She’s very timid. Don’t be nice.”
<
Ace chuckled, “Timid?”
The guy was about to say something, but Ace
said coolly, “She’s coming back.”
“All right, but don’t get too into it,” the guy
said. “Like Chase, he doesn’t want to get
married, causing trouble.”
I put the sweets down and turned to leave.
So Ace was faking the injury.
That was why Liam scoffed on the phone.
They were talking about Chase refusing to get
married.
I perked up.
Liam wanted me to talk to Chase to get him to
get married?
That would mean he would give me money!
I liked these guys.
They were spoiled, but they gave me money.
When I got to Liam’s office, I said, “Hi, Liam, it
is good to see you today.
Then I saw Chase on the couch.
I stopped talking and backed away. “I’m sorry.
Keep going.”
I turned around.
“You never liked me,” Chase said.
I stopped walking.
I looked at Liam. “Sir, say something.”
Liam sipped his coffee.
Chase grabbed the cup and threw it on the
floor.
The shattered glass cut Chase’s hand, the
blood flowing to the ground.
“You put her next to me. She’s just a pawn.”
Liam stared at him. “You liked it.”
Chase looked at me, rage in his eyes. “You
liked me? It was all a lie.”
He clenched his fist, his veins popping.
The worry was a lie. The sweet words were a
lie. The admiration was a lie.
Chase relaxed his fist and curled his lips up.
“Why would you be mad at someone that you
never cared about?”
<
“That’s it,” Liam said, wiping his hands, “Get married. Don’t worry your parents.”
77
“You want me to get married?” Chase asked, looking at me.
I looked at Liam and said, “That would be great…”
Chase glared at me.
I stopped. “It would not be great. Brittany would be sad.”
I don’t know what to say to people anymore.
I said, “Is Ace still under my care?”
“No,” Liam said.
I nodded and breathed out, “It was nice
knowing you.”
<
1:18
As I was closing the door, Chase said, “Don’t
go.”
I paused.
Chase looked at my eyes and said, “Don’t go,
Sophia.”
The door closed.
9
Everyone knew I had lied to Chase.
They thought Chase would kill me.
They texted me.
77
One of the socialite sent me: “You are so brave.
You should leave the country so Chase would
not kill you. I have money if you needed.”
She’s so rich.
r
I am already rich so I declined her.
I played, ate, and made a few investments.
Liam had Chase take an investing class with a specialist.
I coaxed Chase to go.
Chase was sleeping while I tried to learn something.
I was excited.
I booked a class with the specialist after the job
was done.
Then I saw Liam on stage.
Was the specialist Liam?
Would he think I was trying to see him?
I covered half of my face.
He was good, I liked his voice.
I sat up straight.
I didn’t know that there was a wheelchair
beside me.
When it was done, Ace said, “He must be a
good speaker because you listened so closely.
I jumped, and asked, “What are you doing
here?”
Ace grinned, “You’re not my nurse anymore. I
came here to rehire you.”
I said, “I have enough money.”
The investments were going so well that I didn’t
have to be a horse.
Г
“And,” I punched Ace in the arm.
He paused and said, “What?”
He was still pretending.
I frowned and knocked over the wheelchair.
Ace stood up, didn’t fall.
We looked at each other. “Chase didn’t hurt
you, you’re okay, you don’t have to bother me
anymore.”
Then Liam walked up.
He scanned me and Ace and said, “You guys
are so active.”
“He was good, you were very professional.”
Maybe it was because of the way I called him.
Liam glanced at the file I held and asked, “Do
you want to invest in this?”
I looked down and said, “There are a lot of
problems with this.”
Ace read it.
Liam said, “You’re not too stupid.”
My store was opening downtown so I was going
to go to the location.
I said, “See you, Ace,” I nodded to Liam, “I’ll see
you later, sir.”
I realized Liam was still there when I got to the
car.
I froze.
“I always thought you were smart,” Liam said,
touching his cuff “Anyone that can not money
<
touching his cuff, “Anyone that can get money
from Chase and I must be smart.”
I chuckled.
He looked up. “You gave money to The
Sapphire Club manager?”
I looked up.
I laughed. “You know.”
I heard that the manager was gathering girls‘
information to send to Liam so I sent all the
money I had to the manager.
I knew that the manager had a sister in the
hospital.
“I like money,” Liam said.
I smiled, “I know. Goodbye, sir.”
<
I got in the car and Liam got in the passenger
seat.
I was silent. “Sir, is your driver okay?”
He squinted. “Does this seem familiar?”
10
I lied to two brothers when I was a kid.
I was eating a bun near the trash when that
happened.
The neighbors felt sorry for me but I didn’t
care.
I saw a boy who was about ten years old.
He looked rich.
He gave the ghetto the side–eye.
I turned my head.
I threw the bun away and cried in the corner.
No one cared until I looked up.
