When Elias and I broke up, we made a pact. Total silence. We were never supposed to see each other again. But I couldn’t let him go. Years later, at a disastrous dinner party with old friends, I had one too many drinks. I ended up clinging to the bar owner—who bore a haunting resemblance to Elias—sobbing as I made him an offer. "I'll give you five grand a month. Just... be mine. Will you do that?" No one could pry me loose. I just kept calling him by Elias’s name, over and over. The owner looked incredibly awkward at first. But then, a look of realization, almost excitement, flashed across his face. "Wait," he whispered, looking closely at me. "Are you the girl who dumped my big brother back in college?" 1 We were playing Truth or Dare at dinner. Classic, right? The bottle stopped, pointing right at me. One of my friends asked if I was in love with anyone right now. I didn’t hesitate. I nodded. "Yes." The table went nuts. They demanded to know who he was. I refused to say another word and took three penalty shots instead. But after that, every time the bottle landed on me, they asked the same thing. I was drunk, spinning, and I couldn't drink anymore. So, I snapped and told the truth. "It's my ex." The room went dead silent. Then, a few heads leaned in close. "Maya, seriously? How good could this guy have been? It’s been five years and you still can’t move on?" "Why did he dump you, anyway?" "Come on, spill. Maybe we can help you get him back." The alcohol was screaming in my head. I slammed my hand on the table, looked around the circle, and slurred my words. "He didn't dump me. I grabbed him and threw him away." "And there’s something else. We have a kid." 2 My story with Elias started because I was shallow. He was just so incredibly good-looking. Physically, from his face to his build, he was exactly my type. So, even though I knew our backgrounds didn't match at all, I decided to chase him. On the day he finally said yes to being with me, he asked a question. "If we know for a fact that we have to break up after graduation, do you still want to do this?" Let's be real. Very few college couples make it to "happily ever after," and we had a massive wealth gap between us on top of that. Honestly, I just wanted to date him. I wanted the romance. So, I nodded. "Yes. I do." And just like that, Elias and I were a couple. Our relationship was as sweet as any other college romance. Except for one thing: we both tacitly agreed to keep things from getting too intimate. Once, celebrating a birthday in a hotel room, we were kissing intensely. My knees went weak, and I almost slipped to the floor. He caught me, lifted me onto the bed, and leaned over me. His scent completely overwhelmed me. But at the critical moment, he stopped. He fought for control and just tucked the blanket around me. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll be right back." I didn't stop him. He wasn't going to commit to a life with me, and I didn't want to give him everything. That was our unspoken agreement. Honestly, the entire time we were dating, I kept reminding myself not to fall too deep. I knew the breakup would be devastating if I did. But in the end, I still failed to protect my heart. 3 It was Christmas Eve. Elias had made reservations for dinner. But my advisor assigned a last-minute project, forcing us to work late in the lab. I had to stand him up. When I finally came out, it was snowing hard. I hadn't brought an umbrella. A senior guy in the lab offered to walk me back to my dorm. Just as we stepped out of the science building, we ran right into Elias. He was wearing a black pea coat, holding an umbrella, with a gift box in his other hand. It looked like he’d been waiting down there for a long time. We were keeping our relationship a total secret. I was terrified his family would find out, so in front of others, we acted like strangers. I planned to walk past him like usual and text him later to meet up. But Elias grabbed my hand. He aggressively pulled me under his umbrella. The senior guy was stunned. Before he could ask anything, Elias explained, "I'm walking my girlfriend home." The guy was in total shock. "You... you're dating someone?" Not just dating. It had been almost three years. Elias pulled me away, walking fast. I had to jog to keep up. "I'm sorry you waited so long. That guy is so slow at everything." "But Elias, why did you tell him we're dating? He talks a lot. It’s going to get out." "I'll explain it to him tomorrow. I'll say you were joking." Elias set his jaw and didn't say a word. He didn't take me back to my dorm. He took me to a hotel near campus. As soon as we were inside the entryway, he broke character. He pinned me against the door. I could tell something was wrong. "Did you misunderstand something?" I whispered. "He’s just a guy from my lab. There’s nothing else..." Before I could finish, he pinned both my hands over my head and kissed me hard. Elias was usually so gentle