Rhea stood listening to the conversation inside the room and could not budge as shock registered through her. Traitors. That was the first thing which came to her mind. They were all conspiring against her. And she felt rage course through her as she clenched her fists into two rigid balls.
Too numb to react, she felt like she was an automatic mode when she turned back from the room and stealthily got out of the house. While she walked down the alley, she refused to think about anything before finding the sanctuary of her home again.
When she did in a few seconds and the first thing she did was to bolt the door behind her and leant against the wooden object glad of the dull comfort it was offering. Her body felt limp and she sunk at the bottom unable to bear her own weight as shock still coursed through her. And she finally allowed the earlier events to replay in her head.
Bored out of her mind with her own company, she had decided to join them to see what they were up to. Despite the late hour, she had not hesitated to use her spare key to enter Adam’s house furtively so as not to disturb them in case they were sleeping.
But arriving near Adam’s room, she had heard Zach howling with laughter and Zoey scolding him that it was not funny. But only to have Adam admit that it was quite funny and had suspected they were talking about her. She had stopped outside the door determined to confront them but only to realize that they were actually making fun of her.
Rhea could hardly believe her ears when Zoey admitted her next part of the plan and Adam confessed that she was almost putty in his hands now. So that was what they had been conspiring against her. No wonder her plan had failed so pathetically. Even her best friend Zoey was against her.
Everything would have worked if Zoey had not betrayed her trust like that. She could bet her life that Zoey had shown them the article so that they could anticipate her moves. No wonder Adam had been so patient with her. He already knew of her plan beforehand.
And she had been foolish enough to believe that he could love her that much. It had all been fake. As fake as anything else in her life. She was saved just in time, she realized. She had been ready to give up her plan to be his girlfriend only a few minutes ago. When she had asked him the question about him being obliged to her. She had wanted the assurance that she was not a charity case. That he would have loved her even if her father had not shunned her.
And Adam would have lied to her; just to give her the illusion of being perfect like ha had always done. It was all a big illusion and nothing else. Even the love Adam professed for her was only based on the pity he felt for her. She had known that all along ever since the beginning. But she had started to believe him just because she had wanted someone to love her as much.
But life had taught her better. She knew that kind of love was not for her; she was just a charity case. Someone whose own father hated her so much that he could not bear to even look at her. Someone who had killed her own mother to be able to enter this world.
As pathetic as it sounded, she had always known the truth. It had always been her own fault that her parents had shunned her. No matter how her foster families had tried to cover up for her. Even if she had survived, she had always been very sure that somewhere along the way, life would find a way to snatch what little happiness she had acquired. That was why when she had been welcomed by the other families, she had never been able to give them her heart completely.
And now that she came to think of it, it was a good thing that she had not trusted them completely. Just imagine how much worse it would have been. Even now she felt so…so like her heart was being wrenched out of her chest. And that was only because she had always known that someday, the situation would have gotten like that.
Zoey and Zach would always side up with Adam no matter what she did. But the betrayal cut deep especially on the behalf of Zoey. Whom she had trusted. It was the complete knife in the back scenario from her friend and Rhea did not even want to hear any explanations from her.
And Adam. Rhea could not even think of him anymore. He was so disgusting. While she could understand the reason why he had thought himself in love with her in the first place, there was no excuse for him to behave so horrendously with her. He had played with her emotions and had make a mockery out of her.
How dared they? How dared they conspire against her like that? She knew; had always known that she was the outsider in their foursome. And today they had proved it to her. By acting against her. She could not help feeling so betrayed. It was not fair and the wrath building up inside her was inciting her to teach them a lesson.
Angrily, she tore off the magazine which had supposedly been her getaway from Adam Crighton. What had seemed a genius idea not more than a month ago now seemed ludicrous and out of place. And the least she wanted was to see that piece of crap again.
She was sure Adam was waiting for her to come up with her next strategy which was “Be loyal” as per the magazine. And she had been planning to pretend to be seeing someone else. It would have been fake of course. But she would have hurt him where it mattered the most and he would have finally left her alone.
Now thanks to her so-called best friend, all her plans were in chaos. When she would appear with another guy in front of him, it would make her appear ridiculous more than anything else. Enraged, she wanted to hit back where it would matter the most.
And hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. But for the moment, she had to get a grip on herself before deciding what to do. If it was left to her, all she wanted to do was to get back to New York and live her life far away from them all.
That had been the plan all along. When Adam had so insulted her two years ago, she had wanted to pack her bags and cut off the connection with the two families. But Aunt Selena and Aunt Rachel had heard nothing of it. Zoey had followed her and they had sent her to Forrester agency so that Rhea had been unable to refuse them.
And it would happen again now if she was to leave them, they would trace her and she would never have the freedom she wanted. All her life she had been running away from herself and now was time to face her own demons. She would use a more dramatic approach than that.
Rhea Palmer would make sure the Coopers and Crightons hated her so much that they would be the one sending her away. Finally appeased with her latest idea, she got up from the cold floor feeling her legs and lower body part go numb.
