claimed by Mr.billionaire

3 (confrontation)

I woke up to find myself all alone in the bed. The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom attached to the room—he must be taking a shower. It was nearly noon and I am completely naked under the covers of a man's bed. Wow, For twenty years, I held onto my innocence like it was sacred. And last night... I gave it away. To a stranger I met in a strip club. Just like that!

André begged countless times to sleep with me, and every time, I said no. Yet, I gave myself to a stranger without hesitation. Worse—I begged him when he hesitated! This is so messed up.

I looked around, now with the sunlight I could see the room better than last night. the floor was sparkling flawlessly while my mind was a mess, his clothes next to mine were carelessly thrown everywhere in the room, and...Is that my underwear over there in the corner? How did it get there? Oh God... Did he see it? The kitten print? He must've laughed at me..Agh.

I can't face him now. Not when I'm sober. I rushed to gather my clothes, slipping them on in a hurry. I needed to leave before he got out of the shower.

I grabbed a pencil and a sticky note from the small table, hesitating for a moment before deciding to write him a note.

Can't just leave without saying anything... right? That would be rude.

(Thanks for listening to me... and for going along with my crazy revenge plan.

P.S.: It was my first time. Sorry if I was too inexperienced last night.)

And then, I left the penthouse. Farewell Victor. You were an asshole. Handsome, amazing kisser but an asshole.

Lucky me—I managed to find a taxi to take me back to my dorm.

On the way, I realized two things: first, Victor lives in the other side of the city. Second, I desperately need a shower.

I can't believe I walked out like this. His scent was still on me... and God, it was intoxicating. I shook my head, trying to shove that thought away. As soon as I get to my dorm, the first thing I'll do is take a long, hot shower. Maybe then, I'll be able to wash Victor out of my mind.

When I finally arrived, I went straight to my bed and collapsed onto it. The room was dark, faint sun rays slipping through the wooden window, casting soft shadows on the walls. I exhaled, staring at the ceiling. It was probably 12:30 now.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket—it had been off the whole time. Taking a deep breath, I powered it back on.

Dozens of messages, missed calls, and notifications. From André. From Ashley.

(Honey, please pick up.)

(It's not what you think.)

(Let's just talk, please.)

(Baby, please, I still love you. Just hear what I have to say.)

I didn’t even bother reading the rest. I blocked him. You love me? Liar.

Ashley had tried to reach me, too. Several missed calls. Then a couple of messages:

(I get you're angry. At least give me a chance to explain myself. Let's just talk tomorrow, okay?)

my fingers hovered over the keyboard, thinking about replying. I wanted to know why. Were they drunk? Did André blackmail her? Did he seduce her somehow? I hesitated. But in the end, I couldn't reply. I was exhausted.

Thinking back to my friendship with Ashley... she was my only friend. She was there for me at my lowest. The person I spent most of my time with. We were practically sisters.

There had to be an explanation. There had to be. She wouldn't hurt me like that. Never.

I sighed, setting my phone aside. I needed that shower now more than ever.

In the shower, I let the water hit my body, the steam helped my muscles to relax, and my mind went back to the past 24 hours. As I washed Victor's scent, and the marks of last night off my body.

After the shower I just fell asleep for the rest of day. Didn't know if I was really that exhausted or my mind wanted an escape from all that mess.

When I woke up for the next day, I got a message from the professor on the class group that the lecture will be at 8 am today.

It was still 7 and I didn't really want to go, I was used to skip classes all the time.

Just when I was about to go back to sleep again, Victor's words from the strip club played in my ears .."I'm judging your priorities. Why did you fail? Because you were too distracted by that loser, right? And now, not only do you have a cheating boyfriend, but you also have a big fat F on your record."

He was right..I'm letting myself get distracted again by his betrayal. I already skipped classes yesterday—I can't keep throwing away my education and future for someone who never even thought of me or my pain while doing the thing that he knows would shatter my heart.

A rush of energy, I don't know where it came from ran through my body, I got off the bed, went to the bathroom to take a morning shower then stood in front of my wardrobe to pick an outfit.

Following in the footsteps of Princess Diana and her revenge dress, I too decided to make a bold appearance today. André must think I'm crying over him right now, blaming myself, and acting all pathetic... Well, surprise, you traitor, I'll show you that you won't break me... You cheated on me with Ashley? Ha! Well, I cheated on you with a man so perfect, so breathtaking, even you, André, would go gay for him..

