Chapter 5 Kicking
Sarah
Shawn's face darkened, and he stared at me for a long moment. Only when I, unable to bear it any longer, was about to get out of the car, did he finally say, "Take off your clothes."
"In your dreams!" I quickly tightened my jacket, hugging it to my chest.
"I'm not interested in you, so don't bother," he said coldly. "But I'm embarrassed that my fiancée's sister is dressed like that."
"What business is it of yours how your fiancée's sister dresses? If you're not interested in what happened yesterday?" I retorted.
He recalled the previous night and immediately felt his mouth go dry.
He looked away and pursed his lips. "Last night was your fault. You didn't come home last night; you went out with someone else, and even wore men's clothing. Your reputation is too bad; it could affect my fiancée's reputation."
Affect Kate's reputation? Nonsense!
I yanked the car door open, but found it locked.
It seemed he wouldn't let me out until I took my clothes off.
"Okay! I'll take them off!" I immediately took off my jacket and tossed it aside, unbuckling my seatbelt. "I wish you and your so pure fiancée a happy life! From now on, I'll be wandering around at night and taking walks every day, and I don't believe you can do anything about it!"
He pursed his lips, and the temperature in the car seemed to drop to freezing.
I stepped out of the car and slammed the door behind me.
At that very moment, the clothes I'd just taken off flew out the window, landing perfectly in the trash can as the car sped away.
Watching the car's taillights disappear, I trembled with anger.
Four years had passed, and he'd only returned to become my future brother-in-law, with whom I'd spent just one night.
Life really does have a sense of humor.
"Damn it!"
Only after my dramatic exit did I remember that the clothes belonged to my colleague!
I had to return them tomorrow!
I stood by the trash can, mustering the courage to pull out my jacket.
The disgusting smell of hot and spicy soup lingering on my clothes was driving me crazy. But I couldn't just get rid of them, because the clothes cost several hundred dollars, and after three days of work, I'd lost my month's bonus and couldn't afford to pay for them.
Finally, holding my nose, I grabbed the clothes with two fingers and carried them away.
They drugged me, slept with me, cut my wages, insulted me, despised me...
After such a day, my only consolation was to return the 380 dollars "earned through prostitution."
Poverty really does make one's nerves hard.
The next day, my father called and said he'd learned the truth. He chastised Kate, speaking in such a kind tone that I suspected he was an impostor.
A few days after my refusal, no one invited me home.
Instead, I received a boastful call from Kate, sincerely inviting me to help her choose a dress for her engagement, which was scheduled for more than a month later.
I immediately hung up and didn't return to the Villa for half a month.
On Friday, shortly before the end of the workday, I was summoned to the editor-in-chief's office.
"The editor-in-chief, a public figure, has numerous bodyguards and values his privacy greatly. Isn't it incredibly difficult to dig up personal scandals about him?" I asked.
He leafed through the documents in my hands without even looking at me. "Of course it's difficult—that's the point!"
I clutched my forehead. "I've only been interning for half a month, such a responsibility..."
"Can't do it? If you can't, leave!" Mick slammed the papers shut, his arrogance soaring. "Our newspaper won't lose a single one."
I was torn, as only I knew how difficult it was to get this job.
I had studied media, but the White's Media company now dominated media circles. While Liney and Kate were there, none of the White’s divisions, nor the major media companies they worked with, wanted to hire me.
But in reality, White Media was a Black’s enterprise, the fruit of my mother, Emmy Black's labor.
And no one knew that Mr White and Emmy Black's daughter, who had sunk to the level of working at a tabloid to earn a living, was subjected to verbal abuse, unable to speak up for fear of being fired.
I barely managed to find an internship at this notorious Manchester gossip tabloid.
"Just a minute to think about it," Mick said, eager to waste no time. "Take it, get your commission. Don't take it, pack up and leave."
The word "commission" completely dispelled my doubts, and I looked impatiently at the editor-in-chief: "How... how much commission can I get?"
He looked at me disdainfully: "Depends on sales. At least three or four hundred, maybe more than a thousand."
