Chapter 3

Solomon stood up to greet them, not thinking there was anything wrong with bringing white chrysanthemums to a hospital. He happily took the bouquet and set it on the bedside table.

I lay in bed, listening to them chat about the movie they'd watched yesterday, the peach juice they'd shared, and how Solomon had played the hero and caught Luciana just in time when she almost fell.

I just felt a splitting headache.

Solomon kept his eyes glued to Luciana the whole day, right up until the sun finally set.

It was right then that I knew Solomon wasn't the same anymore.

Dinner was awkward as hell. After it was over, I texted my driver and waited quietly outside.

Just then, a sharp pain shot through my wrist. I instinctively looked at my wrist. It was Solomon.

He was acting crazy, gripping my wrist so hard it hurt. "Where's your tattoo?" he demanded.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at my left wrist, where I used to have a jasmine tattoo.

Jasmine stands for loyalty and love.

In our third year together, we went and got matching tattoos.

Solomon said, "There's a vein in your left wrist that leads straight to your heart. I wanted to always carry a piece of you with me."

But later, when things got ugly between us, he scrubbed his tattoo off without a second thought.

And the night I left Solviora, I scrubbed mine off too.

Erasing it hurt way more than getting inked. It was like tearing someone out of my soul.

Honestly, I just didn't care anymore.

I yanked my hand back, giving him a frosty stare. "Didn't want it, so I washed it off."

His chest rose and fell, and finally he spat out through gritted teeth, "Fine. You don't deserve that tattoo anymore anyway."

With that, Solomon wrapped an arm around Luciana. "Jolene, Luciana's got something to say to you."

Luciana was petite, and as Solomon pulled her close, she instantly blushed.

Luciana's cheeks turned pink as she glanced at me, looking a bit nervous. "Dad's birthday is coming up, and Mom's planning a party for him. I was hoping you could come."

"Jolene, I know things haven't been easy for you these past few years, but if you just came back home..." Luciana began, her voice soft.

Before she could finish, I cut her off, my tone icy. "Funny, I don't remember my mom ever giving birth to a sister who's seven months younger than me."

Luciana froze, words stuck in her throat. The other students weren't clueless. Someone snickered.

But since she was with Solomon, nobody dared say anything nasty. Still, I caught a few dirty looks thrown her way.

Luciana's eyes went red and watery. "Jolene, are you mad at me for stealing Solomon from you? But you were the one who broke up with him first..."

Before she could finish, I swung my hand and slapped her, hard.

Her left cheek flared up, red and swollen in seconds.

We were right in the hotel's front lobby, packed with people, and all eyes snapped to us.

I shot her a cold, disdainful look. "Luciana, you know damn well what I hate most. Next time you run your mouth like that, I'll make sure you regret ever opening it."

Luciana clutched her cheek, giving Solomon her best wounded puppy look.

Solomon's face darkened. "Jolene, apologize to Luciana."

I scoffed. "Why should I apologize when she's the one who started it?"

"She's just trying to offer you a position at the Hensley Group. I have no idea how you've managed these past five years, but you never finished school. Life must've been pretty rough for you," Solomon said, his tone cold.

"Your father runs the Hensley Group, and Luciana is your own flesh and blood. She's willing to help you out. Can't you just show a little gratitude?" Solomon added, voice sharp.

"Jolene," Luciana said, twirling a strand of her hair with a sugary smile.

"I know you used to be the best in the design department at Auminara University, but you got expelled for missing too many classes. Didn't even get to graduate, did you?" she said.

Her words instantly made a bunch of people turn and stare at me, some with surprise, some with judgment.

My heart skipped a beat, and I glanced over at Solomon.

Back in my junior year, Solomon's company ran into a cash flow crisis—he was short 100 thousand dollars.

100 thousand dollars might be nothing to us now, but back then, it was a whole different story.

He'd already taken out millions in loans. If he couldn't fill that gap, bankruptcy and a mountain of debt were all that awaited him.

So I took a break from school, went home, and started hustling nonstop, grabbing every design gig I could find.

That week was brutal—I barely slept two hours a day, and in just a month, I dropped thirty pounds.

When I finally scraped together 100 thousand dollars and handed it to Solomon, all I got in return was an expulsion notice when I went back to school.

Turns out, someone had secretly deleted my application for a leave of absence.

It wasn't until much later that I found out it was all Luciana's doing.

But when Solomon finally learned the truth, he just shrugged it off, his voice flat. "What's done is done. No point digging up the past. Just drop it."

With that one throwaway line, he expected me to let Luciana off the hook, just like that.

Even after five years, I still couldn't stand someone like Luciana. I gave her a mocking smile and retorted, "You want me to join the Hensley Group? What's next, you planning to make me Chairman?"