Chapter 2
I hung up with Dad. Leo walked back in, a signed IOU clutched in his hand.
"Ivy, I'm so sorry. I owe another $1.5 million this time. I'm just useless."
His acting was flawless. That lost look in his eyes, it used to always make me say:
"It's okay, we'll work through this together. We'll pay it all back eventually."
But now, I just stared silently at the partial glimpse of a watch peeking from under his cuff.
It looked like an ordinary watch, but I'd seen it in a magazine. It was worth $25 million.
Leo owned a $25 million watch, yet he couldn't pay off a $1.5 million debt.
I had nothing, but I was ready to take out a predatory loan for him.
My genuine feelings for him had become his license to play with me, to manipulate me without a shred of remorse.
Seeing my gaze fixed on his wrist, Leo didn't even flinch. He pulled me into his arms, his expression unchanging.
"Just a fake, Ivy. When I'm rich, I'll buy you anything you want."
He knew I was poor, that I wouldn't recognize these luxury brands. He didn't even need to think twice about lying to me.
I pulled my gaze away, only to see new messages popping up in the SnapChat group on the tablet, which was still beside me.
"Leo, what's the little girl going to sell to pay off the debt this time? Her flowers, her house, or... herself?"
"Women Leo's 'played with' must be quite something. If she's selling herself, I'll buy a night first!"
The messages that followed were a barrage of vulgar comments and 'me too's.
Three years with Leo, and I'd bailed him out of bankruptcy twice.
The first time, I sold the house my grandma left me.
Leo held me close, promising he'd give me a home.
But we lived in a dingy basement apartment, paying $400 a month for two years, and then he came back with another IOU for $300,000.
I still didn't blame him. Instead, I pulled out the dowry my mom had saved for me and covered his debts.
He knelt before me, swearing that by accepting my dowry, he was my husband, that he'd love and cherish me for life.
But his promises? They were all lies, from start to finish.
Leo's attention was drawn by the incessant pinging of his phone.
He glanced at me, saw I wasn't looking, and then confidently opened his phone to scroll through the group messages.
Soon, his brow furrowed, and his lips thinned into a hard line.
He tapped a few times on the screen, and his message popped up in the group chat:
"All of you, back off! Just sit back and enjoy the show!"
Leo put his phone down. After a long silence, he pulled me into his arms again, his embrace cloying.
"Ivy, I promise this is the last time. Once this debt is paid, I'll marry you, okay?"
I looked at his "sincere" expression and suddenly found it utterly laughable.
Who knew I was so invaluable? So much so that a rich playboy would go to such lengths to fool me.
Even stooping to talk about marriage.
If, at first, I'd wanted to confront him and ask if he found any of this amusing...
Now, I didn't even have the energy to demand answers.
I calmly pushed him away.
"But Leo, I'm out of money."
Leo froze, probably not expecting that reaction from me.
After all, in his mind, I should have been scrambling to find every possible way to pay off his debts.
But quickly, his face twisted into an angry scowl.
"Ivy, are you like all the others? Do you think I'm a loser? That I'll never succeed?"
"I knew it! I misjudged you!"
With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
I watched him go, understanding he was trying to bully me into submission.
But I didn't call after him. Instead, I pulled out my phone and blocked every single one of his contacts.
Then I picked up the IOU. No lender's name, no borrower's signature.
Something so obviously fake, and I'd stupidly fallen for it twice.
I let out a self-deprecating laugh and called the agent.
"Hi, can you help me find a tenant to take over my flower shop on Central Street?"
I'd only opened the flower shop to support Leo.
Now that I was done with him, there was no point in keeping it open.
Besides, I was leaving anyway.
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