David’s POV:
I took the opportunity and took Cathy to an empty box nearby. I could see that she was frightened. Her
face was pale, and her body was trembling.
What was more, her clothes were ruffled, and her beautifully coiled hair was now disheveled over her
shoulders. Not only that, fear was written all over her pretty face.
I patted her on the head comfortingly. “It’s all right now. There’s nothing to be scared of anymore.”
Cathy pointed at my hand. “Y-you’re bleeding…” she said with a trembling voice.
I lowered my gaze to look at my hand and shook my head indifferently as if the wound did not even
hurt. I then looked her in the eye and solemnly said, “Let’s get married.”
Cathy looked at me in astonishment.
“I said, let’s get married,” I repeated, seeing that she was in a daze.
“Is it because we slept together once?” Cathy shook off my hand and continued, “We were both drunk
that night. It was an accident.”
“I don’t care if it was just an accident or not. I have to be responsible for you. So, let’s get married.”
“I refuse,” Cathy said flatly. If it were other girls, they would have been ecstatic. She, however, did not
seem amused by my proposal.
Although I was disappointed with her response, I did not show it. “Give me a reason why we shouldn’t
get married. You’d better not tell me a lame excuse like you’re poor and I’m rich and that we’re not
meant to be together. In my eyes, family background is merely additional decoration to one’s
characters. I don’t really care about it.”
Cathy pondered for a moment and then answered, “You’re too old for me.”
“Hey! I’m just eight years older than you.” I did not know whether to laugh or cry. I must admit, I was not
expecting that answer.
“Eight years is big enough an age gap. My mother won’t let me be with someone much older than me.”
As soon as Cathy finished speaking, she shook off my hand, opened the door, and left. Of course, I
hurriedly went out and tried to catch up with her.
“Do you propose to every girl you sleep with?” Cathy scoffed when I finally caught up with her.
I was dumbfounded. Truth be told, that night was the first time I had had sex. However, being a virgin
was not something one should brag about, especially when you were old. How could I tell her that I
was a virgin until that night?
Cathy was a waitress in the bar, so she knew the place very well. Although I tried to follow her closely, I
eventually lost her.
I returned to the box dejectedly. Fortunately, Charles and Spencer arrived not long after to accompany
me.
Spencer looked around as soon as he entered the room. Seeing that I was alone, he looked at me with
pity and asked, “Where is she?”
“She ran away,” I briefly answered, not in the mood for a chat.
Spencer was taken aback. “Ran away? Pfft. It turns out that you’re not as charming as I expected. I
thought she’d be grateful for your help and agree to be with you.”
I sighed helplessly. “She thinks I’m too old for her.”
For a moment, Spencer was quiet. But, all of a sudden, he burst into laughter.He laughed so hard that
he clutched his stomach as his insides hurt.
“Damn! I can’t believe that you’re actually robbing the cradle!”
I kicked him in annoyance. “Don’t go too far.”
“Why not? It’s hilarious! Let me laugh a little longer!” Spencer collapsed on the sofa from laughing too
hard.
I was at a loss for words as I watched him laugh and cry at the same time. For a second, I doubted if
he was really my friend.
Only Charles seemed to notice my wound. He kicked Spencer on the shin and ordered, “Stop it. Deal
with his wound first.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll call Vivian.” Spencer did as told, but he still had not stopped laughing.
Vivian arrived a few moments later. She poured alcohol all over my wound to disinfect it. My wound
stung and I frowned.
But strangely… why did I not feel any pain earlier?
“Hold on. The wound is a little deep.” Vivian carefully treated my wound. Her hands were so light that I
could barely feel what she was doing.
“Charles, why’d you come so late? You just missed the chance to fight alongside me. Don’t you feel
any remorse?” I asked teasingly while enduring the dull pain in my wound.
Spencer rested his feet on the table and grumbled, “Cut the crap. You ran away with the girl and left me
to fight alone.”
