It was like something invisible covered his face, like there was something hidden behind that smile she couldn't reach.
She remembered him saying he had no family.
Had he been abandoned too?
That thought made her slowly raise her hand and wrap her arms around Jeffrey's neck, gently pulling him closer.
His body tensed a little, but he didn't push her away. Instead, he rested his head on her shoulder, wrapped in her warmth.
Her soft, faint scent somehow calmed him. Being with her made him feel like, just maybe, he could relax for once.
"Jeffrey, didn't you say you'd never leave me? I won't leave you either. No matter what happens, I'll stay with you," she whispered gently into his ear.
"Really? No matter what happens, you'll stay with me?" he murmured.
"Of course," she replied confidently.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" he asked.
She chuckled lightly. "Why would I be afraid of you? Our Jeffrey is so well-behaved. I can't even like you enough."
Our Jeffrey... It sounded like he belonged to her.
Strangely, he didn't mind. Actually, it made him kind of happy.
He lifted his head, and suddenly, their faces were so close their noses almost touched.
Her face turned bright red, and she instinctively tried to pull back, but his hand on her waist stopped her.
"Do you like it when I'm well-behaved?" he asked in a low voice.
Looking into his ridiculously handsome face, Rachel bit her lip a little, feeling her cheeks get even hotter.
It was just a normal sentence, but when he said it, it sounded way too suggestive.
"Hmm..." she answered softly after a long pause.
"So, if I behave better, will you like me more?" he asked.
If a little kid had said that, it would've been cute and innocent. But coming from him, it had a dangerous kind of charm.
"Will you?" His face moved even closer, his lips nearly touching hers.
"...Yes." She heard herself reply.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
---
She always thought of Jeffery as a younger brother, so why was she getting all flustered just because his face was close?
After thinking about it, she figured it had to be because of his stupidly good-looking face.
The effect of that kind of beauty was honestly unfair.
"Rachel, can you clean up the trash next to the bin? The garbage truck will be here soon," Sister Rivera called out.
"Sure," Rachel replied, walking over to the trash bin and starting to clean up the area around it.
Suddenly, a pair of DIOR high heels came into her view.
Rachel had seen enough luxury brands to know that this one pair probably cost more than her entire yearly salary.
----
Bang! The door of the presidential suite slammed open, and Hailey was shoved inside, hitting the floor hard.
Reeking of alcohol and totally out of it, she stumbled toward the sound of running water.
She pushed open the bathroom door, and through the steam, she saw a man with bronze skin and toned muscles moving in front of her.
Hailey frowned, lost her balance, and fell toward him.
Reacting fast, she grabbed his wrist, the one holding the showerhead. With all the force she had, she tried to pin him against the wall.
But her 5'5" frame was nothing compared to his 6'2", making the move look almost ridiculous.
"How did you get in here?" His cold voice sliced through the steamy air, making it feel like the whole room froze.
Hailey shook her head, trying to clear the fog in her brain that felt like a bunch of birds flapping around. "Shut up! If you keep talking, I'll take you by force!"
----
Rachel she looked up, and saw Celeste's stunning face.
Rachel didn't expect to see Celeste again so soon.
Celeste still looked exactly the same as the first time Rachel saw her, gorgeous face, flawless makeup, and decked out in high-end fashion.
She was a total star in the film and TV world, basically a real-life socialite.
Back then, even when someone came into the prison to rip out Rachel's nails, Celeste showed up dressed all elegant and fancy, wearing those expensive designer brands.
She looked like she belonged at a red carpet, not in a dark, grimy prison cell.
She looked so bright and glamorous.
But someone like her, who was seen as a goddess by the outside world, had given the order to torture her, her voice full of hatred, and watched it happen like it was no big deal.
That moment turned into a nightmare Rachel could never forget.
Gloria, who was standing next to Celeste, noticed Rachel and sneered, "Oh wow, Celeste, guess who it is? Isn't this the murderer who killed your sister? What a joke. Now she's out here working as a sanitation worker. Karma really came fast."
Rachel's face went pale, but she didn't say anything. She just kept her head down and continued picking up the trash.
"You've got some nerve. If it were me, I'd be crying and begging for forgiveness if I ran into the sister of the girl I killed. But some people just act like nothing ever happened," Gloria kept going, not holding back at all.
Rachel took a deep breath, slowly raised her head, looked straight at them, and said, "I already paid the price."