They Said I Was Too Wild for Him. They Were Right.

I was the quintessential bad girl. I spent five years chasing Carter Sterling, the flawless golden boy everyone admired. He was aloof, arrogant, and constantly looked down on me. "You smell like smoke. It's disgusting." I would just shamelessly wrap my arms around his neck, bite his lip, and pass the nicotine lozenge from my mouth into his. After dating for a year, I hand-crafted a pair of custom rings. I ran off to find him, ecstatic, only to overhear someone asking what he thought of the Dupont heiress. His eyes were indifferent: "Not bad. Pretty obedient." My breath caught in my throat. Then, I heard them ask what he thought of me. "Too wild. She's not marriage material. I like good girls." I was wild. She was good. I figured, since the answer was out, it was time to let go. 1 When Carter got home, he saw me chewing on a mint. He frowned. "Smoking again?" Usually, when I saw that look on his face, I would've already thrown myself at him, hanging off his shoulders and kissing him over and over, forcing the man who seemed as cold as the winter moon to flush with desire. Then, I’d smile and ask, "Can you taste the smoke?" His eyes would darken, his thumb subconsciously rubbing my waist, but his face would remain stern. "It's the middle of the day. Stop messing around!" "Can't you have a little decency as a woman?" When facing the guy I'd loved for seven years, what did I know about decency? I would just loop my finger around his tie and give it a gentle tug. "Baby, why don't we go to the bedroom so you can teach me?" A faint blush would quietly creep up the tips of Carter's ears, brighter than the lipstick smudged on the corner of his mouth. His voice would grow husky, though he’d still try to sound proper. "Teach you what?" I would give a wicked smile, my red lips curving as I pulled him step by step into the bedroom. But this time, I didn't have the energy. I swallowed the crushed mint and walked right past him. His Adam's apple bobbed. His gaze was dark and unreadable, as if he was expecting something. I chased him for five years and we had been together for one. I had seen disappointment, disgust, and impatience in his eyes. When it came to me, the only things missing were love and anticipation. He only agreed to be my boyfriend because, when his startup company was first getting off the ground and he was cornered by debt collectors, I called up my guys from the bar to bail him out. Using a mix of threats and cash, I threw down a hundred grand to settle his debts. At the time, he looked at me with distant, detached eyes. "What do you want?" I rested my chin on my hand, my eyes carefully tracing his features. He had lost some of the boyish charm from seven years ago. I smiled, looking as captivating as I could. "I like you. Be my boyfriend." It was my twentieth confession. He was silent for a long time. Just when I thought he was going to reject me again, a soft "Yeah" broke the silence. I was instantly overjoyed, practically jumping up to kiss him on the cheek. My friends from the bar all cheered, hyping us up and chanting for a real kiss on the lips. My face felt hot. I looked at Carter. But his icy, frostbitten expression was like a bucket of cold water. He didn't like me. He looked down on me. But I thought it didn't matter. Time would change everything. I was so stupid. I suddenly laughed. Carter tugged at his collar with his long, articulate fingers, looking impatient. "What are you acting crazy for now?" "I don't have any contact with Chloe Dupont anymore. If you keep throwing these baseless tantrums, then let's just break up." Over the past year, he had threatened to break up with me countless times. If you smoke again, we break up. If you drink, we break up. If you dye your hair, we break up. To keep him, I willingly shut down my bar, kicked the habits he deemed trashy, and tried my best to learn how to act like a refined, high-society lady. After all, my wildness was originally born because of him anyway. But this time, I was just tired. "Okay, Carter. Let's break up." 2 A flicker of turbulence flashed through Carter's indifferent eyes. Then, he lazily pulled out his phone and tossed it on the table. "Spit it out. Who do you want me to delete this time? Who do you want me to fire?" Once, I made him fire an assistant who "accidentally" spilled coffee on him just to touch his chest, and I made him delete the Dupont heiress who was constantly making eyes at him. Back then, he looked at me with pure exhaustion. "It's like explaining color to a blind person." I panicked. Carter wasn't born into extreme wealth, but he became a rising star in the business world through his sheer intellect and Ivy League degrees. And me? I dropped out of a garbage community college. We were worlds apart. People around us constantly dropped hints, telling me to let Carter go so he could step into a broader world. And that "broader world" was Chloe, the Dupont heiress. Carter and I hadn't been together that long, and I didn't want to break up. So, when I caught them on a date. Sitting in the high-end, exclusive restaurant I had wanted to go to for ages but could never get a reservation for. I didn't even dare to go up and expose them. I didn't dare question him. Late that night, Carter came home. I kept my tone casual. "What were you up to? You're home so late." Carter took off his jacket, answering carelessly. "Had dinner with an important client." My heart trembled. My eyes instantly welled up with tears, and I