Chapter 2
Marissa made her way to the parking lot, slipped into the driver’s seat. and finally let the tears fall.
Jonathan’s voice still rang in her ears–sharp, cruel, unforgettable
You really think I’d fall for his niece… On Valentine’s Day…
So it was all fake. From the moment they met to when she fell in love. it had all been part of his plan.
Back after the college entrance exams. Marissa had brushed off her family’s concerns and moved to Los Angeles on her own.
She stayed after graduating, refusing to return home.
Seeing that he could not convince her otherwise. Chet sent someone to look after her. but she turned them away too.
She said she did not want a cushy life. She wanted to grow on her
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Before Jonathan ever entered the picture, she had already heard plenty about him.
His rivalry with her uncle was well known–fierce battles over clients. and market share in both Houston and Los Angeles.
However, this “uneducated troublemaker,” as her uncle called him, was the one who saved her more than once.
Their find meeting was in the garden. Out of nowhere, a group of people harreled toward her and shoved her into the lake
She could not swim so she could only fresh around helplessly, her cries for help going unheard
Jonathan was the one who done in prilled her from the water, and brought her safely ashore
Their next meeting was even more unforgettable. She had been out drinking with a client, and at some point, someone spiked her drink
By the time she was dragged toward a hotel room, barely conscious, it was Jonathan who burst in and stopped it.
That same night, overwhelmed and burning with a hazy need, she ended up sleeping with him.
And the next morning, when the finally surred awake. Jonathan was lying beside her, one hand propping up his head, gazing at her with a soft, amused smile
The man’s bare chest, marked with faint scratches, flashed through her mind like a spark
Every moment from the night before played back in her head on a loop.
Marissa ducked under the quilt, but he caught her hand and leaned in closer
“Did you fall for me the day I saved you?”
The scene left her momentarily speechless. After their brief encounter. she had not even asked who he really was
Now here they were–naked in the same bed.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Last night, you kissed me even after the drug wore off.”
He gazed into her eyes, a warm softness pouring out of his expression.
Instead, she threw herself into his arms, and they kissed again.
From that moment on, she was not alone anymore, as Jonathan was always by her side.
After more than two years together, she truly believed what they had was love.
She even planned to bring him home and meet her family, hoping she could somehow smooth over the long–standing feud between him and her uncle.
Now, it all felt like a joke. A foolish, naive dream.
Marissa did not know how long she had been crying, only that the tears had finally run dry. Just then, her phone rang.
It was Uncle Chet, the one who always cared for her most.
She forced herself to pull it together and picked up.
“Mari, how have you been lately? Your parents and I have been thinking about you,” his familiar voice said gently.
“I found a good man for you. Can you break things off with the guy in Los Angeles and come home?
“If you don’t like the one I picked, we can talk about it…”
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Hearing her uncle’s voice again brought a fresh wave of sadness that nearly overwhelmed her.
Marissa tilted her head back, taking a few deep breaths, trying to hold herself together.
“Uncle Chet, I’ll do as you say. Once I come home, I won’t leave again.”
On the other end, Chet’s voice perked up, full of emotion.
“That’s wonderful, Mari! Are you serious? Have you really broken up with him?”
Marissa did not hesitate. “Yes. We’ve broken up. It’s already over.”
Chet had always been sensitive when it came to his niece, so the change in her tone did not escape him.
“When did this happen? You were so fond of him. Did he hurt you?”
Marissa’s chest tightened as she recalled the cruel laughter, Jonathan’s voice joking about the video, and everything that had been said.
It hurt so much she could barely think.
She knew how protective her uncle was. If he found out, he would drop everything to come fight her battles for her.
However, she did not want that. She wanted to take care of it herself.
“No, Uncle Chet.”
She gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. “There are still a few things I need to wrap up here. Once I’m done, I’ll come home right away.”
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Chet gave a few reluctant words of advice before ending the call.
clearly still worried.
quetan the bathtub, lost in thought, haunted by she had just overheard
hatian–hour later, she used the notes app on her
The semething
estowly across the screen.
Ben Delete the video. Say goodbye to friends. Throw
handlingering, she would leave Los Angeles–the city that
Teatrade her of betrayal.
etings would not be easy deleting the video without
Teri follow through with his twisted plan to humiliate
skermuttered under her breath.
Busteni do gene you your gift early?”
Udaasual smug expression, eyes glinting
one over her screen. Before she could