with this stuff, but this time, he was dominant. Aggressive. He started pulling at my dress and asked me straight out, "Can we?" I was stunned. I tried to stop him. "Wait..." He was pressed on top of me, sweating from fighting his impulses. His voice was raw and deep. "I want you, Elara." "Let's just go public. No more hiding. And we're not breaking up after graduation." "Give me three years. I will marry you." His hand was on my waist, palm scorching hot. I noticed a scratch on the back of his hand, like he’d been pricked by a needle. My eyes landed on the gift box behind him. It had fallen to the floor, spilling the Christmas gift he’d prepared for me. It was a handmade chunky-knit blanket. They were really popular on campus just then. I pointed at the soft, pink blanket. "Did you knit that yourself?" He didn't understand why I was asking about that right now, but he answered anyway, keeping his patience. "Yeah." "You said you wanted one, so I looked up tutorials online and learned how to do it." I pressed my lips together and said nothing. He saw my silence and slowly let go of my hands. The look in his eyes was pure devastation. "I'm sorry. I crossed a line tonight. I'll go take a cold shower." "But Elara, what I said wasn't impulsive. I am seriously committing to you." Before he could get up and leave, I found the courage to grab him. "Okay," I said, my voice shaking. Elias froze. "What?" "I love the blanket you made me." "And... I want you, too." Elias took a sharp breath. He violently flipped us over, pressing me into the bed. But at the critical moment, he still hesitated. He fought his desire and told me: "Elara, you can still change your mind. It's not too late." "I won't regret it." All I remember from that night is crying out until my throat was raw. I didn't close my eyes until dawn. Once you cross that line for the first time, there is a second, and a third. We were always meticulous about protection. Except for one time. The day of graduation. Elias lost control a bit. He kept begging for more, and it went on for a long time. When we finally woke up, I realized the condom had broken at some point. Even though I took the Morning After pill immediately, I still got pregnant. 4 The moment I found out I was pregnant, I went to the clinic. I had zero intention of keeping the baby. But the doctor told me I had a unique physical condition. If I terminated this pregnancy, I might never be able to conceive again. So, I hesitated. That night, I called Elias. I was going to tell him. But before I could speak, he started talking about his cousin. He said his cousin had picked up some "gold digger" who got pregnant and was now causing a massive scene at his family's house, trying to force a marriage. His family looked down on that kind of manipulative behavior. They absolutely refused to acknowledge her and forced her to terminate the pregnancy. He was just telling it like it was gossip, but it sent a shockwave through my system. "Elara? You said you wanted to talk about something?" I didn't mention the pregnancy. I made up a lame excuse to hang up. He was coming to see me this weekend. It was probably better to talk about it in person. But that weekend, Elias stood me up. Instead of him, I met his mother. Mrs. Sterling looked at me with a fake, polite smile. She was actually quite nice, offering a few standard compliments. And then, she smoothly shifted topics. She told me the family was arranging for Elias to marry an heiress from another prominent family. "Because of you, he is fighting the arrangement. Maya, if you two still want to be together, I won't stop you. I just want to tell you one thing: I have three sons, not just Elias." "If he insists on being with you, fine. He will be cut off completely. I have two other sons I can groom for the family business. But Elias has grown up in luxury. Do you honestly think he will last a day living a hard life with you? Maybe a day or two is fine, but as soon as time passes, are you sure he won't resent you?" "You're a smart girl. Think it over." Mrs. Sterling was wearing a massive emerald necklace. Every gesture screamed old money. She looked completely out of place in my tiny, rented apartment. She didn't say a single cruel or ugly word. Before leaving, she even smiled. "Maya, if you ever need any help, you can contact me." That arrogant, high-class way of speaking made the reality undeniably clear. The Sterling family was not a world I could ever belong to. So, the next weekend, when I saw Elias, I was calm when I broke up with him. "Why?" He looked lost. "Did I do something wrong?" "Is it because I couldn't come see you last week? A crisis came up at work, I'm so sorry. I promise to cancel everything next time, okay?" "Oh, and that cake you wanted to try? I bought it! Taste it and see if you like it." I was so scared when he was like this. The better he was to me, the harder it was to let him go. But I didn't want to destroy his future. I