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Chapter 3

作者: Five 67
My expression went cold.

"Ignore him," Grace said immediately, her brows pulling together. "Daniel's trying to humiliate you. We don't have to go."

I locked my phone. Then I looked at the worry in her eyes, and the anger drained out of me almost instantly.

I was about to answer when another message came in. Daniel again.

"Oh, and Ryan, I hear you've got a girlfriend now. Bring her. Let everyone meet her."

Sophia Cole, the girl every guy in our class had wanted, replied right underneath him.

"Definitely bring her. I want to see what kind of woman is brave enough to sign up for seven million dollars of debt."

The mockery practically dripped off the screen.

I was about to put the phone away when Grace caught my wrist.

"I'll go with you."

I turned toward her. She looked completely serious.

"They're obviously planning to make a joke out of you. If you go alone they'll gang up on you. At least if I'm there, somebody's on your side."

The night wind lifted a few loose strands of her hair, and warmth spread all the way through me.

"Okay." I turned my hand over and held her wrist.

That weekend, Grace and I walked into the top-floor private dining room at the Grand Royal.

The room went quiet for half a second. Then Sophia laughed.

She was sitting beside the head of the table, and she lifted her hand on purpose to show off a diamond big enough to signal aircraft.

"Oh, look. Our CEO finally made it."

She looked me up and down, contempt all over her face.

"In those clothes, I'd have guessed the hotel sent a waiter to the wrong room."

A few people snickered.

Then her gaze moved to Grace, and she arched a brow.

"So it's you. You heard what he said at the last reunion and you're still throwing yourself at him?"

Grace's grip tightened around my hand, and she looked Sophia straight in the eye.

Daniel came over holding a glass, smiling, playing peacemaker.

"All right, that's enough, Sophia. We're all classmates here. Give the guy a break."

Then he clapped me on the shoulder with the warm expression of a man handing out charity.

"Ryan, I already talked to the facilities manager here. Report next month. Room and board included. It's hard work, but at least you'll eat."

Everyone around us chimed in about what a stand-up guy he was.

I looked at that phony, self-satisfied smile of his and smiled back. "That's very generous of you."

Grace and I took the two empty seats farthest from the center.

A few drinks in, the room got louder, and so did Sophia. The wine had put color in her cheeks.

"My husband picked up a Porsche Panamera two days ago." She raised her glass. "Insisted it was a birthday present. I told him it was too flashy and he said I don't know how to enjoy life."

The compliments came in a wave. Sophia lifted her chin and enjoyed every second of it.

Then her eyes went back to Grace in the corner.

She carried her wine over to our table, stopped in front of us in her heels, and looked down at Grace.

"Grace, I really don't understand you. What do you see in a man buried under seven million dollars of debt?

"Stay with him and you'd better get used to being broke."

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  • Playing Broke at My Reunion   Chapter 10

    Under the stunned eyes of everyone in the driveway, Ellis pulled up in front of me and greeted me with a deference nobody there could mistake."Mr. Hawthorne. If you'd told us you were coming, we would have been ready at the door. The penthouse dining room is prepared for you and your guest."The whole crowd drew breath at once.Sophia's husband, Brett Vaughn, finally got a clear look at my face, and his knees nearly went out from under him. He half stumbled, half scrambled over, both hands out in front of him."Mr.— Mr. Hawthorne. I'm nobody. I didn't know who I was looking at."Sophia still wasn't ready to let it go and grabbed at his arm."What are you doing? He's a broke security guard—"Brett turned and slapped her across the face."Shut your mouth. That's Ryan Hawthorne. He runs Hawthorne Group. Are you trying to destroy me?"Sophia dropped straight to the pavement, holding her cheek, shaking too hard to get a word out.Daniel had gone ashen and shrunk to the back of th

