The chatter in the private room came to an abrupt halt as soon as Isla pushed the door open.

Everyone turned away tacitly and started switching topics. They pretended they hadn't seen her.

Emmett had also picked up a glass of wine before joining the game on one of the tables. He did not bother looking up. He wore an indifferent expression.

Isla glanced at him. She couldn't help but marvel at how good his acting was.

She wasn't at all disappointed seeing how everyone had ignored her. Instead, she calmly walked over and sat down in a corner.

Everyone was busy chatting in the next hour, yet she remained seated on her own as she scrolled on her phone.

In the past, Isla would find a way to approach Emmett whenever he appeared. She would come up with all sorts of topics just to catch his attention.

Even this birthday party was something she had to pester him about for a long time. She had asked many to help her out before he finally invited her.

Logically, something so hard to come by should be valued more. However, with the way Isla had come barefaced, in sportswear, and looking carefree, she didn't seem to be taking Emmett's birthday seriously at all.

Her indifferent attitude, unlike before, made him break his cold front. He couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.

It was soon time for the gift-giving session after the birthday song and cake-cutting. Isla waited until everyone had their turn before getting up leisurely. She then took out a calendar from her back and handed it to Emmett.

Everyone stared at her in shock. The calendar was no bigger than the size of a palm, with only 30 pages in total, making it look rather shabby.

Isla disregarded their shocked expressions. She looked at Emmett and calmly said, "Starting from today, you should tear off one page every day, Emmett. When you get to the last page, there will be a surprise waiting—it's my belated birthday gift for you."

Upon hearing her words, his roommates started laughing. "It's your 100th confession, right? You're truly persistent—it's been two years, and you're still going strong. Do you really like Emmett that much?"

Influenced by their words, Emmett naturally assumed that it was a countdown calendar for her 100th confession.

He smiled briefly before catching himself. He turned expressionless once again. "I only said that I might consider it when it's your 100th time, but I've never said I'll say yes to you."

Isla knew that they all had gotten the wrong idea. She wasn't about to confess by the time he tore off the last page. It was the day she would completely disappear from his life.

She did not bother explaining. Instead, she chuckled and deliberately said, "I've pursued you for a long time, yet I never managed to move you. I really want to know what your ideal type is like."

The room fell silent after Isla's words. Everyone turned to look at Emmett with a curious look.

He stared at her intensely and stayed silent for a while. "My ideal type—"

The door was pushed open just as Emmett started talking, instantly drawing everyone's attention away.

Sadie Lynch walked in under the gaze of everyone, holding a beautifully wrapped box. She flashed him a sweet smile and said, "Happy birthday, Emmett!"

Emmett's gaze landed on her when he heard her greeting.

He tapped a finger lightly against the table and continued, "My ideal type is of course a lively and sweet girl next door."

Sadie's cheeks immediately flared red having heard such an ambiguous confession as soon as she entered.

She skipped over to Emmett and handed him the gift she had carefully prepared, urging him to open it at once.

Everyone's attention was quickly diverted, and no one brought up that topic again.

Isla did not show any signs of sadness looking at the two who were surrounded by everyone. Instead, she returned to her seat while looking indifferent.

Throughout the night, Sadie was there no matter where Emmett went. They were laughing and talking happily, taking turns to drink on each other's behalf, and sharing the same piece of cake.

Memories flooded Isla as she quietly watched their intimate moments.

Although Emmett, the campus heartthrob of Quintessa University, had countless admirers, he had always kept his distance from women. The only exception was Sadie, his childhood friend.

He would help fix her messy fringe, help her with her bag, and go to classes with her. He would even make bets and host basketball games with guys from other universities, all just for her.

Emmett's favoritism toward Sadie felt like a thorn in Isla's side.

However, it wasn't until the day Isla learned the truth that she realized it. Although Emmett and Sadie were childhood friends, they weren't close before this.

Sadie had always pestered Emmett, yet he never paid her much attention. It wasn't until Isla showed up that he started deliberately getting close to Sadie.

All his actions were just to make her jealous. He was hoping it would push her to pursue him even more.

That was why Isla only thought it was ironic when she saw Emmett putting on this act in front of her again.

