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Chapter Nineteen
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2025-04-03 23:23:11
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Rich Love Chapter Twenty
Carolyn's POVThe moment we landed in Lagos, I felt like my entire body had been drained of energy. The trip had been exhausting—not just because of the long hours but because I had spent every second of it trapped in my thoughts, dreading what the next five days would bring.J.J. and George barely spoke to me on the plane. J.J. had spent most of the flight lounging in his seat with his headphones in, ignoring everything and everyone. George, on the other hand, had given me a few glances, like he wanted to say something, but he never did.And now, as we stepped off the plane and into the humid Lagos air, I felt like I was walking into yet another nightmare.The journey to our hotel in Lagos had been short, but to me it had long and exhausting even though the school found a hotel that was just ten minutes away from the Lagos international airport. From the moment we boarded the bus, I felt trapped. J.J. and George sat a few rows behind me, and even though I tried my best to disappear i
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-04Rich Love Chapter Twenty-One
Carolyn – POVI stood stiffly in my ironed school uniform, fingers nervously brushing down the sides of my skirt as the debate auditorium buzzed with activity. The room was massive, lit with elegant chandeliers that dangled from high ceilings. A red-carpeted stage was mounted at the front, with a long table, microphones, and school nameplates lined neatly across. Around me, students from all over the country chatted excitedly, fixing their ties and adjusting their glasses. I felt like a stain in a field of bright flowers.The journey to Lagos had drained me more than I expected. My body still ached from the long ride, and my eyes were heavy from last night’s lack of sleep. My hotel room was beautiful, yes—with soft white linen, golden curtains, and a mini fridge stocked with water and snacks—but I barely got a chance to enjoy it. J.J had visited me not long after check-in to give his usual dose of superiority.“Don’t disgrace us.”Those words still rang in my ears. Like I was a tickin
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-06Rich Love Chapter Twenty-Two
J.J – POVI’d never been second best at anything in my life.Not in this school. Not on any stage. Not even in my own damn house. My father made sure I had the best of everything, and I worked hard to stay ahead. Always one step above. Always the star. But ever since this stupid trip to Lagos started, Carolyn has somehow been stealing the spotlight.Carolyn.Of all people, her.I sat in the corner of the auditorium on the third day of the competition, gripping my pen so tightly it snapped in half. I didn’t even flinch. Just let the broken pieces fall into my lap. The room roared with applause again, this time louder than yesterday’s, and guess who was at the center of it?That quiet, pitiful girl who had begged for mercy under my shoe just a few weeks ago. That same girl who could barely meet my eye without flinching.Now she stood on stage, holding the microphone like she owned it, voice calm, confident, and persuasive. Judges nodded. Other schools whispered about her. One even calle
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-07Rich Love Chapter Twenty-Three
Carolyn’s POVThe moment I opened my eyes that morning, something felt off.There was a strange silence in the air—too thick, too still, as if the world outside had taken a pause. I blinked the sleep from my eyes, rubbing my sore shoulder. The bed was still warm, my body heavy with exhaustion from the intense debates over the past three days. My head throbbed faintly, probably from nerves more than anything else.Today was the final day.The day we were supposed to prove ourselves and represent our school in front of the whole country.I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stretched. After taking my bath, dressing up, and putting on my shoes, I was ready for the day. That’s when I realized something was wrong.I couldn’t open the door.I tried again—twisting the knob harder, jiggling it, pulling and pushing—but it wouldn’t budge. I stepped back and stared at it, my heart slowly beginning to race.What the hell?Was the door... locked from the outside?Panic began to slither int
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-08Rich Love Chapter Twenty-Four
Carolyn’s POVI took my seat between J.J. and George.The air around us was ice.George muttered a low “Glad you made it,” without looking at me. I wasn’t sure if it was genuine or just for show. But J.J. didn’t say anything at all. He just leaned back in his chair, eyes on the panel of judges as they prepared their notes.I could feel his tension. Not the kind that came from nerves before a big competition—no, this was different. This was frustration. Spite. Bruised ego.And yet, I was too exhausted to let his silence shake me.Instead, I focused on the stage, where the final round was about to begin. Our school, Convent High, was facing two of the most competitive debate teams from Lagos and Port Harcourt. Both schools were infamous for grooming debate champions. Some of the best speakers in the country were sitting just meters away, sharpening their minds like blades.And here I was.A girl who had almost been locked away and forgotten.Our principal sat near the judges, smiling ne
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-09Rich Love Chapter Twenty-Four
