Chapter 2
667 Words
I stared at this familiar stranger. My chest ached.
I grew up without a mother. My father, Joseph Wood, was a businessman through and through. To him, everything came down to profit.
I was raised from childhood to become a bargaining chip in a marriage alliance.
To rebel against him, I turned myself into a notorious heartbreaker.
I drifted from one man to another. But I never gave anyone my heart.
Until I met Stev.
He once ran through several blocks in pouring rain just to buy me hot soup.
He gave me every dollar he'd earned from hard labor.
When my period cramps got bad, he'd stay up all night massaging my stomach with his rough, calloused hands.
I thought I'd finally met a man who loved me for who I was. A man who didn't care about my background.
Turns out... It was all a carefully staged scam.
"You're an incredible actor." I sneered.
"Thanks. You didn't exactly lose out, though. The emotional support I gave you these past few months would've cost a fortune if you'd hired some pretty boy at a club."
Steven spoke casually. But every word stabbed like a knife.
"Once the engagement with the Wood family is announced next month, I'll transfer twenty thousand dollars into your account. Call it compensation for your hard work."
Twenty thousand.
One bracelet on my wrist cost more than that.
What did he think I was? Some cheap escort?
"You're certainly generous."
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my skin.
"Oh, stop making that face."
Seeing me silent, Steven leaned closer. He pinched my chin, forcing me to look at him.
"I actually do like you. You're obedient and sweet. You don't cause drama."
His voice softened again, dangerously seductive.
"Even after I get married, you can stay by my side. As long as you're a good girl, I'll make sure you're taken care of for the rest of your life."
Carrot and stick.
He thought he controlled everything. He thought I couldn't leave him.
"So you'd like me to be your accessory?" I asked.
"You could put it that way."
Steven let go of me, pulled out a bank card, and slid it across the table.
"The PIN is your birthday. Go buy some decent clothes. Stop wearing this cheap stuff. It's embarrassing."
The disgust in his tone wasn't even hidden.
I stared at the card. Then I smiled.
"Steven, you're going to regret this."
"Regret?" He laughed. "I'll never."
Steven stood up and looked down at me.
"I've got somewhere to be. I'm meeting the eldest daughter of the Wood family. No point dragging this out. Take a cab home."
Then he turned around and left without another glance.
I sat alone at the noisy barbecue stand, watching his figure disappear into the night.
The last bit of hurt and resentment inside me finally faded away.
I thought, 'Steven. You have no idea. The eldest daughter of the Wood family you've been dying to impress has been sitting right in front of you this whole time.'
I tossed the bank card into a pile of shrimp shells and paid the bill.
Back at the apartment we'd rented together, I started packing.
Honestly, there wasn't much worth taking. Everything here had been bought to fit my "poor girlfriend" persona.
I opened the closet and stuffed every cheap outfit into garbage bags.
At the very bottom sat a black velvet box, I'd found it by accident before.
Steven told me it contained a fake luxury watch he'd bought at a street market to suck up to his boss.
Now I knew better. It was a genuine Patek Philippe worth over a million dollars.
I let out a cold laugh and tossed the box into the trash.
I couldn't stand staying in this dump for another second.
Pulling out my phone, I called my assistant.
"Send a car and prepare an outfit for tomorrow. I want the most over-the-top look possible."
- Writer
