'The only man I will ever trust is my dad,' she had vowed after that heartbreak that had shattered her world into a million broken pieces.
Her parents told her she would be over it soon, but she knew that the broken pieces of the heart never fit as they did before.
After the news came out and the campus blogs posted about it everywhere, Janely had done away with all her social media profiles. She had kept a low profile for a while and kept blaming herself for all the red signs she hadn't seen and those she ignored.
'They say love is blind, but why not just say it's stupid?' She had thought.
"I'm sure they will always be by my side. But look at you," Janely said, looking at Chloe from head to toe and rolling her eyes. "You have only us."
"I have enough money to keep your desperate soul at my feet, and I don't need many beggars by my side," Chloe retaliated in anger as she singled out instances she had lent Janely her clothes and come in to help with her finances.
"True that, but your money didn't keep Ivan, and that's who you want most. You also have it, but no father and your mother is…."
"You fool!" Chloe screamed.
Xxx
The adjacent walls were painted in contrasting colors of cream and purple. The high-ceiling room featured several art pieces, including a big painting on one wall.
Adjacent to it, there was a glass window that gave a peek into the two bedrooms upstairs. There was a chandelier and many flower vases on a cabinet.
The photos Steph and Ivan took during their presser hung on the wall.
The living room was monochromatic with a shade of off-white. The plush was covered with a polar bear sofa and armchairs. It was flanked by a long oval table at the center.
Adjacent to the living room was the dining room, where a two-door refrigerator stood.
The dining table was huge and flanked by ten chairs, enough for both the Jacksons and the Lees to sit on and enjoy a scrumptious meal.
'I still think this was a bad idea,' Steph said with exhaustion as she fell on the couch in the living room and thought of her father, who was still so annoyed at her and hadn't spoken to her.
Over the last two days, she had thought of calling him, but Victoria had asked that she lets Max calm down first.
"I will call you when it's wise to talk to him. Just wait for my call," Victoria had told Steph as she hugged her goodbye after the presser and party.
'What if he never forgives me? You're not doing it for you,' another voice reasoned and Steph nodded in agreement.
She looked around at the wealth that surrounded her and shook her head in disbelief. It made her partially understand why the Jacksons were so full of themselves: they had it all.
FLASHBACK
To make their relationship look more real, Noah had been forced to rent a full apartment for the two after Ivan had told the press while being interviewed alone, that he would propose to Steph after a while.
"They asked if I was ready to marry you," Steph said calmly in a mocking tone as she looked back at the press, who were having their lunch.
"What did you say?" Ivan whispered.
Steph looked at him in anger, surprised at the question.
She pointed at herself and at Ivan and said, "This relationship won't go beyond four months, yet you're blubbing around without a care. How could you possibly say you can propose to me? As it is, I am tolerating you."
"Don't think so much about what I said. I just want the press to have many reads. Plus, I'm longing to see the look on some people's faces when they read that," Ivan casually answered as he pictured Vera.
"Talking of that, you need to keep Chloe and Camila away from us," Steph sharply said as she pointed her index finger at Ivan before realizing that she had described herself and Ivan as one.
She looked away in shame as she inhaled deeply and said, "keep them away from Amy. She has nothing to do with any of my decisions, so no one should try messing with her while trying to get to me."
She had been so annoyed and shocked when she returned to their house to find Amy and Dylan at home.
Dylan looked like a wounded lion, and being the caring and understanding person he was, Steph instantly knew that something bad had happened.
"How loud should I tell you to stay away from those people? For heaven's sake Steph, they aren't in our league. Just leave them alone. Today, they messed with her. Tomorrow it might be me and who knows who else. Do you want to lose all of us?" Dylan asked angrily.