Chapter 12 Record It

“I’ll leave after I finish this cigarette.”

He had never smoked in front of me before. Yet now, he was always smoking whenever I saw him. Apparently, he was a heavy smoker. Maybe one could endure their physical desire and emotions, but exactly how could one suppress their longing for nicotine? I was very curious.

He leaned against the car seat, resting his hand holding the cigarette on the steering wheel. As he looked ahead lazily, he puffed out smoke rings, adding a touch of charm and sexiness to his presence. I was stunned at my own thoughts. Just as I was about to look away, he suddenly said coldly, “Get out.”

Startled, I trembled instinctively and looked at him, puzzled. His expression was as icy as ever. Without looking at me, he said, “Who said you could get in? Get out!” Well… I genuinely thought he was waiting for me, and the whole smoking thing was just an excuse. After all, he could always drive while smoking.

In silence, I pushed open the car door and was about to get out. Suddenly, he yanked me back. He exerted so much force that my back slammed into the seat, and I felt so dizzy. He leaned closer to me and soon kissed my lips. His kiss, mixed with the scent of the tobacco, was fierce and heated—probably out of anger. My lips ached, and I couldn’t help but reach out, wanting to push him away.

Only then did he let go of me and stare at me coldly. “It seems my warnings and punishments mean nothing to you. No wonder you ask me every day with a shameless grin about when I’ll be back. You wanna sneak out to see Winston, right?”

I shook my head. “No. I didn’t want to come here and see him in the first place.”

He sneered, “Yeah. But you still came here anyway.”

I was rendered speechless. He stated the truth, which made any possible explanation unnecessary. I simply chose to shut up, no longer saying a word. Suddenly, he gripped my chin. He exerted a bit of strength, and it hurt. It reminded me of our wedding night—back then, I had gripped his chin just like this to humiliate him.

I still remembered it vividly. That night, I used all my might to grip his chin and said, “Your pretty face is the only thing that you can brag about. In every other way, you can never be Winston’s match. I would have never married you if it weren’t for your despicable tricks.”

Back then, my heart was filled with unwillingness and bitterness, and all I could think of was how to humiliate him and trample on his pride. Hearing my words, he stared at me intently. I said viciously, “If you dare to look at me for another second, I swear I’ll gouge your eyes out!” No wonder Madisyn said I had been so cruel to him; now that I thought about it, I realized I had been too much. As memories flooded back, I gave up on resisting, enduring the pain from Reynaldo’s fierce grip on my chin obediently.

He said sternly, “Esmeralda, are you that into Winston?”

“No,” I said calmly, enduring the pain in my chin.

He scoffed, “Then why did you come to see him so eagerly more than once? Why did you call his name in your sleep?”

I widened my eyes at once. “I called his name in my sleep? That’s impossible. Stop lying!” I barely dreamed of Winston. Why would I call his name?

He sneered, “Maybe I should record it the next time.”

I fell silent. If he said I had done so, then so be it. He was so weird. Kimberly was the one he loved. As for me–all he wanted to do was to humiliate me and sleep with me. Why would he give a damn about who I loved?

Besides, he was impossible to talk to. I told him I no longer had feelings for Winston, but he didn’t believe me. Right now, it seemed he was recalling some unpleasant past. His gaze on me grew colder by the second. I felt a chill down my spine, and the pain in my chin was killing me. I couldn’t help but say, “Let go of me. I’ll get out of the car.”

Yet, he didn’t loosen his grip at all. He asked me viciously, “If he had been in the country, would you have asked for his help and been with him?”

“No.”

Maybe it was a lie, but this was my only answer for now. I thought my answer would please Reynaldo a bit, and he’d spare my chin. However, he roared at me exasperatedly, “Esmeralda, do you really think he loves you? He approached you back then because…”

“Enough!” I was so annoyed! Winston said Reynaldo had someone he loved and would never fall for me. And now, Reynaldo told me Winston had approached me with an ulterior motive. What the heck? It seemed to them, I didn’t deserve to be loved and only deserved to be toyed with.

Reynaldo glared at me fiercely for a long time before he suddenly laughed. His laugh was bone-chilling. He let go of my chin and leaned backward. Lighting another cigarette, he sneered at me, “You seem upset when I told you he didn’t love you.”

“You misunderstood.” I sat upright and said to him seriously, “Don’t worry. I won’t betray you before our contract ends.”

“You’re saying you’ll wait till it ends?”

“No!”

“Yeah, right.”

“If you don’t believe me, fine,” I said in a muffled voice. “Besides, after the contract is over, you and I will be strangers. Nothing I do could betray you then.”

I regretted it as soon as I said it. What if he decided to keep me as his lover after he heard this? I wanted to slap my mouth. I really should have thought about it before I blurted anything out. Meanwhile, Reynaldo had already squinted, a cold glint flashing across his eyes.

Quickly pushing open the door, I said, “I’ll go hail a cab and get out of your hair.”

This time, instead of pulling me, he simply smiled at me wickedly. It was like he was saying to me, “Do you really think you can escape?” Somehow, he was like a predator, looking at his prey with contempt. Shivering, I strode to the roadside and hailed a cab. He drove away after I got into a cab. I breathed a sigh of relief, still having a lingering fear.

“Ma’am, where to?”

Where to? Home? But Reynaldo was obviously in a terrible mood. What if he came back as well? I didn’t want to walk into the lion’s den. Maybe I should wait till he was no longer that upset. As I was pondering if I should pay my parents a visit, my mom called. The second I answered, I heard her crying. My heart sank as I asked, my voice tense, “What happened?”

She said through tears, “Ralda, come home. Something’s happened.” Reynaldo bought my parents a nice apartment in an upscale neighborhood. I rushed over at once and heard her crying as soon as I stepped inside. I grew even more nervous.

“Ralda…” She came to me at the sight of me, crying helplessly as she grabbed my hand. “What to do? What to do?”

Uneasy, I asked, “Mom, what exactly happened?” Crying, she led me into the bedroom.

Chapter 13 1.05 Million Dollar