Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Chapter 527: No What-Ifs

Heather got into the car, her soft scarf wrapped snugly around her neck. The warmth wasn't just physical; it seeped into her heart as well.

All her life, she had been like an unnoticed little stone by the roadside, kicked around by passersby and ignored by others-until she met Aurora.

It was Aurora who found her, picked her up from the dirt, and polished her until she became what she was today. Aurora had given her a new life, transformed her into someone who finally caught the world's attention. She was no longer the forgotten pebble left in a corner.

Ian had confessed his feelings to her. They shared similar backgrounds and pasts, and she genuinely liked him. Receiving her first gift from him-a scarf-brought her joy that lasted for days.

At the bottom right corner of the scarf, there was a cute little deer embroidered on it. Heather kept touching the small deer over and over again. This Christmas Eve was the happiest she had ever experienced.

Gemma, watching Heather's blissful, almost girlish demeanor, felt a storm brewing in her chest. Her voice was laced with sarcasm as she said, "After all these years, Ian's still using the same tricks to chase girls. I remember back in our freshman year, he gave me a scarf for Christmas too."

It wasn't a lie. Back then, Ian had mistakenly taken Gemma for a sweet, innocent girl and had gone out of his way to pick out a scarf for her from a store.

That Christmas Eve, it had been snowing. Ian called Gemma to let her know he had a gift for her. Gemma wasn't expecting an expensive Louis Vuitton bag, but at least a bottle of Chanel or Dior perfume would have been nice.

Even if it wasn't 50ml, surely 30ml would suffice. After all, it wasn't that expensive-just a few hundred dollars.

Excited, she ran downstairs to meet him. Ian stood in the snow, holding a boutique bag. The moment Gemma saw the bag, her heart sank.

As expected, he pulled out a scarf, explaining that it was to keep her warm in the cold weather. Gemma awkwardly thanked him.

"Do you like it?" Ian's face lit up with hope as he asked.

really like it." But inside, she was fuming. Her friends were all receiving

she tell anyone about this without being laughed at? She felt miserable, even a little resentful. Was Ian just clueless, or was he deliberately being cheap? Did he really think a scarf was enough to make her

to like the

I'll have to take

head off now," Ian replied, not suspecting

turned to leave. But the moment she entered the building, she unceremoniously tossed the scarf

turned back, reluctant to part from her, and saw her throw the scarf

action. To Gemma, it was just a scarf. But to Ian, she

colder. That was the first time he saw the two-faced nature of

course, he also reflected on himself. Was his taste really that bad? Was the scarf so ugly that she couldn't

wasn't until much later that Ian finally understood the truth. The problem wasn't

day, Ian spotted Gemma on a backstreet, hanging onto the arm of a middle-aged man as they walked toward an

man's arm and said sweetly, "Tom Ford just released a new

it short?" the

goes to the

Let's go get it. You'll wear it for me

naughty..." Gemma giggled and kissed

a pillar, watching the scene unfold. He knew that brand; many girls in his class talked about

the scarf-it was that it was too

He wasn't the same freshman anymore. He had saved a few

reminded himself: Heather

Ian chose a scarf again. When he saw Heather's shy, elated reaction, he knew he had finally