I got drunk and texted my ex-boyfriend. [Unblock me! Right now!] He started typing... [How many burner numbers do you have...] A moment later, a WeChat notification popped up. VIP Contact (Do Not Answer): [Drunk again?] The alcohol gave me courage. I hesitated for only a few seconds. Just as I hit send, an arm reached around my shoulder. A glass clinked against mine. My eyes traveled up a muscular arm to a handsome face. The stranger leaned in, whispering in my ear. His messy hair tickled my cheek. I completely missed the incoming messages... VIP Contact (Do Not Answer): [Am I your favorite drinking game? You only want me when you're wasted?] VIP Contact (Do Not Answer): [I was your boyfriend, not your call boy.] ... VIP Contact (Do Not Answer): [The usual spot? I'm coming to get you.] ... VIP Contact (Do Not Answer): [?] VIP Contact (Do Not Answer): [Answer me!] VIP Contact (Do Not Answer): [Sarah, if you dare kiss some random guy, don't ever text me again!] VIP Contact (Do Not Answer): [Stay right there! I'm almost there!] 1 I was squatting in a dark corner outside the bar. Fifteen minutes ago, I texted my cousin to come pick me up. I was dozing off. "You are literally the bane of my existence." I looked up. My cousin, Leo, stared down at me with pure exasperation. I grinned stupidly at him. He rolled his eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck, then bent down and poked my forehead. "Why didn't you harass your ex this time?" I swatted his hand away, remembering my failed attempt to flirt with Liam. I pouted. "He ignored me!" Leo extended a hand to help me up. His grin was evil. "So, is it finally over for real this time?" I wanted to curse him out, but then I saw a blurry figure standing behind him. I used Leo to pull myself up, then shoved him aside. Leo stumbled. "Are you trying to kill me, Sarah?" I moved toward the figure. I looked left, right, and then reached out to touch his face. I completely ignored Liam's dark expression. Liam grabbed my wandering hand. Behind me, Leo laughed. "Well, well, look who it is." I covered Liam's mouth with my hand. "Shh." I tried to drag Liam away, but my legs were jelly. He caught me by the waist before I could faceplant. "Where are we going? My place?" Leo asked. "No," I snapped, annoyed by his voice. "Go home." I turned to Liam. "Piggyback. Now." Liam frowned. He looked at me, then at Leo, then back at me. Resigned, he crouched down in front of me. We walked away from the bar street. I buried my face in Liam's neck. "Why didn't you text me back?" He turned his head slightly. I couldn't see his face. His voice was muffled. "I did. You were probably too busy kissing some guy." I struggled to reach my phone in my pocket. "Stop moving!" he ordered. I pouted and tightened my arms around his neck. "If I was kissing a guy, I wouldn't be looking for you." Liam turned his head fully. Our noses touched. He scoffed. His warm breath brushed my cheek. "That guy was pretty generous with his wallet." Who? Leo? Yeah, he has a sharp tongue, but he's always spoiled me. "Yeah, he's always been generous." Liam laughed bitterly. "Sarah, you really have no heart." 2 Messy room. Tangled limbs. I pushed a heavy arm off me. I opened my eyes to see Liam sleeping. Without thinking, I traced the line of his brow. He twitched, then instinctively snuggled closer into my embrace. I froze. Then, I carefully slid out of bed. My hand had just touched the doorknob when— "Leaving without a word again?" I didn't feel embarrassed at being caught. I turned and leaned against the door, watching him. Liam propped himself up on one arm. The sheet fell, revealing his chest. My eyes darkened. "Do you want me to tuck you in?" "We aren't in that kind of relationship anymore." He stared at me intensely. I didn't look away. I smiled. His hair was a mess. His voice was lazy, morning-rough. "So what are we?" I raised an eyebrow. I didn't want to answer. I turned the handle to escape. Liam was across the room in a second. He slammed the door shut with one hand, trapping me. He caged me in his arms. "Even a call boy gets paid. I get nothing?" His voice vibrated above my head. I thought for a moment, then stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. The touch lasted a second. Liam's cool hand wrapped around my neck. He kissed me, stealing my breath. His desperate gasps filled the small space. "Sarah, this is toxic. No couple breaks up and keeps sleeping together like this." His eyes were pleading. I smirked. "I think it's working out fine. If you think it's toxic, don't unblock me next time." Liam watched helplessly as I pried his fingers off one by one. I said each word clearly. "I used to think you were the only one for me, too." He stood frozen. I left without looking back. Leo was waiting by the car, arms crossed. He took my bag as I walked