Chapter 19: I Lost

Act coy with him? No way! Compliment him? But the words just wouldn’t come out when I looked at that cold face.

I stared at him and struggled for a long time before finally managing to say, “Could you please vote for me? This means a lot to me. Really.”

“Oh yeah?” Reynaldo smirked, looking indifferent.

That one smirk chilled me to the bone. He hated me, so there was no way he’d let me get what I wanted. But I needed that 500 thousand dollars. I’ve cast aside my pride and worked so hard to get here. I couldn’t fail now.

Johnathan grew impatient and said to Reynaldo, “Come on, stop with the suspense. Just cast your vote already!”

I stared hard at Reynaldo. As long as he didn’t vote for Amelia, I’d get the money. But it was obvious he showed up at the last minute just to ruin things for me. What should I do? How could I convince him to let me go just this once?

Reynaldo looked at me, a playful smile tugging at his lips. My heart sank again. That look on his face told me he was about to vote for Amelia. Panic surged. Just as he was about to speak, I ran off the stage and grabbed his hand, practically begging. “As long as you don’t vote for Amelia, I’ll agree to anything.”

“Come on, she’s really begging for votes like that? No shame at all.”

“Haha! She was playing the pure act earlier. I didn’t expect her to be so bold in front of Mr. Humphrey.”

The audience started to whisper and mock me. Amelia rolled her eyes at me in contempt. Johnathan stood with arms crossed, clearly enjoying the show.

“Wait, now that I look closely, isn’t she Mr. Humphrey’s ex-wife?”

“Oh wow, you’re right.”

“I heard she used to bully Mr. Humphrey using her family’s power. Now she’s trying so hard to butter him up. Pathetic.”

I ignored the mockery, clinging tightly to Reynaldo’s arm. Reynaldo lowered his gaze to my hand and let out a soft chuckle, “Anything?”

I nodded vigorously.

He sneered, “Do you think I’d still believe you?”

Then, without hesitation, he cast his vote for Amelia.

I froze, staring at the giant screen. Amelia now had one more vote than me. She was the winner. And I had lost the 500 thousand dollars.

Amelia jumped for joy onstage, even throwing me a smug look of triumph. The crowd laughed louder now, saying that Reynaldo would never vote for me even if I stripped for him.

The world around me blurred in a haze of noise and ridicule. A fog of tears welled in my eyes. Through the haze, I could still clearly see his cold, indifferent face.

He did it on purpose. He didn’t want me to win. He was punishing me. He was getting revenge. But I told him this was important to me.

Why did he still do this? I knew he hated and loathed me, but he could hit me or curse at me. Why did he have to do this to me?

Sadness surged in my chest, tinged with resentment.

Tears in my eyes, I stared at him and choked out through clenched teeth, “Reynaldo, I hate you!”

Reynaldo’s face darkened, eyes narrowing. Before he could explode, I turned and ran. There was no prize now. I just wanted to leave.

I ran out of the hotel. The night wind whipped past me, freezing me to the bone. I wrapped my arms around myself, my heart aching.

Johnathan soon chased after me. He grabbed my arm, grinning cheekily, “Hey, Esmie, don’t leave. Let’s talk this out, okay?”

I flung his hand off hard and said coldly, “You brought Reynaldo here on purpose, didn’t you?”

Reynaldo was supposed to be on a business trip in Steelville. If it hadn’t been for Johnathan telling him I was participating in this Dance Gala, how else would Reynaldo have suddenly shown up here? Thinking back, when Johnathan casually asked me if I wanted to tell Reynaldo about the Dance Gala, I should’ve known he’d bring him here.

I guessed I just thought too well of him. He was a frivolous rich boy who found joy in messing with others. How could he have really wanted to help me?

Johnathan chuckled but didn’t deny it.

I gave a bitter laugh, “Do you guys think it’s fun to screw me over like this?”

“Esmie, don’t say that. I didn’t know it’d turn out like this. Besides, it’s just 500 thousand dollars. Why don’t you just ask him-”

“That’s enough.” I cut him off coldly. “You frivolous boys don’t know anything.”

Johnathan frowned, frustrated. “Who says I don’t? I know a lot.”

I didn’t want to hear another word from him and quickly got into a cab by the roadside. The thought of Reynaldo voting for Amelia just so I’d lose the 500 thousand dollars made my chest ache.

Indeed, I used to be awful to him, but I knew it was wrong now. These days, I’d let him insult me however he wanted. Wasn’t that enough? I’d fought so hard to participate in this event just for that 500 thousand dollars. Why did he have to do this to me?

The more I thought, the more it hurt. I turned to look out the window, my vision blurring. The cab stopped at a red light.

“Miss, where are you headed?” The driver glanced back at me, a funny look on his face.

That was when I realized I had forgotten to change. I was still wearing the revealing maid costume from the show.

I looked around. It was past midnight, and all the clothing stores were closed. Luckily, my parents lived nearby. I gave the address, and the driver started the car again.

Ten minutes later, we arrived. As I got out, the driver kindly reminded me, “Miss, don’t wander around dressed like that this late. It’s not safe.”

“Thank you,” I said sincerely, then hurried toward my parents’ building. At their door, just as I raised my hand to knock, I heard crying inside.

It was my mom. “What are we going to do? They’ll be coming to collect the debt in two days. What are we going to do then?”

“Can you stop crying? Do I look worried? Just calm down.”

“You’re just hoping the kids can bail us out again. Our son’s right. We can’t let Ralda go suffer any more humiliation.”

“What are you saying? Asking her to get money from Reynaldo is not humiliation. Besides, she’s my sweetheart too. I hate seeing her suffer. But we’ve run out of options!”

“It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t gambled, none of this would’ve happened!”

“Come on, enough already! I only gambled because I wanted to make a comeback and to give you a better life. What did I do wrong?!”

The crying turned into full-blown arguing.

I stood frozen outside the door. My hand paused mid-air and eventually curled into a fist. I used to love coming home. It always felt warm and comforting. But now this “home” felt foreign, even a little repulsive.

I turned and quietly walked away. Back downstairs, I pulled out my phone and called my brother.

Quentin took a while to pick up. There was background noise, and his voice was breathless. “What’s wrong, Ralda?”

“Can you-”

“Quentin!”