Chapter 12

Amanda took a drag of her cigarette to calm her nerves.

She then complained, "The price you had to pay for that one-night stand was way too damn high!"

She thought Claire would join her complaint.

Claire, however, spoke calmly, "Mr. Blake called me. He said he hopes I can study under him for the next four years at home."

Amanda got excited and put out her cigarette.

"If you miss this opportunity, Claire, I'll not forgive you."

Claire smiled faintly, "I know."

Feeling much better, Claire cleaned the table, took a shower, and went to bed.

Amanda was already asleep.

Claire lay down beside her, unable to resist resting her head on Amanda's shoulder. She missed Amanda so much and felt that as long as Amanda was there, nothing seemed difficult.

...

Early the next morning, Amanda took Claire to a hotel owned by Carl.

The Emperor Hotel was the most upscale hotel in Beach Port.

Normally, Carl wouldn't bother with such matters, but to demonstrate Amanda's significance to him, he took it upon himself to meet with Claire and arrange a job for her.

Her working hours would be three hours each evening, from 8 PM to 11 PM, with a monthly salary of sixty thousand dollars, a very generous offer.

Claire knew in her heart that Carl was doing this for Amanda's sake.

She looked at Amanda.

Amanda threw her a playful wink.

Carl glanced at Amanda and called the hotel manager to show Claire around. Once they left, Carl walked to the door and locked it.

This office had an attached lounge, but he didn't use it. He took Amanda right there on the desk.

At first, Amanda was unwilling, biting his shoulder hard. Carl leaned down and sneered in her ear, "I haven't touched you in two months. Now you're biting?"

He hadn't been with a woman for a long time and naturally went at it several times.

Amanda was tormented beyond measure.

When it was over, he didn't care about her and went straight to take a shower himself.

The sound of water came from the bathroom.

Amanda slowly got down from the desk. Ignoring how disheveled she looked, she lit a long cigarette and smoked it leisurely.

She knew Carl couldn't understand why someone like her would be so good to Claire.

Actually, it was Claire who was good to her.

She had known Claire since middle school. Back then, her parents were addicted to gambling. They sold everything they could from home and were just short of selling Amanda herself.

Later, her parents lost everything and jumped off a building.

She became an orphan with no place to live and couldn't afford school fees. Her classmates distanced themselves from her and looked at her like she was a monster. Finally, one day she couldn't take it anymore and stood on the rooftop.

It was Claire who pulled her down from the rooftop.

It was Claire who secretly brought her home, gave her clothes to change into, let her take a hot bath, and brought a big plate of food from the kitchen. That taste is something Amanda will never forget till death.

Claire hid her for three days.

Later, Claire begged Victor to rent an apartment for her.

It was Claire who took care of her for six years.

No one knew what Claire meant to her. As long as Claire was happy, Amanda would do anything for her without hesitation and give up anything for it.

After finishing her cigarette, Amanda pulled up her clothes and left decisively.

Carl came out after his shower, only to find Amanda had already left.

He slowly walked to his desk and stared at the small puddle of water on it, curling his lips slightly. Actually, Amanda was quite smart. She knew even Liam would give him some face here.

Carl wondered how Liam would react once he learned about it.

Perhaps Liam would be furious, or maybe he wouldn't care at all.

Carl had heard bits and pieces about Liam's unhappy start with Claire's marriage. They had been married for years but remained lukewarm. They didn't even have any children yet.

People in their circle were even betting on when Liam would divorce Claire.

Rumors had it that Liam kept a woman outside.