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Simp No More

Simp No More

Cerita Pendek · Romance
Oleh:  ChubbsTamat
Bahasa: English
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16Bab
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Sinopsis

Substitute

Devotion

Independence

Crime

Biological Family

Bullying

Secret Love

Tragic Love

Plot Twists

Everyone in the social circle of Kingsford said I was nothing more than a lapdog raised by Charles Mankin. I was always at his beck and call. I did every filthy, ludicrous thing for him under the sun. When he street raced, I rode shotgun. When he drank himself senseless, I made him hangover soup. When he chased girls, I prepared protection for them. Over time, everyone knew: Charles had a dog who never ran, never bit back, no matter how hard he kicked. They all said I must be madly in love with him. Even Charles started to believe it. So he pushed further, more freely, more cruelly, crossing lines as if they never existed. Then came my twenty-fifth birthday. He, in a rare stroke of mercy, said he'd celebrate it with me. But instead, what he got was the news that I was leaving the country. He went berserk, charging through the airport like a man possessed. I peeled his fingers off my wrist one by one, smiling like I'd never been happier. "Don't be stupid," I told him, still smiling. "That was never love." That night, Charles smashed apart his family home like a rabid dog.

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Bab 1

Chapter 1

I was getting an IV drip at the hospital when Charles Mankin's text came in.

I had acute gastroenteritis, courtesy of his jealous little girlfriend from last night at the Hedo Lounge, who got me drunk out of spite.

"Rhyn wants ice cream from H.J. Desserts. Bring it to Hedo, Room 1808."

His voice on the call that followed was lazy, bored, trailing the sharp laughter of a girl in the background.

"I'm sick. On an IV," I said.

"If you're not dead, then get it done. Mindy, I'm saying this once—if I don't see you today, don't bother showing up again."

He hung up.

Just before the call cut, I caught someone on his end giggling, "Lucky Charles. I wish I had a dog that obedient."

I stared at my phone for a moment. The date blinked back at me from the screen. I sighed, looked up at the IV bag that had just been hooked above me, and then, in the nurse's startled gasp, yanked the needle out.

Before she could stop me, I'd slipped out of the hospital, flagged down the first cab I saw, and headed straight across town to H.J. Desserts—ten miles out, easy.

Charles had a gift for cruelty.

H.J. sat on one end of the city grid. Hedo was on the opposite end.

In the dead of winter, ice cream? I said a silent prayer for Rhyn not to catch a cold.

No one stopped me when I stepped into Hedo, dessert bag in hand. They all knew who I was by now.

Not that I liked what they called me.

Charles's lapdog.

I took the elevator up. Just as I pushed the door open a crack, I heard his voice from inside. "Mindy? She'll do whatever I tell her."

His tone was dry and distant, utterly devoid of emotion.

"Obedient as a dog. If it were you, would you throw something like that away?"

Laughter rippled through the room—those same people who'd mocked me at countless gatherings, now falling into easy agreement.

"Honestly, I'd keep a dog that loyal too."

I stood there, unmoving.

The conversation went on.

"Charles, aren't you afraid you'll push too far and she'll bolt one day?"

He chuckled, leaned in and pinched the cheek of the girl beside him. His voice dropped to something low and flirtatious.

"Dogs are loyal to the end."

More laughter.

"That said, Mindy's face is a prize. Body too. You've tasted her yet?" someone asked.

"Too dirty," Charles said casually, lighting a cigarette. "Would you screw a dog?"

And they all burst out laughing again.

It was in the middle of that laughter that I walked in, smiling as I met Charles's eyes.
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Ulasan-ulasan