turned my back to him, refusing to speak. He quietly walked up behind me and suddenly wrapped his arms around me. "It's just that the liaison I was meeting with happened to be a woman, the Dupont heiress. Just out of basic courtesy, I drove her home, so it got a little late." His tone was deep and gentle. Carter rested his chin in the crook of my neck, his hot breath hitting my skin. Even though it wasn't an overtly romantic gesture. I still couldn't stop myself from blushing. "Oh? So who's prettier? The Dupont heiress or me?" It was just meant to be a flirty question, but it made Carter think for a long time before he finally answered. "You guys have different styles. You can't just objectively say who is prettier." His attitude snapped back to his usual serious demeanor, his tone turning cold. "You shouldn't ask questions like that. Saying anyone is unattractive is just demeaning." I was stunned by the lecture and pulled myself out of his embrace. "But saying I'm pretty doesn't mean you're saying Miss Dupont is ugly. Why would it be demeaning? It's not like Miss Dupont is going to hear our private conversation, right?" He pressed his lips together and stared at me, his eyes dark. I felt incredibly wronged. From the day we got together until now, he had never once complimented me, nor had he shown any real affection. I just wanted a little bit of favoritism. A tiny bit of proof. But he just stood up in silence and walked upstairs without a moment's hesitation. I got mad too. I wrapped myself in a blanket and slept on the living room couch all night. For the entire night, I didn't sleep a wink, and Carter never came downstairs. He just left me down there, completely alone. 3 The only reason I stopped being mad at Carter was that he bought an SUV. He knew I loved driving heavy-duty trucks, but after getting together with him, I stopped going off-roading in the countryside and sold my old rig. My anger vanished into thin air. I made a pot of soup, walked into his office, and said excitedly: "Baby, I made chicken soup. Let's eat together." Carter rejected it immediately. "I can't. I have a lunch meeting." I frowned. "Alright, then have some when you get home tonight." "Carter, that Thai place on West Street is actually pretty good," a woman said as she suddenly pushed the door open. She looked a little surprised to see me. "And who is this?" "My girlfriend," Carter stood up, then turned to me. "This is Miss Dupont." Chloe Dupont stepped forward, incredibly poised and natural, and shook my hand. "I always wondered what kind of amazing woman could tie Carter down. I finally get to meet you today." I just smiled and stayed quiet. Carter put his hands in his pockets. "Tara, head back first. Miss Dupont and I have business this afternoon." But Chloe took the initiative to invite me. "Oh, don't be like that! It's nothing serious, just grabbing lunch. Let Miss Evans come with us." "Alright then," Carter agreed. Turns out, the "lunch meeting" was just a meal between the two of them. The way Carter agreed made me acutely aware of the difference in his attitude. He was never that accommodating with me. On the way to the restaurant, they walked side by side, chatting animatedly. Every time I tried to interject. Chloe would miraculously find a topic Carter was deeply interested in and talk right over me. Gradually, I fell behind, putting distance between us. At the restaurant, Carter pulled out Chloe's chair for her first, paused, and then pulled out mine. I could see it clearly. I was only enjoying Carter's gentlemanly behavior by riding on Chloe's coattails. The waiter handed the menu to Carter. Carter raised a hand to stop him. "Give it to the ladies." The waiter looked enlightened and handed it to Chloe. "My apologies. The girlfriend should order first." As soon as those words hung in the air, everyone froze for a second. Anyone with eyes could see that they looked like the perfect match. And neither of them bothered to explain the misunderstanding to the waiter. We finished the meal in suffocating silence. As we were leaving, Chloe grabbed my hand. "Miss Evans, please don't mind what happened. You're Carter's real girlfriend." I pulled my hand away. "I know." Carter frowned. Chloe playfully stuck her tongue out, turning to look at Carter. "Carter, I hope your girl doesn't put you in the doghouse tonight!" Carter's brow relaxed. "Don't joke like that. Tara isn't that petty." I finally got a compliment from him, so why didn't I feel happy? Watching the picture-perfect harmony between the two of them. I felt like a complete third wheel. 4 After that meeting with Chloe. The Chloe that he described as "obedient" and "proper" started appearing between us with increasing frequency. Consequently, my alone time with Carter dwindled to almost nothing. We started fighting all the time. After another nasty argument over me demanding he fire an assistant, we barely saw each other for almost a month. Carter finally took the initiative and offered to take me on a vacation. I wanted to make up too, so I naturally agreed. But it was ruined by a single phone call. Under the dim light, Carter's profile looked exceptionally handsome. After hanging up, he kissed my lips, sweeping away the peppermint lozenge I had gotten addicted to. Just as I was about to kiss back, he pushed me away. "Chloe says she's coming to Miami too. We'll hang out together when we get there." When did "Miss Dupont" turn into "Chloe"? My face fell. "Again? You're running a business, not selling your soul to