Chapter 3

Damon Lockhart’s voice trembled.

“Amara, if you don’t want me to take the car, I won’t. But why would you—”

A dealership employee rushed over, gasping at the crumpled rear end.

“Miss Sutton, look at this!”

The air grew heavy with silence.

Then came the slap, loud and stinging.

My cheek burned hot, and I stared at Amara, stunned.

“It wasn’t me…” I muttered.

Her fury was unrelenting. “Enough! There were only two of you in the car. How much longer are you going to deny it?”

“To stoop to such petty tricks… you’ve really let me down, Cole. Apologize to Damon right now!”

She was convinced my jealousy had driven me to destroy the luxury car she had chosen for Damon.

“This has nothing to do with me, and I won’t apologize.”

I held my head high, refusing to let my tears fall as I faced her wrath.

Her hand rose again, but Damon stepped in with faux concern.

“That’s enough, babe. Just make him pay for the damages. No need to mess up his face any further.”

Reluctantly, Amara let the matter drop, leaving me behind.

“If you’re bold enough to cause trouble, you can handle the consequences.”

She drove away with Damon, her sports car roaring as they sped off.

The bill came next—a staggering $888,000.

The guards by the door made it clear: if I didn’t pay in full, I wasn’t leaving.

Clenching my jaw, I handed over my card, watching as my savings evaporated.

I had been carefully setting aside money to repay Amara the $5 million I owed for my upbringing.

This incident set me back even further, forcing me to work even harder to make up for the loss.

After graduation, I co-founded a company with friends.

Amara had tried to pull me into Sutton Enterprises, but I declined.

Had I joined, severing ties with her would’ve been impossible.

The company became my escape.

I poured myself into it—late nights, endless meetings, constant hustling to land deals and build partnerships.

For months, I avoided speaking to Amara entirely.

Then one night, I saw her through the glass window of a karaoke lounge.

She sat at the center of a crowd, surrounded by laughter and admiration.

Damon sat beside her, their chairs too close for comfort.

The group egged them on, demanding they toast together.

Damon turned to her expectantly, his eyes gleaming.

Amara hesitated, her gaze drifting toward the door.

I ducked behind the wall, holding my breath.

Moments later, her voice floated out—soft, yet firm.

“Alright.”

The crowd erupted into cheers, celebrating their “perfect love story.”

By the time I returned to my seat, my phone was lighting up with social media notifications.

Photos of them drinking together, Damon’s hand on her wrist, even a candid of him leaning in to kiss her.

I hit “like” on the post, my expression unreadable.

Turning back to my clients, I smiled, pouring drinks and singing to close the deal.

When I finally walked out with the signed contract, I felt a strange sense of relief.

The money was enough to settle my debt with Amara.

I stumbled into the Sutton Estate, drunk and exhausted.

The house was dark, but her silhouette was unmistakable, her piercing eyes cutting through the gloom.

“What kind of business requires you to be in a place like that?”

Her tone was cold, accusatory.

“And what kind of place would that be?” I asked, smirking.

Her expression hardened.

She thought I had been following her.

“Why can you go there, but I can’t?”

The alcohol loosened my tongue, making my voice sharper than intended.

She blinked, taken aback. “Didn’t I tell you to stay away from shady crowds like that?”

“I must’ve forgotten,” I replied, brushing past her.

“Cole Whitmore!”

The sound of shattering glass echoed behind me.

Shards of the tea cup skittered across the floor, cutting into my leg and drawing blood.

“Stop trying to get my attention,” she snapped. “It’s useless. All you’re doing is humiliating yourself.”

She stormed off, slamming her door behind her.

I sighed, cleaning and bandaging the cut before collapsing onto my bed.

Maybe it was the fall at Ravencliff Canyon, or the alcohol, but my body burned with fever that night.

In my haze, I thought I saw her sitting by my bedside.