"Cindy, how can you kiss Mr. Nicolas Sullivan? Do you have a death wish?" Rachel asked, her voice lowered and steady as she avoided alerting the whole house.
As Cindy strolled away with Rachel towards the gate of her father's house, her eyes darkened at the reminder of how she had foolishly plopped down on Nicholas's thighs and drawn him closer to her face as his honey scent surrounded her like a blanket. Her hands reached for his neck, holding him firmly against her chest, and she drew his face forward with the speed of light, pressing her soft lips against his firm ones. She had almost gotten lost in the sweet kisses, not until he yelled at her.
She trembled at the reminder, cold sweat washing down her spine.
"Rachel, let's not talk about Nicolas Sullivan, please. My heart is still racing. I thought he would help me escape from those men," Cindy admitted her mistake at last.
Rachel looked at Cindy's face with pity, her face filled with concern, and she calmed. "You shouldn't have done such. What if Nicolas comes after you to arrest you for kissing him in public? What if he has a fiancée? The way he strode off, I feared he would come after you."
Holding her friend's hand, Cindy gave Rachel a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry. Nicolas wouldn't come after me. Actually, if I hadn't rejected the marriage, he would have turned out to be my husband."
"What do you mean?" Rachel gasped, and Cindy smirked.
A glint flashed in Cindy's eyes as she pictured how Nicolas would have reacted in shock to the discovery that she was his wife. His chosen wife that his grandfather was supposed to marry. But a wave of relief washed over her when she learned that Tasha would be the one to marry him, and not her.
How would Cindy have coped living with a stone-hearted man like Nicolas Sullivan? Would he not reject marrying a shameless woman like her?
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked again, a look of confusion etched on her face, as she probed Cindy further.
Cindy took a deep breath and explained to Rachel what she had learned.
"Look, Rachel, my stepmother arranged with the Sullivan family that I would marry the elderly Mr. Daniel Sullivan. But she later got to discover that Mr. Sullivan was only interested in marrying me for his grandson. Now that my stepmother has learned the truth, she wants her own daughter, Tasha, to be Nicolas's wife. So I don't stand a chance of marrying into the Sullivan family anymore."
"Huh!" Rachel's eyes widened in shock as she saw Tasha walking out of the house with pride as she went to throw a dirty bag away.
Tasha glared at the two of them, who stood at a distance looking at her. Wanting to mock Cindy, Tasha strutted up to meet Cindy. Her lips curled into a smile as she mocked, "Sis, how does it feel like knowing that you're not the one to marry Nicolas Sullivan? You're better off as his grandfather's wife. How unfortunate that you are meant to marry an old man."
Tasha burst out laughing, covering her lips, while Cindy's lips pressed into a firm line. She didn't waste her breath on Tasha.
"Tasha, don't get too high on yourself. What if Nicolas Sullivan rejects you? That man has a history of being a gay man and having an aversion for women, and he's very cold to approach."
Tasha trembled at the reminder of who Nicolas Sullivan truly is as she heard what Rachel was mocking her for.
"You're lying," Tasha shrieked, her hand pointed at Rachel. "You both are jealous of me. I will become Mrs. Sullivan; you just watch. You will be beneath me by then."
Rachel wanted to spill more to ruin Tasha's parade, but Cindy held her best friend's hand. "Don't waste your breath on her."
"Cindy, tell me, why did your manager slap you? Because he found out that you're useless to our family, right?" Tasha demanded, her voice firm but laced with mockery.
"Tasha, don't get too high on yourself. It's because Cindy..." Rachel wanted to spill the truth, but Cindy swiftly slammed her palm over her best friend's mouth. Her voice was firm and steady as she said, "It's because of those men Mom sent. I lost my job because of that. Are you happy now?"
Tasha felt there was more to the story, but she was happy that she was the one going to marry Nicolas Sullivan. She giggled and said, "Alright. When I become Mrs. Sullivan, I will find a job for you, even if it's for you to become my maid. I hope you don't mind."
Cindy's expression darkened, but she smiled and said, "I will appreciate it."
"Good," Tasha giggled, turned around, and left them.
When Cindy released Rachel's lips, she fumed, "Why didn't you allow me to tell her the truth?"
Cindy exhaled. Her expression darkened as she said, "Of what use will it be if we tell Tasha the truth? I do not have any interest in Nicolas Sullivan." She walked away to the gate with Rachel.
"Are you sure that you do not want him?" Rachel asked, a skeptical look of doubt on her face as she peered at Cindy's face.
"Yes," Cindy replied firmly. "He didn't do anything to help me and allowed those ruthless men to whisk me away. So why should I place my hope on him?"
Rachel exhaled as she stood by the gate, prepared to leave the Paulson's residential house. She peered at Cindy's face and asked, "So you are not going to forgive him. What if he arrives and sees you instead of Tasha?"
"I won't reveal myself to him. It's of no use," Cindy replied firmly, and Rachel sighed again.
"Alright. Are you following me to school?" Rachel asked, stepping out of the gate.
Cindy exhaled, "Wait for me. Let me get my bag and follow you. It's best that I am not here when Nicolas arrives to pick up Tasha."
"Cindy, are you sure that you didn't want to be here when Nicolas arrived? I want you to see Nicolas for real," Rachel pleaded, but Cindy shook her head.
"No, wait for me. Let me get my bag. I am going back to campus."
Rachel exhaled and replied calmly. "Alright. I will wait for you."
Cindy turned back and strode back towards her father's house. She stepped inside and spotted her parents seated on the couch in the living room.
Ignoring them, Cindy strode to her room, packed her bag, and set out to leave the house.
"Cindy, where are you off to?" Mabel asked, her gaze fixed on Cindy. She was relieved to see Cindy leaving. As she feared that Cindy might want to ruin Tasha's wedding to Nicolas Sullivan.
Pausing to peer at her stepmother and father, Cindy picked up a calm and steady tone. "I am going back to campus."
Mr. Paulson smiled and said, "Don't worry, Cindy. I have already paid for the new prescription for your mother's mental health. Ensure that you don't spill anything about the arranged marriage to anyone. Unless you know what I am capable of doing."
With a nod, Cindy glanced away from her father and his family. She strode out of the house and followed Rachel.
Hailing a cab, they hopped into the backseat and drove back to the university campus.