Chapter 6: Provocation
1145 Words
"I still want to terminate our agreement. Believe me, I'll pay you back," Felicia declared.
Jadon let out a chilling laugh as he stepped closer. His polished shoes creaked ominously on the heavy wooden floor, each step sounding like it could crack the ground beneath him.
Taken aback by his intimidating presence, Felicia instinctively backed up until she hit the wall with a thud.
A wave of cold energy radiated from him, sending shivers up her spine.
Just as she prepared to bolt, Jadon raised his arm, slamming it against the wall and effectively trapping her between him and the wall behind her.
"Do you think I seem easy to talk to?" he asked.
He was so close that she could feel the chill of his breath on her face.
His overpowering aura shattered her of any remaining courage.
Felicia trembled. She looked away because she was unable to hold his fierce gaze.
It felt like an eternity of silence until, finally, his icy voice sliced through the tension.
"Don't forget that you signed a contract with me, and you know the consequences of breaking it."
The contract terms raced through her mind, causing her to step back instinctively.
"I'm fully aware," she replied.
"If you breach the contract, you'll pay a 20% penalty. And remember, you've taken $160,000 from me. Are you really willing to let that go and walk away from our partnership?"
The staggering amount made Felicia's heart race, but she stood her ground.
She was determined to stick to her principles no matter what.
"I'm fine with paying the penalty for breaking the contract. I'll write you an IOU. Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back."
Suddenly, Jadon sneered and gently lifted her chin with his fingers. "Oh? Do you want to pay me back? How are you planning to do that?"
It was then that Felicia realized how ridiculous her thoughts had been.
After a moment's hesitation, she bit her lip and replied, "I'm a surrogate, not your mistress."
"Didn't you actually read the contract?"
"What do you mean?" Felicia froze.
Before she could think about what he meant, he continued, "The terms of surrogacy are set by Party A. Why are you acting like it's such a surprise?"
His gaze lingered on her shiny lips, and he was momentarily taken aback by the thought of wanting to taste them again.
"If you have a girlfriend, then I guess that makes me the other woman. I don't want to be in this kind of situation."
Her big eyes filled with tears as she gasped for breath, overwhelmed with emotion.
Jadon suddenly felt a strange emotion rising within him. He found himself caring about her feelings, something he really hadn't wanted to do at all.
He quickly turned away and handed her a notebook.
"You said you wanted to write an IOU, right? Get on with it."
Felicia snapped back to reality, quickly jotting down the amount owed and the penalty before pressing her fingerprint on the page.
Once she finished, she said solemnly, "That's it. Thanks for looking out for me these past few days."
Without waiting for a reply, she put on her backpack and left the elegant old mansion behind.
Tears finally welled up in her eyes as soon as she got into the taxi, and all her pent-up emotions came rushing out.
The realization that she had sold her body to someone who had a girlfriend left her feeling completely humiliated.
Instead of heading straight home, she made her way to the hospital. She splashed cold water on her face to reduce the swelling before finally finding the courage to step into her mother's room.
It was late at night, and the room was peacefully quiet. Her mother was resting comfortably in bed, with the machines showing steady readings.
Seeing her mom in good condition, Felicia breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Jadon hadn't lied to her.
Feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders, she leaned against the bed and dozed off into a deep sleep.
The next morning, she was jolted awake by the frantic ringing of the phone.
Still half-asleep, she picked up. But as soon as she heard the voice on the other end, she instantly snapped to attention.
"I'll head back to school for class today," she said.
Felicia let out a long sigh after hanging up.
She'd been so wrapped up in the whole surrogacy mess that she completely forgot about returning to school. If she failed her assessment again, she could end up suspended.
Her mom had worked way too hard to get her into that school, and she didn't want to let her down.
After washing up, she rushed over to her mom's bedside and took her hand. "Mom, I'm off to school now," she whispered, even though her mother still hadn't woken up.
She checked the time before dashing downstairs to catch a ride to school.
Felicia rushed to the classroom while frantically flipping through her musical score to review it. She barely made a few steps before someone crashed into her, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"Watch where you're going! How dare you to have the nerve to bump into Kaitlin!" Someone said sarcastically.
Felicia blurted out without thinking, "Sorry."
Kaitlin Adams sneered when she looked down and realized it was Felicia. "Oh, look who we have here. It's the straight-A student, Felicia!"
Felicia felt herself tense up, clutching her musical score tightly as she tried to back away.
But Kaitlin's crew closed in around her.
"Why don't you say something?" Kaitlin sneered, shooting Felicia a contemptuous glare while tugging at the frayed edges of her clothes.
Kaitlin slammed Felicia against the metal locker with a sudden shove.
The sound echoed through the hallway, followed by Kaitlin's laughter.
Felicia gritted her teeth to fight through the pain. "Please let me go. I need to get to class."
As she tried to sidestep them, someone blocked her path.
Kaitlin's face contorted in disgust as she grabbed Felicia by the chin, her voice chilling. "Felicia, I told you not to take part in the art exhibition, but you didn't listen. Do you know how humiliating it is for me to be stuck in second place? It's all because of you."
Frustrated, Kaitlin suddenly threw a punch at Felicia.
Felicia ducked just in time, reacting on instinct.
Kaitlin's fist crashed into the locker instead.
Kaitlin gasped, disbelief dancing across her face as fury ignited in her eyes. "You dared to dodge?"
Felicia could only stare back at Kaitlin's furious expression, desperately scanning the area for anyone who might come to save her.
But the other students quickly looked away, fully aware that Kaitlin was the undisputed queen of bullying at school. Nobody dared to risk getting involved.
"Go get her!" Kaitlin commanded, her tone icy and full of authority.
- Writer
