Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 173

In the dimly lit restaurant, the three of them had placed their orders, and then silence descended again. The atmosphere suddenly turned chilly.

Joy glanced across the table at Serena and Samuel, reminding herself of the true reason for their outing today.

"Hey, big brother, Serena," she began casually, "next week is the anniversary celebration for Alderburg University. Are you both planning to go back to your alma mater?"

Samuel looked surprised. "Next week is the anniversary celebration?"

"Yes, didn’t you know, big brother? Serena, you didn’t know either?" Joy asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

Serena nodded in response.

Alderburg University held some of her most cherished memories, as well as her most painful ones. She had only returned once since graduation—that day she intended to finally say goodbye to Aaron.

"You should both go back," Joy suggested, "it would be a good chance to revisit old haunts."

Samuel turned to look at Serena, and seeing her shake her head, he said, "If Serena’s not going, then I won’t either."

"No way!" Joy exclaimed, realizing her urgency had slipped through. Her cheeks flushed as she lowered her head, trying to mask her anxiety. "I really want you both to attend because... because..."

She paused, then added, "because I’ll be giving a speech as the student representative."

Samuel was taken aback. "Oh, I see..."

He turned again to Serena. "Serena, you should go too. You’ve been cooped up at home for too long; it’d be good to get some sunshine."

"There's over two hundred million on this card, a 30% premium over the market value," he explained, a bitter smile on his face. "I must admit, Mr. Vance is quite generous when it comes to money."

Serena offered a faint smile. Samuel still didn’t understand Aaron. To Aaron, vast sums of money were trivial, especially when the company was meant for Cynthia Lynwood.

She took the thick contract but left the card untouched. Seven years of her life had culminated in these papers.

"Divide the money into four parts," she instructed. "Donate one part to Alderburg University to support underprivileged students, another to a rural girls' project, and one to L.S. Entertainment."

Samuel could understand the first two, but the last one...

Seeing his confusion, Serena smiled and explained, "I founded L.S. Entertainment because I saw so many young people with dreams of entering the entertainment world, but lacking the means to pursue them."