The morning after Tyrone left for his business trip, Heather visited Whitney at the hospital.This marked her first time meeting the daughter of the Snyder family.Whitney was what one might describe as conventionally beautiful. She was slender, and her delicate face was pale. There was a bluish tinge to her lips that accentuated her pallor, but that might have been due to her cardiovascular disease. The hospital scrubs hung loosely from her tiny frame, making her appear more fragile."Heather, thank you for coming. Whitney's been wanting to meet you, so I figured I'd ask you to come over," Macey said with a smile. She looked distinctly better than before, and she was much nicer to Heather too."You must be Heather! I've heard so much about you from my mom. You're gorgeous! Why aren't you a celebrity yet?" Whitney exclaimed as she curiously appraised Heather.Heather smiled. "Oh, please, I'm not that pretty."Whitney shook her head. "I'm serious. You're much prettier than the
On the other side of the world, in a country in Eldovia, the summer air was thick with humidity, and the scenery was breathtaking.The impeccably-maintained golf course was an endless expanse of green. Decked out in white athleisurewear and brown sunglasses, Tyrone stood out among the greenery.His sunglasses partially obscured his handsome features. He gripped his golf club, his long fingers tightening on the shaft, and nonchalantly gazed out into the distance.With a twist of his torso and a confident swing, he sent the golf ball flying over the course.Hole in one!"Nice!"Applause sounded from all around Tyrone. To one side, Charles Kilbourne, an older man sporting blond hair and blue eyes, chuckled and said, "You've gotten better at golf since we last played two years ago, Mr. Elkin. You're putting me to shame."Tyrone was impassive as he handed his golf club to Caleb and slowly peeled off his golf gloves.Charles sensed Tyrone's disinterest and decided to abandon the smal
Tyrone didn't spare Charles a glance. Frowning, he turned to ask Caleb instead, "What has Heather been up to?"Caleb blinked and quickly answered, "I'm not sure either, Mr. Elkin. I'll call and ask.""Please do," Tyrone said.Caleb made the call and soon learned what Heather had been doing recently. On the evening that Tyrone had left for his business trip, Heather had left the hospital. She had been going back to the hospital for the last few days to visit Whitney. When she hadn't been visiting Whitney, she had been at her day job and working her part-time shift at the bar.Tyrone was surprised to hear she had a part-time job at the bar. She was more hardworking than he had thought.He narrowed his eyes in thought when a Dalmatian puppy suddenly burst across the green golf course and circled Tyrone with its tail wagging.Tyrone lowered his gaze to the puppy, who was sniffing his feet. His eyes darkened as he asked, "Whose pup is this?"Charles was just about to ask someone to
Heather gaped at the screen speechlessly. What did Tyrone send her a picture of a dog for? She didn't remember offending him, and she certainly didn't deserve to be likened to a dog!"Doesn't this dog look like you when you were hospitalized?" came another text from Tyrone.Heather looked at the picture of the Dalmatian Tyrone had sent and realized he was making fun of her. When she had been hospitalized, gentian violet had been smeared over her wounds, making her look like she had purple spots splattered all over her.She rolled her eyes. Dalmatians had black spots, not purple ones. That color-blind idiot!Heather had no plans of entertaining Tyrone's musings, so she set her phone down and continued working.Meanwhile, Tyrone was in his car, which was speeding down the road. He waited for Heather to reply, but when his phone didn't buzz, his gaze darkened. He immediately called her.The buzzing sound on the table made Heather look at her phone, where Tyrone's number was flashi
Heather's question was so oblique that Tyrone couldn't help being confused. "What?"Heather clarified, "Has anyone given you any trouble after you had Ms. Snyder released from prison?"While getting Whitney out of prison had been part of Heather's deal with Tyrone, she didn't want him to get in trouble because of her. If he did, then she would feel indebted to him once more.Tyrone chuckled. "I wouldn't consider you trouble."He sounded relaxed, like getting Whitney out of prison hadn't been a big deal at all. Heather presumed no one had given him any trouble for it and let out a breath of relief. "Oh, Mr. Elkin, thank you for making the hospital arrangements for Ms. Snyder.""You can thank me when I'm back," Tyrone said in his pleasant, deep voice. He paused before asking, "Are you feeling better?""Yes, thank you," she answered.Tyrone chuckled. It was only a sound of amusement, but there was something dangerous and teasing about it too.Heather bristled, and it took her a
Work took up most of Heather's time for the next two days.On Thursday afternoon, her phone buzzed just after she had gotten off work. Upon seeing that the phone call was from Caleb, she quickly answered it and asked, "Mr. Hall, how may I help you?""Ms. Sutton, kindly pick up Mr. Elkin at the airport in half an hour. His flight will be getting in by then," Caleb instructed perfunctorily."Mr. Elkin's back?" Heather froze. "Why do I have to pick him up?""Given your relationship with him, shouldn't it be expected of you to pick him up?" Caleb countered, finding her question odd.Emotions flickered through Heather's darkened gaze as she said softly, "Right, of course."Previously, Tyrone had gone easy on Heather on account of her injuries. But now that she was better and he was on his way back, he was going to call in on their bargain.There were no direct buses to the airport from there, so Heather had to hail a cab. She tried not to think about the costs as she settled into the
All the color drained from Heather's face. She pursed her lips and turned to face Bob with a smile. "Mr. Waylon, what would it take for you to let us leave?"Bob stared at her. "Ms. Sutton, your friend could stand to behave better. I offered her some wine, but she broke two bottles of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. "We're talking tens and thousands of dollars worth of wine here. I'll let you leave if you can fork out 30 thousand dollars in damages.""You weren't offering me wine!" Ivy snapped. "You were trying to get me drunk!"Heather glanced at the broken wine bottles that lay on the floor in fragments. It wasn't Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, but some common wine that probably didn't cost much at all. Bob knew full well that neither she nor Ivy could come up with 30 thousand dollars on the spot. He was forcing them to stay.Bob's eyes flashed with malice as he said, "You can either pay me or spend the night with me. Then, I'll let you and your friend leave. How about it, Ms. Sutton?
Heather had been hoping to make an emergency call, but her purse had been snatched away, leaving her with no recourse."I'm sorry, Hattie," Ivy muttered apologetically. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have been so stupid to believe my producer wanted to talk about a script, and now I've gotten you into this mess too."Ivy had the looks and the skills, but she had never made it as a female lead in any movie. She was so desperate for a chance to shine that she had walked right into a lion's den.Heather comforted her softly, saying, "Hey, none of that now. I'm just glad you're all right. We need to stay calm and think of an escape plan, okay?"Meanwhile, Tyrone was standing outside the arrival hall at the airport. He was dressed casually and donned a pair of shades. He had one hand in his pocket, looking aloof and intimidating.While his expression was nothing short of defiant, his handsome features and imperious demeanor made young women stop and stare anyway. Some of the women