Chapter 3
1014 Words
This pair of emerald earrings was a gift from Richard, the young master of the Dalton family.
Funny how things work out, actually.
I never would've met Richard if it wasn't for Ethan.
After Ethan came home from the battlefield, he took a long break.
When he finally went back to work, he was a totally different person.
He refused to interview ordinary folks and wouldn't take behind-the-scenes work.
"I'm a war correspondent who's survived a hail of bullets. You want me to interview sanitation workers? Are they even worthy of my time?"
Ever since cheating death on the battlefield, he'd grown convinced he was above everyone else.
Little did he know the world had changed drastically.
I knew all too well his stubborn, mule-headed temper. I grabbed a gift and headed over to visit our furious supervisor to smooth things over.
I drank until I suffered a gastric hemorrhage at business banquets, forcing hollow smiles nonstop, all to land him a job.
But even that wasn't enough for those bosses.
They grinned that sleazy, knowing grin and pointed toward the swimming pool not far away.
"Jump in. Give us a little show to liven the party up."
Goosebumps broke out all over my body just looking at those sleazy grins.
I knew exactly what this meant. Once I jumped in, things would change for the worse and spiral out of control fast.
I wanted to run so badly, but I'd drunk so much I had no strength left in my whole body.
I could only stand there frozen, helpless, as Ethan's bosses reached out to grope me.
That's when a cold, sharp voice cut through the room out of nowhere.
Before I could even process what was happening, strong arms hauled me up and into his embrace, and a hard punch landed square on one of the creep's jaws.
"What kind of man picks on a defenseless woman?
"Tell the station manager to come see me tomorrow."
I blinked the fuzz out of my eyes and realized the man who'd just rescued me was none other than Richard, the Dalton family's youngest son.
Everyone in Marinford knew how powerful the Dalton family was, and no one dared mess with them.
Sure enough, that creep got fired the very next day. And Ethan got to keep his job.
I went straight to Richard's place to thank him in person. But before I could even get the words out, he confessed to me. I was so shocked I dropped the thank-you gift right out of my hands.
"Miss Cooper, you're really incredible. All those men ganged up on you at that dinner, and you still answered every one of them perfectly. I couldn't take my eyes off you.
"So this is what love at first sight feels like, huh?"
Richard never beat around the bush. He started waiting for me outside my office building every single day, showing up with flowers and gifts nonstop.
I turned him down flat, told him I already had a fiancé.
He just scratched the back of his neck.
"Huh. Okay, that's a little annoying."
I figured his crush would fizzle out after a few days.
That was before he gave me the emerald earrings.
They were a family heirloom, passed down to the Dalton family for their future daughter-in-law.
It was way too precious a gift. I couldn't possibly accept it.
I was just planning to find a chance to give them back to him when Ethan beat me to it and gave them straight to Helen.
"He... he gave the earrings away to someone else," I said carefully, my voice soft over the phone.
Richard didn't sound the least bit worried on the other end of the line.
"It's no big deal."
The heavy stone that had been sitting in my chest finally dropped when I heard those words.
I made up my mind right then and there.
I was cutting all ties with Ethan, for good.
I headed straight to the company the same day to hand in my resignation.
The second I stepped through the office doors, though, I could feel everyone staring at me like I was some kind of freak. Their glances were so wrong, so loaded.
I brushed it off, figuring the weird vibes were just because I'd sprung my resignation on everyone out of nowhere.
That lasted until that male coworker who'd always had it out for me opened his big mouth.
"Well, well. Looks like the rumors are true after all. You climbed your way into a rich man's bed, and now you think you're too good for this dump, huh?
"Putting on that whole holier-than-thou act to everyone's face, but I bet you were screaming your throat raw behind closed doors, weren't you?"
I was completely blindsided. I had zero clue what he was going on about, but hot rage still coiled in my chest so fast it made my hands shake.
The folder I was clutching was already halfway out of my hand, ready to slam right into his stupid face.
But a second later, another coworker grabbed my arm to stop me.
They pulled out their phone and shoved the screen right in front of my face to show me the news.
There it was, blazing bright on the top trending page, my full name, front and center.
The headline read:
#WhoistheSugarDaddyofTopFinancialConsultantStellaCooper?
Every single word printed in that article stabbed into my chest like countless red-hot needles.
It claimed I'd been a kept woman for ages, that every single thing I had right now I'd earned on my back.
The comment section had already blown completely out of control, full of garbage.
All that filthy, vulgar abuse made my scalp prickle so bad.
My eyes went so blurry I could barely make out the words anymore.
I just stared at the screen numb all over, my brain completely frozen. I couldn't process a single thing.
Then the coworker next to me leaned in and whispered the final blow.
"This story... your boyfriend Ethan sold it to the press."
- Writer
