Share

Chapter 3

Penulis: Amy
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-29 23:02:50

Clara

What can be worse than a heartbreak? Knowing you’d never get that type of

pleasure again.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of men out here but what I experienced

that night? It was intense.

“Focus, Clara,” I mumbled under my breath and sighed. I have better things to

worry about, that isn’t my fiancé calling off our engagement or a stranger

having me in positions I have never been in my entire life.

I’ve been trying to get my brother, Ryan, to employ me at his store. For a

lesser salary even, I do not mind.

All I want is to understand the dynamics of owning the biggest jewelry store in

the city.

I let out an exhale as I waited for him to come out of his office.

“Come on, Ryan!” I called. “You can’t keep acting like you’re not seeing me.”

“Am I?” He asked, “You really thought you could keep it away from me?”

He was angry, I could see it.

“I promise you I’m fine.” While that may be a complete lie, I still had a grip of

myself.

“So what is it?” He asked, looking at his watch. “I have an important meeting.”

“I need a job, Ryan,” I said.

“Then get one,” Ryan replied.

“You don’t get it. I want to work for you. Just employ me… You already know

how good I am.”

Aside from the good grades I graduated with, I have firsthand experience

working with people and a great appearance too.

“Look, I don’t have time for—” he didn’t get to finish his statement when his

phone buzzed and he quickly got the call.

“Right now??”

“Okay, okay sure.”

From the look on his face, I could tell it was something important.

“Clara, this isn’t the right time."

“So when is the right time??”

“Right now,” I heard someone say. I turned and it was Lily, his sales manager.

“You have one of the biggest investors on the line. He wants to meet.”

“Well, I also have an important flight to catch,” Ryan said. I could tell he was

getting worked up from just thinking of it and so I stepped in.

“I can handle it. I mean, you know how convincing I am. Get Lily to prep me as

your representative. If I get you a deal, I get the job, and if not… You really

can keep your job.” I said.

He looked at me as if considering it and then nodded. I felt my heart leap out

but before I could even show my excitement, he walked away.

“This way, ma’am.”

I followed Lily and sat down, ready to get prepped. “May I know what kind of

investments this is about?”

“We’re talking about investments worth millions.”

“Oh.” I nodded. “Sure… go ahead.”

“From what I have, the business Tycoon only invests when he’s absolutely

convinced. That’s to say, a lot of conviction has to be in place.”

“Oh don’t worry about that. I won a lot of debates in high school.”

“I don’t think it applies here. This man, he’s insatiable and-”

“Who is he?”

She handed me the envelope. “Jason Dubriya, ma’am.”

“I have no idea who that is.”

“And Ma’am? He’s waiting.”

“Alright, I'll uh.. I’ll be with him shortly.”

I needed a moment to settle in and get ready. I need to appear like I have it

under control. That's the first step to getting what you want; looking like you

have it.

James, the company Chauffeur was already on standby. I quickly arranged my

bag and my documents, took my phone, and adjusted my gown, looking all

set for this meeting.

“Let me know if you need anything else,” Lily said and I nodded.

I walked out of the office and entered the car, placing my bag on the chair.

The reason I love driving with James is because he knows how to mind his

business. Not everyone knows that.

The ride took about forty-five minutes and I just exhaled. This is the longest

drive since I returned from Houston.

I came down from the car and stepped through the glass door of the lobby, my

heels clicking softly against the marble floor.

The waiting area smelled faintly of polished wood and was filled with voices in

a distance. I swallowed hard and walked straight to the woman sitting pretty at

the front desk.

I took a steadying breath just before I could approach her.

“Hi.”

“Good morning ma'am, how may I help you?” she asked, looking away from

her computer.

“Uh, good day. “Hello, my name is Clara Mallon, I’m here to meet Jason

Dubriya.”

“Got an appointment?”

“Yes. He wanted to meet and I was sent here, as a representative.”

“Oh.” She nodded her head, and gave me a book to write down my name.

“There you go,” I said handing her back the book.

Without another word, she fixed her gaze on the screen and typed.

I couldn’t see but I could tell she was trying to input my name into the system.

“Please have a seat. Mr. Dubriya will be ready to receive you soon.”

The waiting area gave off how much progress this company has made. Aside

from the few things I read from the document Lily gave to me, I could tell that

the owner is doing well.

A knot twisted in my stomach and I just swallowed hard. I'm nervous but it has

nothing to do with my appearance.

I just wish I'd get this deal for Ryan and prove that I'm an adult. Having an

older brother like Ryan has made me unable to make my decision for myself.

It's part of the reason I jumped at the idea of getting married to Aiden. I just

wanted to get away.

My attention got caught when a man heavily bathed in OUD perfume passed.

I stood and walked straight to the receptionist. “I’m sorry to bother you but I

think that's the person I'm supposed to meet.”

“You think or you know?” she answered rather sarcastically. “That’s Mike

Dubriya and he's not the person you're supposed to meet.”

“So where is this person?”

Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi

Bab terbaru

  • One Night, No Names   Chapter 69

    Jason My voice tore through the lobby, loud enough to make conversations falter and heads turn. “Get your hands off me!” I shouted, twisting against the security guard’s grip. My face was flushed not with guilt, but with indignation and my eyes burned with disbelief. “I haven’t done anything wrong! You don’t get to grab me like I’m some kind of criminal!”The security man kept my hold firm but measured, clearly trained not to escalate. That only seemed to fuel my outrage. “Do you even know who you’re talking to?” I demanded, though the question wasn’t about status so much as principle. “You can’t just decide I look suspicious and start manhandling me. That’s not how this works!”I tried to pull free again, not violently but insistently, as though the very contact offended me. “Take your hands off me,” I repeated, slower now but no less forceful. “You don’t get to treat people like this just because you feel like it. I have every right to be here.”The guard attempted to speak

  • One Night, No Names   Chapter 68

    Clara I sat upright now, no longer pretending to rest. The hospital blanket pooled around my waist, my IV line stretching taut as if even it sensed her urgency.“I need to leave,” I said suddenly.The nurse, who had been standing near the foot of the bed listening for updates through my earpiece, turned back to me. “Clara—”“I need to go. Now.” My voice wasn’t hysterical. It was sharp. Focused. As if the decision had already been made somewhere deep inside me.I swung my legs over the side of the bed.The nurse moved quickly, but not aggressively. Calm. Measured. I placed a steady hand on Clara’s forearm.“You cannot leave,” the Nurse said.I looked up at her, disbelief flashing across her face. “Why not?”“You’re still under observation,” the nurse replied. “Your vitals have been unstable. The doctor hasn’t cleared you.”“I don’t care,” I snapped. “There are two men out there fighting over me. I don’t even know what’s real right now. I need to see for myself.”My heart pounded vi

  • One Night, No Names   Chapter 67

    Clara I kept my eyes closed, not fully asleep, not fully awake suspended in that fragile space where thoughts feel louder than the world around you.That was when I heard it.A faint sound at first. Not the mechanical hiss of oxygen, not the distant squeak of a cart in the hallway. This was different. A shift of weight. The soft creak of the door eased open and caught before it clicked shut again.My pulse skipped.The nurse didn’t react. My fingers tightened slightly against the thin hospital blanket. I told myself it was nothing. Breathing.Not close enough to touch her, but close enough to feel.And then“Clara.”My name was low and familiar. A voice I knew the way I knew my own reflection.Jason.Not loud. Not urgent. Just there.Every muscle in my body went rigid, but I forced my breathing to remain slow and even. I didn’t open my eyes. Didn’t turn my head. If I moved, it would make it real.The nurse cleared her throat softly and adjusted in her chair. “You okay, Clara?

  • One Night, No Names   Chapter 66

    Clara My demand hangs between us, sharp and immovable.“From the beginning,” I repeat.Aiden doesn’t argue this time.He exhales slowly, like he’s been holding the air in his lungs since the moment I opened my eyes. His shoulders drop, not in defeat, but in decision.“Okay,” he says quietly. “You want to know why the nurse called us a couple?”“Yes.”Aiden's eyes don’t leave my mind.“When I rushed you in,” Aiden begins, “you weren’t fully conscious.”The edge in my posture softens just slightly.“You were trying to talk, but it didn’t make sense. You kept blinking like you couldn’t focus. There was blood in your hair.” His voice tightens at the memory, but he pushes through it. “I carried you through those doors and they were asking questions I couldn’t answer fast enough.”I feel the image before she sees it, automatic doors sliding open, fluorescent lights too bright, the sterile chaos of a hospital intake desk.“They asked who I was,” Aiden continues. “They asked what happened.

  • One Night, No Names   Chapter 65

    Clara The quiet doesn’t last.It stretches thin, fragile as glass, and then it cracks.I studied Aiden for a long moment, my earlier softness draining away as something sharper took its place. The word couples still echoes in my mind. The headlights. The pavement. His face above mine. The nurse’s knowing smile.None of its lines line up cleanly.My pulse begins to climb again, but this time it isn’t panic.It’s frustration.I push myself up straighter against the pillows, wincing slightly at the pull in my head, but she doesn’t look away from him.“Okay,” I said slowly. “What the fuck is going on?”The bluntness of it slices through the room.Aiden stills.Not offended. Not shocked.Just… bracing.“Clara—”“No.” I shake my head, the movement making me dizzy, but she powers through it. “I wake up in a hospital. I don’t remember half of what happened. A nurse calls us a couple. I remember you almost hitting me with your car.” My voice tightens. “And somehow we live together?”Aiden

  • One Night, No Names   Chapter 64

    Clara I was awake, but I wasn’t entirely sure how long I had been that way.I turned my head carefully.The room was small. A narrow window let in a washed-out morning light that made everything look flat and unreal. There was a chair in the corner, empty. A glass of water sat on a bedside table, beads of condensation sliding slowly down its side. I focused on that for a moment, watching one droplet gather enough weight to fall. The tiny movement felt monumental.Where am I?The question floated up without urgency. It should have frightened me more than it did. Instead, it hovered there, unanswered.I searched for memory the way you search for a word that’s on the tip of your tongue. There was a door. A sound. Maybe voices. The impression of movement is fast, too fast. My pulse quickened.I pushed myself up slightly, wincing at the effort. The room tilted, then steadied. The sheet slid down to my waist, and I realized I was wearing a soft gray shirt I didn’t recognize. I

Bab Lainnya
Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status