Chapter 77 Leaving
Chapter 77 Leaving
“Thank you…
That small word carried more than gratitude for his kindness that day. It was also for the rare mercy of being told she did not need to apologize.
Wanting to keep the shop owner from further trouble, Tracy walked away that same afternoon.
She still could not see the face of the person working against her in the shadows, but she was certain they had more ns in store. Even so, she had to keep going, because survival meant finding another job
With nothing more than a high school diploma and two years of being cut off from the world, her chances were slim.
Still, Tracy refused to be choosy. Whether as a waitress<b>, </b>a store clerk, or a customer service agent, she was willing to take anything that came her way.
Yet without fail, every job ended before the week was over. Each time she was let go under some paper-
thin excuse.
A few bosses, sympathetic toward her struggle, hinted that someone had ordered them to dismiss her. Whoever had the reach to pressure so many different businesses in Cloudville <b>clearly </b>had influence, and the only people she could think of were from the circle she had once been part of.
But since Erin had shown up, those who once swore she was their closest friend had treated her like something to be avoided. Some even went out of their way to harm her, all for Erin’s favor.
She still had no clue who it could be.
Refusing <i>to </i>have Ronald dragged into the mess, she stayed away from the apartment. She did not realize that Ronald, clueless to her situation, was growing restless with worry.
She had never stayed gone so long. With no way to reach her, he went to her workce.
That was when he learned she had been fired some time ago, and the owner told him why..
Ronald still remembered her number and borrowed the shop phone to call her.
When she answered, her voice was edged with surprise. “What’s the emergency?”
“You disappeared without a word, and I was about ready to call the cops,” Ronald said, letting out a weary sigh. “Your boss told me what happened. Where are you now? Do you need any help<i>?</i>”
The worry in his voice broke through some of the heaviness that had been weighing her down these past few days.
She knew finding a job would be a fight, but the repeated rejections had left her feeling cornered and powerless.
She had no one she could talk to, <b>so </b>she buried it all deep inside.
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Chapter 77 Leaving
Drawing in a slow breath, she said, “No. I’ll take care of it.”
Someone was after her, and they would have to step out of the shadows eventually.
Ronald pressed again, his voice uncertain. “You sure? Just because I’m younger doesn’t mean I can’t handle myself
Even through the line, she could see the faintly proud look that matched his words.
Her lips lifted in a brief smile, though her thoughts stayed clear.
For all the time they had spent together, beyond their short introductions, they knew little about each other’s real lives.
“Ronald, trouble follows me everywhere, and there’s bound to be more ahead,” Tracy said softly, her voice weighted with something unspoken.
“You need to stay as far from me as you can.”
She was no longer the girl who knew nothing of the world. And though Ronald had his own <b>secrets</b>, she could feel the sincerity and dependence behind his every gesture.
Ronald caught her meaning and gave a low chuckle. “I used to be trouble too. But you still saved me anyway.”
If he were the kind to avoid problems, he never would have gone back to that house.
They left much unsaid, but in that moment, something that had been standing between them seemed to fade away.
When the call ended, Ronald still wore his bright, open smile, though there was a shadow behind it now.
He had nned to wait until his injuries healed before taking his next step, but it seemed he would have to
move sooner.
“All done?” the shop owner’s voice came from behind.
Ronald turned, his dimples showing in a smile that made him look like the same cheerful, untested college kid.
“All done. Thanks, mate.”
When Tracy hung up, a faint smile still touched her lips, and her hand closed tighter around the phone without her realizing.
Beyond her grandfather and Derek, she now knew there were others who would choose her without hesitation.
But that warmthsted only a moment.
Liam appeared suddenly.
<b>09:17 </b><b>Fri</b><b>, </b>5 Sept
Chapter 77 Leaving
“Who were you talking to?” he asked, his tone steady but tinged with jealousy.
It had been <b>far </b>too long since he had seen her smile like that.
What stung even more <b>was </b>how quickly it vanished the second she heard his voice. She turned<b>, </b><b>and </b>her warmth was gone, reced by cold distance.
His temper red quickly. “I thought you didn’t <b>have </b>a phone. Where’d you get the money for one? Did Chris give it to you?
“No… Chris doesn’t even talk to you anymore. Was it that guy who just called? <b>Are </b>you dating him<b>? </b>
The questions came one after another, each carrying the weight of a judgment he had already made before he bothered to hear her out.
“So desperate for money that when you couldn’t get it from your family, you went looking for some <b>man </b>to cozy up to? I never knew you were so greedy for what you can’t earn yourself.”
Her once–in–a–blue–moon tion was marred. Tracy, naturally, had nothing but a scowl on her <b>face </b>to show for it.
Chapter 78 Tracy’s Retort
Chapter 78 Tracy’s Retort