Chapter 9 She Chooses The Latter
48 Pearls
Even now, Mabel still remembered the longing look in the eyes of the girl in her embrace as she was on the brink of death.
The pain of her memories remained as sharp as ever, causing her eyes to moisten unwittingly. She reached up to subtly wipe her tears away. As she lay prostrate on the ground, her hand drifted toward her left lower back. There was an emptiness there. avoid where an organ should have been
Precisely because of this, she couldn’t afford to drink alcohol. Je to stay alive. I’m in debt and haven’t paid it off! I’m guilty, and I haven’t yet atoned for it! No! I can’t die just yet!
Mabel looked up at Xavier, shaking her head, saying, “Mr. Scott, I’m fine with anything, as long as you don’t make me drink”
Did she just say… anything is finet
Xavier’s hawk–like eyes narrowed slightly, a smirk slowly playing on his lips. “Anything is fine?” he asked, his voice was laced with a hint of danger..
Mabel the daughter of the Jennings family, who was once so full of confidence and pride, has discarded all of that?
He was curious to see if she had truly transformed from the person he remembered into someone else.
“Anything’s fine as long as there’s no alcohol involved.”
“All right!” A fleeting coldness flashed across Xavier’s face as he sat on the couch. He snapped his fingers in the air and following that, a figure emerged slowly from the dark corner of the room, greeting. “Mr. Scor
Dressed in a black suit and with a cleanly shaven head, the man respectfully bowed his head at a 45–degree angle. He was likely Xavier’s bodyguard
Baffled, Mabel looked at Xavier, whose perfect face was bathed in a golden glow under the dim light. A charming smile slowly graced his face, and his thin lips moved slightly. “Kiss him.”
Mabel traced the direction where Xavier’s slender finger was pointing, her gaze settling on the silent bodyguard in a black suit behind. Instantly, her eyes widened.
“What’s wrong? Can’t do it?” Xavier’s teasing laughter echoed in her ear. “Either you drink or start your performance right. here, right now.”
Splash Mabel felt like a bucket of icy water was poured over her, leaving her entire body devoid of warmth. Her ears were buzzing, and she tilted her head upward, her vacant gaze landed on the man on the sofa who seemed to exude an aura of royalty. What did he just say? A performance? Oh… So, he’s expecting me to put on a kissing show here!
She slowly pursed her parched lips, realizing how cheap her first kiss was. Even though her feelings for him had dwindled to mere fear and apprehension, and even though she had neatly packed away her emotions for him, burying them deep within her heart, an uncontrollable wave of bitter pain still managed to surge forth.
She slowly turned her gaze toward Xavier, her eyes neither cold, hateful, nor loving, only filled with an intense, unshakeable despair
Xavier took pleasure in the despair that was evident in Mabel’s eyes. Surely, this woman would reject my absurd request, trouldn’t the Faced with the choice of drinking alcohol or publicly performing a kissing scene with a stranger, any woman would opt for the former right? Moreover, she was the one prideful Ms. Jennings
“Can we change to something else?” After all, it was her first kiss. It might have seemed trivial in his eyes, but to her, it was of great significance.
She didn’t want to lose her first kiss just like that when she had already lost everything
Xavier raised his glass, draining it in one gulp. “You’re in no position to negotiate with me,” he said, a satisfied smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. I’d love to see how low and desperate Ms. Jennings from Sewcastle could get!
“All right, I got it.” Mabel said, awkwardly rising to her feet. Her legs were not cooperating, having knielt for too long, and the piercing pain radiating from her bones nearly sent her tumbling back to the ground. She lifted her hand to thump her thigh a few times, in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort in her muscles, before she limped her way over to the bodyguard in black.
10:05 AM
Chapter 9 She Chooses The Latter
190
+8 Pearls
her legs. Yet, Miranda knew well that she, who w
limping away, was enduring a pain beyond what most people could bear.
Miranda was filled with regret. Because of her, Mabel was inadvertently involved.
“Mabel…” Miranda couldn’t help but speak up, but she was silenced by the warning glare from the cynical Caydence, who was standing nearby. Frightened, she shut her mouth, her eyes filled with regret as she helplessly looked at Mabel limping
Maintaining an impassive expression, Mabel walked up to the bodyguard. She took a discreet, deep breath, exhaling a heavy sigh. After a moment, she feigned calmness, raising her arm to grasp the black–clad bodyguard’s shoulder.
Though she appeared calm on the surface, the bodyguard, whose shoulders she was gripping tightly, could clearly sense that she was trembling.
The bodyguard knew Mabel, too. However, he still couldn’t believe that the woman standing before him, looking so pathetic and miserable, was once the same daughter of the Jennings family who used to be brimming with pride and vibrant energy.
Balancing on her tiptoes, Mabel trembled as she moved her deathly pale lips closer to the lips of the bodyguard in black standing before her.
Losing her first kiss wouldn’t cost her an arm and a leg, but if she were to drink that bottle of alcohol, her chances of survival would be close to none.
Her will to live was so strong she was willing to give up on her first kiss.
Xavier’s expression was a complex mix of emotions. So, in the end, she chooses the latter.