to the passenger side. "Why torture yourself?" I looked at him over the hood of the car. I laughed coldly. "I can't handle his mother. Marrying into that family would be hell." Leo frowned but said nothing. My hand paused on the door handle. I met Liam's gaze across the parking lot. 3 I never thought I'd be living in a cliché romance novel. The elegant woman in front of me told me... My boyfriend, the one working part-time jobs, was the heir to the massive Pei Corporation. She didn't say much else. But her eyes said everything. Liam came home from work and collapsed into my arms. "So tired." I stroked his hair. "Liam, are you hiding something from me?" I felt him stiffen. "Yes. I haven't told you about my family." I bit my lip, tracing the shell of his ear. "I don't think secrets are inherently bad in a relationship. I allow you your secrets." Liam looked up. Seeing I wasn't angry, he relaxed. "I'm sorry. I hate that life. That's why I never brought it up." Seeing him so careful broke my heart. But the image of his mother's condescending face flashed in my mind. I looked away, forcing a smile. "I never thought the Prince and Cinderella story was for me. And there are some decisions I don't want to make after your mother throws a check in my face." Liam's voice trembled. "You're breaking up with me?" I nodded. He grabbed my hand tightly. "No. Don't break up with me." Tears fell from his eyes without warning. "It's my fault..." I shook my head, interrupting him. "It's not your fault." I wiped his tears. We looked at each other in silence. "You know what? The way your mother looked at me... it was humiliating." "I'll explain to her." I buried my face in his chest. His heart was beating so fast. The pain in my own chest tried to sway my decision. Liam wrapped his arms around my waist, holding on for dear life. "Explain what? That I'm not a gold digger? For a second, I wished I was. Then I could happily take the check and leave." He kissed the top of my head. "Don't say that. This is all because of me." "But my upbringing, my life, and... my love for you, won't let me do that." I felt him shaking. I pulled away. He tried to grab my hand, but missed. I cupped his face, forcing him to look at me. "Liam, I'm not leaving because you hid things from me. It's the gap between us. I don't have the courage to face your family with you. I don't want to compromise myself. I don't want a marriage full of war. I love you, but I don't want to lose myself." Our breakup was dignified. I remember the last time I saw him. His mother came with a fleet of cars to take him away. I stood in the crowd. Surrounded by whispers of awe and hidden mockery aimed at me. 4 The termination letter slammed onto the desk. My boss, Mr. Wang, pushed up his glasses. "They said our aesthetic is outdated. Doesn't fit their 'high-end' positioning." The Pei Corporation logo hurt my eyes. I pushed the file back, smiling carelessly. "Got it. Good thing I'm working on that streetwear project anyway." The computer clock read 17:45. Mojito Bar: Buy one get one free Long Island Iced Teas after 8 PM. Three drinks down. Leo's trench coat settled over my shoulders, smelling of the night air. He glanced at the bar. "Drinking this fast? You want a hole in your stomach?" I downed the rest of my glass. "You know how Liam handled guys who bullied me in school? He cornered them in the equipment room and beat them with a badminton racket for thirty minutes." I swirled the ice in my empty glass. Leo snatched the glass away. He wiped a drop of alcohol from my lip with a wet wipe, rough as always. "So his mom beats your company, and you hide here abusing yourself?" Leo pointed to a booth nearby. "See that guy in the silver suit? Every time I pick you up, he's there. Guess who pays him to watch you?" I pulled Leo's coat off and threw it on the chair. "Let him watch." My phone lit up on the bar. The lock screen was Liam's new profile picture. Our three-legged orange cat. I laughed silently. I dragged his number into the block list. The red 'Blocked' notification popped up. "Who are you actually punishing?" Leo asked. Just as the fourth drink arrived, a commotion started at the next table. A guy with bleached hair walked up to me. "Miss, can I buy you a drink?" Before I could speak, Leo put his arm around me. "She's taken." The guy didn't leave. He set his drink down on the bar. "Just making friends. No harm, right?" A familiar voice cut through the noise from the shadows. "Yes, harm." Liam appeared out of nowhere. His black shirt was unbuttoned at the top, sweat on his forehead. He shoved the guy aside and stood in front of me. He radiated danger. "She's my girlfriend." The guy looked Liam up and down and sneered. "Girlfriend? Looks like she has more than one protector tonight."
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