Chapter 14 Intentional Destruction
Clarence could hardly believe his ears. He stared at Ivana for a long moment, as if trying to make sure she was truly his bride. Then, in a fury, he slapped her and stormed off with his parents.
The moment he walked away, Ivana ran after him. But the Kirks, clearly humiliated, refused to let her into the car.
“What the hell is Clarence thinking? You’re so much better than Ivana, and yet he’s still hung up on her,” Ansel commented. “Well, now it’s blown up in his face. Not only has he lost his clients, but his reputation is in shambles, too.”
He kept talking, but I couldn’t stand to hear any more.
Lately, I’d thrown myself into work. Whenever I had free time, I helped out with my family’s business. My days had purpose again. It was as if everything got a little brighter the second Clarence was gone.
When I cut Ansel off mid–sentence, he seemed to think I still had feelings for Clarence. He sprang to his feet and said, “Come on, Janelle. There are plenty of decent guys out there. Don’t tell me you’re still-”
“Of course not,” I interrupted. “Clarence means absolutely nothing to me now.‘
11
Ansel studied me, dead serious. “Really?”
To convince him, I raised my hand and swore on the spot. Only then did he nod in satisfaction.
That night, Ansel insisted we go out for drinks to celebrate. I couldn’t talk him out of it, so I ended up tagging along to the bar.
As luck would have it, we bumped into Clarence and Ivana.
It looked like he was out with some friends, and she had come chasing after him. The moment he saw her, his face twisted in disgust. “What are you doing here? I don’t want to see you.
Without so much as a glance, Clarence turned his back on her and continued drinking with his friends. However, Ivana had no intention of leaving. Instead, she dropped to her knees and started grovelling.
“Clary, it’s my fault,” she cried out. “My parents didn’t mean to cause trouble. Our relatives put pressure on them, saying we looked down on them. They regret it
now.
“They wanted to apologize but were scared you’d still be mad, so they didn’t come. I know I’m in the wrong, Clary. You have every right to be mad. Still, I hope you can forgive me.‘
11
Ivana looked up at him, her face tilted just enough to maximize the drama. Right then, she looked like the picture of desperation.
Meanwhile, the Reed brothers were visibly disgusted by her behavior. Ansel, in particular, clicked his tongue and turned to me. “Can you believe you lost to someone like her? What’s wrong with you?”
“Ansel, I don’t think Janelle had a choice. She’s not the type to fake it like that,” Benson said, stepping in to defend me.
Still, Ansel wasn’t buying it. In the end, we just sat there, drinking and watching the drama unfold.
Then, to our complete disbelief, Clarence actually forgave Ivana. Before we knew it, they were making out in the bar.
I couldn’t watch anymore. So, I made up an excuse and left.
Ansel tried to follow me but ran into a client and got held up. In the end, it was just Benson and me walking out.
“Janelle, are you okay?” Benson asked, his voice filled with concern.
I nodded, and his expression eased slightly. With that, we strolled down the sidewalk together.
When we finally reached my car, we found Clarence and Ivana standing right next to it. He was clearly drunk, punching and kicking the side.
“You bitch! You worthless piece of shit!” he cursed.
I couldn’t help but laugh. Then, I pulled out my phone and started recording before approaching them.
“Mr. Kirk, are you here to write me a check?” I asked.
The two of them froze. Clearly, they hadn’t expected to see me. Even so, Clarence was the first to recover.
“What’s
this junker even worth?” he spat.
A
