chapter1278

Lydia nodded and turned to Connor. "Can you find Peyton's contact info and send her a message for me? Just say I'd like to meet with her and see if she's free."

"Sure," Connor replied.

It was the weekend, and Peyton was out at the mall with her girlfriends. She was still riding high after doing so well at the international medical competition in Country D. Her friends were just as excited for her.

"I'm serious," Peyton said, grinning. "If it weren't for Lydia from Capital Med School, there's no way we would've won the championship. My own score wouldn't have been nearly as good, either."

Her friend Lisa nudged her with a teasing smile. "Wow, listen to you. You've only known her for a few days and it's already 'Lydia this, Lydia that?

Peyton just laughed. "You just don't get it. She's amazing, like, on another level. I really think she'll be one of the country's top medical professors once she graduates."

"Are you for real?"

"I mean it!" Peyton was still beaming when her phone suddenly buzzed. She glanced at the screen and almost dropped it. A message from Lydia. For a second, she thought she was imagining things. She blinked, but no, it was really her. Lydia had messaged her.

"Oh my god!" Peyton squealed, fumbling to unlock her phone. She opened the message and saw Lydia asking if she had time to meet up.

Lisa stared at her, eyes wide. "What happened, Peyton? Did some cute guy ask you out or something?"

Peyton shook her head, still in shock. "No, this is even crazier."

Lydia was always super busy, and she was supposed to be back in the Capital. Why would she want to meet up now? Did something happen? Peyton quickly typed back, [Lydia, are you in Rock Bay? I'm free! Where are you?]

where

Lydia knew where the Reynolds family lived and picked a coffee

shop that wasn't too close or too far

from their house. Peyton sent a

quick reply saying she'd be there

then said goodbye to her friends and hurried out to her car.

When she arrived at the caf , Peyton didn't expect to see more than just Lydia waiting. There was Connor, too the same guy who'd been helping Lydia at the hotel before. He looked so familiar, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen him before. Still, she was pretty sure he and Lydia were together.

There were two other people there, Juna and Carter, who Peyton didn't recognize at

all. The moment she stepped into the private room, everyone's eyes turned to her, and she instantly felt a little awkward.

"Lydia... Is everything okay? Did you

want to talk to me about

something?" Peyton asked, trying keep her voice steady. The whole. vibe was way too serious for a

random hangout, and she had no idea why Lydia wanted to see her.

Lydia nodded, motioning to an empty chair. "Don't worry, we're all friends here. Come have a seat."

Peyton mumbled a quiet thanks and sat down across from Lydia. That's when she realized something strange. Lydia wasn't really looking at her. She had her head tilted, almost like she was listening for something.

Peyton frowned, but she didn't ask. She waited.

Finally, Lydia spoke. "Peyton, we're here today because of your sister, Alyssa."

Peyton's eyes widened. "My sister?" She hesitated, then asked, "Do you need something from her?"

Alyssa was successor of their family company, and their parents had already put her in charge of all the company affairs. Sometimes friends would try to go through Peyton if they wanted to reach her sister.

Lydia nodded. Yeah, we have something to discuss with her."

Peyton didn't even have to think about it. Just tell me what you need. I'll go home

and let her know right away." If Lydia was asking for help, she was more than happy to do whatever she could.