She placed her wine glass down and left for the washroom. After splashing her face with some water, she felt more sober and pulled out a tissue from her bag to wipe her face.

As her vision was blocked, Isla did not realize that someone had come to stand beside her. She only found something amiss and glanced to the side when she heard Sadie's peculiar tone.

Sadie said, "You've been pursuing Emmett for so many years, Isla, and he never accepted you. Yet you still dared to show your face at his birthday party?

"Oh please—he doesn't like you at all. Can't you have some self-awareness? You're so cheap with your obsessive pining!"

She looked so well-behaved, yet her words were beyond vulgar.

Isla did not show any signs of displeasure upon hearing Sadie's words. She merely looked at Sadie calmly and asked, "Are you done cursing at me?"

Sadie was stunned as she wasn't expecting Isla to have such a small reaction. However, she refused to back down and planted her hands on her hips.

She continued, "Of course not! Do you know what everyone has been saying about you? You're the "obsessive pining woman that confessed 99 times"! Can you stop being this shameless? Everyone can tell that Emmett likes me. Why can't you just see that?"

Isla was still unperturbed seeing Sadie's shrew-like behavior. She simply shifted her gaze to look behind Sadie and said, "You might want to look behind you before you continue cursing me."

Following her gaze, Sadie turned around looking perplexed. She immediately noticed Emmett, who was standing outside the door. He seemed to have been standing there for quite some time. He likely witnessed everything that had happened.

The thought of it made Sadie panic instantly. Her expression quickly morphed into a pitiful look. All traces of her earlier arrogance disappeared.

She hurriedly walked over to Emmett and took his arm. She started explaining herself nervously, "It's not what you think, Emmett. Isla was the one who bullied me first—"

But Emmett seemed completely unfazed. Even though he had clearly witnessed Sadie cursing at Isla, he acted as if he didn't see anything.

He looked up at Isla before removing his coat and draping it over Sadie. His tone was gentle when he said, "It's so windy outside. You should be careful not to catch a cold when you're dressed so lightly."

Emmett then took her hand and walked back to the private room.

Sadie wasn't expecting him to act this way. He seemed unbothered that she had just cursed at Isla. Sadie immediately gained confidence and smugly turned around. She flashed Isla a mocking smile as if laughing at her audacity.

Isla, who had her head lowered, did not notice Sadie's provocation. She crumpled the used tissue into a ball and tossed it into the trash can. She then turned around and headed downstairs.

The hallway was silent save for her footsteps. She recalled what had just happened and let out a cold chuckle in the dark.

Emmett's gaze was clearly on Isla when he draped the coat over Sadie earlier, yet he was expressing his worry toward Sadie.

Isla had to give it to him—his acting skills were way too good. If she hadn't known about his little secret, she might have fallen into his trap and ended up upset for a long time.

It wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

Over the years, Isla had set aside all her pride and reserve just to pursue him. No matter how much others mocked or insulted her to her face, she had never taken it to heart.

She only wanted to focus on herself and achieve her goals without any regrets. As such, she was determined to confess 99 times.

However, the person Isla had liked for two years chose to ignore the rumors and insult just because he enjoyed the pursuit—that hurt her more than any other curses and mocking ever could.

It was raining heavily outside, and almost all the taxis had stopped running. The group was stuck waiting at the entrance of the bar.

Emmett called for his family chauffeur. He intended to send Sadie back. She immediately put on a smug expression as she glanced sideways at Isla.

Sadie deliberately asked, "It's so late now, and everyone has left. Is it really okay for Isla to be the only one left here waiting for a taxi?"

Emmett took the umbrella from his chauffeur and replied indifferently, "She can walk."

After that, he got into the car with Sadie without giving another look at Isla.

Isla remained unbothered as she watched the sports car leave in the rain. She continued to hail a ride on her taxi app.

The rain only eased up after she waited in the cold for more than two hours. Only then did a driver finally accept her ride request.

…

It was already 2:00 am by the time Isla arrived home. She brushed off the raindrops from her trench coat and slowly made her way to the door. She entered the passcode.

