You Want Me Back? Sorry, Request Rejected Chapter 15

You Want Me Back? Sorry, Request Rejected Chapter 15

The Royal Academy of Arts was every designer’s dream school.

Even now, Elise could still recall how excited she’d been when she got the acceptance letter. Yet that single spot to study abroad had ended up slipping through her fingers when she missed the flight because Sylvia had gotten the date wrong.

And the next day, when she saw Jenny posting updates about daily life at the academy all over her social media, it became clear to her what exactly had happened.

Gregory and his family had leeched off Elise’s parents’ legacy like parasites, draining away everything they’d left behind, including her education.

She ignored Gregory and Sylvia’s fake attempts to keep her from leaving and moved out that very night. In the end, getting into Jilton College’s design faculty had at least put a small, belated bow on her original dream.

“Hey, I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?” Jenny spat.

Elise snapped out of her memories and looked at her as she stood there, blocking her path with her chin tipped up in smug superiority. She didn’t bother pretending to be polite.

She walked right around Jenny and said coolly, “You’re in the way.”

Jenny stomped after her, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Wow, look at you. Becoming Mrs. Fulton really went to your head, huh? It’s not like your husband actually wants you, anyway. He makes headlines with that celebrity every day. Who do you think you’re putting on this attitude for?”

Elise ignored her taunts and headed for Jordan’s ward.

Jenny noticed Elise wasn’t reacting like usual. She spotted the food container in her hand, then glanced at the room she was about to walk into. There was only one person staying in that ward.

She knew Elise and Calvin had been on the rocks lately. Was Elise feeling the pressure and trying to climb her way back up by going after the man inside the room instead?

Jenny’s expression darkened. She hurried over in her heels and grabbed Elise to stop her from going inside. “I know what you’re doing. You bought some intel on Mr. Steele and cooked him a few dishes to cozy him up and land your husband a new business deal.”

When Elise didn’t say anything, Jenny was convinced she was right. Her voice turned threatening. “Oh, please. Don’t even dream about it. Friendly warning from me — women like you, who sleep their way up, could strip naked in front of Mr. Steele and he still wouldn’t look twice.”

Elise suddenly let out a soft laugh.

Jenny jerked her hand away in fury. “What are you laughing at? Get lost if you know what’s good for you. Mr. Steele is way out of your league!”

“Oh? Are you saying he’s within yours?” Elise’s smile turned faintly mocking. “I think you’ve misunderstood. I don’t have Sylvia’s talents.”

She deliberately stressed the name “Sylvia”; she certainly wasn’t treating her as her aunt. Everyone knew exactly how Jenny and Sylvia had become part of the Stanton family. There was no need to spell it out.

Jenny’s expression twisted hideously, and her voice turned shrill. “Who are you to talk about my mom, Elise? Like you don’t know all the dirty tricks you’ve pulled yourself! Don’t think marrying Calvin Fulton means you’re untouchable. Forcing things that don’t belong to you will never end well. Without him, you’re nothing!”

“You’re right.” Elise nodded and smirked. “The same applies to you. You stole my acceptance letter to the Royal Academy of Arts, and not even three months later, they expelled you. Forcing things that don’t belong to you indeed will never end well.”

Back then, though Jenny had muscled Elise out of the program, the Royal Academy of Arts wasn’t some place that just about anyone could breeze into. The academy was packed with prodigies whose talent left most people in the dust. Even the ones at the bottom of the barrel could crush Jenny’s so-called skills without breaking a sweat.

Her barely passable doodles and muddled sketches—she couldn’t even properly distinguish between basic line work and drafts—had become a running joke among their entire year. In just three months, she was kicked out with no room for appeal.

That hit a nerve. That incident had been a poisoned thorn lodged in Jenny’s heart for years.

“Elise, you bitch! You must’ve secretly sabotaged me! You couldn’t stand seeing me do well, so you had the school throw me out! I’m gonna teach you a lesson on behalf of your dead parents!” she screeched.

Rage twisted her features. She raised her hand high for a slap.

Elise didn’t even flinch as she shifted her weight, ready to step aside.

At that moment, the door to the ward behind her swung open. A warm, familiar hand closed around her wrist and gently pulled her backward into the room.