Chapter 1: An Ugly Duckling
Chapter 1: An Ugly Duckling
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Everyone says that the heir of the Fowler family is ruthless, with a mind as deep as an abyss, and a powerful figure in LA that one must never provoke.
Yet Riley deliberately set out to seduce him. She was born with an alluring charm, but harbored a vengeful beast within her heart. He’d curse her as being unseemly, yet he’d turn LA upside down for her, sending her enemies straight to hell.
When she tried to make a clean break and run, he pulled her right back, his voice hoarse with barely
concealed anger.
–
“You think you can flirt and then bolt? Riley, where do you get the nerve?”
Everyone in the city’s narrow circle of the rich knew that Riley Aldrin was a big simp of Jake Perry. Even after countless humiliations at Jake’s hands, one call from him, and Riley would come crawling back and wag her tail like a dog.
People said it was really pathetic for her to chase after a guy who clearly didn’t want her. Jake’s friend joked, “Jake, Riley’s head over heels for you. When are you gonna marry her?”
Jake
ugly duckling? She
that
doesn’t
deserve
casually replied, “Marry
it.”
Riley was standing at the VIP room door, her hand poised to push it open. Hearing this, she
lowered her gaze.
“An ugly duckling?”
she thought.“But Jake,
you
don’t
deserve me
either.”
The moment Riley entered, the boisterous room fell silent. Everyone watched her with a mixture of amusement and disdain.
Half an hour earlier, Jake called Riley, even though they’d been in a cold war. Everyone had bet she wouldn’t show. After all, they had a fight yesterday because Jake had made her deliver condoms to a hotel.
But she still came. She was indeed a big simp.
Ignoring the sneering stares, Riley walked straight towards Jake, her expression impassive. He sat on the plush sofa, flanked by two women dressed to the nines. Riley’s anger dissipated as she looked at him, her gaze softening.
She addressed the woman on his right, “Could you move, please?”
The woman looked up,
So the hell are you?”
Riley remained silent. The woman leaned closer to Jake, her arm around his. Her voice was sweet.“Jake, is she the simp you were talking about? She’s mean.”
Jake glanced at Riley, said nothing. He pulled the woman closer and asked, “What’s wrong, baby? Are you upset?”
The woman nodded, pouting.
Jake cooed, “How about I make her apologize to you?”
Her eyes lit up.“Yes, please!”
Jake finally turned to Riley.“Apologize, now.”
Riley remained motionless. Jake’s brow furrowed in annoyance.“Riley, are you deaf? Apologize!”
Riley’s face paled slightly.“Don’t…don’t be mad.”
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Chapter 1: An Ugly Duckling
Jake smirked, his arrogance evident.“Then apologize to her.”
Riley’s voice, cool and detached, cut through the air.“I’m sorry.”
Jake ignored her, turning back to the woman.“Satisfied?”
thenu
The woman, sensing Jake’s lack of regard for Riley, emboldened herself. She shook her head. “That’s not sincere enough.”
Jake smiled.“Then what do you want?”
The woman’s eyes darted around, landing on a bottle of champagne. She pointed at it.“A real
all
on the the champagnes apology
table.” isn’t just lip service. Silence fell over the room. Those champagnes were spirits; one was enough to floor a man, let alone a woman.
Riley didn’t speak, but looked at Jake. Jake, his arm around a woman, had a knowing smirk. He met her gaze.
Riley spoke first, “Are you sure you want this?”
Jake knew Riley had a weak stomach, a lingering effect from years of taking shots for him. Since a recent incident where she’d ended up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning, he’d stopped her from drinking.
Being challenged, anger flared in Jake. He scoffed, “You upset my girl, you asked for it.” Riley stared into his restless face, her eyes filled with undisguised devotion. Then, a tear glistened in her eye. He didn’t look like him anymore.
A moment later, she smiled faintly.“Pure alcohol is boring. Let’s add some spice.” She grabbed some spicy pepper from a nearby snack box, and started a self–punishing ritual. She downed pepper and champagne in quick succession.
Jake’s face
darkened like a storm cloud. He watched Riley, and when she reached for the fourth
bottle, he cursed.
“Damn it, Riley, enough!”
Riley stopped, her throat burning, her stomach on fire, but she held on. Her gaze was fixed on Jake. “Is this sincere enough?”
“Get
Out!” he roared.
Riley stood motionless. Frustrated, Jake hurled his champagne glass at her. She didn’t dodge. The glass shattered against her forehead, warm blood trickling down.
Jake’s eyes were dark and unreadable, yet he remained silent, his gaze fixed on Riley. Everyone stared at the blood flowing down Riley’s face. Someone felt sorry for her. “Riley, Jake’s drunk. Don’t-”
Jake cut them off sharply.“Shut up.”
He looked at Riley, sneering. “Riley, I’m tired of this.”
Riley wiped the blood from her forehead. Her voice was hoarse.“So, you’re breaking up with me?”
Jake’s lips curled into a sneer.“Break up? Do you think you’re my girlfriend?” His expression was almost vicious.
Riley stared at him, unable to decipher his true feelings, perhaps due to the alcohol. Had they
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Chapter 1: An Ugly Duckling
really come to this?
She nodded faintly.“Okay. I understand.”
Jake’s face darkened further at her docile demeanor. “Then get out!”
Without a word, Riley stumbled out.
“Hey, Jake, Riley’s hurt. Shouldn’t you at least check on her? Or she might really leave you good.” someone said.
“No,” Jake said. He poured himself another drink and downed it.
Menu
for
Another guy
chimed in, “So what? We all know about Riley. She’s like a stubborn leech. I bet she’ll come back to Jake in two days.”
“Yeah, last night Jake had her deliver those condoms to the hotel, and the only thing she cared about was his health!”
“Jake, good for you. Did you drug her?”
“Dude, you’re awesome. You’re my role model now.”
“I
Suddenly, Mark Taylor, who had been silent in the corner, spoke up.“Jake, now that you’re done with Riley, can I have a go? I think she’s pretty interesting.”
Jake looked up sharply at Mark. Mark’s expression flickered, realizing he’d put his foot in his mouth. Before he could apologize, Jake sneered.