Angela
Angela
Well-written and different from the normal recycled plot lines.
2025-06-23 03:53:55
0
0
Özlem Uysal
Özlem Uysal
nice story, I like stories with happy endings
2025-06-22 21:59:04
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0
16 Bab
Chapter 1
I was getting an IV drip at the hospital when Charles Mankin's text came in.I had acute gastroenteritis, courtesy of his jealous little girlfriend from last night at the Hedo Lounge, who got me drunk out of spite."Rhyn wants ice cream from H.J. Desserts. Bring it to Hedo, Room 1808."His voice on the call that followed was lazy, bored, trailing the sharp laughter of a girl in the background."I'm sick. On an IV," I said."If you're not dead, then get it done. Mindy, I'm saying this once—if I don't see you today, don't bother showing up again."He hung up.Just before the call cut, I caught someone on his end giggling, "Lucky Charles. I wish I had a dog that obedient."I stared at my phone for a moment. The date blinked back at me from the screen. I sighed, looked up at the IV bag that had just been hooked above me, and then, in the nurse's startled gasp, yanked the needle out.Before she could stop me, I'd slipped out of the hospital, flagged down the first cab I saw, and he
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Chapter 2
The girl in Charles's arms was young.Still a college student, most likely.She had those wide, innocent eyes that blinked at me like she hadn't figured out yet how the world worked. Prettier than the one who'd poured drinks down my throat the night before, or at least a little gentler, I thought absently.But I was wrong.When she took the bag of ice cream from my outstretched hand, she gave a delicate little shiver. Her hand "slipped." The ice cream splattered onto her thighs with all the predictability of a stage cue."Oh no!"She shot up from the sofa like a startled rabbit. The ice cream bucket tipped with her, crashing downward and soaking me in cold."I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! It's just—it's so cold, and I know you didn't do it on purpose either, I'm totally fine—really."Her eyes, big and glossy, teetered on the edge of tears."Please don't blame her, Charles," she added sweetly. "It's my fault, not hers."By the time she finished talking, there wasn't a word le
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Chapter 3
When I stepped out through the gates of Hedo Lounge, my body was shaking uncontrollably. Fever rippled through my limbs like silent static.My steps were unsteady, each footfall a gamble. I could barely see the road ahead, and before I could register what was happening, I stumbled headfirst into someone's chest.A clean, sharp scent filled my nose—disinfectant. It was clinical, cold, but oddly grounding. It sobered me up in an instant.I mumbled an apology, trying to pull away from the man's trench coat, my eyes dropping to his wrist. The watch he wore looked oddly familiar. A rare edition, limited worldwide. Even Charles couldn't get his hands on one."Sorry. I'm so sorry," I said again.I knew who he was. I didn't look up. Didn't need to."Your hand is bleeding," he said, his voice low, textured with something like exhaustion."It's nothing."I turned to leave. I didn't want to linger.Anyone connected to Charles—I wanted no part of them.But just as I stepped down the firs
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Chapter 4
I blew gently on the bowl of porridge in front of me, just warmed.For a moment, the rising mist blurred my vision. My eyes, dry and sore, began to sting faintly.Then the silence shattered—my phone, vibrating and screaming like it was possessed. I glanced down and saw a familiar name flashing insistently on the screen.Charles.Without thinking, I answered. Muscle memory. I even put it on speaker."Mindy, where the hell were you last night? I told you to pack up and get the hell out. Are you deaf? You think if you hide, you can just get away with this? I'm telling you right now—either you apologize to Rhyn, or you come clean out your crap this second."His voice pounded through the speaker in sharp, rapid-fire bursts, like a machine gun of blame and frustration.I didn't speak. Not until he was done.Then I said, almost lazily, "I'm coming now."The moment I pushed open the gate of Charles's villa, something flew straight at me.An ashtray.I didn't dodge fast enough. It
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Chapter 5
There was a dull, sickening thud as my already bleeding forehead struck the edge of the table.Rhyn let out a shrill scream.Under the harsh, white light, I turned my head slightly and looked at Charles.His eyes were cold—steeped in shadow and something crueler. His face, sharp-edged and handsome like a sculpture, remained frozen. But when his gaze landed on me, it was the way one might look down at a filthy insect crawling near their feet."Let me ask you again," he said, each word clipped. "Where were you last night?"I was weak—my whole body hollowed out by illness and injury. The blow had left me dazed, my senses drifting. I had no strength left to fight back.But years of being crushed underfoot had left something twisted inside me—something that no longer wanted to stay quiet.I knew exactly what would make him lose control."I slept with a stranger," I said slowly and clearly. "Wanted to see if it felt good. To know if someone like you—who screws like a stud horse—actua
