Giving Love Another Try

I had just finished my medicine and was about to rest when Beau's phone call interrupted me.

"Get to Nightmare Bar within half an hour," he asked.

I said, "I have a cold and I'm feeling a little unwell."

But he cut me off with a mocking laugh. "Don't pretend, Leila. You are disobedient, but I have many obedient people around me."

I knew he was trying to punish me.

Yesterday, I had used concealer to hide the tear mole at the corner of my eye, and he had been furious.

He threw me into the freezer and locked me up all night.

He said I needed to learn my place and not covet things I didn't deserve.

He hated me for desecrating his sweetheart.

When I arrived at the bar, Beau held a girl in his arms, his hand resting on her waist.

She didn't glance at me, too busy feeding Beau fruit and leaning into his arms.

Someone joked, "Hey. Here she comes, Beau. How did you train her? She's more obedient than my dog."

Beau was satisfied after hearing this and waved to me, "Come here, pour me a drink."

I tried to stay awake and looked up at him.

He leaned on the sofa with his hands spread out, looking like he was in control of everything, with a playful smile.

He wanted me to submit, to bow down to him.

I didn't move, finding a seat that wasn't too close or too far from him.

Beau's face darkened, his icy gaze piercing me.

It was not until Arya poured the wine and brought it to his lips that he sneered, "A woman should be like Arya. You must be obedient and flattering."

The friend beside him chimed in,

"Beau is right. Women need to be obedient and tactful to win the love of men. Some women don't know how to please men but still want to be respected."

"Yeah. Leila looks a bit like Arya, but she's still not as good at dealing with things as Arya."

Hearing this, Arya turned to look at me.

I finally saw her appearance clearly and caught a flash of jealousy and surprise in her eyes.

We looked similar, even sharing the same tear mole at the corner of our eyes. But Arya was bright and conspicuous, like a blooming flower, bringing her beauty to the extreme.

Arya said, "You look quite like me, but you're so cold and icy that men won't like you."

Someone sneered, "Women from poor backgrounds can't change their dull look, no matter how hard they try."

"That's right. If Leila hadn't been clinging to Beau, how could Beau be with her? Now that he has Arya, Leila has to pack up and leave."

Arya stood up, examined my outfit, and laughed lightly before handing me a glass of wine. "Thank you for taking care of Beau for so many years, Ms. Hicks. This glass of wine is a reward for you. Drink it."

Beau lounged on the sofa, gazing at me like a dog.

His friend urged, "Leila, drink it. You won't be able to afford such expensive wine after you leave Beau. You can still savor it when you return to your poor home."

"I just took medicine. I shouldn't drink." I clenched my fists, trying to stay sober.

Beau friend continued, "How can it be such a coincidence? If you don't drink, you are not giving face to Beau."

Beau humiliated me, and the people around him didn't take me seriously.