Jake went pale.
“John, come on, man. I’ve never played this
seriously. I didn’t know the rules.”
Brittany jumped in to help him out.
“John, can’t you cut him some slack for my
sake?”
L
I heard that Brittany and John knew each
other.
“Who are you?”
John stared at her.
“Why would I do anything for your sake?”
Brittany probably didn’t expect him to be so blunt. She bit her lip and said, “I dropped off
a contract at your office last week. I said hi.”
“Oh.”
John’s reply was totally uninterested.
“John, about the money…”
Brittany looked at him expectantly.
“You’re at a poker table. You pay up. I
thought you said you knew the rules before.
Now you don’t?”
John’s voice wasn’t raised, but it was enough
to shut everyone up.
Brittany dropped her gaze.
Jake looked sick.
“John, I really don’t have that kind of cash.”
He looked so pathetic. I was about to pull out
my card and offer to cover it.
But then some guy joked, “Hey, Jake, that
little tagalong of yours isn’t too bad. Kinda
<
ditzy, but cute. Why not use her to pay off
your debt to John?”
“Good idea!”
Jake answered instantly. He walked over to
me, grabbed my arm, and pushed me right
next to John.
“John, this girl’s a real sweetheart. I promise
she’s a virgin. Deal?”
I felt like my blood turned to ice.
Looking at Jake, I didn’t even recognize him
anymore.
He wasn’t like this before.
Back in high school he got velled at by his
<
parents for rescuing a kitten.
He would spend his allowance to buy stuff for
the elderly.
Even though he didn’t like me back then, he
would walk me to school.
His mom told me he was afraid something
might happen to me.
I was so touched. That’s when I fell for him.
And then I started following him around.
Buying him drinks, snacks, waiting in line for
his lunch, doing his homework.
After graduation, I told him how I felt. He
said, “I don’t like you. I just see you as my
sister”
Г
If he considered me his sister, why did he
make me his girlfriend in a game?
If he considered me his sister, why would he
say things that made me feel like there was
something more?
Like, “I kinda like you.”
“Being with you isn’t so bad, actually.”
He was so confusing.
- 4.
“Are you willing?”
John’s dark eyes locked onto mine.
<
“No.”
I shook my head and looked at Jake.
“I have money. I can help you pay. Please
don’t give me away.”
I’ve been chasing after him for so long. I
didn’t think he’d really be willing to let me go.
Reality sucks, though.
Jake laughed coldly. “Where would you get
that kind of money?”
“I have it. I’ll show you.”
I started reaching for my phone.
He grabbed me and shoved me into John’s
<
arms, staring at me with a blank expression.
“You like me, right? Then do what I say.”
“And John will get sick of you quickly. Then
come back to me.”
“Yeah, Chloe,” Brittany added.
“Following John is to your benefit.”
Jake didn’t say a word.
I was sitting in John’s lap, shivering.
I tried to get away, but his hand was tight
around my waist.
“You really want to keep chasing after a guy
like that?”
く
was like an ice dagger in my heart.
I stopped fighting.
Jake breathed a sigh of relief and grinned.
“John, we’re good on that thirty grand, then?”
“I’m going back now.
He dragged Brittany out, not even looking
back at me.
I felt so stupid.
After all those years, I was still crushing on an
idiot.
“I can help pay Jake’s debt,” I said.
L
After everyone left, I got out of John’s lap.
John grabbed a glass of water.
“Why should you?”
I didn’t get what he meant.
He said, “What are you to him?”
“I…”
I couldn’t even say.
Not a girlfriend, not really a friend either.
If we were close, he wouldn’t have handed me
over to another guy.
<
“You can’t even answer. Why should you pay
his debt?”
John stared me down. Those eyes were
intense.
“He gave you to me. You have to listen to
me.”
He got up and pinned me against the table.
We were so close, our noses were almost
touching.
His face was blank. He said, “Chloe, from
now on, you’re mine.”
- 5.
<
John told me to stay in his room. He was off
to his office to get some work done.
Some staff brought me a robe and a milk
bath.
They start to undress me.
I stepped back.
“What are you doing!”
A staff said, “Miss Chloe, we will help clean
your body. The Master likes cleanliness and
does not like women with body odor.”
I felt helpless.
I just came to play poker with Jake, but my
body was dragged in
L
I can’t let it be this way. I have to escape.
“I can wash myself. I don’t need help.”
The two staffs looked at each other, then
said, “Okay, Miss Chloe, we’ll wait outside.”
After they left, I immediately opened the
window.
How was I supposed to know that the window
had an alarm system?
“Miss Chloe, are you near the window?”
The staff said from the outside.
“Oh, I accidentally touched it, it’s okay now.”
<
“Okay, it’s good. Miss Chloe, don’t think
about escaping. There are two dogs guarding
the door.”
Does John have gold or silver in his house or
something?
I was so angry.
I can only take a shower first and think of
other ways. As I was taking a shower, I heard
the staff call the Master.
I suddenly became nervous and pricked up my
ears to listen to the sound outside.
John hmm–ed, and then I heard footsteps
getting closer and closer to me.
I quickly climbed out of the bathtub and
L
wanted to lock it, but the door was already
opened.
- 9.
That was how John saw me.
“Ah!”
I screamed and tried to push him away.
But because I was barefoot, my feet slipped
and I fell to the ground. When I fell, I
accidentally pulled John down with me.
Then he fell on me.
“Hurry get out!”
I pushed him hard, almost crying.
く
“I didn’t touch you, how can I get out?”
His voice was low, and his eyes were rolling
with emotions I didn’t understand.
CH
Realizing that he misunderstood, my face
quickly turned red.
“I want you to leave the bathroom first, I still
need to take a shower.”
“Oh~”
He laughed.
“Remember to say it clearly next time.”
He got off me and pulled me up.
Because he touched my waist, and it was
く
painful from the fall, I hissed.
“Hurt?”
After saying that, he pulled the bath towel to
wrap me up and picked me up.
“No, let me go.”
I struggled.
“I have AIDS, don’t touch me.”
He threw me on the bed and went to get
some medicine.
Then he lifted the bath towel and wiped the
medicine for me.
It’s cold and comfortable.
<
I realized that I had misunderstood him, and
he just wanted to apply the medicine to me.
“I’m sorry.”
“I misunderstood you just now.”
Winte
“It’s okay.”
He answered softly.
“Although I said that you are mine, I won’t
force you. I don’t have any perverted
hobbies.”
