Chapter 2

Along with the thunder came Brooks's voice.

He looked down at me and admitted it frankly. "It's a marriage alliance arranged by the family. I can't refuse."

"They would never accept someone as worthless as you into the Davis family. You understand that, don't you?"

"But Alexis, I won't leave you," his fingers slowly wiped away my tears. "I'll still protect you, just like before—"

I sensed something was wrong. "What do you mean?"

What did he mean by "won't leave me"? What did he mean by "just like before"?

Brooks's eyes were pitch black.

Through those eyes, I saw my own wretched, pitiful reflection.

I actually had so many questions I wanted to ask.

But now I couldn't get a single word out.

I looked at Brooks and asked him slowly, word by word:

"Brooks, you want me to be your mistress?"

Brooks didn't deny it.

From the moment the Davis family found him, he knew they would never accept me.

He agreed to the marriage alliance while continuing to act out this charade with me here.

Just like he said, I was so stupid I'd believe anything he told me.

I tried hard to keep my eyes open to stop the tears from falling, but I just couldn't control them.

The corridor window was half-open, rain pouring down wildly.

Years ago, I'd confessed to Brooks in the pouring rain, and now I had to end it in the rain too.

But Brooks didn't take my words about breaking up seriously.

He calmly watched me finish my tantrum, then brought me back to the living room and casually asked what I wanted to eat.

He seemed certain I wouldn't refuse him, much less leave him.

Not until I shook off his hand and started packing did his eyes finally show some emotion.

"Alexis, does it have to be this way?"

I didn't answer. Brooks's grip on my wrist only tightened.

He looked at me quietly, as if genuinely not understanding:

"I said we can still be like before. I can give you anything you want now. Do you really want to go back to those hard times?"

I looked at him numbly. "Brooks, I won't be a mistress."

"I can survive without depending on you."

"Without depending on me?" Brooks laughed. "Alexis, why are you still so naive?"

"Without me, could you have graduated safely from under that perverted school administrator's hands?"

"Without me, could you have so coincidentally met that specialist during your surgery?"

"And," Brooks leaned closer to me, his tone mocking,

"If you really care so much about what others think, why did you fall for me back then, confess to me, even kiss me—your nominal brother?"

My whole body went cold as I slowly raised my head to meet Brooks's gaze.

So mocking and sharp, landing on me like a knife that cut to the bone.

"Alexis," Brooks looked at me with a smile, "stop pretending."

"You're not as pure and noble as you claim to be."

Brooks said I was really stupid, that every choice I'd made since childhood was foolish.

From enduring my stepfather's beatings without resistance before, to leaving him now—it was all the same.

He swore that within a week, I'd definitely come back to him.

This week was probably the hardest week of my life.

I hit walls everywhere, work went poorly, I couldn't even find a place to rent.

At critical moments, someone would always show up with more money to outbid me.

I had no choice but to temporarily stay at my college friend's place, but this morning, she told me she couldn't let me stay anymore.

My eyes fell on the phone clutched in her hand. I said softly, "Brooks contacted you, didn't he?"

She sighed. "Even if you broke up, he shouldn't go this far, right?"

She didn't know much about what happened between Brooks and me. I didn't want to drag her into this any further.

I had to move to a hotel.

Before I left, Sophia insisted on transferring me some money. "I know your internship salary isn't much. Use this for now, pay me back when you get your full-time position."

I didn't accept it.

But the news about my full-time position was indeed supposed to come today.

When I arrived at the company, though, the atmosphere was strangely off. Many people looked at me with complex expressions.

My heart raced as an ominous premonition arose.

Before I could think it through, my boss called me over.

The office was silent. My boss took a sip of tea and told me straight out.

Among this batch of interns, I was the most qualified for the full-time position, but not anymore.

"The company landed a once-in-a-lifetime deal, but that company has one requirement."

I met my boss's gaze, my heart sinking. "...What requirement?"

My boss took another sip of hot tea and spoke slowly:

"They require that we fire you."