"I'll do it!" I was inspired.
Had I known that digging into celebrity dirt paid so well, I wouldn't have wasted my time on odd jobs around the office.
The editor-in-chief must have loved me deeply and had strict standards to entrust such a valuable task to such a newcomer.
That same evening, I began guarding the entrance to the Club.
"Sorry, non-members are not allowed!"
"Handsome, can I use the restroom for a minute?"
"Non-members are not allowed!" For the first time, I learned how difficult it was to enter the club. The security guards stared at me with eyes that seemed to read my thoughts, making stargazing a chore.
"Can I get in if I'm a member's family member? Everyone in my family here, except me, is a member!"
The guard glanced at me: I was wearing a T-shirt with an outdoor tent, shorts, and flip-flops. And only my gaze was sincere.
I immediately found a group photo on my phone, taken many years ago, of me and my parents.
"We need to confirm the member's phone number," the guard said, frowning as he looked at the phone. "Find the manager."
I eagerly followed inside.
"Who do you want to confirm the number with?" the manager asked.
I thought about Shawn: "Call someone named Shawn Romano."
The manager was skeptical, but called, calling back several times and speaking with the person on the other end with the utmost respect.
"Miss White, you may come in," the manager said, hanging up the phone with a flattering smile.
I sighed with relief: what could I do? Poverty had robbed me of my ambitions.
I needed money, desperately. So, even if Shawn hated me, I shamelessly did it whenever I could.
Shawn
In the Bentley Mulsanne, which had just parked at the entrance to the Club, the driver, Elon, ended the call.
"Sir, I've let Miss White in!"
My gaze darted to the car, to the quickly disappearing figure outside the club gates.
"She came... to see you?" He plucked up the courage to ask another question.
I had made it clear to my parents in the United States that my fiancée was Sarah White. Nevertheless, I had given instructions. Just recently, Elon had told White about my engagement to Kate.
While my thoughts were always difficult to guess, this time they seemed completely unbelievable!
"That's none of your business." I straightened my shirt and opened the car door to get out.
Sarah
I wandered down the hallway of the club's third floor.
When I almost reached the end of the hallway, I saw a burly man in a black suit standing at the door to a private room. It was Leo's bodyguard!
I couldn't enter, so I had to come up with another plan.
My eyes narrowed, and I smiled slyly, casually entering the restroom nearby. I couldn't believe a celebrity wouldn't use the restroom!
I stood at the vanity outside the restroom, where I could see everything around me through the mirror. In my mind, I began planning what to do when Leo, who was a celebrity, came out.
The first thing I needed to do was write a splashy article that would make the editor take me seriously from now on. Then I'd keep getting more similar requests.
While she was pondering this, a tall man in a casual baseball cap entered.
I, pretending to wash my hands, took a glance and confirmed that my goal had been achieved!
Leo entered.
My feet stopped at the door of the men's restroom, unable to take another step.
I pressed my hand to my forehead, feeling like a coward at this critical moment, wishing I could pinch myself a few times. To earn commission, a little mischief surely wouldn't give me a breakout, right?
I hesitated until the sound of flushing came from inside, and Plan A was finally abandoned.
I had no choice but to go with Plan B!
I lowered my head and saw the proud curves of my breasts beneath my white T-shirt, my shorts that only covered half my thighs, and my long, straight white legs.
The food I was eating wasn't just a casual meal; I knew there was something special about my figure.
Quickly fixing my hair, I deftly tied the hem of my T-shirt at my waist, exposing my midriff, and then puffed out my chest...
Pretending to be drunk or something, I would later reveal an interesting and informative story.
I, already considering my poses, was completely unaware of the pair of dark and furious eyes fixed on me, ready to burst into flames.
Shawn's face darkened, and he pressed his lips together.
So this is what constitutes a woman's virtue, now pouncing on anyone I meet in the restroom?
Just as I, listening to approaching footsteps from the restroom, I was making my final preparations, I finally felt something unpleasant behind me.
Before I could turn around, I was suddenly yanked violently.
My head unexpectedly hit a firm, muscular chest.
