Chapter 10
Angelina fell asleep in the basement, sprawled out on the desk without a shred of dignity. Chester quietly draped his jacket over her shoulders, Joshua, meanwhile, leaned back with his feet up on the coffee table, puffing on a cigarette.
Chester kicked him. “Take it outside.”
Grumbling, Joshua shuffled to the doorway to smoke.
Just then, the door opened, letting in a gust of damp air along with a tall man in a black trench
coat.
“Mr. Hunt,” Joshua greeted.
“Where’s Chester?”
Joshua took the coat Alexander Hunt tossed at him. “Inside, Mr. Hunt.”
Alexander walked in and said, “Chester, I found something.”
Chester immediately put a finger to his lips, signaling for him to quiet down. Alexander paused mid–step and glanced around. His gaze landed on Angelina, who was still asleep on the
desk.
She was the last person anyone expected to stick around. After Chester’s bankruptcy, people started placing bets. Would his “wife” run away immediately or wait a few weeks?
“She’ll leave,” someone had said confidently. “She’s only with him for the money. It’s over.”
Another disagreed, “No way. She grew up in his house. Even if she can’t be his wife, she’ll play the ‘little sister‘ card and stick around out of pity. She’ll hang on just long enough to give him false hope.”
WoThat
night, Chester had gotten blind drunk. “No, he had slurred when someone asked if she’d leave. He didn’t even get past that one word before he passed out cold, sprawled across the couch. “She will.”
Now, here she was, proving him wrong.
Alexander carefully took a seat, lowering his voice as he said, “It’s David, along with a few others. This list probably isn’t complete.” He handed Chester a sheet of paper with a list of names printed neatly across it,
Chester studied it, his expression hardening. “I’ll remember them.”
Alexander slammed a fist on the table. “If we had caught this earlier, we could’ve stopped it. Now, we’re stuck cleaning up the mess. William Prescott’s been running offshore scams for decades,” Chester replied coolly. “It’s not that easy to take him down.”
“At least we could’ve stopped the money from disappearing,” Alexander shot back. “And what about David? Does that backstabber get to walk away free?”
“He’ll come back,” Chester said, his voice steady. “If he can betray me, he can betray William
too.”
“Is the software ready?”
“Still working on it.”
Alexander frowned as he scanned the samples. “You’re far from done. And look at this place it’s a dump. I rented you an office downtown, and you turned it down. Why?”
“Money should be spent where it matters,” Chester said firmly.
“I can afford it. If I need funding, I’ll reach out to you for sure. Don’t worry about me.
Angelina stirred awake as the three men chatted nearby. A heavy jacket covered her, and as she sat up, her back ached from hours spent hunched over.
Chester noticed her movement first. “I’m heading out. Angelina, let’s get you home.”
Angelina blinked sleepily. “Alexander, you’re here?”
Alexander turned with a smirk. “Morning, Angelina.”
She waved weakly, brushing off the awkwardness she felt as she followed Chester out.
Walkin toward the basement exit, Angelina couldn’t help but grimace as a particularly unpleasant memory surfaced–the female side character had tried to seduce Alexander.
Alexander couldn’t care less about her, though. He already had a childhood sweetheart, Megan Lloyd, who was elegant and beautiful–the kind of woman anyone would envy. Not only that, Megan also happened to be the childhood best friend of the novel’s female lead.
It was Megan who played matchmaker and brought Chester and the female lead together.
As for the female side character, her presence in the novel was nothing more than a tool to drive the male lead forward, leaving him with a lasting emotional scar in the process.
There was even a scene where she boldly asked Alexander, “You don’t even dare to look at me. Is it because you like me?”
The memory made Angelina’s stomach churn. She gagged quietly as they stepped outside, the rain misting lightly around them.
“What? Are you that excited to see him?”
Angelina shook her head quickly. “No, I just feel nauseous.
Chester let out a cold laugh, the corners of his lips pulling into a mocking smirk.
He and Alexander were best friends who shared everything with each other. He knew better than anyone what Angelina had done. At that time, he had thought of Angelina as a little sister and had even considered helping her out if she liked Alexander.
