Chapter 4

Alex stared at the admission letter for a while, then gave me a suspicious look.

"What's this supposed to be? Why does it have your name on it?" he asked, frowning.

My heart finally settled back down.

How could I forget? Alex is such a slacker. His Alteonese is so bad, he can barely recognize my name when it's spelled out.

So I just shrugged and said, "It's just some flyer."

Alex kept flipping the letter over, checking it out from every angle.

"Looks pretty official. That school logo looks familiar," he said, frowning.

"The more impressive it looks, the easier it is to fool people," I added.

Alex snorted. "Yeah, people who've never seen the world are the easiest to fool."

He tossed the letter onto the floor, chewing on some beef jerky as he wandered out to the balcony to lounge in the sun.

I picked it up and hid it away in a pile of old books, making sure it wouldn't catch anyone's eye.

"The Sterlings have businesses in Westland too. After you graduate, I'll take you overseas and let you see the world," Alex said, half-turned toward me.

He was half-turned toward me, watching me closely.

I lowered my eyes, my face blank as I replied, "Thank you, Alex."

"Aren't you supposed to be happy about this?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

Back then, whenever he gave me even the smallest thing, I'd light up and treat it like a treasure.

"I'm just your assistant, Alex. I'm not supposed to show too much," I replied, keeping my voice flat.

He's the one who called my feelings disgusting.

And with that, I turned away and went to the study to do his homework for him.

Alex paused for a moment, then threw the beef jerky aside in annoyance.

After that video went viral, I'd become a campus celebrity, for all the wrong reasons.

Whenever I went to the bar with Alex, every eye in the place was on me.

"Damn, she's gorgeous. Alex really knows how to pick 'em."

"Wish she'd feed me a drink too."

"Dream on. She only hangs out with rich guys."

Just like always, Chloe found a new way to embarrass me. This time, she made me strip and dance in front of everyone.

Word spread from the private room, and soon a crowd showed up just to watch the spectacle.

Since I had to do it anyway, I figured I might as well get paid for it.

I still needed thirty thousand dollars.

I went straight to the bar owner and cut a deal, three thousand dollars for one dance.

He agreed instantly, checking me out like I was his next meal.

As I stepped onto the stage in the center of the bar, Alex walked out of the private room, his face dark, giving me a look that said, "Don't you dare."

The music blared, the lights flashed, and the crowd screamed.

I ignored Alex completely, moving my body seductively as I started unbuttoning my shirt.

With my reputation already trashed, I had nothing left to lose.

My dress slid down inch by inch, and the men in the crowd stared at me, their eyes wide with hunger.

Hands shot up from the audience, frantic to grab at me.