+23)


    I stood a little ways off, the early autumn breeze making me shiver. The chill made the fine hairs on my pale skin stand on


    end.


    It felt like the winds of change were blowing.


    The two ck Rolls–Royces at the front of the line slowly rolled past me and came to a stop right in front of me.


    The window in the backseat rolled down, and Edward‘ face appeared.


    He frowned at me from inside the car. “Why are you standing out here alone? Need a ride?”


    I nced over at Melissa, who was still busy handing out business cards not too far away, and quickly replied, “No, thanks. My friend’s here.”


    Edward gestured with his phone, and the window rolled back up. The Rolls–Royce sped off.


    Melissa came running back, grinning from ear to ear. “Talk about lucky–I just got my face known with the big shots.”


    I slid into her car,ughing. “Do you really have to work that hard at it?”


    Melissa groaned with augh. “Ms. Murphy, you don’t need to bother. You’ve got resourcesing out of your ears. Me? Totally different story. If our firm wants to get anywhere, we’ve got to cozy up to the higher–ups. My future’s on the line, so of course I’ve got to hustle.”


    Listening to Melissa, I thought about everything I had now–it’s like everything just fell into myp.


    Everything I have now, I traded for, bit by bit, with my feelings. Turns out, ying the game of love is my biggest leverage for getting what I want.


    Maybe I should really <i>hone </i>that skill.


    But just as that thought popped into my head, Edward’s sarcastic words hit me like a cold shower, snapping me right back to reality.


    Looks can open doors, but you can’t just throw them around recklessly.


    Melissa dropped me off at home, and we made some coffee, grabbed some fruit, and just sat on the couch, spilling our guts about everything that had been going on.


    When she found out I’d broken up with Nathan, she practically shrieked, “Victoria, are you out of your mind? You had Nathan, and you dumped him? Do you even know how many people would kill to be in your shoes?”


    Hearing Melissa’s words, full of regret for me, I felt a bitter pang in my chest. “Yeah, I guess I’m just never satisfied. I don’t deserve him,” I said, resignation in my voice.


    “Stop it!” Melissa cut in, holding up her hand. “Don’t talk like that. What do you mean you don’t deserve him? You’re both loaded–no money worries, no stress. You can do whatever you want. Even if you don’t get married, you could travel the world together, see all the sights, live life to the fullest. Isn’t that better than just getting a piece of paper?”


    <b>1/3 </b>


    10:32 Sat, 30 Aug


    I knew Melissa had a pretty open–minded take on rtionships–probably because she’d handled <i>so </i>many divorce cases that nothing surprised her anymore.


    “Still, even if you’re not getting married, you’ve got to have some standards, right?” I said with a wry smile. “Melissa, I’ve decided to try dating someone else.”


    “You’re already jumping ship?” Melissa shot me a look of disbelief. “With a guy like Nathan, how could you even consider


    it?”


    I knew Melissa couldn’t wrap her head around why my love life was such a rollercoaster, so I had to start from the beginning and fill her in on everything I’d been throughtely.


    23


    “Braylin’s crown prince?” Melissa’s jaw dropped. “Victoria, just look at that face of yours–it’s gotten <i>you </i>so many perks! If I had your looks and your figure, I bet I could turn his head too.”


    “That’s not the point,” I cut her off.


    “Oh, so the real point is, the Jennings family helped Nathan, but the catch was you had to get involved with him,” Melissa said, finally connecting the dots.


    “Yeah,” I nodded.


    Melissa gave me a resigned look. “So you can’t really make your own choices after all, Victoria?”


    Iughed. “If I hadn’t pulled the Jennings family in to help Nathan, I’d still have a say in things. But now, I’ve lost that


    control.”


    “Then go all out–dress to kill and make that crown prince fall head over heels for you. Go be his princess!” Melissa shed a mischievous grin, scooted over, and grabbed my hand. “Victoria, you really are the most promising one in our crew. If you strike it rich, don’t forget about me. When you’re living the high life, save a little for your girl, okay?”


    I burst outughing at her antics, tapping her forehead with my finger. “Ms. Jenkins, your eyes are practically turning into


    dor signs.”


    Melissa threw her arms around me. “I don’t care, I’m hitching my wagon to you–you’re my golden ticket!”


    Night was falling, and Melissa was supposed <i>to </i>stay for dinner, but she got called away for an emergency at the firm and


    had to rush out.


    When Jared dropped Yvonne off that night, she was out cold–totally knocked out.


    “She went to the armusement park with my sister this afternoon and went wild,” Jared said with a chuckle.


    I reached out to take Yvonne from his arms, but Jared shook his head. “She’s gotten heavier, Let me carry her upstairs- you’re still in those heels.”