Jean was truly the most remarkable woman I had ever encountered.
She was intelligent, a genius, and if I was to be honest, her talents were far greater than my own.
Being an orphan who began with nothing, she managed to skillfully navigate the world of the affluent.
It seemed as though she had been bestowed with impeccable emotional intelligence, which, ironically, might have come at the expense of her romantic life.
Our paths crossed in college where she was a well-known figure in our class.
Attractive, academically gifted, outgoing, and competent, she was universally liked.
She often took part-time jobs and lived a frugal life.
At that time, I assumed a girl like her must have been astute and competent, but it turned out she was completely oblivious to recognizing deceitful individuals.
I'd met Monica Lloyd a few times and could tell she wasn't a genuine friend to Jean.
Jean, however, was insistent on considering Monica as family.
Back then, I had a wealthy roommate who was quite into Jean. He sought Monica's help in his pursuit of Jean.
But Monica misled him, claiming that Jean was seeing multiple men at once.