Chapter 7 Aiden was a native of Aloville , from a prominent family . To treat Natalie to dinner , he reserved a private room at the fanciest restaurant near the school . As soon as she walked in , Natalie hugged Aiden's arm . " Aiden , why didn't Josie come ! Is she still mad at me ?" " Of course not ! " Alden took the napkin for her . " She's sick and in the hospital . We didn't tell her about the dinner . " Instantly , Natalie rugged on Aiden's sleeve with a worried look . " Why ? Is it serious ? I want to see her . " " She's always been healthy , even if she's sick , it shouldn't be serious . Kyle poured coffee for her . " She didn't answer Aiden's call . " Even though we wanted to visit , we can't find her . " Natalie blinked and looked at Aiden with soft eyes full of concern . " Maybe she didn't hear the call because she was sick . Shouldn't we cal again ? When she saw Josie this morning , Josie was lively as ever . How could she suddenly get sick ? Natalie thought she was faking it just to win sympathy from the seniors and avoid punishment . Vincent was somewhat concerned about Josie . " Aiden , let's try calling again ; maybe she really didn't hear before ." "Like you're the only one worried about her ! Kyle snorted coldly . " Mark my words , she's doing this on purpose . She used Aiden's medal to apologize to Natalie this morning , and now she's ignoring his calls . " Can't you all see ? She's deliberately acting difficult with Aiden , still holding a grudge over him making her apologize to Natalie " The whole medal incident already bothered Aiden enough ; then hearing Josie was sick had cooled him down by half , or else he wouldn't have helped organize archives for her . But now , bringing up the issue again , plus Josie not answering his calls , made his temper flare up again . " Let's just go eat and forget about her . Since she's been the only girl on the team , we've all coddled her too much . Made her forget her place - that's why she keeps crossing the line more and more . " Honestly ? This whole mess will teach her a lesson and might stop her from throwing caution to the wind next time . " Seeing even Aiden put his foot down , the others fell silent . However , Vincent felt uneasy since he had known Josie longer than anyone else and owed his place in the team partly to their relationship ; he didn't want everyone hating on Josie . " Josie got stuck in a rut this time around , wanting into the team badly led to some mistakes ," he said . " Now that she has apologized and received punishment . " I believe that she e won't hurt Natalie anymore ." Natalie sneered under her breath . ' Knew it . These guys would never give up on Josie that easily . Especially Vincent . Rumor has it they come from the same hubble background , always been thick as thieves , Now , she needed to figure out how to make Vincent hate Josie quickly so he wouldn't keep defending her later . " You know what ? Vincent is right . I believe Josie must have had a moment of weakness when she falsely accused me - after all , you five have always had her back as a tight - knit tragn . " And since I suddenly joined the group while you've all been so kind to me .. well , her resentment is only natural . I totally get it , so I don't blame her . " Natalie spoke with such earnestness , her face radiating " this is all my fault , that even the big guys felt a pang in their chests . " Now that's what I call a sweet girl . Kyle slid the freshly served dish toward her . " You've been through a lot . Look how thin you've gotten . Get some good food in you " 1/3 Chapter 7 Aiden also put a piece of meat on her plate . If Josie were as sweet as you , none of this would have happened . " For a moment , everyone was enjoying their food and drinks , completely forgetting about Josie . But not long after the meal started , Aiden got a call from David , " Did you know that Josie wants to quit the team ? " David asked . " What ? " Aiden's heavy voice instantly silenced the private room . " She told you that herself ? Could it be something said in the heat of the moment ? David sounded pissed off . " If she had told me herself , I wouldn't ask you . She sent an email . I'll forward it to you in a sec " Go talk to her . If she's really decided , let her go . " My team doesn't need someone with bad morals who throws tantrums all the time . Who does she think she is ? Acting like she can challenge me . My team doesn't rely on her ! " David was clearly furming . To him , allowing Josie to stay on the team was already a massive act of mercy . That she dared walk out after all that - ungrateful wretch . that was what she was . His research team represented the top level in the field nationally - no one could just waltz in or out as they pleased . Josie would regret this decision As soon as Aiden hung up , he saw the email David forwarded - it was indeed Josie's resignation letter . He frowned deeply , an inexplicable anger rising inside him . Logically , he should be throwing a party - after Josie humiliated him publicly , her walking away was the perfect exit . So why did seeing her resignation letter leave him hollow ! A dead weight pressed down on his chest instead . Something felt off . " What's wrong . Aiden ? " Natalie tugged at his sleeve . Aiden threw his phone on the table , replying , Josie wants to quit the team . She just emailed Professor Lawson , and he's pissed off . He wants me to check if she's serious . " " Is she crazy ? " Jaden jumped up . " She went through all that trouble to get in and now she's just walking away ? What's her deal ? " Kyle sneered , " I told you she was just throwing a tantrum . In the end , she still wants to kick Natalie out , thinking our team can't function without her . What a diva " Top research team in the country , it's every intern's dream . I don't believe she'd just give up like that . " Gavin didn't buy it either , he was on Kyle's side . But Vincent had a different take . When he saw the email , his face went pale and his breathing got all shaky . " When has Josie ever joked about serious stuff ? " He reminded everyone , and they remembered - Josie was always dead serious , never cracking jokes about important matters . " So she really wants to leave ? " Aiden's voice was soft , almost a whisper . The light in his eyes dimmed . He didn't even realize his hands were trembling . Something flashed through his mind , but before he could grabs onto it , he heard Natalie's voice , Natalie was close to tears . " It's all my fault . Josie must hate me so much that she wants to quit . I'll go talk to the professor right away- this resignation can't be approved . " If anyone should leave , it should be me . " Compared to me , who just joined , Josie has worked with you guys for years and knows the team way better than I do . Even if I pass the exum , I can't match her ." Natalie felt like she was going crazy . Although Josie wasn't kicked out of the team yet , she had already fallen out of favor with the professor and seniors 2/3 AM P Chapter 7 Even if she stayed in the team , no one would treat her nicely . Natalie had already planned how to make Josie do all the work while getting the least benefits . And if she could win over the seniors and the professor , Josie would eventually wear out everyone's patience and have to leave in disgrace . But now … ..