63
I scrunched my brows and squeezed my eyes shut, pushing my chest forward as Hane struggled with the zipper of the ridiculously tight purple dress.
"Almost there," she said, sounding way too confident for someone fighting a losing battle.
I sucked in my stomach, hoping it would help.
And somehow, after a few more tugs, the zipper slid up, finally letting me release a breath, though I still couldn’t breathe properly from how tight it was.
This dress was trying to suffocate me.
I turned to Hane, who looked way too proud of herself.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," she said, landing on her bed. "But seriously, why are you trying so hard to look this fancy?"
Her hair was packed roughly to the back, making it obvious she'd just woken up, because yeah…
I had to barge into her room, asking for assistance with a dress while she was asleep.
"’Cause I'm heading to one of the biggest malls in New York with Suzy.” I moved to the huge mirror in her room, noting how the dress popped out my curves. “And, who knows, maybe some people in the media might notice me, so I've got to look fancy enough."
"Also, I want June to know I'm equally as rich as she is, richer in fact. So she should know her place." Just saying that name made me snort in annoyance.
Ever since the message, I hadn't heard a thing from her.
Who knows, maybe she might have used her senses to realize, one more mistake and she might end in jail.
When I glanced at Hane through the mirror, concern was etched in her expression.
"She's creepy. Who knows what she's planning." She shook her head, probably thinking about what possible things June could do.
"This just seems like a movie. I mean why doesn't she just want to move on." Who would be crazy enough to do that?
People in their right senses moved on.
That just proved she wasn't in one.
I continued sizing up how I looked in the mirror.
No way was I going to bend in the dress or else the world would see what they shouldn't.
"Right? I mean, why on earth is someone so crazy about a guy." She paused for a while like she was thinking about something. "Well, its explainable, Mr Jones is dead gorgeous."
"But he's taken and she must know that."
"You're lucky he's all yours." She let out a dramatic sigh. "My turn will hopefully come."
The thought of him being mine made me blush a little.
And to avoid her seeing that and teasing me, I turned to her. "Okay then, go get dressed so we can both go to Suzy's and head for the mall."
"I'm coming with you?" She shot up from the bed, practically bouncing in excitement.
That made me giggle. "Well, duh! Where else would you be? Stuck in here?"
She let out a high-pitched squeal and threw me into a hug so tight I thought my ribs might crack. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Too... tight," I wheezed, trying to suck in some air.
She quickly let go, grinning. "Oops, sorry! I’m just so happy. I’ve always wanted to go to a fancy mall, and now you’re actually taking me!"
I laughed. "If this wasn’t so last-minute, I would've invited Kate too."
That was replied with a shrug. "Eh, Kate’s not really into all that fancy stuff. She’s more of a market girl."
"Ah, makes sense. Anyway, go get dressed."
"Yes, yes! But first— shower!" She did a little spin before skipping toward the bathroom, humming excitedly.
It was so beautiful.
The biggest mall I'd ever been to, with clothes and other stuff that were certainly breath-taking.
Thank goodness I had lots of money in my account, else how would I have coped.
Hmm mmh. I had money.
Don had sent three hundred million dollars to me last night telling me to ask if I wanted more or when it finishes.
Three hundred million dollars.
How on earth was that supposed to finish?
At least now, I could flaunt my wealth.
Something I could never have done a year ago due to poverty.
But now I was going to spend till my heart's content.
"Now girls, buy as much as you want. It's all on me."
"Even me?" Hane looked like her face was going to tear any moment with how wide her smile was.
"Duh, aren't you part of the girls." Gosh, it felt nice doing this.
I was so glad to have the opportunity.
"Thank you so so much." She pulled me to a small hug.
"Yeah Eri, thanks a lot." Suzy said as we walked deeper into the mall.
"Why didn't Rose tag along?" Hane asked, not seeming to actually care. The shopping seemed to have taken her to a new world.
"She's got to go to work." Suzy replied. "I don't think it's the work she wants to go to, I think it's Darien she's actually drooling over."
Her words made me chuckle. "I'm so happy she has someone, now it's your turn Suzy."
Her shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug. "I'm not in for that yet."
"Why? You're twenty one and not getting any younger." I reminded, not caring how mother-like I sounded.
"I know, but when the time comes, I'll go for it and if it doesn't, I don't mind being single for the rest of my life."
That made my brows furrowed as I hurled a glare her way. "What? So you're not planning on making me an aunty?"
Again, the not interested shrug. "As I said, if it comes it comes, if not it doesn't."
Not ready to ruin my mood, I just shook my head. "Hopefully you'll come to your senses soon."
Oh but my mood seemed bound to be ruined.
Just not by her.
Because again, my phone pinged, and when I retrieved it from my purple purse, a message from June popped on my screen.
Why the heck hadn't I blocked her number yet?!
As I read the message, my heart started racing faster, to the point I didn't realize I'd stopped walking till Hanr asked. "What's wrong?"
To answer them, I read it out loud.
“I hope you enjoy yourself at the mall and don't dare think about trying to get anything to impress Don because you might not end up coming out of the mall alive."
Suzy gasped. "Blood of Jesus."
My hands were practically shaking.
Again, she was somewhere close by. She was watching me.
The bodyguards were outside. If she tried something here, I had no protection.
Hane wrapped an arm around my shoulders, her voice calm but firm. "Maybe we should go back home. Just to be safe."
I couldn’t respond. My gaze stayed locked on the message, rereading it again and again— until another notification popped up.
This time, I didn’t have the strength to read it aloud. Hane took the phone from my hands and did it for me.
"Even if you leave now, it won’t matter. I’ll find you. The only way to be safe is to leave my precious Don alone. Just fuck off."
My breath hitched. My whole body went numb, as if my heart had simply… stopped. The mall, the voices, the background noise—it all faded.
I couldn’t breathe.
"Let's take her to the car, Hane." Suzy’s voice felt distant, muffled, like she was speaking from the other end of a tunnel.
A ringing filled my ears. The only sound I could hear was my own shaky breathing.
No.
No, I wasn’t going to let her do this to me.
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. She would not scare me into running.
I refused to live in fear, to spend the rest of my life regretting walking away and handing Don over to a psychopath.
I would fight.
And I would win.
June was trying to intimidate me, but she had no idea who she was dealing with.
She wanted to play mind games? Fine.
But I would get to her first.
At some point, the bodyguards arrived. I barely registered their presence as I was ushered toward the exit, a wall of men surrounding me. But my thoughts stayed sharp, locked onto one thing.
June.
You think you're crazy?
Well, guess what?
When it comes to my man, I can be crazier.