J.J’s POVThe crowd was still cheering. The trophy gleamed on the stage like it had been waiting its whole life to land in Carolyn’s hands.Ours.But let’s not kid ourselves—it was hers. She was the one who gave the closing argument, the one who turned the judges around, the one who brought the crowd to its feet. I should have been proud. I should have stood beside her and lifted the damn thing with her. But instead I sat there, still in my chair, jaw clenched, heart thudding with something far uglier than pride.Jealousy.God, it was eating me alive.She walked off the stage with her usual cautious grace, like she still didn’t quite believe the world had given her a win. Her eyes scanned the crowd as if unsure whether she deserved the applause. And when they landed on me—when she saw me still seated, arms crossed, not smiling—I saw it.Doubt. Hurt. Confusion.I looked away.She deserved better than that look from me.But that didn’t stop me from feeling it.The entire school team gat
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-10Rich Love Chapter Twenty-Six
Carolyn’s POV We were leaving Lagos in a few hours, but I had already packed. I didn’t have many things, and truth be told, I wanted to be done with this place. The hotel, the debate venue, the heavy applause I never asked for, the quiet side-eyes from students who didn’t believe I deserved the win—it all clung to my skin like smoke from a fire I didn’t set. I stood by the window in the lobby, watching the morning traffic move like a slow dance of chaos. Cars honked, vendors shouted, and buses groaned as they swerved in and out of lines. It reminded me of home—chaotic but familiar, safe in a weird way. My hand rubbed my arm absently, still feeling the bruise from where I slammed into the locked hotel room door yesterday. I could still see the cleaner’s shocked face as she opened the door, and I could see the dust floating in the light behind her. I’d smiled then, politely, hiding the mess inside me. I hadn’t said anything to the teachers. No one. Because what was the point? I knew
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-11Rich Love Chapter Twenty-Seven
Carolyn’s POVI don’t know how long I sat there.At some point, George passed by. He slowed when he saw me, then thought better of it and kept walking. Maybe he knew. Maybe J.J. had told him what happened. Or maybe George had seen the way J.J. looked at me lately like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to ruin me or rescue me.Not that it mattered.I needed silence.And the stairwell gave me that.There, in the echo of my breathing and the hum of the building, I allowed myself to feel it all. The shame. The confusion. The self-disgust. The subtle flicker of pain that came from knowing that despite everything—despite the cruelty, the games, the manipulation—a piece of me still wanted J.J. to see me.And not just see me—but understand me. Respect me.But maybe that was my problem. Hoping for empathy from someone who had made it his life’s mission to keep people beneath him.I stood up slowly and walked to the nearby mirror in the hallway. My reflection stared back—messy braids, faded lip balm,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-13
Bab terbaru
Rich Love Chapter Forty-Three
The warm fairy lights twinkled above the party like stars stitched into a velvet sky. Laughter echoed across the lawn, mingling with the clink of cutlery and soft music. I tried to stay grounded, to keep my smile wide and convincing, but inside me, a storm brewed. Every time someone hugged me or wished me well, I felt their eyes scanning me, trying to decode something I wasn’t even sure I understood myself.George was beside me, his presence warm and steady, his hand brushing mine now and then like an anchor. Aunty Pat had gone up to the mic again, wearing a bright orange kaftan with gold embroidery. She clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.“Everyone! Everyone, please!” she called out with that cheerful command only she could pull off. “Let’s all go to the garage! Carolyn’s birthday gift is waiting there!”The students cheered. I was puzzled. I hadn’t expected anything extravagant, maybe a bracelet or a new laptop. But the way she said it made my heart hammer against my ribs
Rich Love Chapter Forty-Two
I ran to my room but the two boys followed me in"I want to be left alone" I said"No I am not leaving" J.J replied "And I took" George added"if he doesn't leave I don't know if I can control myself from punching him" J.J snapped out of frustration. George did not moved and seemed unfazed by J.J's threats. Not wanting a septatcule on my birthday day I said to George "I will meet you downstairs, I and J.J have unfinished business"." I won't leave you alone with him" George protested"it's Okay" I replied "He can't do anything harmful to me"After what seems like a long thought, George decided to leave. The room felt too small, too heavy with silence after George left. Carolyn stood frozen, eyes still on the now-closed door, her heart pounding painfully against her ribcage. The kiss had been sudden, unexpected—confusing. Her lips still tingled, her body still reacting, but her mind was a swirling mess of shame, anger, guilt… and something else she wasn’t ready to name.J.J remaine
Rich Love Chapter Forty-One
The week had been a blur.I spent the remaining days of the week ducking behind lockers, timing my exits from class, avoiding corridors I knew J.J. lingered in. If I saw his silhouette, I turned the other way. If I heard his voice — low and dangerous like a storm cloud about to burst — I held my breath and prayed I was invisible.George became my shadow. A quiet, patient presence I didn’t deserve but couldn’t live without.He didn’t push, didn’t ask too many questions. He just... showed up. Sat with me at lunch. Walked beside me between classes. Took up the seat behind me in every class he could rearrange his schedule for. It should’ve felt claustrophobic. But instead, it felt like a net beneath me. Like something solid holding me up while my world cracked open at the seams.Then came the party.Aunty Pat insisted. She said I needed a proper celebration, a distraction, a reason to smile. I’d argued, but there was no stopping her. She’d invited nearly the entire senior class and decora
Rich Love Chapter Fourty
