Chapter 4
805words
Henry didn't dare call again, behaving exactly like the side piece he was pretending to be.
I wasn't sure why I felt so down.
Danny was just my brother—why should he care if I had a boyfriend?
Restless from sleeping all day, I called my best friend to go out for drinks.
Half an hour later, Sansa Woods had me settled in a booth at some trendy new bar.
"Still chasing Henry Growth? What's with your obsession with these innocent types?"
Sansa couldn't comprehend it. With a puppy-eyed boy in denim on her left and a suited bad boy on her right, she was clearly baffled.
It was actually simple.
I admired my mom.
She's the heroine of her own story—beautiful, wealthy, and powerful. She always said novel heroes are like my dad: resilient, pure-hearted, and from humble beginnings.
Henry Growth was a scholarship student from a poor family who got into an elite university and repeatedly rejected my advances—just like a novel's male lead. I should be into guys like him.
I gulped down carrot juice because I'm allergic to alcohol.
Sansa eyed my orange drink skeptically. "Planning to get wasted on that?"
The puppy-eyed boy leaned in. "You know, you're only the second person to order carrot juice tonight."
He pointed across the bar. I followed his gesture and locked eyes with a familiar cold stare.
Danny Lawrence stood with both hands gripping a booth, staring our way. His friends were playing dice, while an amber drink and an untouched glass of carrot juice sat before him.
Sansa spotted Danny Lawrence too. She'd never gotten along with my brother—they'd been competing for my attention since childhood.
She nudged the puppy-eyed boy toward me.
She couldn't intimidate my brother directly.
The boy slid closer, eyes downcast.
"He didn't always work here," Sansa explained. "His dad's a gambling addict, mom ran off, and he's got a three-year-old sister. Dropped out of high school to support them."
The implication was clear—prime innocent hero material.
Sansa shot Danny Lawrence a challenging look.
The puppy-eyed boy's eyes welled with tears.
His backstory was even more tragic than Henry Growth's.
"But I should warn you," I said. "In your situation, you should focus on money."
Henry was smarter—he only dated wealthy girls and played boy toy to rich cougars.
The boy wiped his tears. "I have my pride too, you rich people..."
I pulled out my black card.
"Damn, that's serious money."
The puppy boy started drinking carrot juice with me.
Meanwhile, Sansa was making out with the suited man so intensely they'd forgotten the world existed.
The puppy boy leaned in. "Miss Woods always goes for that pretentious guy. He actually owns this place."
"You mean the pimp?" I asked.
The puppy boy burst out laughing.
"Didn't she pick you too?" I asked curiously.
The puppy boy gave me a knowing look.
Oh. She picked you for me.
The puppy boy was a pro—his customer service instincts kicked in as he grabbed my hand and placed it on his abs.
"No, no, no..." I pulled back, embarrassed. I'd never actually touched a guy's abs before.
"You're different from the others," the puppy boy murmured. "You don't care that I'm just after money."
I was about to say it's fine, us heroines are used to it, when suddenly the puppy boy was hurled across the booth.
Danny towered over me, looking ready to murder someone.
Sansa broke her kiss, annoyed.
"Danny Lawrence, what's wrong with you? Crashing my booth to throw a tantrum?"
Danny glared at her. "Sansa Woods, why do you always drag her to these sleazy places?"
The suited man stepped forward, shielding Sansa Woods. "Sleazy? Aren't you here partying too, Young Master Lawrence?"
"I'm celebrating my birthday!" Danny snapped.
The suited man smiled thinly. "Celebrating at a place like this? Seems like you regularly..."
Seeing Danny about to throw a punch, his friend rushed over to intervene. Security started moving our way.
I stepped between them. "Enough! I asked Sansa to bring me here."
"What are you even doing here when you're allergic to alcohol?" Danny snarled. "Feeling up strangers?"
I raised my eyebrows. Seriously? Whose fault was all this?
The puppy boy appeared behind me, wiping tears. "I'm sorry, miss. It's my fault you're fighting with your boyfriend. If I were him, I'd never treat you this way."
Something in Danny snapped. "You goddamn homewreckers!"
I grabbed Danny's arm and dragged him toward the exit, calling back to Sansa Woods: "Have fun tonight—presidential suite's booked for you at the Lawrence Hotel."
Sansa's anger evaporated as she yanked the suited man toward the exit to the parking garage.
I pulled Danny into a deserted alley outside the bar.
He remained sullen the entire time, even after we stopped.
