Claude looked relieved after hanging up, but his smile instantly froze when he saw me. “S-Serena! Wh-What are you doing here?” His eyes dodged my gaze, telling me everything I needed to know!“I heard everything, buddy,” I said. I got straight to the chase. I wasn’t going to mince my words for a piece of shit. He started panicking again. “Serena, I can expla—”“Hush. You don’t want others overhearing our conversation, do you?” I pointed to the window at the far end of the corridor. “Let’s talk over there.”Claude fell silent, but he followed me nonetheless. I glared at him. “You were calling another woman, weren’t you? And she’s your lover, isn’t she?” I demanded.“...Yes,” he admitted. He knew I knew, so he made the smarter choice. “Please don’t tell Summer about this,” he added pleadingly. “Tell me, who do you actually love? The woman on the phone or my best friend? ‘Cause I’d like you to kindly get the hell away from Summer if you’re not interested in her,” I snarled.C
“Yeah, let me drive you home, Claude. I’m really worried about you,” Summer repeated, pulling his arms into hers and cooing. After what I had said, Claude couldn’t wriggle out of this one. If he rejected her offer again, even she would start suspecting him. He accepted her offer of a ride.After watching them leave and settling the bill, I went back to Summer’s home. I had to prepare myself so that I wouldn’t fumble on my first day on the job. I eyed the clock and noted it was 9. It was likely that Summer would be home late. I was about to retire when the front door opened. Summer was back so soon?I frowned. “You’re back early. Why didn’t you stay with him and enjoy your peaceful time together a little longer?” I teased. “He said he was tired. He shooed me home before I even entered his house. Rina, did I do something wrong? He was pretty cold to me today,” she said sadly.My fury returned in full force. Another excuse to hide his sins? And now Summer thought she had done som
“What am I gonna do, Summer? I’m 20,000 dollars shy of the cost of the operation. Where am I supposed to get that kind of money in just a few short days? We don’t have insurance, and we aren’t rich…” I blabbered uncontrollably as tears ran down my face. I couldn’t help panicking over Dad.“Don’t cry, honey. You know what doctors are like. They always exaggerate how bad a sickness is. I’m sure it’s not as bad as they make it out to be,” Summer said reassuringly as she hugged me. “Calm down. We’ll come up with something.”I knew she was trying to relieve me from my panic, but I couldn’t stop. Was I going to watch Dad die from this illness?“Rina, you remember Jethro, right? He’s the richest man in the city. You know what that means, right?” Summer suddenly brought up a name I hadn’t heard for a while. I felt my heart skip a beat. I could see hope…and it promptly died. I already told Jethro that we’d be strangers forever. We were even now, so why would he lend me money just because I
“What? Did I not satisfy you the last time? Who would’ve thought that an innocent little girl would become this sex-starved? I misjudged you,” he sneered. Jethro’s insults really pushed my buttons. My motives aside, I saw myself as modest and self-respecting. He made me sound like I was debasing myself!My smile vanished. “You know what? I mistook you for someone else.” I turned around, ready to leave.It was then I felt a grip on my wrist.Jethro dragged me into his arms and held me against his chest. He smiled devilishly. “You’re starved for my touch, right? I guess I have no choice but to comply.”I knew this meant that he was agreeing to sleep with me, but I still felt insulted. My pride would not accept being looked down on like this, even if I was pressed for money. God, I regretted looking for him at all.“Just pretend that we didn’t meet. We’ll never see each other again!” I snarled and tried to walk away. He stepped into my path. “You think you can just walk away afte
Electricity coursed through my veins, but instead of energizing me, it drained me. I don’t know how long it took. All I knew was that it finally ended. With a heavy grunt, Jethro rolled off of me after emptying everything he had. I was too tired to move, so I just closed my eyes and rested. As he lay next to me, he stared at me with an inquisitive look.Finally, he said, “Now, the truth. Why did you come looking for me?”He sounded more demanding, devoid of his earlier gentleness. It was mind-boggling. Perhaps the saying men are two completely different people before and after sex was true. Men really made decisions with their dicks, didn’t they?I wasn’t sure what he was thinking right now, so I decided not to make my motive frank yet.“What about it?” I asked in answer.Jethro stared into my eyes. “Do you really think I’d buy that pathetic excuse you gave in the parking lot? You can’t have fallen so far, right, Serena?” he sneered.I frowned at him. Would it kill him to stop
“What the fuck did you just say?” Did he just call me a slut? But had I done anything to disprove his accusation? I was the one who seduced him. I was the one getting in bed with him despite what I said. My actions didn’t exactly put me in a good position.“Restoring the hymen isn’t a costly procedure these days, is it?” I was enraged. Why was this piece of shit always assuming the worst in people? I might’ve approached him with an ulterior motive, but that didn’t mean he had to imagine me in the worst light possible.It was my first! Jethro was the first man I ever slept with! God, what was wrong with him? Beneath that handsome facade was a hideous heart!“Don’t… Don’t you fucking dare project your shitty thoughts onto someone else,” I snarled. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “Think of me however you like. I’m just a scheming slut to you, right? But you’re wrong. I wouldn’t have sought you out if I weren’t desperate for money.”Jethro frowned, then
Being called out was embarrassing. I mustered a sheepish smile, grabbed his phone, and entered my number."I'll arrange for your father to be transferred to the best hospital in Arrowdale for surgery tomorrow. You don’t have to worry," Jethro said.This promise chipped away at the imaginary cold wall I had built around him. Perhaps he had a softer side beneath that frosty exterior."Thank you," I whispered with my head bowed and my hands nervously intertwined.Despite Jethro's outrageous demands, he had given me the 30,000 I desperately needed to save my father, so I couldn't find fault with him. There was no such thing as a free lunch, after all.Soon, the car stopped outside Summer's home. Relief washed over me as I reached for the door, but Jethro held me back."Remember to be available whenever I call, and only call me when absolutely necessary," he instructed authoritatively.His dominance unnerved me, but I bit back my retort. "Understood, and rest assured. I won't bother
"You should stop letting work consume you. You're a young lady, There’s no need to push yourself so hard."My mom knew how seriously I took my job and didn't doubt my excuse, simply looking at me concernedly."I know, Mom. I'll take care of myself, don’t worry." I offered my mother a faint smile, feeling slightly guilty inside.The surgery was scheduled for the afternoon, so I spent the morning chatting with my dad. Seeing his graying hair made my heart ache.After I had talked with my dad for a while, my mom pulled me aside and questioned, "Rina, what really happened between you and Liam? Why was the wedding suddenly called off?"I had merely told them the wedding was called off without diving into any specifics. I didn't want to upset them."It's nothing. We just realized we weren't a good match and decided to cancel the wedding."Liam's name made my heart quiver, and I avoided looking at my mom. I had ended things with him, and I didn't want my parents to fret over that unwor