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Chapter 6
I stood there, frozen, staring at Charles in disbelief.He said he liked me?For a moment, I almost laughed.But the years I'd lived through weren't illusions. The pain I'd endured wasn't a dream. If what Charles felt for me counted as love, then being loved by him must be the cruelest punishment this world could offer."What kind of joke are you trying to make, Charles?" I asked. "Someone like you—how could you possibly know what love even means? You're selfish, childish, and weak. At the first sign of hardship, you crawl into your shell like a frightened turtle, unable to face reality."He let out a cold, hollow laugh.Straightening up, he looked at me with twisted calm, like a devil clawed up from the pits of hell."Heh," he said. "So you saw through me all along."There it was again.That refusal to face reality. The one thing that made him nothing like Grayson.And yet, somehow, he got to inherit all the good things.It wasn't fair.Eight summers ago, in an alleyway so
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Chapter 7
By the time I arrived at the scene, all I saw was red. A vivid, terrible red. So bright it scorched the eyes.That night, I was forcibly taken to the Mankin family's home.The old matriarch stood before me, but her gaze was fixed somewhere far beyond me. She didn't look at me when she spoke."Mindy," she said, her voice as brittle as dried paper, "your family owes the Mankin family a life. Grayson was the most outstanding child of his generation. And now he's dead, because of something so absurd. That debt your parents left behind, now you'll pay it."I knelt on the cold floor in silence.Not a single tear came.Numb, I nodded.That night, I signed the agreement. A seven-year contract—unequal and cruel in every possible way.Grayson's younger brother, Charles, had suffered a complete psychological breakdown from the trauma of his brother's death. He became unmoored, his memory fractured, his emotions chaotic.The old matriarch demanded that I stay by his side for seven years.
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Chapter 8
When I opened my eyes again, everything around me was bathed in cold, sterile white.The sharp scent of antiseptic pierced my senses like a silent alarm.Standing beside the bed, hands buried in the pockets of his coat, was Tyler. He looked down at me from above, expression unreadable, like a man observing something faintly inconvenient.When he saw I was awake, his eyebrows lifted slightly."You really like Charles that much?"I parted my lips, trying to find the right words. But when my eyes met his, an odd flicker of guilt rose within me, uninvited.In Kingsford, the Ford family held unquestioned power. And Tyler—he was the eldest grandson, the heir apparent. Years ago, his decision to study medicine had caused a sensation across the city. Every major news outlet, social platform, and magazine had latched onto it. For over a month, his face dominated the headlines, discussed with a mix of reverence and disbelief.That someone like Tyler—brilliant, distant, almost mythic—would
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Chapter 9
Whatever Tyler's intentions were, I no longer wanted to think about them. I had nothing left to lose.In these final two weeks before I left the country, all I wanted was a little peace and quiet."Then stay put this time and recover properly. No more running around."He looked like he wanted to say more but, bound by his pride, couldn't bring himself to go on. After a moment's pause, he offered a stiff line of advice and turned to leave the hospital room.The moment he stepped out, I did the same—just in the opposite direction.I've never been the obedient patient type. There were more important things I had to take care of.By the time I arrived in the old part of town, night was just beginning to settle in.Since the accident with my parents, I hadn't come back here once.Pushing open the rusted security door, I was hit by a wave of stale air, heavy with the scent of dust and time.I waved a hand in front of my face and got to work.Halfway through, a message came through
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Chapter 10
"Come on, come on—food's getting cold. What's so fascinating about two empty flowerpots anyway?"I pushed myself up from the wall, brushed the dust from my palms, and followed her inside.Rhyn took a bite of food, then nodded toward my passport sitting on the edge of the coffee table."You're really going, huh? Not coming back this time?"I gave a quiet nod, sipping my beer without a word. I thought about saying something, but the words didn't seem to exist.She nodded too. "Mindy, we've known each other since we were kids. You've had a rough life, sure—but at least your parents gave you a few years of something like a normal childhood. I didn't even get that. I grew up following my mom around nightclubs, never even knew who my real dad was. If it wasn't for this face of mine, I don't know how I would've survived."She paused, her voice firmer now. "So don't look back. Whatever happens, don't you dare look back. A man like Charles… he's not worth it."I finished the last of my b
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