Lahat ng Kabanata ng Traded For His First Love : Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

Bethany POVThe luxurious restaurant felt almost suffocating, with its golden lights and the muffled sound of elegant conversations surrounding me. I sat at a corner table, drumming my fingers on the white linen tablecloth, my stomach churning with anger and humiliation.I had come here to meet a mysterious woman who had promised juicy information about Venus—information that, according to her, could ruin that woman’s career. I didn’t have anything personal against Venus, at least not until she started hovering around Josh, messing with what was mine. And after the dreadful weekend I’d just had, I was more than ready to take my anger out on someone.My mind was still trapped in the humiliating scene from that morning, and as I waited, the memories swallowed me like a whirlwind. I had woken up next to Josh, still in his bed, my body warm against his, believing that the night we spent tending to him—after he stumbled in drunk and cursed at me—might have changed something.I washed him,

Reese POV “Alice, please, stop the car,” I asked, my voice coming out quieter than I intended. The soft sound of blue jazz spilling from the Ferrari’s speakers felt like it was mocking the mess swirling in my head. She turned to me, eyes wide with surprise, one hand still on the wheel. “What? You okay? Why do you want me to stop now?” I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I tried to sort out my thoughts. “We need to go back there,” I said, referring to La Maison d’Or, where Jennifer and Bethany had just cornered us like a pair of grinning hyenas. “I need to talk to Bethany. Clear some things up. I don’t like seeing her with Jennifer one bit—that woman’s pure poison.” Alice pulled over to the side of the road with a dramatic sigh, her gloved hands tapping the leather steering wheel. “I know that, honey. I didn’t like seeing that girl cozying up to Jennifer Durham either. How’d they even meet, huh? And look, I love you, but you can’t go around saving everyone. She’s go

Reese POV The midday sun was perfect at the park, a warm glow that made the tree leaves shimmer in vivid green. Me, Elliot, Sammy, and Avie had claimed a little spot by the lake, with a checkered blanket spread out on the grass and a picnic basket Elliot insisted on bringing. It was a light day, one of those that almost made me forget the weight of the world. It reminded me so much of those days in London when I dreamed of moments like this with my family—we hardly ever had them, but the few we did were eternal, and it was just wonderful to be doing it again with Sammy and now with Avie. Now the boy was chasing his little sister, who clutched a red ball with her chubby hands, laughing loud as she tried to escape him. “You can’t catch me, Sammy!” she squealed, her short legs stumbling over the grass, but her smile was so big it lit up everything. “I can too, you little rascal!” Sammy shot back, pretending to run slower to give her a chance. His hair was all messed up by the wind

Reese POV The restaurant Spencer took me to was one of those places that felt straight out of a movie—the kind where luxury screamed in every detail, but not over-the-top. Le Jardin sat atop a downtown Chicago building, with huge windows showing off the city lights twinkling like fallen stars. The hostess led us to a corner table by the window, with a view that seemed to cradle the world outside. Candles flickered in crystal holders, and the scent of fresh herbs and expensive wine floated in the air. Spencer pulled out my chair with that crooked smile he did so well, and I sat down, trying to ignore the weight still pressing on my chest from the park. “You look beautiful tonight, Venus,” he said, his dark eyes gleaming under the soft light as he took his seat across from me. “That blue dress… it’s like it was made for you.” I smiled, smoothing the fabric of the dress I’d picked almost on autopilot before leaving. “Thanks, Spence. You’re looking pretty sharp yourself,” I said, n

Reese POV I couldn’t settle with how Elliot had stormed out of there, running off like he’d been wronged somehow by me bringing Spencer home—and worse, holding his hand right in front of him. It gnawed at me, this urge to do something, to make him listen. I felt this need to explain myself, even though I didn’t fully understand why. “Can you wait here for me?” I asked Spencer, nodding toward the kids. Sammy’s little brow was furrowed, unsure what to do now that his dad had bolted out like that, so I took off after Elliot. I ran through the hallways until I caught up with him at the elevator, shoving my hand in just as the doors were about to close. I slipped inside, and his jaw was clenched tight. His eyes darted everywhere in that tiny metal box—anywhere but me. “What are you doing?” he asked, his words coming out stiff and sharp. “I…” I stammered, and suddenly all the things I wanted to say vanished from my head. My throat went dry. I knew he still had feelings for me, but w