Four Men Crave My Love

Chapter 2 Do You Want Revenge?

In the dim haze, I found myself back home, in my old two-bedroom vintage house.

As I pushed open the back door, I saw my mother grilling on the lawn while my father was sitting in a folding chair with a beer in hand.

"Jolene, welcome home." They turned and greeted me warmly.

I ran toward them, filled with joy, until a car suddenly sped into the yard, striking my father and leaving a trail of blood.

"No!" I screamed, helplessly watching as my mother clutched his body, crying.

A fierce wind rose, and waves poured down from the sky, flooding the yard and carrying my parents away.

"Mom! Dad!" I tried to swim toward them, desperate to save them.

My mother looked back, her face streaked with tears. "Jolene, you have to live on!"

With that, they were swallowed by the waves.

The water vanished, leaving me sprawled on solid ground, gasping, my parents gone without a trace.

Ahead, a beam of light broke through, and I crawled toward it, pulling myself forward with everything I had...

When I opened my eyes, I could just make out an IV drip through my blurred vision. Then I realized that it was only a nightmare.

I lay weakly on a hospital bed, struggling to breathe. My bones throbbed with pain, and my muscles were locked in spasms as the machines beside me beeped with urgency.

Footsteps pounded down the hall, and a group of doctors rushed in.

"The patient's condition is critical! Prep for another resuscitation!"

My consciousness slipped away once more.

'Am I... dying? No! I can't die like this! I have to live, to clear my parents' names, and to make my enemies pay. I can't die now!'

When I finally woke again, the calendar on the wall showed over a month had passed since I'd fallen.

A nurse entered, pushing a cart. When she saw me, her face lit up with a smile, and she called out, "Mr. Howard! The patient is awake!"

'Howard? Who's that?'

A man in a black shirt and trousers walked in, tall and striking, his long hair flowing as he moved. His features were so captivating, a mesmerizing blend of angelic and devilish traits.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice as gentle as I had imagined it to be. "You're tougher than I expected."

"Mr. Howard, did you save me?" My voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper.

"Of course. Taking you wasn't easy." He sat on the sofa by my bed with a faint smile. "So, how will you repay me?"

"Thank you," I replied tearfully, closing my eyes. "But I have nothing left."

The image of my parents' deaths flashed through my mind. I hadn't even been able to give them a proper burial, and survival had nearly cost me everything.

"The life you once had is gone," he stated calmly. "Will you just hide in fear forever?"

'Forget my parents' deaths? Live as someone else and leave this cruel place behind? Absolutely not.'

"No." I forced myself to sit up. "Why should those who cause harm walk free while the victims cower in hiding?"

He seemed delighted, his smile widening. "Then, Jolene, do you want revenge?"

With tears streaming down, I laughed, a glimmer of hope in my eyes. "What would you want me to do?"

"Let's play a game, one where we both get what we want."

*****

Three years later, in Wenlon, the industry networking event was in full swing at Deevey Hotel. The grand hall was alive with chatter as industry elites and investors exchanged words.

I stood in the crowd, draped in a sleek black dress with a vintage hat and a thin veil over my face.

A few middle-aged men, rotund and smug, surrounded me, assessing me as if I were a piece of merchandise.

"Jolene, you founded Brightline Group at such a young age, attracting top-tier perfumers and raking in awards. How much did you sacrifice to get here?" One of them sneered, brushing his glass near my ear.

I smiled politely. "David, if you had offered better compensation, maybe they'd have joined you instead. Awards are a team effort built on trust and hard work."

David smirked. "Too bad I'm not a beautiful young woman like you, able to have men eating out of my hand both on and off the bed."

I looked him dead in the eye, unflinching. "Is that so, David? Have you seen me in bed with them?"

My bluntness left an awkward silence in its wake.

Another man tried to smooth things over, patting my waist suggestively. "David, that's too much. Jolene isn't one to entertain just any man."

He feigned sympathy, slipping his hand to my waist as he added, "Perhaps you'd consider me instead? I know all the top brands here in Wenlon."

"I have another meeting," I said, glancing at my watch and pouring my champagne into a trash can.

Behind me, I heard them murmur, "How does she manage this success abroad so quickly? She must be sleeping around. She was just a powerless orphan. Who does she think she is?"

"Now, her little flings can't protect her here. Let's see how long she holds that smug look!"

"She acts like she's a royal heiress. It's laughable."

"Speaking of heiresses, Sarah Davis is here. She's an internationally acclaimed perfumer now..."

I followed their gaze to see Sarah standing proudly among the crowd, her elegance drawing every eye in the room.

No one dared stand too close. Their gazes were a mixture of awe and respect.

A striking young man in a blue suit was by her side. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it affectionately.

"You're the brightest star here tonight," he said with a smile.

Others nodded in agreement. "Wenlon's finest, no one can match your brilliance, Sarah!"

My old enemy, adored in the light, surrounded by admiration, while I stood in shadows, dismissed and objectified.

'Would she, in her world of praise and fame, ever remember the kind-hearted couple she killed? Would nightmares haunt her at night, depriving her of rest? No. Monsters don't feel guilt.'

My hatred must have radiated across the room because, suddenly, Sarah's gaze locked onto mine.

From a few paces away, I couldn't be sure if she could recognize me through the veil.

In the next instant, her body stiffened, her eyes deep with venom, and she strode toward me, step by step.