10
Taylor was surprised when I asked her to
meet.
“You want to go out?”
“I’ve been telling you to get out more. It’s
good for you.”
She was confused by my sudden change of
heart.
But when I asked to go to the biggest
amusement park in Hong Kong, her face
changed.
She gave me a weak smile. “Okay. Whatever
you want to do.”
<
She gave me a weak smile. “Okay. Whatever
you want to do.”
There wasn’t much I really wanted to do.
My parents used to take me to that park.
I hadn’t been back since they died.
I didn’t blame Taylor for being worried.
It looked like I was giving up.
“Thank you, Taylor.”
Taylor pulled herself together.
She went with me.
I rode the carousel. Kids stared at me.
<
I even rode the pirate ship.
My face was pale.
So was Taylor’s.
“Penelope, you can’t ride anything that
intense anymore.”
I was disappointed.
But I nodded.
I knew I was pushing myself too hard.
“I’m going to sit down for a bit.”
I pointed to a bench.
Г
Suddenly, there was a commotion behind me.
Then screams and shouts.
Taylor pulled me aside. “What’s going on? Is
some big shot coming? It’s so loud.”
I looked over.
Cooper.
He and Janie were surrounded by reporters
and fans.
Even with the security guards, it was hard for
them to move.
They were coming our way.
Cooper had his head down, typing on his
phone.
He seemed oblivious to everything around
him.
He radiated tension.
I watched him for a moment. Then I looked
away.
He looked up.
His eyes locked with mine.
He paused.
He started to walk towards me.
Г
Everyone looked at me.
Someone yelled, “Is that Mrs. Sinclair?”
“Mrs. Sinclair? She’s just a pitiful woman who
isn’t loved. Janie is the only one who deserves
to be Mrs. Sinclair!”
“Yeah, look how sad she is. Cooper is here
with Janie. He doesn’t even want to be with
her!”
“Please, just let the Sinclair heir go. You’d
both be better off!”
Someone threw a crumpled tissue at me.
Then someone else threw a bag of trash.
<
I was stunned.
Cooper froze, his eyes dark. “Who did that?”
The security guards turned to look.
But there were too many people. They
couldn’t find anyone.
I felt a trickle of blood from my nose. I
covered it with my hand. But it flowed
through my fingers.
Cooper’s face turned white. He started to
walk towards me, but Janie grabbed his arm.
“Cooper, I think I twisted my ankle. It hurts…”
While he was distracted, I grabbed Taylor’s
hand.
L
I ran.