Just as she opened her door, the door opposite to hers opened up as well. Emmett walked out and looked at her coldly. "Come back earlier next time. You're being too loud with the door, and it's disturbing my rest."

Isla glanced at the way he was still in his earlier outfit and understood what was going on. She chucked coldly and hummed perfunctorily before walking right into her room. She then turned on the lights and closed the door.

It wasn't until she got her shoes changed that she heard a loud bang from outside.

Isla paid it no mind. She stripped off her wet clothes, turned on the air conditioner, and curled up on the couch with a blanket.

She had bought this apartment six months ago after hearing that Emmett had moved out of his dorm.

Isla had also moved out just to be his neighbor. She sent him breakfast in the mornings and bid him good night each night. She tried to create all sorts of daily encounters just to win his heart.

Yet no matter how much she showed concern for Emmett, he always ignored her. He rarely responded. It wasn't until she had found out about his secret that she realized he had been pretending not to care all along.

Just like tonight—he'd clearly been home for a while, yet he hadn't even changed out of his clothes. He had kept himself awake as he was worried for her safety.

Isla was already tired of Emmett's mixed signals and mind games. She no longer wanted to play along.

She opened her phone and clicked on the real estate app to list her property.

Now that Isla had decided to leave, she wanted to cut ties completely.

…

The agent came to inspect the apartment the next morning. Isla opened the door groggily and briefly introduced the details of the apartment.

After they were done, she was about to see the agent out when the door across the hallway suddenly opened.

Emmett was holding his car keys and was about to leave. He instinctively frowned when he saw the male stranger beside Isla. "Who's he?"

"This is my uncle. He came to bring some things to me," she lied effortlessly.

The agent turned to her in shock, yet he was professional enough not to call her out for her lie. He soon gave an excuse and left.

Isla returned to her room to get changed for class. As soon as she rounded a corner, she saw someone standing in front of the elevator and blocking her way.

She looked up and saw that it was Emmett. She felt perplexed seeing that he was still here even though he wanted to leave earlier.

He noticed the confusion on her face and replied awkwardly, "I'll send you to the university today."

Isla wasn't sure why he was acting differently today. She shook her head and declined his offer.

However, Emmett insisted on sending her and came up with excuse after excuse, from being almost late to claiming it was on his way. He might even blurt out that it was eco-friendly at this point.

Seeing that she couldn't win against him, and she did not want to delay any longer, Isla agreed to his offer.

Both of them stayed silent in the car throughout their journey.

Emmett was not used to Isla being so quiet. He was used to hearing her chatter whenever he was beside her.

He was surprised to find that it wasn't his imagination—she had truly changed in the past few days. And for some reason, these changes made him feel uneasy.

…

Once they arrived at the university, Isla unbuckled her seatbelt, thanked him, and left soon after.

She briskly walked into the campus, yet she noticed that everyone was staring at her weirdly and whispering among themselves.

One asked, "That's Isla Stokerton, right?"

"Yes, she's the one who's trending. What an embarrassment!"

Hearing those baffling words, Isla quickly pulled out her phone and saw the links sent by her friends.

Upon clicking into it, she realized someone had submitted the story of her confessing to Emmett to the rant bot, and it had even made it to the trending topics.

Isla was shocked to see the entries in the hashtag "Quintessa Uni's obsessive pining woman."

The most popular entry was that post, which compiled all her effort in pursuing Emmett in great detail, even putting out the content of her love letters.

From a distance, Isla saw a crowd gathering in front of the university's bulletin board, which was full of the love letters she had written. They were all laughing and commenting on the love letters.

Someone commented, "What does she mean by 'I'm lost in your eyes'? That's so cheesy!"

Another said, "All 99 love letters were written in every possible way. How scary are those lovestruck fools!"

One asked, "Isn't she supposed to be the most talented woman in Quintessa University? Why is she pining so obsessively?"

Isla's heart sank when she heard the unforgiving mocking. She pushed past the crowd and started tearing the love letters down.

Sadie's sharp voice sounded just as Isla finished taking down the last piece. "Isla confessed to you so many times, Emmett. So, how fond are you toward her?"

Emmett's voice sounded as cold as usual when he uttered, "Not at all."