But after Alexander rejected her, she had the audacity to turn around and drug him.
Looking back, it was absurd. Even more so, he realized he had essentially been her backup plan
Alexander’s damn stand–in.
Angelina felt incredibly awkward. She quickened her pace, trying to put some distance between them. The ground was slick from the soft drizzle, and she nearly slipped.
Without a word, Chester shrugged off his heavy coat and draped it over her shoulders before striding ahead, not even glancing back.
Angelina, distracted and lost in thought, took another step, and her foot slipped. She let out a startled yelp as she fell.
Chester spun around instantly, sweat breaking out on his forehead as he crouched down beside her. “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
“M–My leg… It’s fine,” Angelina stammered.
He stayed by her side this time, walking with her at a slower pace. He said nothing the rest of the way home.
When the two got back home, Emily greeted them excitedly. “Angelina, you’re back! Look at what I got today.”
She began pulling out baby items from a bag–tiny clothes.
even a small can of formula.
towels, bottles, socks, hats, and
“These were on sale. The store was closing, so everything was 50% off. I had been planning to buy these anyway, so it was perfect timing!
Angelina touched the fabric of the clothes. It was pure cotton–soft and perfect for a baby.
“They’re nice. I like the pink ones.
“Right? Aren’t they cute?” Emily’s excitement dimmed slightly as she sighed. “Well, anyway… Come eat. You can’t get hungry when you’re pregnant. I saved food for you and Chester.”
The days were getting warmer, the seasons shifting from spring to summer. Angelina wore a loose, long–sleeved dress that hid her baby bump when she went out. After dinner, everyone took turns showering, and they insisted Angelina go first.
Despite her polite protests, she finally gave in and headed to the bathroom.
It wasn’t until she finished her shower that she realized she forgot to bring underwear. She
stood there, frustrated, before calling out hesitantly, “Emily…”
But there was no response.
She glanced at her dress. It wasn’t impossible to walk out without underwear, but the ideal made her feel embarrassed.
“Chester!”
“What?” His voice was sharp and sudden, and when she looked toward the door, he was already standing there as if he had appeared out of thin air. They could only talk to each other through the narrow gap in the door.
“I forgot my underwear,” she admitted awkwardly.
“Where is it?”
“It’s in my drawer. Can you check?”
“What color?” Chester asked.
“Pink.”
The word slipped out before she realized something. The female side character didn’t have any pink ones. Just as she was about to clarify, Chester was already gone.
Left with no choice, Angelina waited in the bathroom, fidgeting nervously.
When Chester opened the drawer, what he found left him completely stunned.
He wondered, “How could a proper young woman wear these?”
These didn’t even look like real underwear–just scraps of fabric. Chester rummaged through the drawer, shaking his head at each option. Finally, he grabbed a pair of black lace, figuring it was the least ridiculous. He handed it to her.
Back in the bedroom, Chester couldn’t calm himself even after turning off the lights. The of them lay there, separated by an invisible line.
Just as Angelina was about to drift off to sleep, his voice cut through the silence
“Do you still have any contact with Adrian?”
“Nope,” she replied instantly.
“Do you still like Alexander?”
Angelina shot awake, her heart racing. “Of course not!”
The female side character might have been bold and reckless in the novel, but Angelina knew better. Megan and Alexander were the destined couple. She couldn’t compete with that, nor did she want to.
Chapter
“What are you even wearing?” Chester’s tone was laced with disbelief.
She didn’t seem like it at first, but there was more to her than met the eye.
Angelina blushed in the dark. “Look, I’ll get rid of the clothes, okay? If you don’t like them, I’ll buy something else. What do you like?”
She only wanted him to be happy. When he succeeded again, she’d be fine taking whatever he gave her.
She hadn’t realized how hard she was trying to please him. It just felt… natural.
Chester didn’t respond. As Angelina drifted off to sleep, he lay there, wide awake.
The moonlight spilled across the room, highlighting her peaceful face. For the first time, Chester wondered if she had really changed.
She looked so calm and gentle in the soft moonlight, with a warmth that drew one in.
She used to love money, power, and luxury. Yet here she was, sticking with him through everything.
Was it possible that she actually cared for him?
