Chapter 2
I swallowed my sadness.
After all, my mom still had to work for the Jennings family.
And I still needed their support to keep attending that elite school.
But whenever I was around Samuel, I couldn't help feeling awkward.
Samuel was out all night again.
Dennis was so mad that he stood right at the entrance, clutching a broom in his hand.
Just like always, I texted Samuel.
Then I stepped in to keep Dennis from losing his cool.
"Don't worry, Mr. Jennings. I'll bring him back soon," I said.
It was as natural as breathing.
After all, I'd done this countless times.
I walked out into the street, feeling numb, like a ghost with nowhere to go.
All I could see in my mind was Samuel's face.
He actually understood what it meant to love someone.
Samuel pulled several all-nighters folding little stars for Chloe, filling every slip of paper with romantic words.
I used to do the same for him.
But Samuel just gave me a gentle smile and said we should set up a stall together.
He said I had real skills and we'd definitely get a good price for them.
Now that I thought about it, it was almost laughable.
Back when our hormones were running wild, how could he seriously not notice how I felt?
He just didn't have feelings for me, and didn't want to admit it.
I kept drifting forward, my head full of thoughts about him.
By the time I showed up outside the bar where Samuel always hung out, my cheeks were already streaked with tears.
I was such a loser.
Why couldn't I hide how I felt?
The only pride I had left made me determined not to let Samuel see me falling apart.
So I ducked into a corner, took a deep breath, and wiped the tears from my cheeks with my sleeve.
Just then, Samuel and his friends stumbled out of the bar.
They were all completely wasted.
"Looks like you're pretty confident you can win over the school belle," one of his friends teased.
"She's as good as mine, dude," Samuel shot back, swaggering.
He wore that cocky grin.
I huddled in the corner, holding my breath, afraid they'd notice me.
"So, what about Hannah?" one of his buddies piped up.
"By the way, Hannah didn't come chasing after you today. Is she getting jealous now that you're going after the school belle?" another guy snickered.
When I heard my name, it felt like my heart froze for a second.
Almost against my will, my eyes were instantly drawn to Samuel.
His friends were all watching Samuel, smirking and messing with him.
As soon as Samuel heard my name, his face twisted with contempt.
"She's just an attendant that tags along," Samuel sneered.
"Since when does the owner need the attendant's opinion?" he said, mockingly.
Suddenly, the entrance of the bar erupted with loud, mocking laughter.
Samuel and his friends were doubled over, laughing so hard that they could barely stand.
They kept clapping and cheering, egging each other on.
"Man, Samuel, you always know how to roast people," one of his friends said between fits of laughter.
"If that chick ever figured out you've just been pretending to be clueless, she'd go absolutely nuts," one guy laughed.
Every single word burned itself into my brain, sharper than a slap to the face.
Deep down, I already knew this was how things would go.
After all, he was the heir of a wealthy family, and I was just the maid's daughter.
But hearing it come out of his mouth still stung way more than I expected.
I was so heartbroken that I couldn't control myself anymore.
My feet moved without me even thinking, just heading straight for him.
The next thing I knew, I was standing right in front of Samuel.
When Samuel saw me, it was like someone splashed ice water in his face—his drunken haze lifted almost immediately.
There was real shock in his eyes. He couldn't even cover it up.
But the surprise only stayed there for a split second.
Then he went right back to looking high and mighty, giving me that superior, dismissive stare like I was beneath him.
"Why didn't you tell me you'd arrived?" Samuel said.
He deliberately skipped over what he'd just said.
Then he grabbed my arm and started leading me back toward home.
He could hold himself back, but I just couldn't anymore.
At the crossroads, I jerked my hand away from Samuel's grip.
I snapped, "Do you think this is fun, Samuel?
"You clearly don't like me, so why can't you just say it to my face?
"All I want is a straight answer. Is that really so hard?
"Samuel, I'm not some clingy annoying pest. If you just reject me, I'll stop following you around. So why are you treating me like this?"
I'd never yelled at Samuel like this before.
All those bottled-up feelings I'd been holding onto just came bursting out.
Samuel was completely stunned.
He shot me an impatient look, his eyes full of disdain.
"Yeah, I did it on purpose," Samuel sneered.
Those words he tossed out—so light and cold—made me feel like I'd been dropped straight into a frozen pit.
"Don't you think it's fun?" Samuel shot back.
"Do you really think messing with someone is that much fun?" I snapped.
Samuel's face twisted in contempt, with that smug and teasing look he always wore.
My tears just burst out, streaming down uncontrollably.
In that moment, my secret crush popped like a soap bubble.
The fortress I'd built in my heart crumbled to dust, all in the blink of an eye.
Without looking back, I turned and walked away.
Samuel yelled after me, his voice cutting through the night.
"Hannah, seriously, what makes you think someone like me would ever go for a maid's daughter?" he spat.