Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover

However, she had no interest in witnessing the cheerful scene on the stage. She decided to head to the lounge.

Halfway up the stairs, she heard footsteps behind her. "Chloe, so this is where you've been hiding."

Chloe turned around, and there, climbing the stairs was the last person she wanted to see-Linda.

Linda had just been accepted as the goddaughter of the Meadows family. Such "good news," how could she resist sharing it?This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

In no time, Linda was standing right in front of Chloe, with just one step separating them.

Linda wore her usual innocent, cautious expression. "Chloe, the Meadows family has taken me in as their goddaughter. You're not upset, are you?"

Chloe nearly chuckled at the sight of Linda's innocent yet shameless face. From the higher step, she looked down at Linda. "Linda, drop the innocent act. It's making me sick."

A flash of complex emotion darted through Linda's eyes-maybe sadness, maybe relief. But all these emotions were fleeting. When she faced Chloe again, she still looked as innocent as a naive bunny.

"Chloe, I come from a troubled background. You know how my mother is. I've been abused and tormented since I was little and never had a single good day. The luckiest thing that happened in my life was meeting you during high school."

Linda's expression was so sincere, her eyes shimmering with tears, seemingly revealing deep gratitude.

"Back then, I was transferred to Jefferson High School. Everyone looked down on me, bullied me, harassed me. It was you who reached out to me, pulling me out of the inferno. When I was attacked, you were like a shield in front of me. Chloe, you are the benefactor of my life."

Chloe's brows furrowed. She couldn't understand why Linda was bringing all this up now.

Back then, it was indeed like what Linda said. Linda was always alone, always walking with her head down always the target of bullying and venting. The school was like a cruel jungle. Chloe stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid, while Linda was at the very bottom.

When did she start noticing Linda? Maybe it was the day Linda didn't show up for school, and Chloe accompanied a teacher on a home visit.

In a place akin to a slum, they found Linda's home. It's a house so dilapidated it couldn't be worse, with not a single decent thing inside.

Linda's parents were arguing.

Shannon was cursing at Linda's

father, hurling curses and humiliations, venomous to the core. Jake:

e sat in a wheelchair, lifeless, like the living dead. Everything in the house that could be smashed had been smashed.

Linda was crouched on the floor, numbly tidying up, as if all this were normal.

Later, Chloe found out the reason Linda hadn't gone to school that day. Jake, in his wheelchair, had stopped in the middle of the road, trying to commit suicide.

"Jake, don't try that again. I'll always save you, no matter what. I want you to live; live as miserably as I do."

Chloe felt a chill down her spine when she heard that. She could still vaguely recall the scene.

After Shannon had cursed enough,

she started to take all her emotions out on Linda. She kicked, hit, and

even picked up a pair of tongs to et

strike

Linda's back. The teacher

rushed in to intervene. However, Shannon was mad and raged and refused to stop.

While Shannon was entangled with the teacher, Chloe stepped forward, grabbed Linda by the arm, and led her out the door...