  • Playing Broke at My Reunion   Chapter 9

    I thought she was sending me away again, and I grabbed for her hand in a panic. "Grace, I—""I'll give you a trial run."She looked up suddenly and cut me off. Those red eyes held mine, and there was something stubborn behind them."But you listen to me, Ryan. If you lie to me one more time, I am done with you. For good."Something went off in my head like a blast. I stood there frozen. It took three full seconds before what she'd said reached me.Then the joy came in like a tidal wave and swallowed me whole. I forgot to breathe. All I could do was stare at her, grinning like an idiot who'd just been handed the world."I swear. Never again."I wanted to hug her, then remembered I was soaked through with cold rain, made myself stop, and ended up turning two useless circles in place instead.Before I could figure out what to say next, Grace's phone buzzed in her pocket, jarring in the quiet of the rain.She pulled it out, frowned at the screen, and answered.We were standing cl

  • Playing Broke at My Reunion   Chapter 8

    Something hit me in the chest, hard, and the ache of it spread all the way through."Soon." I set the fruit knife down and took her thin hand in both of mine. My voice was quiet but certain. "The day she'll have me is the day I marry her. And I'll be good to her for the rest of my life."The words were barely out when the door opened.Grace stood in the doorway holding a bag of fruit, gone completely stiff. She'd heard all of it.Her gaze went past the bed, straight to me, and then down to my hands wrapped around her grandmother's.The room went silent. I was so nervous I kept my breathing shallow, and cold sweat came up across my back.I knew how much she still hated me for the lie. And I knew that if she ordered me out now, or told Eleanor exactly who I was, every bit of ground I'd gained would be gone.She stood there and looked at me, and those three seconds stretched out like three lifetimes.Right when I was sure she was about to throw the fruit in my face and tell me to

  • Playing Broke at My Reunion   Chapter 7

    Through the gap in the blinds I could see her crouched under a desk, arms wrapped around her knees, face buried in the crook of her elbow. Her shoulders were heaving.The smothered sound of her crying came through in pieces, and every piece went through me like a dull blade.I lifted my hand to knock. It stopped in the air, and I couldn't make it fall.I pressed the up button instead and went to the inpatient floor. Eleanor Quinn was up there.Grace didn't know that I'd quietly settled the rest of her grandmother's treatment costs weeks ago, under Miles's name.I'd hurt her. Words weren't going to fix it. I'd have to warm her back, one day at a time.The next morning, Hawthorne Group put out an announcement.In the company's name I donated ten million dollars to Metro General and established a nursing-care fund, with one hard condition written into the agreement: every dollar had to go to frontline nurses — night-shift pay, meals, transportation, basic welfare. Not executive off

  • Playing Broke at My Reunion   Chapter 6

    Once security had dragged the man out, the corridor went quiet again. The air still smelled of disinfectant, and the tension hadn't left it.I turned around and looked at her.Grace was leaning against the triage desk, her face paper-white, her chest still rising too fast. When that chair came down, she hadn't even tried to move.Looking at her — thin, stubborn, still shaking — something invisible closed around my heart and squeezed until breathing hurt.I couldn't keep lying. She already knew who I was, and if I kept pretending, I was terrified I'd lose her for good.I crossed the hall in a few strides, caught her wrist, and pulled her past her own startled protest into the empty stairwell at the end of the corridor.The heavy fire door banged shut behind us, cutting off every sound and every pair of watching eyes."Ryan, what is wrong with you? Let go of me."She yanked against my grip and glared up at me.The motion-activated light clicked on, throwing a weak yellow glow ac

  • Playing Broke at My Reunion   Chapter 5

    Around us, visitors and staff screamed."Grace!"I lunged forward and pulled her hard against me. At the same time I threw my right arm up into the path of the chair.The impact exploded through my forearm and a deep cut opened across the skin. Blood ran down my hand immediately."Ryan!"Grace's voice cracked behind me.I pushed her back until she was well out of reach.Then I stopped pretending. I looked at the drunk with no expression at all, and whatever he saw made his arms freeze in the air.Ignoring the blood, I pulled out my phone and called Miles."Metro General. Third-floor surgical nurses' station. Bring security and legal. Now."I hung up.The corridor had gone dead quiet. The drunk hefted the chair again, trying to talk himself back into courage."You— you can quit the act. Making a phone call, are you? Tonight I'm going to—""Move again." My voice was almost calm. "Try it."He met my eyes, and didn't take another step.Less than five minutes later, footsteps

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