took a deep breath, trying my best to stay calm as I used the excuse I had prepared. "Elias, long-distance is too hard. I don't want to do this anymore." "My family is pressuring me to settle down. I'm going back home to let them set me up on dates." Elias froze for a long moment. Then, with sudden determination, he said, "Then I'll move to your city. I'll marry you. Okay?" He wouldn't stop compromising. He even lowered his pride, crouching on the floor in front of me, begging me not to leave. "Don't break up with me, okay? Where you go, I go. We can be together forever." But how could his family ever allow that? I didn't want this golden boy to sink into the mud, ending up in a marriage where we both resented each other. I hardened my heart and lied to him. "Actually, I don't like you as much as you think I do." "We've been together four years. I'm bored. I want someone new." That day, we faced off for a long, long time. Finally, his eyes went red, and he gritted his teeth as he looked at me. "How is it that you get to decide when we start, and you get to decide when we break up? Do you even see me as a person?" "Elara Vance, after this, we are never contacting each other again." His words were harsh, but before he left, he still left me a bank card. There were three million dollars in it. I didn't take it. Being with him was never about the money. At the time, I was naive. I thought by not taking the money, I could still hold my head up high in front of him, that I still had my dignity. After that, we never spoke again. I moved to a new city and gave birth to Leo Vance. I worked jobs and made money while raising Leo as a single mom. My own mother stopped pressuring me to get married. She said it didn't matter if there was a man, as long as I had a child, I was set. But over all these years, despite how flippant I acted, in my heart, I never let go of Elias Sterling. Even though I was drunk, I still had a thread of sanity left. The story of Elias Sterling stayed swallowed down in my stomach; I never said it out loud. I just ordered two more drinks and poured them down my throat. Just as I was drinking, the door to the private room opened, and a man walked in. My hand froze. This man—his eyes and brows looked exactly like Elias. Especially the eyes, with the exact same slope. But I knew instantly: it wasn't him. I don't know if it was the alcohol hitting my brain, but before I realized what I was doing, I was grabbing his jacket, my speech slurred as I asked him: "Are you the new model?" "How much to book you for the night?" 5 My friends were scared to death. They rushed over to pull me away, explaining that this was the bar owner. I refused to let go. I squinted my eyes, studying him. "I like your face. It looks a lot like someone I used to know." "If you're the owner, does that mean you cost more?" I did the mental math for my monthly salary, morgage, Leo’s living expenses, and my savings. I held up one hand, five fingers spread. "Five grand. Is five grand enough to book you for a month?" The owner was stuck in a massive, awkward spot. He muttered under his breath, "Wow, is that all I'm worth?" I gritted my teeth and offered a raise. "Okay, fine. I'll add another grand. Six thousand, okay?" My friend grabbed my sleeve, trying to talk sense into me. "Maya, it doesn't matter if you add another zero." "This guy is a trust-fund kid. He doesn't need money. I know he’s hot, but drop it. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than booking him." I brushed my friend's hand off. Staring at the owner's eyes, a massive wave of bitterness flooded my chest. I grabbed his arm and started crying. "I have never seen anyone who looks so much like Elias Sterling." "I finally find one, and of course he’s another damn trust-fund billionaire." "Why is the world so full of trust-fund billionaires? Why couldn't just one be available for me?" The owner had been tense, trying to find a way to escape. Hearing this, he suddenly got interested. He asked me, "Who did you say I look like?" "My ex." He pressed his lips together. A strange hint of excitement crept into his voice. "Is your name... Elara Vance?" My mind was a total fog. I didn't have the energy to figure out how he knew my name. I just tightened my grip on his arm, still trying to haggle. "Yeah, I'm Elara Vance. Since you know my name, we're basically friends. Come on, can I get a friends and family discount for the booking?" "If you won't do it by the month, how about by the day?" The owner just looked at me with a half-smile. He leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Babe, I am definitely not the booking type. If my big brother found out, he would literally murder me." I didn't understand what he was talking about. I only knew he was turning me down. I was devastated. It wasn't because he rejected me. It was because the memory of Elias Sterling had come flooding back, and it hurt so much. Alcohol amplifies your emotions. I