bChapter /bb321 /b

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    bI /bwas a mystery to Jared, and honestly, his change caught me off guard. Men, at heart, were gluttons for punishment–they loved being messed with, thrilled by defiance, and always thought that the things they couldn’t have were the most irresistible.

    Jared was a perfect example. If he’d stopped obsessing over me, his life might have turned out differently. Maybe he’d even be married to someone else

    now.

    Buttely, he was getting clingier to me by the day. Honestly, Jared was never on my radar because I knew I couldn’t catch him. But somehow he fell for me first, and now I couldn’t shake him off.

    I looked at the flowers Nathan sent, and my mood eased up. I wasn’t about to let guys take up too much of my time. Right now, work was my top priority.

    The hotel was running smoothly now, and I had a team of seasoned managers working for me. As long as we kept us on course, we’d break even in three years and finally turn a real profit.

    This was already the best possible scenario in the hotel industry, plenty of hotels may not even break even after five years.

    Honestly, I had to give credit to Ryan fornding those major projects, and Nathan for bringing in some solid partners. Plus, I made full use of Jared’s connections too. That was why the hotel was a smash hit from day one.

    They said wealthy women couldn’t care less if a guy texted her back or not; and honestly, I was starting to see why.

    Around nine that night, I finished up a meeting with a few of my managers and decided to head home.

    It was already past ten when I got home, and Yvonne had sent me a few photos. Her tiny hand was hooked up to an IV, a hospital band strapped on, and a little blood was seeping back around the needle. She looked so miserable.

    “Hang in there, Yvonne. You’re a tough girl now,” I replied, trying to cheer her up.

    Yvonne immediately sent me a voice message, her voice low and secretive, like she was sneaking it past someone. “Mom, Grandma says you’re going to

    work in Shaville. Is that true?”

    I didn’t want to hide it from her, so I said gently, “Yes, it’s true.”

    Yvonne started sniffling quietly. “Does that mean I won’t get to see you again?”

    “Of course not,” I reassured her. “Hachester isn’t far from Shaville. You cane visit me whenever you’re not in school.”

    She stopped crying and mumbled, “Okay. i won’t talk anymore. Grandma’sing, and she doesn’t like me keeping in touch with you.”

    That made things clear–Sally was trying ito /idrive a wedge between me and Yvonne. She’d probably cast me as the viin, feeding Yvonne all sorts of lies

    to make her resent me.

    It didn’t matter anymore. If Yvonne ended up ignoring my feelings just like in my previous life, maybe it was time I truly moved on.

    I took a shower, yed some Englysian speaking practice in the background, made myself a cup of coffee and sipped it slowly.

    Like they said, a quiet mind could cure all kinds of troubles, and a peaceful heart could handle any worries. I figured it was time to start living by that philosophy.

    That night, I didn’t bother to message Nathan. He didn’t hit me up either. It was like we had an unspoken agreement; not a word to each other for two days straight.

    I figured Nathan was upset, just like Jared predicted. Now he was protesting me hugging Jared by giving me the cold shoulder.

    The silent treatment? Honestly, I bwas /bpretty good bat /bthat myself. Even two months wouldn’t faze me, not to mention only 2 days.

    08:52 Sat, 23 Aug Mi

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    +23

    On the third morning, it was barely 7:30 when my doorbell rang. I was already up, in the middle of my yoga routine. When I heard the bell, I padded over and found Nathan standing outside my door.

    I opened up, and Nathan just froze, his eyes glued to me like he’d forgotten ihow /ito blink. I was wearing a yoga outfit that showed off my body contours, leaving little to the imagination.

    For a second, Nathan looked like he’d nked out. And then he remembered the breakfast in his hand and awkwardly lifted it up. “I brought you breakfast. Have you eaten yet?”