It was nothing compared to the pain she was experiencing in her heart. As she walked back to her room, she felt rage overtake the shock and pain. And she felt angrier with herself to realize that she had started hoping that Adam had really loved her as much as he had been professing for so many years.
Fool that she was, she had started believing him especially when he had stood up against her father. In front of his entire family. She had been so touched at his heroic move that she had been tempted to accept the fact that he loved her. She could not believe she was so hurt and angry to find out that his love was only one of his conspiracies.
It was time for another plan. And it had to be a killer one since it would serve the purpose of both freeing her from his stupid pursuit and finally giving her the freedom of cutting the “Cooper” umbilical cord as she called it.
It was the first time in her life that she fell asleep still angry and hurt but thankfully the tears had subsided. And she needed that sleep to clear her mind. Even her dreams were turbulent and when she finally woke up, she was in a complete chaos. Use the pain to drive them away, after all they’re all the same, she mentally preached herself.
When Adam called for his daily dose of bullshit, she did not even bother replying that time and slammed the phone down with so much force that it nearly broke into two. Hypocrite! She would show him but for the time being, she needed some air and some time to think and she had to get out of her house quickly before her other so-called best friends came in.
Since, she had nowhere planned to go, she pulled on her jogging suit and went for a morning run. There was no probability of meeting Adam or Zoey as it was still very early in the morning and they wouldn’t be arriving until one hour later. When she finally reached the park, she realized the journey wasn’t that bad when she used her own pace. Stretching her rigid legs, she spotted someone familiar but could not place a name.
She waved back in response to his wave trying not to show him her gaffe but he approached her anyway and began small talk with her. Only after several minutes did Rhea realized it was the delectable Matteo; the one who had made Zoey squirm in her pants.
Then an idea struck. Of course! She would use Matteo to make both Adam and Zoey jealous to get back at what they had done to her. It was stupid but it would hurt them so much that it would make the effort worthwhile and after that Rhea Cooper would be a myth.
Matteo Alvarez was the ideal candidate since he was no acquaintance of either the Coopers or the Crightons. She had been dreading to use that “Be loyal” plan for some time now since she had no one outside her social circles except mutual friends with the two families. Her only option was to involve the pretend-boyfriend in part of her plan and that had been too risky since there was always the danger of Adam finding out.
But now that she had discovered that her plan had already been exposed ever since the beginning, she knew he would be expecting her to fail again in her next plan. And that was why she would go along with her initial plan. But this time she was warned and forewarned was forearmed. This time, Rhea would not even be involving Matteo in her plan. She would date him – causally – for one month and when the hammer struck home, Adam and Zoey would be devastated. Rhea would be free.
From the titbits of conversation she had been having with the guy, he seemed to be quite a terrific guy with the perfect profile for the fake boyfriend. Except he should not know why he was being so solicited from her behalf.
“So, Matt.. Can I call you Matt?” she hesitated coquettishly. Now was the time to use her every weapon to make sure that he would fall right in her trap.
“Of course,” he replied instantly bestowing her with a smile so charming that for a moment she could not help admiring him. He was really handsome and his Spanish dark looks made him look exotic and mysterious.
Smiling back, she tossed her ponytail back in an obvious attempt to flirt and was satisfied when he got the message. His black raven eyes widened at the discovery that she was flirting and Rhea held her breath to anticipate his next reaction. Which would tell her whether or not he was game.
Thankfully, he grinned back with a flirting smile on his own and Rhea could not help gloat inwardly at the new turn of events. She would show them what it was to feel betrayed.
“So, I was saying Matt, would you like to have a cup of coffee? My apartment is only a few blocks apart and we could walk if you want to,” she said praying that he would accept her invitation as there was no better opportunity for her to show off her date.
“Uhhhm,” he seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before flashing her with another of his wide smiles which showed his perfect white teeth. “Sure,” he said moving nearer towards her and Rhea instantly took a step back.
It had not been voluntary but Rhea inwardly cursed herself for her instinctive reaction. Would she always be that apprehensive when it came to relationships? It was as if she had instinctively put up a barrier against the male species so that they never get to know the real her. She had been doing that ever since she had understood that her parent would never love her. And had managed quite well so fat. Except for the only person she had not seen it coming.
Adam had gotten closer than anyone else; too close for comfort. And it was time to change that. The two years reprieve she had gotten had been enough for her to strengthen her mindset about unconditional love. It was as inexistent as the blue moon.
As they walked down the way to her apartment, Rhea slowed down her pace as much as she could to make sure they met Adam and Zoey on the way. Discretely, she tried to peek in the watch of her companion to see the time. Fidgeting, she realized that there was only five to ten minutes left before their usual jogging sessions. If only she could stall for some more time. Devoid of any ideas, they entered her apartment and Rhea could not help feeling disappointed at having missed them.
Peeking out of the window, she completely forgot about her “date” until she heard a sound of throat being cleared. Guilty, she jumped and offered an apologetic smile in the direction of the hunk in her living room. She must be out of her mind planning such kind of theatrics.