clung to the owner's arm and sobbed hysterically. He was frantically handing me tissues while simultaneously unlocking his phone. He started a video call. I didn't know who he was calling. The call was picked up almost instantly. A deep, slightly familiar voice spoke: "What?" "Liam, listen to this. I'm at the bar, and I just met this girl who wants to book me for five grand a month." "I said no, and now she’s clinging to my sleeve, sobbing her heart out." "Come on, analyze this for me. Should I take the offer?" The man on the other end sounded irritated. "I have zero interest in your trashy soap opera life, Ryan." "Wait, Liam, don't hang up yet. First, take a look at who this girl is." With that, he pointed the camera directly at me. I didn't understand. What did my desire to book him have to do with his brother? But from what he was saying, it sounded like if his brother agreed, he would accept my offer. Fine. I’d convince his brother. I took a deep breath and looked up at the camera. 6 I planned to say a polite hello. But I’d had too much to drink. My stomach violently revolted. Before I could say a word, I clapped my hand over my mouth and dry-heaved. The nausea surged up my throat. I couldn't stop it. The next second, I threw up. I threw up right over the owner's arm and jacket. He was so startled he dropped his phone. It hit the floor with a loud thwack. On the other end of the line, the man’s patience was totally gone. "Stop wasting my time." He bluntly hung up the call. I was crouching on the floor, throwing up, thinking in my hazy mind: That voice is so beautiful. It sounds exactly like Elias Sterling's voice. Only his was colder, deeper. These brothers were truly walking treasures. One had Elias’s face, the other had Elias’s voice. I scrambled to grab napkins and tried to clean the owner's jacket. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to throw up." "Please... please don't refuse to let me book you just because I threw up on you." "Can I just have you as a stand-in for a few days? I promise I'll only touch your face and hold your hand. Nothing else." I have zero alcohol tolerance. I completely blacked out after that and collapsed. When I woke up, I was at my best friend Sarah's apartment. She looked at me helplessly. "It's the afternoon. You finally decided to join the living?" My hangover was giving me a massive headache. She handed me a glass of honey water. "Do you remember what happened last night?" I remembered the broad strokes. Remembered reminiscing about Elias, then running into that owner who looked exactly like him at the bar. "You have zero memory of the best parts," Sarah said, putting her hands on her hips. "You were completely wasted. You clung to the bar owner and begged him to let you book him." "He said no, so you threw up all over him, and then you forced him to take his jacket off, saying you were going to wash it and bring it back." "Oh, and you stole his phone and forced him to add you as a friend on Snapchat." I was convinced Sarah was screwing with me. Until I saw a man’s jacket hanging on her balcony. I stood there, totally speechless for a long time. On my phone, I had indeed added a new friend. I forced myself to send him a message: [Hi, this is Maya Vance from last night.] His name was Ryan Sterling. He immediately sent back a voice message, his tone full of barely suppressed laughter: [Well, hello, Ms. Vance. Back already? Does this mean you still want to book me?] I quickly typed an explanation: [I had way too much to drink last night. I wasn't thinking clearly. I am so, so sorry.] [The reason I'm messaging is that I realized the stain on your jacket won't wash out. Can I buy you a replacement?] After a pause, Ryan replied: [That jacket is actually sold out.] [Then tell me how much it costs. I’ll pay double for the damages.] Ryan was surprisingly easy to deal with: [It's fine. Just pay the original price.] Before I could even type a "thank you," two numbers popped up on the screen. [$8,000.] I rubbed my eyes, thinking I must be seeing things. It was just a jacket. This felt like extortion. Just as I was about to snap at him, he sent a link. It turned out the jacket was from a foreign luxury brand, and it actually retailed for $8,000. I was speechless. [Actually, Ms. Vance, you don't necessarily have to pay. I have a favor to ask.] [If you agree, we can forget about the jacket entirely.] He said the bar had been a bit quiet lately and hoped I would bring some friends by more often. [Just to help liven the place up.] [Especially for the anniversary party coming up in two days. It’s really important to me, and I’d really appreciate it if you could make it.] I thought about it. Eight thousand dollars. That was a family vacation with Leo. That was a new bag and jewelry. That was a lot of things. Hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to that eight grand. So, I agreed. "Okay."
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