Chapter 6 Filthy and Disgusting

• Cynthia felt as if someone just drove a blade through her heart and bled it dry. “Haha. Here I thought no man in the world would harm his own child, no matter how evil he might be, but you—you would sell your daughter off for your own personal gain. What kind of animal are you?!”
• “I didn’t want to do this, but you left me no choice, Cindy.” Dominic was seen with a helpless look on his face.
• Cynthia was overwhelmed by despair after witnessing her father’s reaction. Before her return, she was convinced that her father wouldn’t go so far as to betray her, even though there might be whispers abetting him to do what he shouldn’t, only to realize she was too naïve to believe that.
• This man has only ever treated me like some tradeable item. I bet I’m not even as important as his mistress and his so-called children!
• Refusing to let them dictate her life, Cynthia hardened her heart and kept her head down shortly before she bit Keith’s arm so hard that she almost tore his flesh off.
• Keith screamed in agony as he quickly let go of Cynthia and gave her a slap in the face. In the meantime, Cynthia was rendered dizzy by his slap with a stinging sensation that spread all over her cheek. However, she couldn’t care less about the pain as she turned around and ran away with her mother’s tablet in her arms without even bothering to bring her luggage along.
• “Stop her! Don’t let her get away!” Keith shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with rage and violence. Meanwhile, Dominic, who just began to make sense of what was happening, gave chase with a surprised look on his face.
• …
• On the other hand, a Rolls-Royce appeared to be traveling on the highway outside of Lincoln Bay. At that moment, James was sitting in the car with a pair of furrowed brows, seemingly tired from a long day. After all, he had just traveled for more than ten hours on the plane before he was needed in an urgent meeting. Thus, he couldn’t help but feel exhausted from his tight schedule.
• James’ assistant, Charles, who was driving, noticed his fatigued look and asked in a concerned manner, “Would you like to have some rest, Young Master James?”
• “It’s okay. Let’s just take a stroll around the city instead. We won’t be going back in a while,” James casually answered.
• “Alright.” Charles responded with an affirmative hum, whereupon something seemingly crossed his mind. So, he said, “By the way, I have found the lady you have been looking for, Young Master James.”
• “Where is she?” James appeared to be interested with his eyes wide open.
• “Here is some information about her. Please kindly have a look.”
• “Oh, really?” The man curled his lips, clearly expressing a keen interest in what he was about to learn.
• …
• Meanwhile, Cynthia flagged down a cab right after she stepped out of Phoenix Hill Villa and got into it immediately, ordering the driver to hit the road while leaving Dominic and Keith far behind. At that moment, the tears that were welling up in her eyes gushed down her cheeks like waterfalls.
• The driver noticed her reaction and asked caringly, “Are you alright, lady? Where would you like to go?”
• Cynthia wiped off her tears and replied, “I’m fine. Just take me back to Centurion Hotel.”
• Having left in a hurry, Cynthia didn’t manage to bring her luggage along with her when she left Phoenix Hill. Instead, she only had her purse and, fortunately, her personal documents with her, so she wasn’t afraid to go anywhere she could think of. Twenty minutes later, the cab pulled up outside Centurion Hotel. Upon paying the driver, she stepped out of the car and looked up, setting her eyes on the building in front of her.
• Centurion Hotel was one of the most famous landmarks in Lincoln Bay. Known for its six-star rating in the industry, it was the preferred choice for many customers due to its excellent service, which was what made its VIP membership cards so valuable. With Cynthia’s frugality, she would never spend on expensive stays in this hotel even though she could afford them. Nonetheless, Centurion Hotel was one of the many properties under Lewis Incorporated, and since she was the chief designer in the latter, she was given a membership card that would grant her free access to the hotel for life. Not only could she enjoy free stays in the hotel, but she could also have the best privileges a VIP member deserved. In fact, Cynthia didn’t just accept the gift because she wanted to take advantage of the free stay. Instead, she accepted it as a precaution to ensure she had a place to say should it ever become necessary, only to be surprised how soon she needed it.
• Cynthia laughed at herself in irony and covered her mother’s tablet with her clothes before entering the hotel. However, she was soon greeted by a familiar figure that was coming her way. It was a handsome man who was wearing a gray suit that accentuated his slender build, while his masculine aura made him look decent and charming.
• With a darkened look on her face, Cynthia pretended as if she didn’t see him, but the man was observant enough to recognize her. “Cindy?”
• While Cynthia didn’t stop moving, the man caught up with her and seized her wrist. “It’s really you, Cindy. You’re back.”
• “That’s none of your business!” Cynthia coldly shook his arm off, feeling disgusted with him laying his fingers on her.
• Larry was seen with a darkened look on his face as he stared at the lady’s indifferent expression with a pair of furrowed brows. “Are you still mad at me, Cindy? It’s been so long since we last met.”
• “Mad? Who am I to be mad at you? You only slept with your girlfriend’s bestie because she was too busy to satisfy your ‘desires’. That’s perfectly understandable, so why would I blame you for something so trivial?” Cynthia smiled brightly, despite her chilly and cold eyes.
• In fact, Larry Sheraton was Cynthia’s high school sweetheart. At that time, he was a popular student whom many other girls admired and wooed. While Cynthia was among his admirers, she eventually summoned up her courage to confess her feelings to him before they became a couple. As time went on, she was gradually touched by his tenderness that made her fall in love with him even deeper. Then, both of them agreed and promised each other that they would get engaged as soon as they graduated from their university studies while having met both of their parents. However, things took a dramatic turn when Cynthia’s relationship with her family worsened a year ago, but even so, she was hopeful about her future, thinking she would be able to get out of the dilemma once she got engaged with Larry until she discovered he had been cheating on her with her best friend.
• Although it had been more than a year since that heartbreaking event, Cynthia still felt as if it had just happened yesterday, which filled her heart with hatred and resentment. While no one was aware of the pain she endured by herself abroad, the betrayal from her family and lover took her purpose in life away and rendered her aimless, like a traveler lost in the Sahara, homeless and miserable.
• “Cindy, about what happened back then, I was left with no choice. I’m a man who has ‘needs’ to satisfy, but you wouldn’t even let me touch you, even though you were my fiancée. Do you know how much I suffered from suppressing my desire?” Larry knitted his eyebrows, explaining his side of the story helplessly.
• However, Cynthia only felt like laughing in irony upon hearing the man’s words. “Yeah, I know you went through a lot of suffering, but since you were putting yourself in so much pain, you shouldn’t have made all those ridiculous promises to me about respecting my wishes until we get married. I trusted you to be a decent man, only to realize I’m nothing more than a fool. You and Shirley Johnson are both filthy and disgusting!”
• After hearing how Cynthia called him, Larry didn’t seem to be happy with that. After all, Cynthia used to be obedient and submissive, considering her previously coy and playful nature. In fact, her eyes were always filled with love and care whenever she looked at him; but when their eyes met now, her gaze was filled with nothing else other than hatred and grudge.
• Feeling uncomfortable with the lady’s mean attitude, Larry reacted with a glacial look on his face. “Cynthia, I’m the one who betrayed you, not Shirley. In fact, not a day went by without her blaming herself in the past year. She even felt so guilty that she tried to commit suicide a few times at one point. So, can’t you just forgive her?”