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Novel Catalog
Chapter 21
The realization came swiftly as Bonnie and Maisie stood facing each other, both breathing heavily but with a newfound sense of camaraderie.
They quickly pieced it together. They were both students of Cary Burns, the legendary kickboxing master.
“Cary told me you just got back to Pyralis,” Bonnie said, her voice soft with surprise.
Maisie nodded. “He told me he’d taken in one last student. But because I lived abroad all these years, I never had the chance to visit. I didn’t think it was you! He always speaks highly of you, you know.”
Bonnie smiled. “I didn’t think you’d turn out to be my senior either. No wonder you’re so good.”
Maisie chuckled, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “Come on, you’re the real genius. Cary was right. You’re a natural.”
Bonnie raised an eyebrow, humbled. “I’ve only been training with him for a short time.”
Maisie nodded thoughtfully. “You mastered kickboxing at such a young age. You’re only 20, and you’ve already surpassed us all. All your seniors, including me, had to work hard for a long time, you know? To be honest, if we were your age, you’d beat all of us.”
As she spoke, Maisie gently smoothed down Bonnie’s hair and adjusted her dress with a tenderness that was almost motherly.
Just as she did, Ivor and the others arrived, frozen in shock as they witnessed the moment.
Ivor stared in disbelief. “What the hell is going on, Mom?”
Maisie held Bonnie’s hand with a laugh, the tension from their earlier confrontation gone. “I just sparred with her and discovered that we both learned kickboxing from the same person.”
Ivor blinked, clearly stunned. “For real?”
Ged, still standing at the door, was dumbfounded. “Wait… what? Are you serious?”
The others who had arrived seemed equally puzzled, exchanging confused glances. Maisie, a trained kickboxer in her own right, had learned from Cary, one of the greatest fighters in Arvandor. The shock of discovering that Bonnie had been his student too sent a ripple through the group.
“Are you sure, Mom?” Ivor asked, glancing at Bonnie but still unsure.
Maisie nodded confidently. “Of course, I am! She’s Cary’s last student.”
Ged, who had previously written Bonnie off as just a nobody, felt like he’d just had his worldview shattered. He had always thought Bonnie was a complete loser, but now it seemed he had seriously underestimated her.
Maisie gave Bonnie a gentle nudge toward Ivor. “Come say hello to my teammate.”
Ivor’s expression darkened. “This isn’t what I—”
Bonnie patted his shoulder lightly, smiling at the discomfort he clearly didn’t know how to hide. “I didn’t know you were my senior’s son. Now that I do, I’m going to look out for you.”
Ivor couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed her hand off his shoulder, his frustration seeping through. “You don’t have to.”
Sigmund, who had been watching the exchange from afar, hurried over, his face tense. “Why are you all talking about kickboxing? You’re getting engaged today!”
He took a deep breath, looking directly at Maisie. “Will you still object to their marriage?”
Maisie turned to Bonnie, holding her hand again with an affectionate grip. “To be honest, my son isn’t good enough for you. As your senior, I think you should say no to the engagement.”
Ivor stood there, speechless, his face flushed with embarrassment. Ged, trying not to laugh, just shook his head.
Maisie looked at Ivor with a stern expression before softening. “However,” she said with a sigh, “as Ivor’s mom, I wish you would say yes.”
Bonnie smiled, the playful tension in the air lifting. “I’ve made a deal with Sigmund. If Ivor and I still don’t like each other after a month, we’ll go our separate ways.”
Maisie blinked, clearly surprised by this new information. “Oh,” she said, her voice softening. “I didn’t know about that.”
She then reached for her bracelet, a delicate piece of jewelry, and held it out to Bonnie. “Oh, and Ivor’s grandma gave this to me. I want you to have it.”
Bonnie’s eyes widened as Maisie tried to put the bracelet on her wrist. “Woah, this is too much!”
Maisie just waved her off with a smile. “Come on. It’s a gift.”
Bonnie hesitated, unsure. “But—”
“What? Don’t you like it?”
Bonnie grinned. “I do! It’s just… unexpected.”
Maisie’s face softened with affection. “Well, then, consider it a token of my approval, even if I don’t agree with everything.”
Bonnie laughed, finally feeling the walls of tension dissolve between them. “Thanks.”
With that, the strange but strangely comfortable standoff ended, leaving everyone feeling a little more relaxed — and a lot more confused about the upcoming engagement.