Chapter 4. Deal Ended, Jacintha Discarded
Mira, Jacintha’s younger sister, had just finished tidying the living room when she stepped forward to pick up Jack and said to Jacintha, “You should go take a shower. I’ll take Jack to the bedroom.”
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“Alright.” Jacintha nodded.
Her whole body was soaked as if she had just been pulled out of water. The rain dripping from her clothes quickly wet the floor. She looked so miserable, yet Jack still ran to hug her. Keep in mind, this boy was extremely clean. Normally, if his clothes got even a little dirty, he would immediately demand to change into a different outfit. Yet tonight, he didn’t complain at all about his mother being drenched in his clothes.
Jacintha smiled and kissed Jack’s forehead. “Sleep well, my little darling.”
“Good night, mommy,” Jack replied obediently, leaning on Mira’s shoulder.
After showering, Jacintha came out and drank a cup of hot tea brewed by Mira before asking, “Why did those loan sharks come to our house again causing trouble?”
Mira paused thoughtfully for a moment, then whispered, “This time they’re demanding six hundred thousand dollars and said we have three days to pay them in full, or they’ll take Jack away to sell.”
“How dare they do that?!” Jacintha trembled with anger.
Six years ago, to afford treatment for Mira’s congenital heart disease, Jacintha had desperately borrowed money at usurious interest rates. That loan was like a snowball, starting from thirty thousand dollars and now rolling up to eight hundred thousand.
At first, the lenders seemed lenient, saying she only had to pay three thousand a month. But gradually, the amount increased to five thousand... and now they’re forcing her to pay the entire debt at once. But how could she possibly come up with such a huge sum now?
Unless she turned to Raphael for help.
But Jacintha knew very well that even though the amount was nothing to Raphael, he still wouldn’t help her. Because in Raphael’s eyes, Jacintha wasn’t worth that money. By her own judgment, although she didn’t look bad, she couldn’t be called stunning, and she lacked education. In fact, her glaring red hair had caused her to be mocked and bullied many times by her peers when she was young. Jacintha thought the only thing that made her noticeable was her face, which resembled the famous star Sharon Rosenthal—the woman Raphael truly loved.
From ancient times until now, anyone who wanted to “sell themselves” at a high price had to be both talented and beautiful, especially knowing how to please their “sugar daddy.” Even if they couldn’t sing well or dance skillfully, at least they had to have the ability to appreciate and judge beauty.
But Jacintha understood nothing at all. Raphael once took her to an exclusive high-society wine party. They drank a bottle worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet Jacintha dryly muttered, “It’s pretty good.”
At that moment, everyone present laughed. Their eyes were full of contempt as they looked at her, and some even sneered, “Why would Mr. Wulfhart bring such a lowly woman to a high-class party like this?”
Even Raphael felt embarrassed because of Jacintha. He said coldly, “If you don’t know how to appreciate wine, then stand still and keep your mouth shut. Don’t waste such a precious drink.”
In that moment, Jacintha felt utterly embarrassed; her face burned as if she had been slapped in front of everyone, and she just wanted to find a hole to hide in. As she turned and walked into the restroom, she even heard someone say, “Mr. Wulfhart, a lowly woman like her is only worth two hundred thousand dollars. You’ll get bored of her after a few days. So don’t spoil her too much, or she’ll get arrogant and act even more foolish.”
Raphael replied, “I don’t keep those who aren’t wise.”
His voice was cold and indifferent, as if he were talking about some object—if he wasn’t satisfied, he would discard it without hesitation.
As if to confirm Jacintha’s thoughts about Raphael’s judgment of her, Raphael’s assistant—Lucas—unexpectedly called her late at night. Though her phone was wet, Jacintha still managed to answer. Not wanting Mira to know about her dirty secrets, she stepped out onto the balcony to take the call.
On the other end, Lucas said, “Miss Wilson, the Boss asked me to tell you that starting tomorrow, you no longer need to come to Celeste Manor.”
Celeste Manor was where Raphael satisfied his desires with his sugar babies. Every weekend, Jacintha would arrive there first and wait for Raphael to come and have sex with her.
After hearing Lucas’s words, Jacintha was momentarily speechless, instinctively asking, “So where should I wait for Mr. Wulfhart next time?”
Lucas chuckled softly, his tone tinged with contempt: “What the Boss means is—the arrangement between him and you is over.”
Jacintha froze for a moment, her mood sinking heavily. So that meant Raphael had already dismissed her? As soon as the thought flickered in her mind, she immediately denied it. After all, she had been by Raphael’s side for two years. During that time, she had always maintained boundaries and never caused him trouble. Even if their relationship was tense tonight, she thought it wouldn’t be enough for Raphael to kick her out.
Trying to keep calm, Jacintha said, “Lucas, don’t joke like that.”
“The Boss isn’t in the mood to joke with you,” Lucas sneered, then as if remembering something, added, “Oh, and the Boss asked me to tell you one more thing: be wise enough to know your place, and don’t dream about things beyond your reach.”
Lucas’s final words echoed in Jacintha’s ears, leaving her mind blank, as if the blood in her veins had stopped flowing. Her complexion turned even paler than when she stood in the pouring rain.
“Sis, what’s wrong with you?” Seeing Jacintha standing silently on the balcony, clutching her phone with a look of painful despair, Mira couldn’t help but step closer to her.
Jacintha hurriedly shoved her phone into her pocket, took a deep breath, and forced down the bitter pain deep in her heart. She couldn’t show a trace of weakness in front of Mira. This year Mira was just a senior in high school, and Jack was still too young. This family needed her to hold on and endure, so no matter how hard it was, she had to appear strong before her little sister.
“It’s nothing, I’m just a bit tired.” Jacintha turned around, trying to smile and act as if nothing was wrong.
But Jacintha didn’t realize that her smile looked utterly forced, like a puppet being pulled by strings. Although she tried to smile, her eyes were dull and empty, completely betraying her true feelings.