climbed back out and started toward the main gate while opening a ride-hailing app on her phone.
Later, during a break between classes, Elena opened WhatsApp and tried to find Oliver's repair shop. She scrolled for far too long before it hit her—she had deleted his contact.
Of course she had. Karma really had it out for her.
The problem was too minor for the dealership to send someone to her apartment. At most, they would send a free tow truck—way too much hassle for a stuck seat. After running through every option, Elena had to admit there was only one left. She was going to have to ask Oliver to take a look.
Instead of taking it, Elena reached for Lucy's arm.
She wasn't deliberately giving him a hard time. He was simply too tall and broad.
The difference in their size was hard to ignore, and him being that close made her feel cornered.
Elena finally relaxed once she was safely inside the passenger seat.
Oliver got behind the wheel and fastened his seatbelt. "Where do you live?"
"Elmwood Apartments," Elena said.
Oliver glanced at her. "Elmwood Apartments? That's pretty far from the university."
"I like the area. It's nicer there," Elena responded.
Oliver started the car and pulled onto the main road. After a moment, he casually asked, "How much do you pay in rent? I'm thinking about finding a place too."
Elena gave him a surprised look. He was looking for a rental?
If he ran around with rich guys like that, he probably wasn't short on money.
Then again, he owned an auto repair shop. When rich heirs wanted to play with cars, they went to private tracks or exclusive clubs—not some ordinary repair shop on the street.
Besides, Oliver had personally worked on her car, and she couldn't deny that he had handled everything with skill and professionalism.
Elena wasn't the type to dig into someone else's business. Whatever Oliver's situation was, it had nothing to do with her, so she let it go.
"Two thousand a month," she said.
Oliver seemed to think about it. "Isn't Elmwood Apartments pretty old? I heard the security there isn't that great."
"It's good enough," Elena answered.
He wasn't exactly wrong. Elmwood Apartments had been around for years, and most of the guards at the entrance were old men who dozed off on the job.
Still, Elena had moved there a few months earlier after a huge argument with her mother over all the blind dates.
Her father had died when she was young. Afterward, her mother had worked hard to raise her and her older sister on her own.
Her sister eventually married into a wealthy family, and the whole family rose with her. From then on, her mother turned her attention to her and kept pressuring her sister to set her up with rich men.
As far as her mother and sister were concerned, only one thing mattered: money.
Elena couldn't stand that way of thinking. It bothered her even more because her father's death had been caused by a group of wealthy heirs racing their cars through the streets.
Thirteen years had passed since the accident, but the pain had never completely left her. Like the endless rain outside the window, it had stayed inside her—dark, cold, and impossible to shake.
By the time they reached Elmwood Apartments, the rain had finally let up.
Oliver got out of the car and handed Elena her keys. "What floor are you on?"
"First floor," Elena lied. "Thanks for bringing me back. I'll call you a cab."
Oliver waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Just get inside."
Elena had asked him to stop near the middle of the residential complex. A long strip of greenery stretched from east to west and separated the parking spaces.
On the other side of the driveway stood a six-story building with eight units. Every apartment on the ground floor came with its own small yard.
Elena hesitated. She didn't actually live on the first floor.
But she had already told Oliver she did, and from the way he stood there, he clearly intended to wait until she was safely inside. Now she was stuck.
Oliver suddenly laughed. "I get being careful when you live alone, but don't you think this is a little much?"
"We barely know each other." Elena gave him a strained but polite smile. "You think I'm being too careful, but aren't you going a little overboard for a client?"
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "You paid me, didn't you?"
His meaning was obvious. In his mind, she'd paid for the service, so he was just delivering it.
"You charged me a hundred dollars to fix the car and gave the other two hundred back," Elena reminded him. "I'd say you've already done plenty." She clearly wasn't going to give in.
If Oliver kept pushing, he would only make himself look suspicious. He backed off. "Alright. I'll leave you alone. Take your time getting inside."
"Thanks." Elena turned away and used the long-handled umbrella from the car like a cane. She slowly made her way forward until she was completely out of his sight.
After reaching her apartment, she went straight to the window and carefully looked downstairs. Oliver was gone.
She finally breathed out in relief. She turned away from the window and flopped onto the couch. Then she hooked a throw pillow with her uninjured foot, pulled it over, and rested her injured ankle on it.
