Chapter 16
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 16<\/p>\n
Nestor gave her a warm smile. \u201cBonnie, how was your blind date the other day? Daniel couldn\u2019t stop talking about how amazing you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie had meant to turn Daniel down, planning to say she wasn\u2019t interested in someone from out of state. But in the moment, she changed her mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt went well. We\u2019re having dinner tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
She figured she should keep an open mind. Daniel\u2019s looks, degree, job, and even his family background checked all the right boxes. He was gentle, too. Maybe it was worth seeing where things might go.<\/p>\n
Nestor seemed pleased. \u201cThat\u2019s good to hear. But don\u2019t feel pressured. If things don\u2019t work out, that\u2019s okay. Our firm knows plenty of great clients, and we set up mixers all the time. You young people have lots of options. Take your time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Nestor. I\u2019ll keep that in mind,\u201d Bonnie replied, polite as ever.<\/p>\n
He asked a few more questions, small talk about how she was adjusting to work, and then about her parents and even her grandparents\u2019 health.<\/p>\n
For a moment, Bonnie went quiet. Something in his words pulled her mind back, and she realized she hadn\u2019t been home in three years.<\/p>\n
During that time, ugly rumors had spread. People said she was Lawrence\u2019s mistress. She still remembered being blocked in a bathroom, beaten by the wife\u2019s friends. By the end, her hair was a tangled mess and she looked wrecked\u2014she\u2019d felt like even the dirty mop in the corner was cleaner than she was.<\/p>\n
Her aunt had printed out photos of the whole scene, spread them on the table in front of the whole family, and everyone sat in judgment. They asked if she\u2019d really lowered herself like that, asked if the gossip online was true.<\/p>\n
Bonnie had been numb with heartbreak, her left ear ringing, unable to say a word. Her silence said it all.<\/p>\n
To her grandparents, who valued reputation above everything, what she\u2019d done was unforgivable. Her mom, who\u2019d always been so proud of her, saw it as a mistake that would never, ever be excused.<\/p>\n
Her dad called her shameless. Her mom, furious and disappointed, slapped her across the face. The relatives joined in, mocking her, piling on.<\/p>\n
Once, she\u2019d been the good daughter, the top student, everyone\u2019s pride. Now she was just a cautionary tale.<\/p>\n
Bonnie had always been stubborn. She\u2019d rather go hungry out on her own than ever crawl back home.<\/p>\n
Lawrence\u2019s face was like stone as he gave Daniel\u2019s hand a quick shake.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, I\u2019m Daniel. You\u2019re a friend of Bonnie\u2019s, right? I never even got to thank you for dinner the other night. You shouldn\u2019t have, really\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawrence didn\u2019t miss a beat. \u201cEx-boyfriend.\u201d He gave a barely-there smile, but there was something cold about it.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s grin faltered. He hadn\u2019t expected Bonnie\u2019s ex to show up, much less to seem so\u2026 unfriendly.<\/p>\n
Daniel dropped the fake smile and remembered something he\u2019d heard. \u201cBonnie never mentioned an ex-boyfriend who was married with a kid. Sorry, I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawrence\u2019s expression didn\u2019t change, but something dark flashed in his eyes. Daniel could feel the weight of it. Even though he was taller, Lawrence still somehow managed to make him feel smaller, and for a second the tension between them was almost overwhelming.<\/p>\n
If this was just an ex, the level of hostility didn\u2019t make any sense at all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-684","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}