Chapter10
He knew exactly how to turn on the charm. Right now, the way he was looking at Mona, you’d think she was a priceless treasure.
“Mona,” he said, “do you. hate me?”
“I don’t,” she said, thinking. ‘He isn’t even worth hating.‘
Eldon gave a small smile. “That’s good. Liza’s always been pampered–she’s delicate, not strong like you. If she had gone to prison, she wouldn’t have survived. That’s why we decided it was best if you took the fall. But now you’re out, and whatever you want in return, just say the word.”
He thought he had her all figured out. ‘What could she possibly want. besides marrying me?”
She’d gone to jail for Liza. Now that she was out, if she asked to marry him, even the Morse family couldn’t object.
“We owe you,” he said, voice gentle, “and we’re ready to take responsibility for the rest of your life.”
Eldon braced himself for her to cry, to throw herself into his arms, to whisper that she still loved him, that she wanted to spend forever together, to marry him.
He even spread his arms, ready for her to fall into them.
But Mona didn’t move.
She just looked at him. That look–cold, ironic, and full of disdain–was like watching a clown on stage.
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For a split second, Eldon froze. ‘What the hell? Mona is looking at me like that?‘ he thought.
“Mona… so you do hate me,” he said, stepping forward again to hug her.
Mona raised a hand to block him and glanced toward the doorway, “Your little darling’s here.‘
Eldon turned around.
At some point, Liza had appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were red from crying, but she hadn’t made a sound.
Her perfectly manicured fingers were clamped so tightly onto the doorframe that several of her nails had bent backward. Blood was
dripping from her fingertips.
“Eldon,” she said in a trembling voice, “if you love Mona, I’m willing to step aside. I’m not even my parents‘ biological child. They raised me–that wasn’t easy. If I have to sacrifice something for them, then. so be it.”
And with that, she fluttered her eyes shut and collapsed slowly to the
floor.
Eldon rushed forward and caught her in his arms.
He looked up at Mona accusingly. “You knew she was here. You pretended you didn’t want to marry me just to bait me into being affectionate–so she’d get upset. Didn’t you?”
Mona looked straight at him. “Eldon, do you know what it was like when I first got locked up? I was so scared I couldn’t sleep or eat. I fainted and went down hard–smashed my head, cracked a tooth, my lips were swollen for two weeks. Not like her, collapsing gently into someone’s arms like some tragic heroine.”
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She stepped closer, voice razor–sharp. “That ridiculous performance? So fake it’s embarrassing. And you–you know it’s fake, but still have the nerve to turn around and blame me.”
She locked eyes with him. “What do you think you are, Eldon? You think I’d be jealous over you? When I loved you, you were everything to me. But now? You’re nothing. Take your precious sweetheart–and get out.”
She slammed the door in his face, cutting off the melodrama outside like slamming shut a book she’d long since finished reading.
The basement room had no windows. With the door sealed, the air grew heavy and stifling.
Mona forced herself to breathe deeply, steadying her pulse. ‘Revenge isn’t something you rush. It’s something you serve cold. I would wait. I would be patient,‘ she thought.
From the other side of the door, Eldon’s voice came again. “Mona, you’ve gone too far. If you keep acting like this, I’m not marrying you!!
“Scram,” she shot back. ‘He really doesn’t seem to understand plain speech,‘ she thought.
A few seconds later, she heard his footsteps leaving.
Only then did Mona sit down to plan her next move: job hunting.
She’d been out of the world for three years. She wasn’t sure if those popular nightclubs from back then were still around. But it was worth a
try.
Early the next morning, she set out on foot, walking for nearly an hour.
She finally arrived at a nightclub, where a sign out front read: Now Hiring Bunny Girls
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Mona had the looks. The floor manager took one glance at her and hired her on the spot.
It was a temp job–100 dollars a day, tips depending on performance.
As night fell, the club filled up quickly.
Mona and a few other young women were assigned to a VIP room.
Tonight’s guests were important. The boss had emphasized: serve them well, give them whatever they ask for.
As for the angry red lash mark on her back? Everyone just assumed it was makeup. This kind of “broken beauty” look was trendy these days.
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