Lahat ng Kabanata ng Play Me Like You Mean It: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

Zayne’s call woke me the next morning.“Open the door,” he said.I scrambled out of bed and ran. When I opened the door, he stood there in a clean shirt, looking like he’d already been up for hours. He smelled faintly of coffee when I hugged him and whispered, “Good morning.”He chuckled. “Good morning. Why’d you leave last night? I came back and you were gone.”“I just wanted to sleep at home.”We moved to the living room. He sat, eyes wandering past me. I followed his gaze and saw it: Cade’s brown jacket thrown over the couch. My stomach dropped.“Whose jacket?” he asked quietly.“Cade’s,” I said before he could finish the thought. “He was here last night. Jesse invited him. They were playing video games. I didn’t even know they still hung out. When I got home, I made it clear he shouldn’t come here again. Jesse can see him somewhere else if he wants.”I said everything in one breath, but Zayne didn’t look angry. He just nodded. “Okay.”He shifted topics. “How’s the shoot prep going

I warned Cade that I never wanted to see his face again. I was so angry I didn’t even know what I’d do if I stayed another second. He only smiled, certain I was bluffing.I left before I could throw something at him. I wasn’t stupid enough to drive to Zayne’s. He was angry and disappointed, and I couldn’t blame him. If I were him, I’d hate me too. So I went home instead, bracing for whatever silence would follow once he was done processing things.By the time I got inside, my phone was already vibrating with notifications. The M&Cey campaign had dropped. Every feed, every headline, every clip had us plastered across it– Cade and me, everywhere People called it electric, scandalous, impossible to look away from. They couldn’t decide which part to love more. The photos or the mess behind them. And of course, the internet did what it does best: blew everything out of proportion. A leaked behind-the-scenes clip showed Cade pulling me back into him after I’d tried to walk off. The commen

Zayne barely spoke on the drive home. His phone lit his face in the dark as he scrolled and tapped, then scrolled again. I held the box on my lap, still processing how I ended up with it. The city slid by in fragments. Neither of us filled the quiet.When the driver pulled up to my building, Zayne said, “Goodnight,” his eyes still on the screen.“Goodnight.”I stepped out, and the car drifted back into traffic, its taillights fading into the night.Inside, Jesse was on the floor with a controller in his hand and headphones around his neck. He looked up and grinned. “Hey, celebrity.”“Hi,” I said, forcing a tired smile. “Don’t stay up too late.”He laughed. “I should be saying that to you.”I went straight to my room, showered, and changed into my sleepwear. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, shifting sides, counting seconds. Sleep refused to come. My eyes kept going to the necklace box on my dresser. I thought about the man who’d ended the auction with one number and wondered what k

When I got home, I didn’t bother with the card. There was no way I was calling Mice Arnold for any favors. That much I’d decided.I didn’t want to get myself tangled in invisible debt waiting to be collected. The man radiated quiet power, the kind that smiled while rearranging your life. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling he was watching somehow, waiting for the moment I’d fold… or worse, put me in situations that made me desperate for help.I told no one about the meeting. Not Zayne. Not Jesse. Not even Drew. I planned to forget it happened. But plans like that rarely survive reality.A few days later, I got an offer for a luxury-brand shoot. Big name, clean concept, the kind of campaign that could lift my career another step. I said yes immediately, already picturing the set lights and mood boards. With the way things were going, I was finally getting closer to the league of colleagues I once prayed to join.Then one night, while I was getting ready for bed, Lauren called.Her tone

I wasn’t expecting to see Cade here. I’d told Jesse they could meet, just not in my house.The question he asked annoyed me. Kim coming for me was because of him. I turned toward him, confused and angry all at once. Why was he even here?Every time I tried to trace the start of my problems, the line always led back to him.“It’s you,” I said, my words sharp and furious. “Everything always leads back to you. Your girlfriend, your ex, whatever, she’s out there trying to ruin me, twisting Zayne’s head, and you’re asking why I’m crying?”Cade stood, came closer, and took my wrist gently. “Sit down.”I hesitated, then sat on the couch beside him. He kept his voice calm.“First, Kim isn’t my girlfriend anymore. That ended months ago. And if this somehow circles back to me, I’m sorry. But don’t let her get to you. Kimberly’s too small to twist Zayne’s head. He’ll come around, he’s solid.”I looked at him, surprised. “You’re defending him now?”A faint smile touched his mouth. “He’s my brothe