LOGINChapter 32 Zoey Malik ~•~ I was surprised when Sean agreed for Selena to visit me at the house. A part of me was scared to ask him, but what was the worst that could happen? I was happy that I actually mustered the courage to say what I wanted. I hadn’t seen my best friend in a while and I miss her. Selena, on the other hand, was excited to come to the Moonbeam Pack. She wanted to see where I lived and also make sure that I was okay. As I waited for her to arrive, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I kept on calling her phone every now and then, asking her where she had reached. She even threatened to block my number if I called her one more time. But I knew it was just an empty threat, and still went ahead to call her. “Zoey, I’m almost close. Don’t call me anymore.” Selena warned as she answered the call. “I’m hanging up now. Just letting you know so I won’t come off as rude.” I responded with a reluctant sigh. “Fine.” With that, t
Chapter 31 Zoey Malik ~•~ I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My hand drifted to my stomach instinctively. Two months. It still didn’t feel real. So I was actually carrying a child in my stomach? But it was still flat. I couldn’t help but wonder how I would feel when it started protruding. Whenever I felt alone, I always reminded myself that I had someone — my baby. I knew I felt weird about having a child at first, but it eventually grew on me. I was excited to give life to someone, even if the circumstances weren’t ideal. Babies were blessings, right? Maybe the baby would actually bring luck to my life. After being lost in my thoughts for a few more minutes, I washed my face in the sink. Then I styled my hair into a loose ponytail. I was meant to be on my way to the doctor's appointment already. But Sean was meant to drive me there and he was nowhere to be found. While I waited for him to return, I made my way back to my room and reached
Chapter 30 Sean Bradford ~•~ My plan was simple — make Zoey fall in love with me. It was the only way I could get what I wanted….what I needed. But I couldn’t let her see that. So I did the opposite. I pushed her away, acted cold and distant, and didn’t let her all the way in. Reverse psychology. That was why I made the bet. I knew how the mind works. The more you try to stay away from something, the more you want it. She’ll try hard to guard her heart, but something will constantly draw her towards me. At least, that was how I expected it to go. Because if it goes any other way, I’d be doomed. She was feisty but I was going to play my part too. I trusted myself. I hadn’t met any woman who didn’t love me. Even if it was going to take a while, Zoey would eventually fall for me. That’s if she hadn’t already started to catch feelings. “Sean.” Eve’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned around slowly. “What are you doing up by this t
Chapter 29 Zoey Malik ~•~ I rolled my eyes at him. “And how about you? What if you fall for me?” I asked. Sean chuckled, but it held more arrogance than amusement. “Me? Fall for you? That’s not going to happen.” He declared confidently. I arched a brow at him. “You sound awfully sure of yourself.” “I am.” He replied, his voice firm. “It’s simple. This is just a contract. For one year. It doesn’t mean anything.” His words stung more than I expected. But I forced a smile. “You don’t have to remind me all the time. I’m fully aware that it’s just a contract.” I muttered. “You don’t mean anything either.” “Good. Because I wouldn’t want you to start daydreaming about something that’s never going to happen. You’ll just end up hurting yourself.” As I looked at him, I couldn’t help but wonder how someone could be so cocky. The bet just made it easier for me to keep my guard up. And the other part where he talked about leaving with nothing if I fall for him, I could
Chapter 28 Zoey Malik ~•~ Conrad tried calling me a few more times. But I ignored his call. I couldn’t even believe that he would ask me to attend the funeral and even go ahead to lie that Ethan’s parents wanted me there. Even if I had been exonerated, I still knew how a good number of them felt about me. And it would be really disrespectful to show up there. Either way, I still wasn’t interested in going. I spent the rest of my day in bed, reading books. When the day was dark, I stood up from the bed and went to the kitchen to get dinner. My stomach rumbled because I hadn’t eaten anything throughout the day. But on my way there, I ran into Sean in the dining room. “Zoey.” He called my name. “Sean.” “Eve told me that you didn’t touch your food in the morning.” He continued, his eyes glued to his plate of salad and roasted chicken. I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I didn’t.” “Why?” He lifted his head and looked at me. “I wasn’t hungry,” I muttered, more t
Chapter 27 Conrad Stone ~•~ I stared at my phone in shock as Zoey abruptly hung up the call. I just wanted her to attend Ethan’s funeral, but she was acting like I was asking her to do something impossible. Yes, I might have exaggerated a bit. Ethan’s parents didn’t request her presence, but I just felt it would be something that would make them happy. But she blatantly refused. Did she really hate me that much and didn’t want to have anything to do with me? I dragged a hand down my face, letting out a frustrated sigh. Then I dialed her number again. It rang a few times. Then it disconnected. I knew she was ignoring me on purpose, so I just let it be. I would try calling her later in the day. I tossed my phone on the bed and made my way over to my father’s room. His health was getting a little bit better and I was grateful for that. “Hey,” I muttered as I stepped into his room. “How do you feel?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m alive.” I chuckled lig