She hadn't even had time to settle down when her phone began ringing over and over.
She checked the caller ID and saw that it was her mother, Martha Barrett. She put the call on speaker.
"Dina told me today's blind date didn't work out either," Martha said the moment Elena answered.
"Yeah," Elena replied coldly.
"See? I told you this would happen." Martha sounded almost pleased to be proven right. "What kind of decent man do you expect to find by yourself? Just listen to us for once and meet the men Rosalie picks for you."
"No," Elena retorted.
Martha's temper immediately flared. "You've gotten bold, haven't you? Rosalie and I are trying to help you. Would we ever hurt you?"
"I haven't liked a single man you've introduced me to," Elena said. "And none of them are good enough for me."
"Not good enough for you?" Martha laughed as if Elena had said something ridiculous. "They're too good for you."
"Then I guess I'm better off staying single for the rest of my life." Elena was usually quiet and distant, but whenever she argued with her mother, her words became unusually sharp.
Martha was so furious that she hung up.
Elena gave a bitter little laugh. Martha had always favored her older daughter, Rosalie Sullivan. She had spoiled Rosalie into something vain and pampered, while Elena had grown into someone quiet, guarded, and difficult to get close to.
But Elena hadn't always been that way. Before she turned fourteen, when her father was still alive and there to protect her, she had been cheerful and carefree.
The rest of the weekend passed quietly while Elena stayed home and gave her injured foot time to recover.
By Monday, it was still throbbing, so she took a cab to work instead of driving.
Her classes weren't scheduled until the final two periods of the morning, so she went straight to the teachers' office when she arrived.
Several colleagues noticed her limp and asked what had happened. Elena simply smiled, told them she was fine, and brushed off their concern.
A new colleague seated by the window leaned toward her. "Hey, didn't your car break down on Friday?"
Elena nodded. "I ran over a nail and got a flat."
"Did you get it fixed? How much did they charge you?"
"A hundred dollars. That included some kind of dynamic balancing, and they gave me a premium car wash for free."
And that wasn't all. The shop owner had also given her coffee and snacks, then driven her home himself.
Oliver had also sent back the extra two hundred dollars she had tried to pay him.
"That's actually pretty cheap. Was it the new shop across the street?"
Elena gave a nod.
A male colleague leaned over from nearby. "How's the service there? I took my car somewhere else for maintenance last week, and they ripped me off for a few hundred bucks."
"Tell me about it," another colleague joined in. "Repair shops are all scams. Half the time they won't even give you a straight quote, and half of them don't know what they're doing."
The deputy dean, who was sitting at the back of the office, looked up with a smile. "You guys seriously haven't heard yet? The logistics department picked a new repair shop for the school this year."
Someone immediately asked, "Which one?"
"Vanguard Auto Repair. The one right across the street," he said. "Staff get thirty percent off with their ID. The school worked out a deal—free services included too. Notice should come out this week."
A female colleague brightened. "And the owner is really handsome."
That immediately set everyone off laughing, and a few teasing comments followed.
Elena gave a small, polite smile. She was never taking her car across the street again.
She had only gone there because she had no other choice. And then she'd ended up having a blind date right there in that shop.
Just thinking about it made her cringe. Running into Oliver again would be a thousand times worse.
A week passed, and Elena's foot finally recovered completely.
After what had happened with her low blood sugar, she made a point of waking up early and putting together a quick breakfast.
She had four major classes scheduled back-to-back that morning, so she left the apartment a little earlier than usual.
Once downstairs, she unlocked her car and opened the driver's door.
She hadn't driven it since Oliver brought her home, so the driver's seat was still pushed way back for his long legs.
Elena got in and reached down with her left hand for the power seat controls. Nothing happened.
She tried the manual lever next. The seat still refused to move.
"You've got to be kidding me..." She frowned at the seat. After all that, she was going to be late because of a stupid chair.
Annoyed, she climbed back out and started toward the main gate while opening a ride-hailing app on her phone.
Later, during a break between classes, Elena opened WhatsApp and tried to find Oliver's repair shop. She scrolled for far too long before it hit her—she had deleted his contact.
Of course she had. Karma really had it out for her.
The problem was too minor for the dealership to send someone to her apartment. At most, they would send a free tow truck—way too much hassle for a stuck seat. After running through every option, Elena had to admit there was only one left. She was going to have to ask Oliver to take a look.