جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 210

I guess I could call Ignatz my ex-boyfriend. More importantly, though, I was more surprised at the news that he was now courting Summer. Not that this was bad news. Ignatz was a nice guy. Maybe he and Summer would be good together.The topic proved to be too awkward for Ignatz, who quickly excused himself. "She hasn't actually said anything to me yet, so uh… Yeah, I should go."I could see why he would be embarrassed. My ex-boyfriend falling for my best friend? There was an element of drama there, huh?But I never felt anything for Ignatz. We had only been together because we fit each other's requirements. If his affection toward Summer was genuine, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.I went up the stairs and pressed the doorbell. I hadn't called Summer about my visit, so she was taken aback to see me."You finally thought of me! I thought you'd forgotten all about me by this point!" she grumbled.I hadn't talked to Summer or seen her for a while now, so I felt kinda bad. "There’s no way

Anna smiled smugly as I spat out, "You looked into me?”I was enraged. How else could she have learned so much about my private affairs?!"I was only trying to learn more about you," she replied, almost cheerily. "What do you want?!" I snarled.If I hadn’t liked her before, I definitely hated her now. "I want you to leave Jethro. Simple as that. I'm his girlfriend. You, well, you're nothing." "And if I refuse?" Initially, I had no intention of ruining her relationship with Jethro, nor did I want to wait around until Jethro terminated our partnership, but Anna investigating me really struck a nerve. I wasn’t going to make her stupid love life easier now."If you leave Jethro, I'll reward you with so much money your family will never be left wanting again. I'm sure you know what the smarter choice is." She waved an empty check in my face.It was a tempting offer, and I needed money, but my dignity meant more than that. I knew how important money was, but the lack of respect

"You're right about that. I didn’t get a chance to rest last night," he said unsuspectingly before seemingly going back to sleep.The fact that this explanation was deemed sufficient for him stung me. "You spent the night with Anna, didn't you?" I was hoping Anna lied to me, but I knew it was a false hope before I even said the words. She couldn't possibly have called me using Jethro's number if he hadn’t been with her. "How did you know?" he asked warily. Why was he so wary? Was it because he…?I couldn't believe he had the balls to sound surprised. Didn't he already know what kind of person I was? I closed my eyes and said nothing as tears ran down my cheeks. Unhappy to not get an answer, Jethro turned me toward him. "Don't you dare leave me hanging, Serena—"He then saw the tears. He froze mid-sentence and corrected himself, "Why the hell are you crying? My temper has hardly flared yet.”Jethro sounded almost sympathetic, but I couldn't tell if I was hearing things t

I didn't sleep despite how tired I was. I couldn't.An hour or so later, Mason finally stopped the car. I silently opened the door and stepped out, walking toward the beach. The water was sparkling blue today, and the sea looked endless. The sun's rays shone on the pearly sand that stretched for miles. Seeing this scenery, much of the dark clouds in my head faded."What do you think? Pretty, isn't it?"Before I knew it, Mason was standing next to me, smiling at me."Yeah, it is."We walked side-by-side along the sand as the sea breeze kissed our faces. Mason told me jokes and funny stories as we walked to make me laugh, and he succeeded. Mason and I stayed at the beach till the evening came. The sun was setting, and the journey home would take at least an hour. While on the journey home, the combined fatigue from last night and today's trip finally made me doze off.At some point, I opened my eyes groggily to see a handsome face just an inch or so away from mine. Mason's lips

His fury fanned my fury."Do I need to tell you everything I'm doing even when I'm not at work, Mr. Jethro?!" "Your attitude is suspect, Serena! Your phone has been off all day and you didn't come home until now! Everything you've been doing is suspect, so don't you dare act like there's nothing wrong with you!"I knew Jethro’s rage was fueled by how I'd always been obedient to him, but I just refused to accept any more of this power imbalance bullshit."I am my own person, Jethro! A person with all the freedom and agency everybody else has! Are you telling me I can’t hang out with my friend?!" Why the fuck was he demanding an explanation as though I was his girlfriend or wife who jilted him?! I could see my vision fogging up, but I refused to cry in front of him.Jethro's expression darkened, and his grip on me tightened. "You forget yourself, Serena Hart. You're mine. Mine. And as my woman, you have to explain to me who this friend of yours is,” he growled.In the past, th