Chapter 3
It finally clicked.
Three years ago, he was the one who introduced me to the nightclub gig as a live singer.
Back then, my mother had just passed away. My father wanted me to come home and kept showing up in my life.
Out of spite, I blocked every way he could contact me and went to a bar to get drunk.
That was the day I met Ryan.
He thought I was just some working girl who’d run away because my family favored sons over daughters.
I thought he was an unlucky underachiever with nothing to his name.
I remembered what my mother told me before she died. Rich men are often unfaithful, so if I ever chose a man, I should
choose one without money but with a good heart.
I should never pick someone like my father, whose heart was always somewhere else.
I followed my mother’s advice and ended up with Ryan as if it were the most natural choice in the world.
I imagined us working hard together, reaching success hand in hand one day.
The reality was that he got me into a nightclub job selling drinks between sets.
Every day, I had to smile and bow to customers, Auto-added to the Library and swallow the humiliation.
He claimed he was “running business deals” but spent his days and nights indulging in luxury and vice.
Looking back now, I could only think of how foolish I had been.
“Lena, are you Mr. Sutton’s girlfriend?” someone asked.
“I heard he’s testing his girlfriend, and if she passes, she can marry into the Sutton family. Did you quit because you
passed the test and you’re about to marry into money?”
Passed the test.
How ironic.
The one who trapped me in four years of misery was Ryan.
The one who watched while customers groped me was Ryan.
The one who had his friends pretend to be customers so they could make sport of me was Ryan.
He knew perfectly well that in order to make more money, I would be pressured to drink with customers, sometimes until I threw up blood.
And he still sat in the club’s exclusive lounge with his pack of friends, watching me run in circles for their amusement.
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“King or Clown: Move aside! I’ll show you my crown!
>
The thought made me laugh through tears.
I turned away and called my father.
“Dad, I want to come home now. Will you come get me?”
He let out a long breath, answering with a single word.
“Yes.”
I had just sent him my location when I heard voices.
“Isn’t this Ryan’s drink girl? What are you doing just standing here instead of working?”
It was Ryan’s friends. Their leering eyes pinned me to the wall like I was some public disgrace.
“You promised to sell to us yesterday. Now you’re backing out and trying to dump Ryan?”
“What, you think our boy Ryan’s broke and you’re just out hunting for a rich guy?”
“Well, we have money. If you’re willing, I can give you four hundred thousand grand right now to clear your debt.”
They knew exactly who owed whom, and what they were implying.
At this point, I didn’t need to play along with their little act.
“Sorry, I don’t owe anyone four hundred thousand grand. I’ve already quit, so if you want drinks, find someone else. As for Ryan, we’ve broken up. From now on, don’t bring me anything related to him.”
I turned to leave, but a hand yanked me back.
Ryan stood there, glaring at me with fury.
“Lena, all you care about is money, isn’t it? You’re breaking up with me just so you can sell yourself to someone else? I’m so disappointed in you.”
Disappointed?
Good. I was disappointed too.
Even now, he was still acting.
Three years of my life, every ounce of my devotion and unconditional support, and I still couldn’t earn a shred of his trust.
So be it, Ryan Sutton.
Your little game of tests is over. I’m done playing.
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