A Love Beyond Revenge

In the private room, someone teased me about who I would pick tonight.

I flashed a charming smile. "I'll go with the boss who has the most money."

The bosses started competing over who was the wealthiest.

A man in the corner, silent until now, spoke up. "Come sit here."

The noisy room fell silent instantly.

I didn't move. He glanced around the group, casually asking, "What, am I not rich enough?"

1

"Sheri, you ready yet? Hurry up, room 1888 is waiting for you!"

The manager burst into the dressing room, rushing me.

I took my time tracing my eyebrows. "Aren't there others available?"

"There are a lot of bosses tonight, and Jase Harper is here too. The other girls can't handle the big stage. It's got to be you."

My hand paused. Jase was here?

"Got it. I'll be right there."

I applied the brightest lipstick in front of the mirror, walked to room 1888, put on a radiant smile, and pushed the door open.

The room was packed with guests. Some bosses already had girls in their arms. Jase sat in the center.

The manager spotted me and pulled me forward, grinning. "Here she is, our star Sheri! Let's see which boss catches her eye tonight!"

She turned to me. "Sheri, with so many bosses here, who're you picking?"

The men loved this part. Jase watched me with interest.

I couldn't just say I wanted Jase.

My eyes flickered, and I gave a coy smile. "This is tough. How about this? I'll pick the boss with the most money."

The room erupted with laughter.

The men joked and bragged about their wealth. I kept my smile steady, watching them banter.

"Alright, alright, enough arguing. Jase hasn't even spoken yet. You think you can outdo him?" A man next to Jase said.

"With him in the room, we don't stand a chance. His place, his people."

"Exactly. Jase shouldn't count in this round."

My heart raced, worried Jase would take the bait.

But Jase just laughed. "The lady set her terms clear. Let's play fair. No special treatment."

I exhaled, thinking I was safe.

Then a clear, magnetic voice cut through from the corner. "Come sit here."

The lively room went dead quiet. I froze.

The crowd parted, and I saw a man sitting there.

The dim, flickering lights hit his face. My eyes widened unconsciously, my feet rooted to the spot, my body stiff.

He scanned the room, raising an eyebrow. "What, am I not rich enough?"

"No way, if you're second, no one's first."

"Just messing around, Mr. Campbell."

"Everyone's probably just shocked. You never seemed into this before."

The bosses tripped over themselves to flatter him.

Jase shot me a look. "What are you standing there for? Go sit."

With Jase's word, I had no choice. I never expected Jase wouldn't be the richest man here. Even less did I expect to run into Larry Campbell.

I sat stiffly next to Larry, pouring his drink with rigid movements.

In the smoky haze of the room, I could still catch the faint cedar scent coming off him.

"What's your name?" After a while, he swirled his glass and asked casually.

"Sheri." I kept my head down, avoiding his gaze.

"Pretty plain."

2

I'd been here over a year. The last time I felt this helpless was my first day.

My mind was blank, stuck on autopilot, pouring Larry's drink over and over. I didn't even notice when Jase slid over.

"Why're you sitting so far? You think you can entertain Mr. Campbell like that?"

Jase's voice snapped me back.

I glanced at the gap between me and Larry, inched closer, and lightly hooked my arm around his.

He didn't push me away.

"She's your top girl here?" Larry asked Jase.

"Come on, it's a legit place, no 'top girl' stuff. But she's the prettiest and sharpest we've got. Our face of the house."

Jase grinned, offering him a cigarette and lighting it for him. It was clear Larry outranked him.

"Really? She seems pretty stiff to me."

My eyelids twitched. Sure enough, Jase's tone hardened. "Sheri, you slacking on Mr. Campbell?"

I clenched my fist tightly, then let it go. I took a deep breath, slipped into my usual charm, picked up two glasses of wine, and pressed close to Larry, cooing softly. "Mr. Campbell, I wasn't feeling great earlier. Please don't hold it against me. I'll make it up to you and keep you company properly, alright?"

Larry's dark eyes locked onto me. He said nothing and didn't take the wine.

His stare made my scalp tingle. Jase broke the silence. "If Mr. Campbell won't take the glass, can't you feed it to him?"

"Mr. Campbell, if you don't take it, I'll have to feed you myself."

He still didn't respond.

The air grew heavy. With Jase watching, I had no choice. I steeled myself, took a sip of wine, set the glass down, knelt on the couch, cupped Larry's face, and passed the wine into his mouth.

