That night, Megan couldn't sleep.
Logic and emotion wrestled endlessly in her mind, leaving her looking exhausted the next morning.
Over the years, she had learned to rely entirely on herself — studying etiquette, refining her tone, perfecting her posture — even mastering her impulses and physical desires to maintain an image of composure and purity.
That kind of self-discipline, resilience, and emotional control was what had always set her apart. So even though her heart was in turmoil, she managed to keep her composure from cracking.
She splashed her face with cold water, applied light makeup, and forced a gentle smile before heading to class like nothing had happened.
After class, she went straight to her dance studio for her usual yoga and posture training sessions.
No matter how conflicted she felt, Megan refused to let her emotions show. She stayed focused, graceful, and diligent — trying to improve herself even in the middle of chaos.
It wasn't until evening, when she returned to her dorm, that one of her roommates casually said, "Megan, we went to the Skyview Pavilion today. Ever since you first took us there, the manager and staff have always treated us so well — but today they barely noticed us. What happened?"
Her roommate wasn't complaining — just mentioning it offhand — but Megan froze when she heard it.
That extra attention from the Skyview Pavilion staff… it had all been because of Jason Carter. She'd been basking in the glow of his influence.
When Jason bought Skyview Pavilion outright for her, the manager and waitstaff had practically treated her like the boss's wife.
That feeling — of being respected, admired, and envied — had deeply fed her vanity. It was exactly the kind of luxury and status she'd always dreamed of.
But lately, Jason hadn't taken her back there. And in that time, he'd likely brought other women — women like Holly or Quinn — making the staff question whether she was still someone important.
Now that they no longer treated her as someone special, she was just another regular customer.
Even her roommates' brief taste of that attention had been cut off. And if she were to walk into Skyview Pavilion now, she wasn't sure she'd even get a polite smile.
That contrast — that fall from privilege — made her heart tighten in panic. She could feel herself slipping from the high branch she'd once perched upon, tumbling back toward the ground.
It hit her hard. Jason was drifting further and further away, and the aura that once surrounded him — the world she wanted to belong to — was slowly fading from her reach.
Trying to steady herself, Megan opened a few self-help books about mindset and emotional balance, reading quietly for nearly an hour before she managed to calm her thoughts.
Just then, her phone buzzed. It was her father. She stepped into the hallway and answered softly, "Dad…"
After a few pleasantries, he said, "Megan, what's your relationship with the CEO of BrightCore Technologies?"
Megan blinked. " I met her once at a business event. Why?"
He sighed. "Well, she called me a while ago — said she wanted to hire me at BrightCore, with great pay and benefits. At first, I hesitated — it's all the way in new work, and honestly, the offer sounded too good, like there was a catch. But you told me she was reliable, so I accepted."
"Then, when I was getting ready to move, she told me to wait — said some things had changed, and that she'd reach out again soon."
"But it's been weeks now. Nothing. No updates. I can't help but feel she's just lost interest. I mean, what kind of executive runs a company like it's a game?"
"If she's changed her mind, fine — just say so. But stringing people along like this is insulting."
Megan froze.
Her chest tightened as the realization hit her — she knew exactly what had happened.
That offer had never come from Angela's goodwill alone. It had been Jason's doing — a ripple effect of his influence, his network, his reach.
And now that Jason's attention had shifted elsewhere, those ripples were fading too.
Megan had been contacted repeatedly by Oliv before, trying to arrange a meeting with Jason Carter, but she had turned her down every time. At first, no matter how many times Megan refused, Oliv still maintained her polite and patient attitude.
Oliv's sudden coldness wasn't because Megan hadn't fulfilled her request — it was because Megan was no longer appearing beside Jason Carter.
Oliv's early friendliness, even going so far as to help solve her father's two-year-long legal problem, wasn't because Megan had any real value of her own, but because of her connection to Jason Carter.
As long as she wasn't by Jason's side, everything went back to how it was before.
Hearing the irritation in her father's voice, Megan quickly explained, "Dad, your case was mainly resolved through my classmate's connections, but the one who actually stepped in and handled it was this businesswoman, Oliv. Maybe something really changed on her end — I don't think she meant to ignore you."
Of course, Megan knew there hadn't been any sudden change in circumstances. But could she blame Oliv? Not only could she not blame her, she had to make her father be polite to her. Without Jason Carter, they couldn't afford to offend Oliv.
If she were still beside Jason, Oliv would have to flatter her. But without him, she was the one who needed to be careful around Oliv.
Hearing this, her father, immediately softened his tone. "Oh, I see. You should've told me sooner! Then that Ms. Oliv is our benefactor. In that case, I'll wait a little longer."
Megan hesitated. The reason she hadn't mentioned Oliv before — only Jason — was because the entire matter had been done to give Jason face. Oliv's help had come with ulterior motives; she was no benefactor.
Megan tried to choose her words carefully. "Dad, she mainly wanted to get close to my classmate, she had her own agenda. But she did help us, so it's fine to be polite. If she doesn't need you anymore, you can find another job yourself."
Her father sighed. "Alright. Still, it's really tough for older folks to find work these days. Feels like once you're past thirty-five, people don't even want to interview you."
Listening to her father's quiet frustration, Megan felt an even heavier weight in her chest. She realized she wasn't just back to where she started — things might actually get worse from here.
In today's job market, anyone over thirty-five faced discrimination. Her father was almost fifty.
She herself didn't have any real skills, so at best she could find some low-paying, ordinary job.
If she only relied on her family, she'd end up living the kind of struggling, powerless life she'd feared since she was in middle school — the kind that never escapes the bottom rung of society.
The second option — marrying into a middle-income family — would be better than this, but still far from what she dreamed of. It might give her comfort, but not true status. Those families might have some money, but no real influence, and their stability could crumble at any time in a volatile economy.
That was worlds apart from the "class leap" she'd always fantasized about. And she wasn't willing to settle for less.
It seemed there was only one path left for her now: Jason Carter. Even if that meant being his mistress — a path she had never imagined taking before.
After ending the call, Megan took a deep breath and walked into the dorm.
"Hey, Mia," she said, turning toward her roommate. "Didn't you say before that we should go to the beach sometime? Tomorrow's the weekend — why don't we go? It might help clear our heads."
In truth, Megan had another reason. She still couldn't stop thinking about Holly Larson — and what her life must be like now, beside Jason Carter.
The photos that had shown her of Jason and Holly had been taken near the entrance of the Blue Shore Residences.
She wanted to take the trip not just to relax, but also… to see for herself.
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