“Right, the coffee,” and her voice came out sounding so shrill and unnatural that she could not help wincing. What kind of dork would he think she was.
Just as she was about to move away from the window, her heart dropped as she saw her two neighbors leaving the house next door. Damn! She had missed them by only a few minutes. The timing sucked but she would not give up. They took only twenty to thirty minutes to jog and she would keep Matteo in her apartment until then.
Going as slowly as she could, she completely missed the puzzled look she got from Matteo and entered her kitchen. Still lost in her thoughts, she jumped again when she found that Matteo had joined her.
“Matteo!” she exclaimed in a breathless voice.
“Matt, please,” he amended instantly. “Tell me, I don’t usually get the second degree treatment from women. What is happening here?”
“S…s…second degree treatment?” Rhea stammered giving him the blandest look she could manage given the already complicated situation. She was already so nervous and some divine intervention would really help. Especially considering she had been getting blows after blows in her pathetic life.
“Yessss,” replied Matt and she was sure he was mocking her. Coming closer, he took the cup from her trembling hands and placed in on the counter. “Normally, when I’m asked for a cup of coffee, I get full attention from the lady. But I’m afraid I have to say that I find you a bit…distracted.”
He had paused before putting in the last word. Rhea did not know whether it was out of hesitation or to put an emphasis. But either way she got even more nervous. There goes her perfectly planned escapade.
“I’m sorry. I have a few things on my mind lately and….”
“Why don’t you try the truth? For one thing I’m sure you are not interested in me as you would like me to believe,” he said a bit sordidly which sent Rhea in frenzied state. Hell, she had not been expecting to have to “handle” that man. She had been so engrossed in her quest that she had completely forgotten to include him as part of the equation.
Biting her lips, she tried to come up with something but her mind drew a blank. And she blurted the truth out.
“I’m r…really s…sorry,” she stammered feeling so awkward that she could not even look at him. What kind of stupid could she label herself as, she wondered. How pathetic she had sounded even to her own ears when she had started the story. Well, it was the pathetic story of her life.
“I can’t believe you. Why don’t you tell him that you don’t love him?” Matt barked appearing a little pissed off if the redness of his skin was any indication.
Rhea rolled her eyes. “I have tried. And well, it’s … complicated,” she said lamely. “You don’t know Adam Crighton, he’s quite pig-headed. And well, he knows me too well anyway. I would never be able to pull off a stunt on him. Will you help me please?”
Matt looked at her with an expression which said much but thankfully he refrained from any comments. And after a few minutes, Rhea let out an audible sigh of relief when he nodded. “Alright, but what’s in for me?”
Rhea frowned. What could he want in return? Then she felt alarmed. What did she knew about that guy? What if he turned out to be a sadist or a pervert? What kind of trouble had she landed into this time? She looked back at him blandly clueless of what to propose.
Matt sighed. “It’s not what you’re thinking. I need you to give me information on someone. If I help you, promise me you will answer all my questions when I ask them.”
Rhea frowned got deeper. There was so much mystery around that man that she could not help being so puzzled. “You need information on someone? Who? How would I be able to give you those information? "
Was he on a secret mission? Was he a private investigator? Why was he so reticent on talking about his mission. Rhea found her interest piqued in spite of all the events around her. At that moment, she knew she would help him out even if he did not help her. She was too curious to have any misgivings about him.
“Oh, I hadn’t finished yet. If I help you, you have to help me without asking any questions…” he said with emphasis and looked at her enigmatically. What the hell was he hiding now? What kind of trouble had she invited. “And without ever disclosing that to anyone else.”
“You might as well tell me the name of the person. I will find out anyway when you ask me the questions,” Rhea said inwardly pleased with herself at her comeback.
“You are so not in a position to bargain right now young lady. It’s all I can offer; you will know the name of the person when I decide it. Take it or leave it.”
It was said so categorically that Rhea felt her positive answer on the tip of her tongue. But a girl had some pride.
“But I need to know if I know the person at least to be able to give you some information. How am I supposed to agree to an insane treaty just like that? Do I know that person? Are you going to harm him? Who are you? Why you need information?”
Matt pinched his nose as if she had given him some physical pain and Rhea really wanted to kick him. Damn! She could not stand the suspense. He might as well tell her; she was an impatient person. But by the look of him, he had no intention of telling her a single word. It would have to be on his terms.
Rhea sighed. Did she have any choice?
“Alright. At least promise me that you are not going to harm that person?”
Matt nodded. “I promise. I have no intention whatsoever on harming anyone. I only need you to give me maximum information on only one person. His background, his childhood. You know that person very well.”
Rhea scanned her mind for all possibilities but it was impossible to guess as he had given no hint. Damn him! As long as he would not harm that person, was it bad to agree with him? Finally, when she seemed to be hesitating too much, he barked out. “By the way, I can see your preys getting back to their apartment. You have one second to decide if you want them to catch us in a compromising situation. NOW!”