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CHAPTER 114
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A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 115
Ella's povMy leg bounced anxiously as I waited for Amelia's call. When my phone finally trilled to life, I quickly swiped to answer, unable to mask the frantic edge in my voice. "Hey! So how far? What did your mother say - does she recognize that drug?"There was a pregnant pause on the other end before Amelia's shaky voice filtered through. "Yes...oh god, yes she recognized it right away. Said they were giving her the exact same capsules for some month's."A chill ran down my spine at the confirmation. So our suspicions were sickeningly accurate - Lydia, like Tom, had been deliberately drugged with that dangerous, experimental chemical. The very thought made my stomach roil with anger."But she mentioned they haven't given it to her for a while now," Amelia added hesitantly. "Like, a few months at least."I frowned, turning to glance at Trent beside me as he listened intently. "But why would they stop administering it to her mom, while continuing to dose Tom?"Trent's expression dar
A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 116
TRENT'S POVI turned back into the hospital entrance, the disinfectant smell burning my nostrils. I ran my fingers through my greasy hair, making sure it matched Tom's ghost-like appearance. Carefully, I applied some makeup to my face, mimicking his sickly appearance. All that remained was slipping into the hospital gown and settling into the vacant bed.I eyed the various tubes and wires snaking out from the bed frame, but quickly tamped down the distressing thoughts. I couldn't lose my nerve now, not when I was so close. Jaw clenched, I shrugged out of my clothes and pulled the thin gown over my head. It hung loosely on my frame as I settled back against the flat pillow.Why was I doing this again? The question flickered through my mind as I started connecting myself to the tangle of lines and monitors. But I already knew the answer. I still didn't understand why our father, who had always so blatantly favored Tom as the "golden child", would suddenly do this to him. Dosing his onc
A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 117
ELLA'S POVI tapped my pen anxiously against my notebook, trying and failing to focus on Mr. Peterson's lecture. Class had started nearly an hour ago, but Trent's seat remained empty beside me.That's...not like him at all, I mused with a furrowed brow. Sure, he misses classes from time to time But Trent always made sure to keep me updated with a call or text, never just falling completely off the grid like this. Maybe there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for his radio silence...but my gut told me otherwise.The knot of worry in my stomach twisted tighter as my mind started spinning out all the worst case scenarios. What if something had happened to him after we split up yesterday? What if he'd gotten himself into deeper trouble with his psychotic father?I shivered at the thought, my pen stilling against the paper as Mr. Peterson's voice faded into a dull buzz in my ears. If Mr. Donovan had caught Trent...god, I didn't even want to imagine the consequences."...and that's how
A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 118
ELLA'S POVI was still reeling from Damien's shocking claims when Amelia spoke up firmly. "Ella, let's not listen to him. He's just a bitter, twisted ex trying to get a rise out of us."Susan nodded emphatically. "Amelia's right. He's just a sad, pathetic loser trying to get under our skin. You know Trent would never put himself in harm's way like that."I opened my mouth to respond, but froze as my phone began ringing shrilly from inside my bag. Frowning, I fished it out and felt my breath catch in my throat when I saw the name on the screen.Trent. Oh my god, it was Trent.I turned to level a look at Damien, cradling the phone against my rapidly beating heart. "Looks like you were lying after all." Damien scoffed. "Don't get too excited. It's probably just a butt dial or some pre-recorded message from beyond the grave."Rolling my eyes, I swiped to accept the call and raised the phone to my ear. "Trent? You're okay, right? Where are you now?There was silence on the other end, and
A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 119
ELLA'S POVPressing my ear to the first door I came upon, I strained to make out any sounds from within. Nothing but silence. I crept to the next, and the next, becoming more disheartened with each setback.Until finally, a muffled shuffling noise reached my ears from behind the door marked 314. Could it be...? I pushed the door open a crack and peered inside. There, hooked up to a tangle of wires and tubes, laid the form of Trent.Oh my god...I pressed a hand to my mouth to stifle the gasp that tried to escape. So Damien was right after all - somehow, someway, Trent had staged himself in here. But why? What kind of game was he playing at?As quietly as I could manage, I slipped fully inside and crept up alongside the bedside. Trent's eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling almost with each forced breath. For one second, I thought the worst. What if I was too late?"Trent?" I rasped, reaching out with a trembling hand to shake his shoulder. "Trent, can you hear me?"Nothing,
A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 120
TRENT'S POV"You know I shouldn't be doing this, since you were the one who actually had me fired..." Nurse Veronica said, not looking up from adjusting the IV line running into Lydia's arm.I chuckled, reclining back in the hard plastic chair. "Well, at least you aren't doing it for free. I'm paying you handsomely, right?"That got her attention. Veronica's eyes flicked up to meet mine. "It's not because of the pay, Mr. Donovan. Maybe I'm just trying to pay for my own sins here. To try and make amends for the unforgivable things I let happen under my watch.""You were stuck in an impossible situation, just trying to survive like the rest of us. That doesn't make you a bad person." We were tucked away in the backroom of her small private clinic, the soft mechanic whir of the ventilator the only sound apart from our muted voices. After I had her fired from Medicare, Veronica had clearly carved out this new underground venture for herself, renting the space and converting it into a di
A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 121
TRENT’S POV“So what you're saying is you never really hit your brother, it was all your father and that..." Ella trailed off, her eyes wide as she processed the revelation.I let out a shaky breath, running a hand through my disheveled hair. "Yes, it was all my brain...subconsciously burying the truth to protect itself."We were standing outside Veronica's facility, the cool night air offering a comfort after the harrowing ordeal I had just endured. The ixepron drug seemed to have calmed in my system for now, but who knew how long that would last.Ella reached out, her fingers tracing the sharp line of my jaw. "I don't know why I'm actually feeling happy right now when I should be angry. But finally, you'll get some peace from not carrying around that false memory anymore."I caught her hand, pressing my lips to her knuckles as I searched her eyes. "I actually don't feel happy," I murmured against her skin.Ella's brow furrowed in confusion. "But Trent, this is a good thing, isn't it
A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 122
TRENT'S POVLydia's words echoed in my mind, each one driving the truth home like a dagger to the heart. "...the man, he was there that day. He was with my husband, lurking around outside the car, watching him hit that poor man down the street."So it was true - my father hadn't simply been an accessory to whatever cover-up Mr. Stewart was involved in. No, he was the one pulling the strings from the very beginning.The memory of Lydia's pained expression as she struggled to recall more details as she said. "I'm sorry, but I really didn't get a view of the man he hit," she'd said, that same vacant look clouding her eyes once more.Of course she hadn't - because there was no random victim, no tragic vehicular accident at all. Just a cold-blooded assault staged by my father's own hand.I pushed through the front door of the house, But the sight that greeted me made my blood run cold.There was my father, pacing back and forth as he barked furiously into his phone. "What did you just say?
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- A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 123
- A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 122
- A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 121
- A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 120
- A deal with the playboy CHAPTER 119