her." Carter withdrew his arms from around me, his tone hardening. "Don't speak so crassly." "If something was actually going on between me and her, do you think I'd be contacting her right in front of your face?" They seemed entirely transparent. Carter reported to me every single time he was alone with Chloe. But can the things you see—and the things you don't—really be explained away so easily? I rolled over and turned my back to him. Carter sighed, turned off the lamp, and hugged me from behind. "The Dupont Group is currently assessing whether our company is worth investing in. Chloe just moved back from abroad and doesn't have any friends here. She just sees me as an older brother." "I merely treat her like an investor. I'm just being respectful. I don't have any other intentions." "I don't want to fight anymore. Can we just have a good trip?" His body temperature was naturally high. Leaning against him felt warm and comforting, just like the heat radiating from his palm when he saved me seven years ago. I understood how hard it was for him to build his startup, so it made sense that he treated Chloe differently. After all, having the backing of the Dupont family was a massive temptation for any ordinary company. I temporarily choked down my anger, but by the very next day, it flared right back up. Chloe basically took my place for the entire trip. One minute it was Carter, I need water, the next she couldn't open a bottle cap, and then she was cold and needed a towel. I couldn't lay on my beach chair anymore. I bluntly said I was getting in the water. Carter said he'd come with me. Chloe, who had been lounging perfectly fine, immediately jumped up and said she wanted to join. I ignored her and headed straight to the cabana to change into my swimsuit. Chloe and I finished changing and walked out at the same time. Carter's eyes landed on me first, then quickly shifted to her. She excitedly twirled in her sundress. "Carter, does it look good?" But before she could spin even a few times, Carter stepped in and stopped her. Chloe instantly put on a pitiful, pouting face. Carter sighed helplessly, his explanation laced with comfort. "It's dangerous to spin like that. You need to be careful." His tone was gentle and totally doting. Standing under the blazing sun, I suddenly felt freezing cold. I turned to leave. Chloe obediently said "Oh," straightened her knee-length skirt, and then casually glanced over at me. "Ah, is Tara wearing that...? Isn't that a bit dangerous?" I stopped in my tracks, just about to snap back at her. But Carter beat me to it, his tone lazy and detached. "That's just how she is." "She's not like you." I froze. I didn't understand what he meant by that. By the time I snapped out of it, their two silhouettes had already dove into the ocean. The blinding sun hung high in the sky. Every ray of light felt like a red-hot steel needle, piercing my eyes until they ached. I trudged gloomily toward the shoreline. I saw Carter abruptly let go of the arm he was using to support Chloe. He turned and waved at me: "Tara, come teach Chloe how to play in the water." It felt like he was desperately trying to overcompensate and explain something. But why be so nervous in the first place? I watched them for a few seconds, calmed my breathing, and slowly waded over. Seeing me approach, Carter visibly put more distance between himself and Chloe. "It's much better if Tara teaches me! Carter is too clumsy." Chloe smiled sweetly, grabbing my arm with fake affection. My face was completely blank. I just started giving her instructions on how to float, telling her to relax her body. She tried lifting her feet off the ground a few times but kept failing. Carter looked like he wanted to say something, but ultimately walked out of the water and headed back to the beach. Miraculously, the second Carter was gone, Chloe successfully floated. Her expression instantly went cold, and she yanked her arm back without warning. "Thanks, Tara." My hands hovered awkwardly over the water. "You're not used to it yet. Let me hold onto you." Chloe gave me a sideways glance, a sneer curling her lips. "Cut the act. A street rat who’s been hustling since she was a teenager definitely knows what she's doing." "Clinging to a guy who's completely out of your league... isn't it exhausting?" "Tara, you really have a high tolerance for humiliation." My brow furrowed tightly. My hands, hidden beneath the water, clenched into fists so hard they hurt. Suddenly, a massive wave crashed into us without warning. Caught off guard, Chloe and I both tumbled under the water. I quickly stabilized myself and started treading water. "Chloe!" A roar echoed from the shore. I whipped my head around and saw Chloe being dragged out by the receding wave. It scared the hell out of me. I immediately adjusted my angle and started swimming toward her. But I was violently yanked back by a brutal force. "Don't you go near her!" Carter's eyes were bloodshot and bulging. It was a pure, hostile warning. Because of his sudden, violent pull, I was caught entirely off guard and swallowed huge mouthfuls of seawater. The bitter, stinging saltwater felt like tiny, jagged knives. It left my throat burning in agony. But compared to the physical pain, it was the freezing chill spreading from the very bottom of my heart that made me grit my teeth. This time, I saw it with absolute clarity. From the very beginning, Carter's concern for Chloe was on an entirely different level.

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