Chapter 2 Thanks For The Tip
It wasn’t that Janelle was reluctant to let go of their arrangement; she was simply confused.
Drayton extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, his voice cold as he laid out the harsh truth, “I’m getting married next month. Take this money and get lost from my life.”
“Getting married?”
Upon hearing this, Janelle felt nothing. Instead, she responded in a light, teasing manner, “I thought you were already married with kids! Well, congratulations then!”
Drayton’s eyes held a subtle darkness that was difficult to discern as he stared at her intently.
When Janelle recalled the ten million from earlier, she was truly afraid that he would change his mind if she delayed her departure by even a second. So, she got dressed in record time.
She skipped over to him with a light-hearted bounce, wrapping her arms around his neck affectionately. She planted a kiss on his handsome face and cooed, “Then, I will gladly accept your tip. Thank you, Mr. Quiller. You’ve been too good to me!”
As he met her eyes, he saw the shrewdness in her gaze, and Drayton’s distaste only grew. He shoved her away with a forceful push.
“You can leave now. Remember my words. Vanish completely,” he said in a hushed tone.
“Okay!”
Janelle took out her phone, and right under his watchful eyes, she decisively blocked his number and deleted him from her WhatsApp contacts. “Fret not, you won’t be able to call me anymore,” she said.
As she spoke, she rummaged through the blankets to find her bra, quickly stuffing it into her clothes and putting it on. After adjusting it while bending over, she turned her back to him and said, “Come, lend me a hand.”
Drayton’s face was clouded with darkness, but he still patiently and skillfully fastened the hooks of her undergarment.
“Well, I’ll be going then. I have plans to grab a late-night snack with a young man, so let’s not waste each other’s time,” Janelle added.
Finally, she leaned in close to his ear, her voice laced with playful mockery. “Ta, sugar daddy!”
After she spoke, Janelle ignored Drayton’s gloomy gaze. She quickly grabbed her belongings and dashed down the stairs.
She put on her riding gear, swung her long legs over the motorcycle, and deftly started it up. In a flash, she had left the mansion behind.
Under the cover of the pitch-dark night and fighting the howling evening wind, Janelle accelerated down the road. The throttle was nearly maxed out as she swiftly navigated through several sharp turns, seamlessly weaving through the flow of traffic with ease.
The intense revving sound drew sideway glances from the car owners on the street.
Yet, she truly relished these moments of ultimate indulgence. They were particularly stress-relieving, as all her worries seemed to dissipate into the wind.
Besides motorcycles, Janelle had a deep passion for activities like surfing, skydiving, rock climbing, and racing. Essentially, she was drawn to anything that was thrilling and life-threatening.
She had a penchant for extreme sports that thrived on adrenaline and risk. She also preferred straightforward and uncomplicated relationships between men and women.
She was wild and untamed, never allowing herself to be swept away by petty emotions or trivial affections.
But this time, when Janelle returned home in the middle of the night and lay down in bed, Drayton’s face kept appearing over and over again in her mind.
She found herself reflecting on the various places they had slept together over the past year and their final encounter tonight, which left her somewhat restless.
However, when she thought about the ten million in her account, she figured her insomnia was probably due to excessive excitement.
In the month that followed, Janelle had long since cast Drayton out of her mind.
Every day was either spent planning activities with her adventure-seeking teammates or catching up with her closest girlfriends. Her life was carefree and unrestrained.
Of course, she also had a legitimate career.
Janelle’s fascination with pets led her to study veterinary science abroad for several years. Upon her return to her home country, she embarked on a new venture by opening her own animal hospital.
Thanks to her exceptional talent in this field, the hospital she ran was doing quite well, with three branches already established.
That afternoon, Janelle had just finished dealing with a myriad of miscellaneous tasks in the hospital when her cell phone rang.
Upon seeing the name displayed on the caller ID, a sense of dread settled in her heart.
Once the call connected, she asked impatiently, “What do you want from me?”
