Chapter 1
After our fifth time tonight, Charles Bennett got dressed and threw a card at me.
Coldly, he said, "Don't come back. I'm getting engaged to Olivia."
After five years as Charles's kept woman, he ended things with me for two million dollars.
His tone was icy and harsh, like he was afraid I'd try to hold onto him.
But Alexander Ford, the one who really called the shots in Capital City, was after me for a long time, just waiting for me to give him the nod.
Alexander was more generous, wealthier, and more powerful than Charles.
As a kept woman, I could pick whoever I wanted to be my sponsor.
*****
"After all these years, you know the rules," Charles said.
After getting up, he tossed me a card and started pulling on his clothes.
His face was stone cold, not a hint of emotion. "Pack up your things and get them out of here within a week."
I nodded, barely whispering, "Yeah."
Charles wasn't my boyfriend; he was my sponsor.
There was no love between us, just sex.
With his status and power, a guy like him would never love someone like me.
So right from the start, I never hoped for anything more.
When the sponsor called it quits, a kept woman like me should know when to walk away.
I stared at the card in my hand for a long time, but my heart still felt a little hollow.
Two million dollars, that was the price tag for five years with Charles.
When I heard the door close, I didn't even get a glimpse of Charles's back.
Just then, my phone rang; it was Alexander.
His deep, magnetic voice came through the line. "Winnie, this is the ninth time I've asked you. Will you be mine?
"If you're not ready, I'll ask again soon."
Over the past year, Alexander had already asked me eight times to be his.
Even as a kept woman, I played by the rules.
Until Charles called it quits, I had to stay put.
I stayed quiet for a moment, then heard Alexander let out a soft sigh. "It's fine. I'll keep waiting for you."
Right as he was about to hang up, I finally said, "Yeah I want to. I'll be with you from now on."
"Oh my god, really? That's amazing!" On the other end, Alexander could barely hide his excitement and joy.
Alexander was a much bigger deal than Charles, more generous, richer, and with way more power.
I was just a kept woman who lived for money, so I could pick anyone I wanted to bankroll my life.
*****
Alexander was still overseas on business and hadn't come back yet.
"Go ahead and move your things into my place. I'll have my secretary handle everything for you," he said.
He went over every detail on the phone, making sure nothing was left out.
Charles told me I had a week to move out, but after just one day, all my stuff had already been tossed out in front of the door.
When I got back, I just stood there, staring at my clothes scattered all over the ground.
Right then, the door swung open and out stepped Olivia, Charles's fiancée.
"I've never seen anyone so shameless. Still not leaving?"
She leaned lazily against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking down on me with pure contempt. "Women like you should stop dreaming about taking my place. Better wake up."
She was dripping with sarcasm, and the look in her eyes said she thought I was trash.
I knew girls like her, rich, pampered, and born to look down on people like me, would never even bother to acknowledge my existence.
Still, I put on a decent smile. "Miss Sinclair, I'm not here to cling. I take the money, do my part, and leave. I know the drill."
I crouched down to gather my clothes, and just then, Charles walked in.
He glanced around, his brows furrowing slightly. "What's going on here?"
Olivia immediately stepped up, latching onto Charles's arm and putting on her sweetest act. "Charles, look at her. She's still here. I'm a woman too, I know exactly what she's up to.
"Don't tell me she's still trying to hang onto you."
Charles stood beside me. He looked down at me as I crouched there, and our eyes met.
That look was oppressive, carrying the weight of someone who regarded me as beneath him.
His voice was icy, with a clear warning. "Grace, don't make this harder than it needs to be. Let's keep it civil and walk away without any drama."
I gave him a cold smirk. He was so confident that I would be unable to let go of him?
"Mr. Bennett, you're worrying too much. I'm not the type to cling," I said.
I quickly gathered my clothes and turned to leave, but Charles called out from behind, his voice impatient.
"Take the money and don't show up in front of me again."
I paused for a moment, but didn't look back.