2026-09-03 22:32:43
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Chapter 37: Playing With Fire
She wasn't the naive girl she used to be, not by a long shot. "Jake, seriously, let's just go. I'll handle this from here. I still know people who can smooth this over," Nicole said, genuine worry creasing her face.She tried tugging Jake back toward the car, but the heavily made-up woman standing beside Frank wasn't having it hands planted on her hips, she let loose with a string of crude threats."Oh, you think you're just walking away from this? Dream on. Get comfortable, because you're about to learn a hard lesson. You hit my husband! Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?" the woman snapped, thick with a local attitude.Something about the way she carried herself made it clear Frank wasn't just some random rich guy. Nobody drove around in a car like that for no reason.Jake ignored her entirely, gently taking hold of Nicole's arm instead."Nicole, this is a fight between men, not your problem to solve. Get in the car. I'd rather these lowlifes' blood not end up on your out
Chapter 36: Shaking
The heavyset man made zero effort to hide his interest in Nicole. She was visibly rattled underneath it all, but held her chin up, staring him down without backing off an inch."I hit your car because you deserved it. I was already pulling into that spot you cut me off. That's on you," Nicole shot back, refusing to budge.The second she spoke, her voice bright, clear, effortlessly composed only seemed to delight him further, and he burst out laughing."Gorgeous and got a voice like that? You're a walking heart-attack, you know that? You go to school around here? How about I just... keep you," the man said, utterly shameless."Keep your own sister. I've got plenty of money already."A cold, flat voice cut through the moment right as the man reached for Nicole's arm, and every head turned toward the source.Nicole, in particular, felt something warm bloom in her chest watching Jake step forward like that. He wasn't dressed anywhere near as expensively as this man, but in that moment, se
Chapter 35: Victory
Nicole had genuinely been ready to snap back at Jake for the "darling" comment but the second she heard "braised pork belly, every day, for a month," every trace of irritation melted right out of her.Truth was, she'd never actually been that angry to begin with. It was more that things between her and Jake were moving faster than she quite knew how to process, even accounting for her own failed engagement in the past.Because despite that engagement, Nicole's body had never actually been touched by any man before. If she was being completely honest with herself she was still untouched, still very much a maiden in every real sense.The three of them settled in and started eating properly."Hey are you two free to come to the bank with me later? I want to pull some cash out to help renovate your shop. Think of it as my investment," Nicole said between bites, glancing at Jake.Jake nearly choked on a mouthful of rice. That was not remotely what he'd expected to hear."Wait, hold on, are
Chapter 34: The Bet
Jake cooked up a fresh batch of braised pork belly. Within minutes, the whole living room filled with a rich, mouthwatering aroma that pulled both women straight off the couch mid-show.Nicole, halfway through popping a wedge of orange into her mouth, froze and set it down entirely."Amy, what is that smell? It's incredible, do you guys have a professional chef living next door or something?" Nicole asked, genuinely puzzled.She hadn't clocked yet that the smell was coming from her own kitchen and assumed it had to be drifting over from somewhere else. Amy sniffed the air too, brow furrowed."Wait, that can't be right, why does it smell like it's coming from our kitchen? That's got to be the pork belly my brother's making," Amy said, thoroughly confused.Even as she said it, Amy gave a skeptical little laugh. She'd literally watched that same dish turn into charcoal a few minutes earlier. There was no version of reality where it smelled like this now.Nicole's expression relaxed with
Chapter 33: Bad Luck Personified
Jake was still grinning. Even with Frank Wallace ducking behind a heavily made-up woman for cover, Jake didn't hold back for a second. He grabbed a rotten egg and hurled it straight at her overdone hairdo.It connected with a wet crack, splattering across her scalp. Rancid yolk and egg white dripped down through her makeup in thick, foul-smelling streaks.The stench alone was enough to turn stomachs nearby and that was just the opening act. The moment the rotten egg fully soaked into her clothes and skin...A disheveled man who looked like he'd wandered straight off the street came shuffling over, eyes wild and fixed on her with unmistakable hunger."Well now, aren't you a vision! Been ages since I've seen skin that soft. Come with me, sweetheart, I've got a nice big bed waiting," the man leered, practically drooling.Classic chain-reaction fallout from the rotten egg. The "unlucky bastard" curse had officially kicked in. And the thing was, there were women standing right there who we
Chapter 32: Not Buying It
But the more Nicole tried to explain, the less Amy seemed willing to hear it. Worse, she'd started mimicking Nicole's exact tone right back at her, mockingly."Uh-huh, sure, a 'game.' What kind of game exactly? One of those adult games?" Amy said, deadpan. "Anyway, I'm gonna go read. You two enjoy... whatever this is." She capped it off with a ridiculous face aimed squarely at a mortified Nicole before skipping off toward her room, thoroughly pleased with herself.Left alone in the kitchen, Jake and Nicole just stared at each other."This is entirely your fault, you useless man. Now Amy thinks whatever she thinks. How am I supposed to show my face at your place again after this?" Nicole started yanking off her apron, genuinely irritated.Jake caught her hand, trying to calm her down. "Come on, don't stoop to a thirteen-year-old's level here. Besides, it's not like we actually did anything. Why does it even matter what she thinks?"That was, without question, the wrong thing to say. Ni
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