Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
DYLAN\u00a0<\/p>\n
94\u00a0<\/p>\n
I woke up early, dragging myself out of bed despite the weight pressing down on my chest. Every movement felt sluggish, like my body was resisting the day ahead. I forced myself to get ready, pulling my hair into simple ponytail and slipping into comfortable clothes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But no matter how much I tried to go through the motions, I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that this job wasn\u2019t right for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Diane\u2019s words from yesterday echoed in my mind. How she said I wasn\u2019t qualified enough for a higher pay rate despite my professional experience. How she acted like she was doing me a favor, like she was tossing me scraps now that I was no longer Beckett\u2019s wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should\u2019ve seen it coming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
People like Diane weren\u2019t friends with me\u2013they were friends with Beckett\u2019s wife. And now that I was no longer that person, I was nothing more than a charity case to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did I really need to put myself through this? Did I have to swallow my pride and accept this humiliation just because I needed money?\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fingers hovered over my phone. I was about to call Diane to tell her I wasn\u2019t going to take the job when a sharp, aggressive knock echoed through the small apartment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nobody knew we lived here. My parents had been careful about keeping our whereabouts under the radar, especially after everything that happened. Had they mentioned someone coming over? I tried to recall, but nothing came to mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The knock came again, louder this time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cautiously, I approached the door and cracked it open only to be met with the sight of a middle\u2013aged woman glaring at me like I\u2019d personally offended her just by existing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her hands were on her hips, her mouth already twisted into a sneer. I didn\u2019t even have a chance to say anything before she barked out, \u201cWho are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice was deliberately loud, like she wanted the entire neighborhood to hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tensed, glancing around nervously. The last thing I needed was unwanted attention. \u201cHey, old lady. Would you please keep your voice down?\u201d I said it before I could stop myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her face darkened instantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh. Bad move, Dylan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOld lady?\u201d she spat. \u201cHow dare you call me old lady? And who are you to tell me to keep my voice down? This is my property, and I\u2019ll do whatever the hell I want! If I want to shout or scream right here, you can\u2019t do a\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24 Thu, Dec 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
damn thing about it!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Great. Now she was definitely attracting attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a slow breath, trying to rein in my frustration. \u201cLook, I didn\u2019t mean any disrespect,\u201d I said, my voice more measured this time. \u201cBut who are you, exactly?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She scoffed, crossing her arms. \u201cWho am I? I\u2019m the owner of this building! Now, who the hell are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Realization hit me. Of course.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents are renting this place,\u201d I explained as calmly as I could. \u201cI came to stay with them for the meantime.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her expression twisted even further, if that was possible. \u201cOh, so those two rats even managed to bring another mouth to feed when they can\u2019t even pay their rent on time?\u201d she sneered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could respond, she barreled on, her voice laced with irritation. \u201cWhere are they? Tell them they need to pay up now, or I\u2019m throwing them out on the street!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my emotions in check. But the humiliation burned deep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed down the sharp retort sitting on the tip of my tongue. Fighting with this woman wouldn\u2019t do me any favors, but God, it was hard to bite back my frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents aren\u2019t home right now,\u201d I said, forcing my voice to stay even.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, isn\u2019t that convenient?\u201d The landlady rolled her eyes dramatically. \u201cThey\u2019ve been avoiding me for weeks, and now, when rent is three months overdue, they\u2019re suddenly missing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stiffened. Three months?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook,\u201d I started, trying to keep my temper in check. \u201cI know it looks like they were avoiding you, but I\u2019m sure they\u2019re trying to get the money together. My grandmother recently passed, and-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The landlady scoffed, cutting me off. \u201cOh, please! You think I haven\u2019t heard that sob story before? \u2018Oh, I just need a little more time!\u2018 \u2018Oh, my situation is complicated!\u2018 Blah, blah, blah!\u201d She waved a dismissive hand in my face. \u201cI don\u2019t care. What I care about is getting my damn money!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched my fists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, unless your parents are coming back today with a check in hand,\u201d she continued, her voice dripping with condescension, \u201cthen I don\u2019t want to hear any excuses!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know when they are coming back. But I can assure you that once they\u2019re back, they\u2019ll have your money. I promise,\u201d I assured her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve given them more than enough time to come up with the payment. If your parents aren\u2019t here to pay for what they owe me. Then, why don\u2019t you pay for it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted. \u201cExcuse me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou heard me, princess.\u201d She gave me a once\u2013over, her eyes narrowing like she was trying to figure out how much I was worth. \u201cYou look like you\u2019ve lived a cushy life. You must have something\u2013savings, jewelry, a rich ex\u2013husband willing to throw you a bone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her words hit their mark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I did use to have money\u2013a lot of it. A life filled with designer clothes, luxury vacations, and a bank account that never dipped below six figures. But that life was gone. The money, the security, the power\u2013it all disappeared the moment I signed that prenup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And people like her? They could smell it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shift. The fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They used to look at me with envy. Now, all I saw was disdain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have any money,\u201d I admitted through gritted teeth. \u201cAt least, not right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you better find some,\u201d she snapped. \u201cBecause if I don\u2019t get my rent by the end of the day, I\u2019ll have the locks changed before your parents can even step foot back inside.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt my heart start to race. \u201cYou can\u2019t just throw them out\u2014\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, yes, I can!\u201d she sneered. \u201cAn eviction notice has already been prepared. Just waiting for my final signature. Unless I see cash in my hand, consider this place gone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest like she had already won.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have until tonight, sweetheart,\u201d she said, her voice mocking. \u201cTry not to disappoint me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving me standing in the doorway with my hands clenched into fists and my pulse pounding in my ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes, inhaling shakily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like it or not, I needed that job at Diane\u2019s studio.\u00a0<\/p>\n
********\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24 Thu, Dec 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Alchemist of Broken Dreams by Sienna Rose Blackwell 9 Chapter 9\u00a0 DYLAN\u00a0 94\u00a0 I woke up early, dragging myself […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-alphas-golden-cage-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24360\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}