Sure enough, he looked as though he had just gotten into a fight. His shirt was unbuttoned, and he had
several bruises on his body. He looked like a gangster.
Meanwhile, Charles took a sip of wine. Unlike the two, he was unscathed. “You two are weak. It’s
embarrassing to fight side by side with you. I’d rather video chat with Scarlett than fight with you.”
I stared daggers at Charles and gritted my teeth in indignation. “You really can’t resist the urge to gloat
about your love life any chance you get, can you?”
Charles chuckled. “Really? Well, I just can’t find a reason to avoid you. You’re my friends, after all.”
Spencer was dissatisfied with Charles as well. “Next time you quarrel with Scarlett, I’ll definitely laugh
at you in your face. No, that won’t be enough. I’ll post your problem online, so thousands of people will
laugh at you as well.”
Charles looked at Spencer with narrowed eyes, “Go ahead. But I’ll be sure to issue a lonely hearts ad
for you first.”
Spencer immediately raised his arms as if to surrender.
“You know what? Let’s stop fighting. We’re friends! Anyway, come on. Let’s drink and forget that we’ve
just said. I’d like to propose a toast for all of us.”
The three raised their glasses and clinked them with one another. With that, they drank up the alcohol
to drown their sorrows.
Scarlett’s POV:
I got up early today. I was full of excitement as I would finally see Charles after a long time.
In fact, I spent thirty minutes just choosing the perfect outfit for today. In the end, I settled with a cotton
dress that Charles had bought for me.
I combed up my hair and put on delicate makeup. I wanted to look stunning when I finally got to see
Charles.
Once I was all dolled up, I sat down on the sofa in the living room and waited for him. However, about
an hour later, he still had not arrived. I was starting to get worried. He had never been late to anything.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Excited, I stood up at once. Meanwhile, Janet followed and reminded me, “Mrs. Moore, watch your
step.”
I walked to the door anxiously. Before I opened the door, I took a deep breath and turned to Janet.
“Is my makeup okay? Is my hair fine? Does my lipstick look good and not smudged?”
Janet smiled. “You look stunning.”
I opened the door excitedly, only to be disappointed in the end. Instead of seeing Charles outside the
door, what I saw was a package.
I frowned in confusion. I was not expecting any package today. Besides, who would send me that?
Janet stepped out, took the package in, and closed the door behind her.
Then, she put the package in front of me and reassured me, “Mr. Moore should be here soon. Would
you like to check the package first?”
I nodded in response. I opened the box, and my eyes widened in shock with what I saw. Inside the box
were several photos in it, including photos of a contract with the signatures of Nate and my father.
I put the photos aside, and I noticed that there was also a flash drive in the box.
“I’m going upstairs. Call me when Charles arrives.” I took flash drive with me and went upstairs.
I returned to my room. For a moment, I contemplated whether or not I should check the contents of the
flash drive. In the end, I decided to do it.
I plugged it into my computer and found that it only contained a recording. Without further ado, I put on
my headphones and played the audio.
It sounded like two people were talking. One was Nate, and the other voice sounded as if it had been
processed.
“Wish us success.” That was the last thing I heard. But even when the recording was over, I remained
in a daze. It took me a moment before I regained my comp
I stared at the computer screen, lost in thought. I felt as though my heart was torn apart because of
what I had just heard.
While I was in deep thought, my phone vibrated. I took a look at it and found that Charles was calling.
I could not make my mind if I should answer it. In the end, I did not.I stared at my laptop and recalled
the audio I had just listened to. I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach at the thought of them.
If all this was true, how could I face Charles?
All of a sudden, a sharp pain shot across my heart and belly.
I curled up on the ground in pain. My vision was becoming hazy, and I felt that I was spiraling into the
darkness little by little.
“Scarlett…”
I heard someone call my name.
It sounded like Charles, and he was anxious.
The next second, the darkness completely devoured me.
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