A dark burgundy blazer with a mini black skirt, it revealed a daring amount of my thighs. I wore a black shoes and I styled my hair in a high ponytail I made sure to keep my side bangs in place.and of course makeup. I put some mascara and a cherry red lipstick that went very well with my black hair and the outfit.

After I finished I couldn't recognize myself in the mirror, I looked genuinely pretty...when was the last time that I put a real effort into getting ready to college? I can't remember.

With my handbag and textbook in hand, I stepped out of my dorm at 7:50.

At college, I became the center of countless stares and whispers. I felt as if I was a celebrity or something. If they were that impressed by me, what would they do if they saw Victor? Focus, Scarlett, don't think about Victor now.

Two hours later and the lecture ended, Maybe this was the first time in my studying history that I actually listen to every single word the professor says, without gossiping with someone, or sleeping in the class, or texting André. It was refreshing. Who would know that the financial law wasn't that difficult to understand if you just paid attention to the professor!

I walked into the girls' bathroom to fix my appearance. My hands were steady as I reapplied my lipstick, my mind still preoccupied with the class. Then, the door creaked open.

I glanced at the mirror and saw her—Ashley.

My chest tightened. I turned on my shoes, ready to leave, but she stepped in front of me, blocking the exit.

'Scarlett, please. We need to talk. You need to hear me—'

I cut her off, My voice came out sharper than I thought.

'Hear what, Ashley? Hear what? How much of a fool I was? How naive and trusting? Why did you even do it?'

She hesitated for a brief moment, her lips parting as if searching for the right words. Then, something shifted in her eyes. The desperate plea vanished, replaced by something colder. As if she realized that trying being nice and victim in that situation won't be useful.

'You really wanna know why? You really think you're the victim here?'

I blinked. 'Excuse me?'

She scoffed, crossing her arms. 'He was a guy, Scarlett. He had needs. Needs that you refused to fulfill because of your stupid ideals. Who did you think you were? A saint?'

She stepped closer, her voice dripping with condescension. Her expression hardened, her features sharp with resentment.

'I was there for him. Listening to every complaint about you. You were a walking storm, always demanding attention, always acting like the world revolved around you. He wanted me. No—' she smirked, tilting her head, 'he needed me.'

Her words felt like daggers, each one twisting deeper.

'And, honestly, I needed him too your negativity was tiring and exhausting for both of us. So why are you even complaining?' she continued, her voice venomous. 'You ignored his needs, and I didn't. And by the way—' she let out a dry laugh, 'we love each other. We just had to stay in the dark because of you!'

A dull ache settled in my chest. My throat tightened. The girl I once called a sister just stood there, unapologetic. Proud, even.

'You love him that much? Fine. You can have him.' My voice was sharp, laced with every ounce of bitterness in my heart. 'I don’t need either of you in my life.'

I stormed out of the bathroom.

Unbelievable. Just... unbelievable.

They had been doing it the whole time. Behind my back. Right in front of my face.

I felt my head spinning, my stomach churning with nausea. I needed air. Something cold. Something to snap me out of this nightmare.

As I made my way to the cafeteria, I came face-to-face with cheater number two.

André.

Just like Ashley, he stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

' Scarlett, honey, you need to hear me.'

Amazingly, I managed to keep my expression stoic as I replied, 'No need. Ashley said it all. That I was a cloud of negativity, that I drained the life out of you. If you hated being with me that much, why didn’t you just break up with me?'

His face twisted in frustration. 'Don’t believe her, she’s the one who started it. She was jealous of you, Scarlett. She did all of this just to have me because she envied what we had.' He sighed, looking at the ground. 'And yes, I admit it. I’m a scum for giving in to her, but you have to understand—I couldn't resist.'

I almost laughed. Of course. The classic excuse.

He searched my face for any sign of emotion, but I gave him nothing.

he continued, voice softening. 'I still love you. I swear, I’ll make it up to you.'

He reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder, eyes pleading.

'I still see a future for us, Scarlett. I promise—I won’t even look at anyone else ever again. Please.'

My mind replayed Victor’s words:

"When you meet that André, punch him in the face for me."

Sorry, Victor. I can’t hit him physically. But I can do something much better.

A slow smirk tugged at my lips. 'You don’t have to make it up to me, André. We’re even now.'

His brows furrowed. 'Excuse me, honey?'

I tilted my head, watching his confusion grow. Then, with a calm, almost cruel smile, I delivered the final blow.

'After I saw you and Ashley, I realized you weren’t worth it. So, I slept with someone else too.'

The color drained from his face.

Checkmate.