I kept my eyes shut, too scared to see his reaction, but I felt his body tense and the air around him grow heavy.

As I pulled back, he bit my lower lip. It wasn't playful. It hurt.

I didn't need a mirror to know my face was unnaturally flushed.

I sat back down. Jase's gaze flicked thoughtfully between me and Larry.

My stomach twisted with unease.

Thankfully, he just chuckled after a moment. "Looks like Mr. Campbell's charm has even got our Sheri blushing."

Jase and Larry moved on to talk about a project.

I sat quietly beside Larry, refilling their drinks and passing napkins, my ears tuned to their conversation.

Maybe because my focus shifted, I stopped feeling so nervous around Larry. I naturally leaned into him, my arm around his, our posture intimate.

Then I noticed Larry's body temperature rising. I snapped back to reality.

I adjusted my clothes, subtly pulling my arm away, intending to put some distance between us.

The moment I shifted, Larry's hand clamped onto my thigh, pinning me in place.

Now it felt even more intimate.

His expression didn't change. He listened to Jase calmly, his fingers lightly brushing my thigh once I stopped moving.

I couldn't describe how I felt. I just gritted my teeth, thinking, time spares no one, not even Larry Campbell. Even he's turned rotten.

3

That night, I drank heavily. The party didn't break up until around 2 a.m.

I stumbled to the bathroom outside, vomited for a while, then splashed cold water on my face, sobering up slightly.

I staggered back to the dressing room to change and head home.

"Sheri, Jase is waiting for you in the lobby."

I froze, glancing at my reflection, my makeup smeared from the cold water. I set my bag down and quickly touched up with a polished look.

The elevator hit the first floor. As I stepped out, someone yanked me aside.

It was Jase, reeking of the same cigarette-and-alcohol stench as me. It wasn't pleasant.

"Mr. Harper, anything else?" I smiled lightly.

Jase nodded toward Larry at the lobby entrance. "Take him home. Look after him well."

His "look after" wasn't just simple care. I frowned instinctively.

"I can tell he's taken a liking to you."

"Mr. Harper..."

Jase reached out, brushing my cheek, his voice low and coaxing. "Be good. If this deal with Campbell goes through, you won't need to work here anymore. You can stick with me, yeah?"

The refusal caught in my throat. I nodded slowly. "Alright."

I followed Jase to Larry. Jase offered him a cigarette, smiling. "Mr. Campbell, you drank a lot tonight. Let Sheri take you home."

Larry's clear, dark eyes swept over me. I looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

I scoffed inwardly. Larry didn't look the least bit drunk. Jase's little scheme was far too obvious.

I expected Larry to refuse, but when his driver approached, he said to me flatly, "Let's go."

I gripped my bag tightly, eyes lowered, and followed him.

Larry and I sat in the back seat. The soundproof partition went up, making the space feel even more confined.

The silence was eerie and oppressive. I barely breathed.

He smelled of cigarettes and alcohol too, but oddly, the cedar scent on him was stronger, not as harsh as ours.

"Your husband lets you do this kind of work, Kaitlin?"

Larry's voice cut through abruptly. I turned to see him leaning back, eyes closed.

I'd almost forgotten I once lied to him about getting married.

"Work's just for money, isn't it?" I forced a casual tone.

"True. Gotta support the kid too." He paused, then asked, "Is your husband that useless? Didn't you say he was well-off?"

This guy wouldn't let it go.

I clenched my jaw, making it up on the spot. "Divorced."

He went quiet for a moment, then opened his eyes slowly, looking at me. "What's going on with you and Jase?"

I gripped my hands tighter. "He's my boss."

"You're lying, Kaitlin. He handed you over to me for a project."

I snapped, irritation flaring as I growled softly, "What are you getting at? Trying to humiliate me? I stopped caring about shame a long time ago. You can't get to me. Yeah, he gave me to you tonight. Don't worry, I'll serve you well!"

Larry's eyes rippled with shock, as if he couldn't believe I'd become this person, as if he was disappointed.

My heart stung for a moment, then I turned away coldly, staring out the window, ignoring him.

I arrived at Larry's place with him. His house was huge and starkly empty.

Larry handed me slippers, shed his jacket, changed into pajamas in his bedroom, and went to shower, all without a word to me.

I poured myself a glass of cold water and sat on the couch, listening to the faint sound of the shower, a slow smile creeping onto my lips.

Today was my birthday. Seeing Larry was a shock, but also a gift.