J.J.’s POVThe whole afternoon, I couldn't get the image out of my head.George.Carolyn.In his arms.Her face buried against his chest. Her arms clinging to him like he was her damn savior.It made my blood boil.She was supposed to look at me that way.She was supposed to need me.Not him.Never him.I stormed through the school courtyard after the final bell, my fists clenching and unclenching at my sides. I spotted George standing near the bike racks, Julius beside him, saying something I didn’t hear.It didn’t matter.All I saw was red.I stalked toward them, my shoes crunching against the gravel. They both looked up as I approached.George’s jaw tensed immediately, like he knew exactly why I was there.Good."You got a lot of nerve," I spat, coming to a stop a few feet away.Julius stepped between us, raising a hand."J.J., come on, man. Chill. It’s over, alright?"I ignored him.My eyes locked on George’s."I told you to stay out of it," I growled. "You knew what you were sup
Rich Love Chapter Thirty-Nine
Carolyn's POVThe door slammed shut, and the echo of it reverberated inside my chest, rattling against my ribs like a scream trapped in bone.“No—no—no!” I pounded my fists against the heavy door, my voice already raw from shouting. “Let me out! Tina! J.J.! Please! Let me out!”The walls felt too close. The air was thick, stale, clinging to my skin like a suffocating blanket. My chest heaved, my heartbeat deafening in my ears. I kept screaming, even as my throat burned, even when my voice cracked into ugly, broken sobs. I screamed their names, cursed them, begged—anything to make them come back.But no one came.I don't know how long I screamed—minutes, maybe hours—it all blurred into one long, agonizing stretch of terror. My fists grew sore and numb from hammering the door. My voice gave out entirely, leaving me gasping like a fish thrown on dry land.And still, the door stayed closed.I slid to the ground, pulling my knees into my chest. My fingernails dug into my arms without even
Rich Love Chapter Thirty-Eight
J.J.'s POVAs I was in the classroom I was fuming and very upset, I tired to patch things up with Carolyn, tried to show her that I am not the villain or the bad person she thought I was, I tried to show her that I care and that I don't take her for granted but what did she do? she spite it right back at myself. I had to take advice from the internet just to make things right with her but it did not work. I remember the way I felt as I stood by the school gate, arms folded across my chest, trying to stay cool though the heat of the sun and the fire in my chest both begged to burn right through me. As my eyes scanned the crowd of students coming into the school restlessly until they locked on her—Carolyn. When. I saw her, she was, walking into the school building like I didn’t exist, like the hundred times we have spoken to each other even though it was mostly kinda a master-slave type of relationship but it was something, it ought to have meant something—anything—she can't ignore it
Rich Love Chapter Thirty-Seven
Carolyn’s POV The next morning, I woke up before my alarm. Again. My sleep had been shallow, broken by strange dreams and memories I hadn’t chosen. J.J’s face when I slapped him. His smirk folding into something almost… wounded. Julius defending me. Tina walking past me like I didn’t exist. It all spun in my head like laundry in a washing machine, leaving me tangled in sheets and thoughts. I wanted to cry. But I didn’t. I was done crying. I dressed slowly, making sure every button of my shirt was straight. Every edge of my skirt smooth. I even brushed my hair twice as long as usual. Because if the world was going to stare at me today… It wouldn’t be because I looked like a mess. By the time I got to school, the usual hush that followed me had returned. Students stepped out of my way like I was carrying something contagious. Some whispered. Some pointed. Others simply stared. I ignored them all. J.J was by the school gates when I arrived. He loo
Rich Love Chapter Thirty-six
Carolyn's POV I didn’t look back.Even though my palm still burned from the impact.Even though my chest was pounding so hard I thought I might collapse.I kept walking.Because if I stopped, I knew I’d break.Not because I regretted it.No—never that.But because slapping J.J felt like releasing years of quiet pain that I never even realized I’d carried.The weight of people talking at me instead of to me.The sting of being looked at like a burden wrapped in a scholarship badge.The ache of every time someone like J.J made me feel like my worth depended on their approval.That slap was for every time he made me feel like nothing.It was for Tina.It was for me.By the time I stepped off the school grounds, I was trembling. Not with fear—but with adrenaline. It felt like I had cracked open something I didn’t know existed inside me.A voice.Power.The ability to push back.But the moment I entered the bus heading home, all that fire dulled into fatigue.My shoulders slumped.My knee
Rich Love Chapter Thirty-Five
J.J's POVThe class corridor hadn’t felt so still in a long time.The usual buzzing voices, sneaker-squeaks on tile, slamming lockers—all of it faded into silence the moment Carolyn’s hand hit my face.A sharp, stinging silence.And yet—All I could hear was my own heart pounding.She slapped me.Again.The second time now.And God help me, something inside me liked it.Not because I enjoyed the pain. Not because I was some masochist. But because for the first time in what felt like years—someone saw me.Really saw me.I blinked slowly, barely registering the heat on my cheek.Carolyn was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling like she’d just sprinted a mile. Her hand still hung at her side, fingers trembling slightly.But her eyes—those furious, wounded, sky-blue eyes—burned into mine like acid.“You’re disgusting,” she spat.Her voice wasn’t loud. But it didn’t need to be.It sliced through my chest like a scalpel.“You think this is power? You think being feared makes you
