Chapter 4

When Jacqueline woke up, her head throbbed painfully. There was a glass of hangover remedy on the bedside table. Taking one glance at it, she knew Hayden had made it himself. He used to do this in the past. He liked cooking for her because he said her stomach was weak and she was too picky with food to eat properly. So, he took it upon himself to cook for her. To coax her to eat more, he had turned simple ingredients into something beautiful. Just like now, there was a carrot carved into the shape of a flower at the bottom of the glass. Jacqueline got up and walked toward Penelope's hospital bed, only to find her already awake. On the table beside the bed sat an entire spread of dishes, each plated to perfection. It turned out the hangover remedy was just something Hayden had made on the side. He was sitting by the table with a spoon in hand, gently feeding Penelope. "Be good. Have a little more. Do you see how beautiful it looks? I put a lot of effort into this," Hayden said. Jacqueline froze and turned away immediately. Over the past few days, she had seen for herself how much he cared for Penelope countless times. He warmed the thermometer before placing it against her skin. He tasted every medicine himself first to make sure it wasn't bitter. Furthermore, he never left until she had fallen asleep. None of this surprised Jacqueline. She knew exactly how Hayden acted when he loved someone. But even so, witnessing it still hurt. When Hayden left the hospital for a meeting that afternoon, Penelope stood before Jacqueline and questioned her accusatorily. "Jackie, didn't I say I want you gone from his heart completely? Why are you still hanging around him? Why did he take you to that business dinner? Was he introducing you to his friends? Why didn't he take me instead? Are you trying to drive me to my grave?" Her words chilled Jacqueline to the core, making her shudder. "I'll agree to anything you want. I'll leave. Just don't hurt yourself." Penelope pulled a small vial from her pocket. "Drink this." Jacqueline reached for it with her left hand. The icy sensation made her freeze up. Was it a drug? Upon seeing her pause, Penelope suddenly lunged forward and pried open her mouth. She forced the liquid down her throat without mercy. Then, she smiled satisfactorily. "Have fun, Jackie." She backed away quickly and slammed the door shut, locking it from the outside. Within moments, heat rushed through Jacqueline's body from her head to her fingertips. She wanted to rip her clothes off. Worse than the heat was the craving—she wanted a man. That was when she realized what Penelope had done. Through the haze, the door creaked open, and a tall figure stepped inside. Jacqueline bit down hard on her tongue and curled up in a corner, trembling uncontrollably. As the man came closer, her reason slipped further away. Her trembling hands began unbuttoning her shirt on their own. But in the next moment, she heard a familiar voice. "You sure look pathetic, Jacqueline." At the sound of his voice, she instinctively clutched her shirt close tightly. She couldn't afford to take off her shirt, or he would see her prosthetic arm. "Don't come any closer!" she shouted. Somehow, her words triggered him. He grabbed her roughly and threw her onto the bed. He pinned her down, his breath cool against her skin. Jacqueline almost lost it. Hayden's expression was dark, and his hand around her throat tightened its grip bit by bit. He hissed, "Do you hate me that much? Even when you're drugged, you'd rather die than let me touch you?" Jacqueline stared at his lips. His hot breath got dangerously close to her bare skin. Just as he was about to touch her, Jacqueline snatched the fruit knife from the nightstand and stabbed it hard into her own thigh. The searing pain jolted her back to clarity. She forced a shaky laugh and said through clenched teeth, "Mr. Gardner… we haven't discussed the price yet. I'll charge you a discounted price based on our friendship. How about ten thousand dollars per session?" Hayden froze for a second before cursing under his breath. The fiery lust in his eyes vanished instantly as he flung her off the bed with brutal force. "You're such a filthy bitch, Jacqueline!" Cold water splashed all over her from head to toe, dousing the inexplicable heat coursing through her body. Jacqueline turned and looked expressionlessly at Hayden, whose chest was heaving due to intense anger. She said evenly, "Get me a doctor. No need to undress me, as I'm fine from the waist up. I'd like to keep what's left of my purity. I might still need to sell it." "Jacqueline!" Hayden gritted his teeth, unable to come up with a retort. When his furious back finally disappeared from her sight, Jacqueline's strength gave out completely. Thank goodness she made it through. There were only six days left. She couldn't afford to fail now.