Table of Contents

+ Add to Library

Previous Next

Chapter 9 Dead End

  • In the meantime, Keira arrived at a crossroad, feeling disheartened and hopeless about the final warning the bank had just issued to her.
  • At that moment, she was seen staring at the cars moving on the busy street in an absent-minded manner. Helpless with society’s indifference, she couldn’t help but knit her eyebrows in despair. While her eyes appeared to be filled with sorrow, her hands couldn’t stop shivering.
  • Although it was already in the evening, Keira had no idea where else she could go, and standing right in front of the busy crossroad made her think that she was at a dead-end in her life.
  • As the cars traveled at high speeds on the road, she suddenly felt an urge to end it all by rushing to the middle of the road so that she could kiss all her troubles goodbye.
  • No! I mustn’t do that! That’s simply a selfish act! My twin brother and sister are going to have their SAT exams next year, and my mom still needs someone to look after her while I’m still a sophomore.
  • Due to her keen passion for cooking, Keira enrolled in the prestigious Paradise Culinary Arts Academy to pursue her dream while minoring in hospitality management.
  • Having lived a wealthy life without the need to worry about putting food on the table, Keira was devastated by her current miserable struggle. Who could I confide in about the suffering that I’m going through, physically and mentally? Who was there for me when I was betrayed?
  • “Oh God… why are you doing this to me?” Keira stared at the crossroad in front of her and sadly grumbled to herself with a lump in her throat.
  • Reality can be such a b*tch! A few moments later, Keira reached for her phone and reluctantly decided to call the number, which was a familiar one that she had been struggling to dial. “H-Hello… is this Jonathan? Are you free to meet up? I have a favor I’d like to ask from you,” Keira asked in a voice so soft that even she herself could barely hear it.
  • The next second, Keira could only hear heavy breathing on the other side of the phone. Although the person she just called didn’t respond right away, she could still feel the oppressive aura that made her especially nervous. However, when she realized Jonathan was the only person who could save her mother, she braced herself to go on. “Jonathan…”
  • “Keira, I didn’t take you for someone so shameless, but you changed my mind when you made this call! If you still have some sense of shame within you, you should probably just vanish from the surface of this world and stay away from me forever!” Jonathan coldly made his point and slammed the phone, rudely hanging up on her. Deep down, he hated her to the bone for her betrayal and even wished for her to die. After all, that incident embarrassed him so much that he could never walk in public with his head held high ever again, which was why he held such a strong grudge toward her. I’m the president of the Global Power Corporation, and it is my biggest disgrace to have been betrayed by a lady.
  • The man’s words lingered in her ears. One after another, everything and everyone seemed to be giving her lemons, but she couldn't make lemonade out of it.
  • Is this the man whom I once loved? I understand how much he hates me, but who understands how much pain I went through back then? My first time was… stripped away by some animal I didn’t even know, yet I could only bury this stigma inside of me as I swore to never think about it again.
  • At the thought of that, Keira only stared forward blankly with her pair of soulless eyes, losing all the energy that her hopefulness once fueled her with. Suddenly, her phone rang while she wondered whether it was Jonathan who had called back. Is it him? Did he regret his words? She quickly checked her phone out, only to realize it was an unknown number that ended with four eights. Therefore, she naturally remembered the unusual combination as she answered the call. “Hello.”
  • “Hello, Miss Whitlaw.” A man’s magnetic voice was heard, leaving Keira in surprise as she was reminded of the mysterious and conceited man in a decent suit with attractive good looks. Is it him I’m speaking to now?
  • “Hello, Mr. Emerson,” Keira politely answered.
  • “Can I talk to you in person?” the man asked with a steady voice.
  • Keira furrowed her eyebrows with her phone in her hand, not knowing what she could say. A few moments later, she asked, “W-What… are we going to talk about?”
  • The man on the other side chuckled and casually replied, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re now standing at a crossroad, thinking about doing something silly. Am I right?”
  • Upon hearing that, Keira felt like someone was watching her from somewhere as her heart skipped a beat. Uncomfortable and disgusted by that, she was overwhelmed by restless anxiety that prompted her to end the conversation.
  • “Come and meet me. I’ll be waiting for you in Provence. Perhaps I can save you from your predicament!” Tyler calmly responded.
  • “Provence?” Keira was stunned to hear the place the man wanted her to go. Provence is pretty far away from here!
  • At the same time, Tyler paused as well, knowing the lady was in a trance. Then, he asked in a low voice, “Where are you now?”
  • “I…” Keira was rendered speechless, but soon, she said, “Send me your address now. I’ll be on my way.”
  • “Sure, but my time is precious. I don’t like people to be late, and neither do I like to wait. It’d be best if you could make it here within ten minutes.” Tyler hung up the call as soon as he finished his sentence.
  • On the other hand, Keira held her phone and tightened her fingers around it with a frown on her face. Not long after that, she heard a notification alert from her phone and realized she had just received the address in Provence. Then, she took a deep breath, knowing she had to travel from the east to the west district, which required forty minutes of driving.
  • In that instant, Keira was discouraged from going there, feeling the urge to give Tyler a call to tell him that she was no longer going there. However, she quickly got over her impulsiveness and flagged down a cab before she headed to her destination.