“It’s over. It’s all over.”
A day had passed since the party. I had nothing to do, and lay sprawled on my bed at the Dorman estate. Ben had anxiously told me to take today off, likely on Nadir’s orders.
“He’s definitely going to end our pretend engagement...”
What of my family’s debt? Had he already paid it off? And if so, would Nadir pressure me to pay him back instead?
“What a stupid, stupid thing to do,” I lamented.
I’d never lost my cool like that before, no matter what kind of awful treatment I’d gotten. Being treated with kindness at the Dorman residence had made me soft. I could hardly believe I’d made such an outrageous blunder.
Was Nadir angry? He had to be, right? He hadn’t said a word on the way home. And I’d hit the jackpot of a lifetime too! That debt had been as good as gone!
I sniffled miserably. What would I tell my parents? Would they be mad at me? They’d be worried, no doubt. And then they’d cry over the hardships they’d put me through. Ah, for shame. I didn’t want to make them cry!
There was a steady knock on the door. I blew my nose, then said, “Come in.”
“How are you, Brianna?” Nadir asked.
Oh. How was I, he asked. How was I, indeed.
Pondering how to answer his question, I looked up at Nadir with misty eyes. He averted his gaze. What, did I look pathetic? I knew I had to look terrible.
Pulling myself together, I spoke. “About the money...”
“Hmm?” He must not have expected that, because he stared blankly at me. It was cute to see him caught so off guard, I thought, but now wasn’t the time for such thoughts!
I shook my head. “Do you think you could cover my family’s debt? I could pay you back in installments...”
“What?”
Oh. Was that too forward of me? I couldn’t afford to back down now, though.
“I’ll pay you back, I swear!” I said. “Please!” It would be the end of my family otherwise!
I pushed myself off the bed, and bowed my head to Nadir. The sound of him sighing came from above.
“Listen...”
I twitched slightly.
“Our ‘engagement’ is unchanged,” he said.
“Huh?” At his words, I lifted my head. He gave it a sympathetic pat.
“That wasn’t a big deal.”
No, no, it was a pretty enormous deal!
I gave Nadir a puzzled look as he stroked my hair.
“In fact, you did very well.”
I did what now? Even more puzzled, I tilted my head.
“I wasn’t expecting things to move this quickly,” he said with a small smile, still petting me.
What? This wasn’t the reaction I’d been expecting at all.
I stood there, perplexed at how high Nadir’s spirits seemed to be.
“Young Master,” Ben said, not bothering to knock as per usual. “Lord Abel is here.”
“Let him in,” Nadir replied, nodding.
Wait, wait. Who did he say is here? There was a knock on the door, and Nadir went to answer. Wait, no. No way. Why’s he here now?!
The door opened, mercilessly ignoring my feelings. And, of course, standing right there was Abel, the man whose collar I’d grabbed yesterday.
All color immediately drained from my face. Nadir, however, was having a blast.
Abel’s droopy gaze turned to me. And then it immediately dropped out of my line of sight.
“I’m so, so sorry!!!” he groveled, bowing low on the ground.
What magnificent prostration!