EPISODE10:- THE PRICE OF PRIDE
724 Words
The basketball court behind the university glowed under the fading evening sun.
Orange light bounced off the backboards as a few students finished their game, laughter echoing in the distance.
Leo sat alone on the bleachers, his backpack beside him, sketching something on a crumpled sheet — a design idea for one of his quiet projects, a plan for a better cleaning system he’d been building in his spare time.
The rhythmic sound of heels on concrete broke his focus.
He looked up — Layla Beaumont was walking toward him, her long ponytail swaying, and her guard a few steps behind.
She stopped in front of him, arms crossed, chin slightly lifted.
“You. Janitor boy,” she said, her voice sharp but calm.
Leo blinked. “You mean Leo?”
“I mean you,” she replied smoothly. “I’ve been thinking about you.”
“That doesn’t sound comforting,” he said quietly.
Layla tilted her head, studying him. “You seem… obedient. Quiet. Unimportant. The kind of person who follows orders without asking questions.”
Leo frowned but said nothing.
She continued, pulling out a slim envelope from her purse. “I need someone to carry my backpack between classes. My driver says it’s not part of his job, and my friends are too busy to bother. I’ll pay you.”
He stared at her, not sure he’d heard right. “Pay me? To carry your bag?”
“Yes,” she said proudly. “A thousand dollars a week.”
Leo let out a low laugh — not mocking, but weary. “You’d really pay that much just so you don’t have to hold your own things?”
Layla shrugged. “Money exists to make life easier. And people like you exist to make it happen.”
Her bodyguard stood silently behind her, expression unreadable.
Leo stood up slowly, looking her directly in the eyes — calm, steady, unflinching.
“I appreciate the offer,” he said, “but I think you’ll have to carry your own weight this time.”
Layla’s confidence faltered for a heartbeat. “Do you have any idea what kind of opportunity I just gave you?”
“I do,” he said. “And that’s why I’m saying no.”
He slung his bag over his shoulder and started walking away.
“Don’t pretend you’re too proud to take my money!” she called after him.
He turned slightly, his expression soft but firm. “You mistake dignity for pride, Miss Beaumont. I don’t need your charity — I already work for what I earn.”
Layla’s lips parted, but no words came. He left the court without looking back.
Her guard coughed softly. “Miss Beaumont?”
She waved him off, irritated. “Forget it. He’s a fool.”
But as she stared at the envelope in her hand, her chest tightened with something unfamiliar — respect, or maybe confusion.
Later that evening, the same basketball court buzzed with gossip.
Isabella Monroe arrived with Naomi and Julian, her heels tapping sharply as she spotted Layla sitting alone on the bench.
“Well, if it isn’t the Beaumont princess,” Isabella said sweetly. “You handled Leo perfectly today. That was classic.”
Layla didn’t look up. “Do I know you?”
Isabella blinked. “We’ve met in class. I’m Isabella Monroe.”
Layla sighed, finally glancing at her. “Oh right — the one who keeps talking about that janitor boy.”
Isabella’s smile twitched. “We used to date. I just thought we could—”
Layla stood, cutting her off. “No offense, Miss Monroe, but I don’t really do friendships outside my circle. I keep company with people who don’t have to explain their bank balance.”
Isabella’s expression hardened. “Excuse me?”
Layla adjusted her diamond pin and gave a cool smile. “You’re excused.”
Then she walked away, her guard following like a shadow.
Isabella stood frozen for a moment, her face burning as Naomi whispered, “Did she just—?”
“Yes,” Isabella snapped. “She did.”
She forced a smile, but behind her eyes, anger simmered.
Layla Beaumont might have humiliated Leo today, but Isabella decided she would make sure both of them paid for it eventually.
- Writer
