Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1228

Pearson couldn’t shake off that sour feeling in his chest, but there wasn’t much he could do right now except swallow it down.

When everyone stepped out of the restaurant, Audrey turned to her friends and asked, “How are you all getting home? Is Pearson driving, or should I call a car for you?”

Before anyone else could answer, Pearson jumped in. “I’ll drop them off. What about you?” He glanced at Audrey, hoping she’d say she wanted to ride with him too.

But before Audrey could say a word, Walter spoke up first. “Thanks, Pearson, you can give everyone a ride. Audrey’s coming with me. We’re going back to my place.”

The way he said “my place” even made Audrey do a double-take. Walter rarely invited her over so directly.

It didn’t take long for her to realize why. They hadn’t finished decorating the Christmas tree at his house last night. Walter probably wanted her help to finish it up. He was always about getting things done. Leaving that tree half-finished must’ve been driving him crazy.

Audrey didn’t mind at all. In fact, she was more than happy to spend extra time with him. If it got late, he could always drive her home afterward.

She grinned at Pearson and the others. “It’s fine, go ahead without me. I’m heading to his place.”

The moment she said it, Pearson’s face froze for just a second. But he knew he couldn’t say anything to change her mind. He forced a small, polite smile and nodded, saying goodbye.

“Drive safe, you guys,” he managed.

“You too!” Audrey waved at them, then hopped into Walter’s car and left with him.

The rest of the group piled into Pearson’s car. As soon as the doors closed, the girls couldn’t help but start gossiping about Audrey and Walter.

“I never realized before, but today I really noticed. Audrey’s definitely not just some ordinary student.”

“Yeah, and Mr. Wilson, too. The way he carries himself... Even the school directors don’t have that kind of presence.”

“Of course he’s special. Did you see his car? That was a Rolls-Royce, and not just any model. It’s a limited edition. Worth at least ten million. Barely anyone can afford a car like that.”

“Now I’m curious. Are there any famous Wilson families around here?”

“Wait, could he be from The Wilson Group?”

The moment that name came up, everyone looked at each other in shock. Someone immediately pulled out her phone to look it up.

—

Meanwhile, Audrey had no idea any of this was going on. She and Walter got back to his place, took a short break, and then got to work on the Christmas tree again.

After Walter’s taste had been so thoroughly roasted the night before, he stuck to handing Audrey ornaments or hanging them wherever she told him.

The dinner with Pearson lingered in Walter’s mind. He’d made the decision for Audrey, turning down Pearson on her behalf, but what did she really think? How did she feel about Pearson Ham?

After a few minutes of silence, Audrey noticed he seemed distracted. “Walter, what’s up? You spaced out for a minute.”

Walter snapped out of it and handed her another ornament. “It’s nothing.”

He tried to sound casual. “How’s it been working with the club lately? I heard the club presidents are all super talented.”

Audrey nodded, honest as always. “They really are. The girl who sat next to me tonight, Addy, is so lively and she can play a bunch of instruments. She’s top of the music department. Parrish, the guy I mentioned, is an amazing dancer. His social media has almost a million followers. And Opal, she’s incredible at calligraphy and painting. She’s won so many awards since she was a kid...”