Chapter 8
Chapter 8
1/3
Blair froze after being rejected so publicly.
Scarlet caught a flicker of humiliation across her face. The latter must have felt embarrassed.
Scarlet’s lips curled into a mocking smirk. She was reminded of the times she had been in that exact position.
She remembered the time when William hadn’t come home for days. She had tracked him down at a dinner party, only to hear him tell the room with a cold, casual smile.
“If I can’t marry the one I want, I might as well settle for a replacement, right?”
That was William. He could sweep one off their feet until they felt like theyy were walking on air, only to stab them in the heart without a second thought.
Scarlet’s chest tightened. She picked up a glass and looked at Lucy. “Pour me some.”
Lucy filled her glass immediately. “How is it? Good, right?”
The liquor was smooth with a rich, lingering aftertaste. Scarlet nodded. “You really do get what you pay for.”
Lucy poured her another glass and threw an arm around her shoulder. “Drink up! Alcohol is the only cure for a heavy heart.”
“Are you only this happy because you love to drink?” Scarlet asked curiously.
“No way,” Lucy said, tossing her hair. “I’m clearly this happy because I’m an idiot.”
Scarlet laughed. “At least you’re self-aware.”
But Scarlet hadn’t expected the drink to hit her quite hard. She didn’t even know when she’d passed out or where she’d ended up. She just had a vague memory of drinking with Lucy before the world went black.
When she finally woke up, her 7.00 am alarm was blaring.
Her body felt heavy and sluggish from the hangover. Too exhausted to move, she blindly reached out to find her phone. An arm reached over her and silenced the alarm before she could touch it.
Scarlet realized she was wrapped in a warm, solid embrace. Half-asleep, she looked up and saw a sharp, masculine jawline.
It was William. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was a dream.
In her daze, she hugged him tighter and buried her face in his chest. His chest was broad and warm, the muscles firm and real. The vividness of the sensation finally caused her drowsiness to fade.
She opened her eyes and stared at his throat momentarily before looking up. Her blurry eyes met William’s deep, dark gaze. He was watching her with an unreadable expression. “Comfortable?”
Scarlet snapped awake, realizing that she had been clinging to him. She figured it must have been the alcohol making her body act on instinct. The cozy feeling vanished instantly. She let go of his waist and backed away, muttering an apology,” Sorry about that.”
“You’re being very polite now. Last night, you were clinging to me so hard I couldn’t push you off. You can’t hold your liquor, yet you still tried to drink. Do you even know how you got home?” William said, glancing at her.
Scarlet could easily imagine the look of disgust he must have had on his face the night before. She gripped the blanket. “I was drunk. I didn’t mean to cling to you. If I were being a nuisance, you should have just left me with Lucy.”
“Your friend was even more wasted than you were. Or did you want me to leave you at the bar for some creep to take home?” William scoffed as he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
X CLOSE
Chapter 8
2/3
Scarlet checked her phone only to realize her alarm had been going off for a while. She was almost late for work. She rushed through her morning routine, threw on her clothes, and bolted out the door without even thinking about breakfast.
She made it to the hospital with a minute to spare and immediately dove into the shift change with the night shift doctors.
By the time she finished her rounds and grabbed a coffee from the vending machine, it was already mid-morning. That was when it hit her.
She’d forgotten to bring up the divorce again.
She had finally met William, but between being drunk last night and the rush this morning, that matter had completely slipped her mind. She tapped her forehead in frustration and took a moment to call Lucy.
Lucy sounded half-asleep. “Hello?”
“Why do you sound so weak?” Scarlet asked.
“Don’t even get me started. I don’t know which jerk brought me home last night, but they just dumped me at my front door and left. I spent the entire night sleeping on the floor!”
Lucy lived in a building with tight security and private elevator access. It was safe, but she’d woken up with a killing backache, and she was pretty sure she was coming down with a cold. She pounded on her couch in a rage. “If I ever find out who that scumbag was, I’m going to kill him!”
Scarlet stayed quiet. She had a strong suspicion the scumbag was William, but she just offered a few sympathetic words before ending the call.
Over at Bova Capital’s new office, Shaun had dropped by for a tour and to grab lunch with William.
William walked out of a conference room, followed by a line of executives in sharp suits. He caught sight of Shaun playing games on the couch and gave a quick nod. Shaun immediately shut his phone off and ran over.
“Did she get home okay last night?” William asked.
“Don’t remind me.” just thinking about it made Shaun’s blood boil.
Last night, after Scarlet and Lucy had knocked back a few too many, William had taken Scarlet and ordered Shaun to deal with Lucy.
Shaun hadn’t realized a woman could be that heavy, or that much of a nightmare when drunk. She’d puked in his car halfway home, and then he’d had to practically drag her upstairs.
When he asked for her keys, she’d guarded her bag like a hawk, screaming about being robbed and threatening to call the cops while kicking the life out of him.
“Look at what she did to me.” Shaun rolled up his pant leg to reveal several nasty purple bruises on his shins.
The nearby executives couldn’t help but chuckle. “I bet you’ve never been treated like that before, Mr. Thompson.”
“I don’t know how Scarlet ended up with such a bratty friend,” Shaun grumbled. Then he added, “At least Scarlet is a graceful
drunk.”.
William leaned back, his gaze lazy. “Who told you she was graceful?”
Shaun blinked. “Did she hit you, too?”
The executives froze, exchanging looks as if wondering if they should excuse themselves before things got too personal.
In the sudden silence, William said casually, “Not exactly.”
X CLOSE
Chapter 8
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Shaun relaxed, too. “I was going to say, she seems so quiet-”
“She took advantage of me,” William interrupted.
Both Shaun and the executives were speechless.
3/3
When Scarlet finished her shift that evening, she was surprised to see William’s Bentley parked at the hospital entrance.
For a second, she thought William had actually made time to see her. But when she got in the car, it was empty.
“Where is he?” she asked.
“Mr. Cooper has a full schedule this afternoon, but he asked me to pick you up,” the driver, Lester, said.
“Where are we going?”
“Mr. Thompson Senior has a newborn great-grandson. It’s the one-month celebration today, and Mr. Cooper wants you to accompany him.” Lester glanced in the rearview mirror. “The dress has already been ordered. Should we go for the fitting now?”
William hadn’t taken Scarlet to a private social gathering in ages. He only ever needed her for events like this, where they had to play the part of the happy couple for the public.
In reality, everyone knew he barely spent a night at home. It was all a performance.
Suddenly, Scarlet felt tired of this routine. She’d worked a full shift and was drained.
“I don’t want to go,” she said.
She had always been compliant before, so Lester was surprised by her refusal. He tried to explain the stakes. “The
Thompsons and the Coopers go back generations, and Mr. Cooper and Mr. Thompson grew up together. If you don’t show up
“What does that have to do with me?” Scarlet asked. “Just take me home.”
Lester looked panicked. “I don’t know how I am supposed to explain this to Mr. Cooper.”
Scarlet didn’t bother. She opened the door, got out of the car, and hailed a cab herself.
When she got home, she changed her clothes and went to the cat room to play. She was just settling in when the housekeeper, Ruth, came in.
“Mr. Cooper is back,” she said. “He wants you in the living room. Now.”
End of the Contract,Start of His Obsession
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