Chapter 8

Zoey paled. Laurence had never really cared about her. To him, she was just a vessel for his lust. At that moment, Laurence was cleaning her fingers that were stained with wine. He was quiet and focused on cleaning every finger.

This was one of the rare times Laurence showed her some tenderness. She couldn’t help but fall for him a little more every time he showed it. All she wanted was the tiny bit of love that he would sometimes show her. She wasn’t greedy for money, but she hungered for love.

Suddenly, the memories of a summer long gone returned. It was the last class they had before the summer. The weather had been perfect. When she passed by his classroom, the sun was shining on his face. The boy she loved was using a ribbon to tie one of his hands to Sarah’s while she was sleeping.

Laurence had propped his head up on one hand and watched her lovingly as she slept. When the rest of their classmates began to get rowdy, he signaled for them to shut up so that they wouldn’t disturb Sarah. This was a memory filled with jealousy and bitterness. Laurence was capable of loving someone, just not her.

But she was the one who met him first. Laurence had promised her that he would find her and reward her. But he forgot. Well, not really. He just found the wrong person. Zoey was brought back to reality with that thought. When the charity banquet finally ended, Zoey’s face was still pale. She was also very hungry.

All she wanted to do was go home. She knew that there was some cake in the refrigerator that she could eat. In the car, she caught a whiff of alcohol on Laurence’s breath. Laurence rarely drank. He didn’t need to entertain any guests, after all. Normally, it was other people who tried to entertain him.

Laurence pulled Zoey onto his lap. She flushed. His hand wrapped around her waist. The warmth from his hands penetrated through the thin layers of fabric of her dress and burned her skin. Zoey realized what he was doing. Subconsciously, she put a hand to her stomach and turned her face away.

“Mr. Scott, we’re still in the car.”

Laurence raised an eyebrow.

“So?”

Normally, he wouldn’t try and have sex in the car. This wasn’t normal. Zoey didn’t know how she had upset him.

Lowering her eyes, she said, “I’m tired. I really don’t want to have sex.”

Laurence grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. He didn’t know why he was suddenly angry either.

“Miss Jenner, I’m your patron. You have to listen to me.”

Zoey’s face was pale with anger.

“Would you treat Sarah like this, Laurence?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Would he treat Sarah like a plaything?

A few seconds later, Laurence laughed. He touched her face gently and said softly, “Why are you comparing yourself to her?” He had resumed his usual unreadable expression. After a slight pause, he continued, “You’re usually quite smart. Where did that intellect go tonight?”

Laurence knew how to pick his words. This way, she would be able to keep some dignity. He didn’t have to spell it out for Zoey to know what he really meant. She shouldn’t compare herself to Sarah. Because she couldn’t.