Braving a downpour, I delivered a lavish food order, anticipating the hefty commission and a $100 tip. Laughter suddenly echoed from the villa. Someone started, "He really believes your car crash left you paralyzed? He's hustling deliveries to support you and even pawned his dad's heirloom?" Another said, "What if he discovers you're actually a billionaire heiress, just playing poor? He'd probably break down in tears." Jessica Stark toyed with her wine glass. "Guys like him are wired to serve, especially since he always outshone Mark in our school days. This is his comeuppance." I stood in the relentless rain, a bitter chuckle escaping my lips. Turned out, her two-year charade of paralysis was merely to avenge her childhood sweetheart. Her broken legs, deceased parents, and helpless tears were all meticulously crafted lies. Disillusioned, I dialed my estranged tycoon mother. "You win. I'll go through with the arranged marriage."
View More"Quit nagging!" Mark shoved her away.He flopped onto a creaky old sofa. The springs poked him hard."I worked all day and got two complaints," he grumbled, pointing at the table. "They cut my pay in half. I could only buy this cheap pasta.""Useless!" Jessica yelled, her eyes red. "I'm carrying your kid. I can't even get decent food?"Mark yelled back, throwing his uniform on the floor. "It's your fault! If you hadn't messed with Noah, we wouldn't have been in this mess. Pauline wouldn't have cornered us like this.""My fault?" Jessica jumped up, staring him down. "You wore that stupid ring, threw it in the river, and pushed him like a madman. That's how I lost Noah and how you offended Pauline. My family went broke because of you. You're bad luck! You and your thieving mother are disasters!""How dare you curse my mother?" he growled. "You think I'm useless now? That's my kid in you!""Your kid? Who knows?" Jessica lost control from all the built-up hate and hard life. "You're
Several guards rushed up, hauling a limp Mark and his shamed crew out like dogs.Jessica, getting escorted out, gave me a long, deep look.Her face showed a mix of shock, regret, and angry betrayal. But mostly, it was the panic of what she'd lost.Their wretched exit vented my two-year grudge, thanks to Pauline's thunder purging."Janet heard you were here, so she sent me to pick you up," she said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "Let's go."Her voice was soft now, totally different from before.Jessica lingered outside the hotel, her heart heavy. When I came out, she asked bitterly, "Noah, are you really..."Pauline cut her short. "Don't call my fiancé like that. Better prepare for the lashes from us. Offending him comes with a price."Her words were the final verdict.Mark's mother went to jail soon after. The theft charges were solid.The Castros cut ties with her, ousting Mark and freezing all his money.Overnight, he went from a faux heir to a homeless guy.Jessic
"Fond of lapping? Go on," Pauline said. "Get down and lick every trace of that wine.""Miss Castro..." One quivered, terror overwhelming him. "We were wrong. Please...""Too late." Pauline truncated his plea. "Do it or rot in prison. Your choice."Before absolute power, pride and honor were meaningless.They exchanged hopeless glances and got down on their knees.Shaking, they pressed their faces into the cold carpet, which was full of broken glass and spilled wine."Do it!" Pauline commanded.Resigned, they stuck out their tongues and licked the residual.The bitter mix of alcohol, dirt, and sharp bits choked them, but they had to keep going.Mark watched their humiliation, but there was nothing he could do. He trembled, grabbing Jessica's arm for support.Jessica clenched her fists, protesting, "This is too much! Stop it!"No one listened to her.Pauline turned to the hotel manager. "Tally the damage. Charge them ten times the cost. Bill it to Jessica and her friends. As
"And what's your connection to Pauline?" Jessica pressed. "Why does she label you her fiancé? Answer me!"Her accusations dripped with grievance and betrayal, as if she were the innocent victim ensnared and wounded.Only a heartless person like her could conveniently forget her own protracted ruse of feigned paralysis.I cinched Pauline's toasty jacket closer, disgusted with Jessica's duplicity.The pain and humiliation I had suffered from evaporated, replaced by stark lucidity."Your thief-crying-thief skill is unmatched," I scoffed. "Who faked poverty? Paralysis? Who liquidated my dad's relic to curry favor with Mark? Who orchestrated a biennial drama solely to avenge him, delighting as I braved tempests to ferry your extravagant feast? You must have savored every moment, right? Who is the real cheater here?"My piercing stare shifted to Mark, noting the vacant finger where the ring once sat.I continued, "You two are the masked puppeteers, plotting, deceiving, and trampling g
...Pauline's voice sliced through the clamor, quelling the raucous mockery.The lobby plunged into silence.She strode over and glanced at those grabbing me. Her command was glacial. "Let him go!"The directive was concise, yet it brooked no argument.Those men recoiled, releasing me.Mark's cocky smile crumbled, his face turning ashen. He stepped back, his mouth quivering."Pauline?" he squeaked, his voice laced with fear.Unaware of the shift, his cronies piped up."What's wrong, Mark? Your sister is here to boot this delivery guy.""Why so rattled? She always has your back, right?""Yeah. We're merely disciplining this saboteur.""Kick out this destitute fool."Pauline eyed my alcohol-drenched, shard-speckled jacket, her lips pressing into a thin line."Just like when we were kids," she started, "you don't know how to protect yourself, Noah.""Huh?" I scrutinized her elegant features.It dawned on me then that she was my childhood neighbor who used to shadow me.Wi
The collision sent the cabinet quaking violently.Scores of exquisitely packaged bottles of château reds and elite malts tumbled down, shattering on the floor.The cacophony startled everyone. They stared, slack-jawed, at the devastation.A momentary hush descended, swiftly shattered by amplified mockery."What a klutz! Total catastrophe.""Tally up the damage. This bumpkin is doomed.""One Lafite Rothschild, two Romanée-Conti, three Macallan rarities... Good lord! What's the tab?""Millions easy. Selling himself off wouldn't cover it.""Can't cover it?" Mark sauntered closer, smirking. "No sweat. Get down and lap up the spill. For each lick, I'll foot a drop's worth. Keep going till I'm satisfied."The crowd latched onto his cruel suggestion with glee."Kneel and slurp.""Show us the delivery pro's floor-cleaning skills."They closed in, seizing my arms and forcing me down toward the shattered glass and spilled fortunes."Down on your knees! Lick it up!""Or jail now!"
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