Chapter 003: Break Up, You Scumbag!

I blinked lazily, looking at him with a half-smirk.

"I didn't cheat on you on purpose."

"I just forgot to end things. Can you really blame me?"

Ethan Knight's head spun. His fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened.

I watched his face darken, and I continued to twist the knife slowly.

"Besides..."

"That guy earlier? Six-foot-three, packing nine inches. From his throbbing Adam's apple to his sharp V-cut, every inch of him screams he's amazing in bed."

"What woman wouldn't crave that?"

The air went dead silent.

Winnie Carter gasped, hurrying forward to grab Ethan's arm, her voice trembling with fake concern.

"Ethan, Lisa must be drunk. She wasn't thinking straight when she slept with someone else."

Ethan's fists tightened further, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

He stared at me, barely recognizing the woman in front of him.

Once, I'd followed him around like a lovesick puppy, my eyes full of adoration. Now every word was a venomous barb, aimed straight for his heart.

Gone was my obedience—replaced by a sharp edge that cut deep.

"Explain," he said, loosening his tie roughly.

A metallic taste of blood rose in his throat.

"Before I lose my..."

He trailed off, freezing mid-sentence.

It hit him like a punch to the gut: once, he could summon me with a snap of his fingers. Now he was swallowing his pride, giving me an out I didn't want.

Winnie watched his hand hang in the air, her palms squeezing so tight her nails dug into her skin.

She'd thought he'd explode. Instead, he was practically begging me for an excuse.

I blew on my freshly filed nails, my tone casual.

"Explain?"

"Fine. The truth."

"We just fooled around—no penetration."

"If you don't mind, I'm still yours."

No more rules, no more groveling. I was calling the shots now.

"Lisa!" he growled, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"You really think these cheap tricks will make me look twice?"

I drifted my gaze to his trembling knuckles, a lazy smile spreading across my lips.

"Don't flatter yourself, Ethan. After tasting the best, who'd settle for a second-rate reject from the bargain bin?"

"When an investment fails, you cut your losses. When a man can't satisfy you, you move on."

Ethan's breath hitched. He grabbed my wrist in a vice grip, yanking me close.

"I don't touch you, so you're desperate enough to take any guy that comes along?"

I stumbled from the force, glancing at his livid face.

I wasn't about to back down.

"It's not my fault you won't touch me. You're dying to have me, but you're too much of a coward—or too incompetent—to follow through."

"After all, if you're good at hiding how small and weak that thing of yours is, people call it self-control."

"Know this? That sweet little treat you couldn't be bothered to taste for four years? Someone else licked it clean tonight."

Dark fury flashed in Ethan's eyes. He gritted his teeth, forcing down his rage.

"Lisa, have you lost your mind?"

"Do you even know what you're saying?"

His voice was barely audible, forced through clenched teeth.

I wrenched my wrist free, rubbing the red mark.

"I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine. Why so upset?"

Ethan stared at the slightly ajar door behind me, his gaze turning dark and stormy.

He was going to find out who'd given me the courage to act like this.

"Move," he said, clamping a hand on my shoulder to push past me.

But Winnie tugged his sleeve, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Ethan!"

"This suite—it's the Cloud Pavilion."

Ethan froze.

He finally registered where they were—the Nebula Hotel's exclusive Cloud Pavilion.

The top-floor suite was reserved solely for the Knight family. Even he didn't have access.

Only one person could stay here—the last person he wanted to think about.

He stared at me in disbelief.

"Why not go inside?" I blinked innocently.

"Afraid of what you'll find?"

Ethan's breath caught. He suddenly remembered the deep, gravelly voice on the phone—terrifyingly familiar.

I watched his face twist with shock and confusion, fighting back a laugh.

That's right. Guess harder.

Preferably jump straight to your father.

Ethan's fists trembled, but he finally managed to grind out, "Lisa, you're ruthless."

He couldn't—not dare—break through that thin layer of ice.

I shrugged, looking indifferent.

"You chose to protect her. I chose to cheat. Fair's fair."

Winnie stepped forward, her voice soft and gentle.

"Lisa, how could you do this to Ethan? He's your boyfriend!"

I let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"Boyfriend?"

"Four years of hiding me, denying me, stringing me along. Now that I've cheated, you suddenly remember he's my boyfriend?"

My gaze drifted to Winnie, full of meaning.

"And you? You knew he was mine, but you still followed him up to the top floor to hook up?"

"We were worried about you!" Winnie's face flickered with unease. She cut me off in a flustered rush.

"Your call dropped suddenly. Ethan was scared something had happened to you. We were just..."

I rolled my eyes.

"Just what? Just letting him stick his head down your throat?"

Ethan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"It's a pun."

Winnie muttered the phrase under her breath. Once it clicked, her face flushed bright red, then turned ashen.

"Lisa, how could you say something so vulgar and obscene?"

I let out a cold snort.

"Winnie, drop the innocent act. You're anything but shy."

Winnie was left speechless, choking on her words.

Ethan finally realized what I meant, and a surge of rage flared up inside him.

"Lisa, watch your mouth!"

He pulled Winnie behind him, his face stone-hard as he snapped at me.

"Winnie's purity is something you could never even fake. Unlike you..."

He paused, sneering.

"One drink, and you'll spread your legs for anyone. Pathetic."

I didn't get angry. I laughed—a loud, genuine laugh that made Ethan's blood boil.

"You're right. I'll never be her."

"I climb into beds. She? She makes men beg to climb into hers."

Winnie stepped forward, her voice oozing fake sympathy.

"Lisa, I know you're hurt."

"But you can't slander Ethan and me just because you've sunk so low."

"If this gets out, it'll be a scandal. You'll shame both the Whites and the Carters."

"Your mother? She'll hate you even more when she hears about this."

White family. Carter family.

The names hit me like rusty nails—sharp, painful, impossible to pull out.

They should've been strangers. A hospital mix-up had tied my fate, condemning me to a lifetime of comparison.

Winnie was the Carters' gem. I was the Whites' disappointment.

Winnie was the moon—bright, perfect, untouchable. I was the mud on the ground.

And now Winnie dared to use their families against me?

I turned my eyes ice-cold. The smile vanished from my face.

In one swift motion, I raised my hand.

Crack!

The slap echoed down the hallway.

Winnie stumbled back, her head snapping to the side. A bright red handprint bloomed on her cheek. She stared at me, shocked and speechless.

"You!" Ethan roared, grabbing my wrist so hard it felt like it would break.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you hit her!"

Crack! Crack!

Two more slaps—fast, fierce, unhesitating.

One on each cheek. Hard enough to make his head snap back and forth.

"Who do you think you are, taking her side?" I said, my voice cold and sharp, deadly calm.

I wrenched my wrist free, my eyes burning with wild, feral rage.

"You have no right to judge me. Four years of lies, four years of manipulation, four years of making me feel worthless."

Ethan stared at me, stunned. His ears rang.

He couldn't believe I'd hit him—the quiet girl who'd never dared raise her voice, now a predator with bared fangs.

The puppy who'd followed him around yesterday was gone. In her place was a wolf, finally ready to fight.

"Break up, you scumbag!" I said, shaking my numb wrist.

Slowly, deliberately, I flipped him off with both hands.

Then I slammed the door shut.

Bang!

Pathetic loser.

Did he really think he deserved my respect? My love? Everything?

From now on, I had three priorities.

Make money. Stay alive. Watch every idiot around me get what they deserved.