Chapter 19 Vote For Another Person
I knew I couldn’t flatter him, and I couldn’t bring myself to compliment him either, not when he was looking at me with such an icy expression.
I stared at his handsome but cold face for a long moment before finally pleading, “Please vote for me. This is really important to me.”
Charles responded with a cold laugh, his eyes completely devoid of warmth. “Is that so?”
His mocking laughter sent a chill straight through me.
I knew he disliked me too much to ever let me win.
But I desperately needed that million. I had sacrificed my pride and worked too hard to get here. I couldn’t accept failure
now.
Growing impatient, Lucas snapped at Charles, “Stop stalling and just cast your vote already.”
I kept my eyes locked on Charles, knowing that if he didn’t vote for number 27, the money would be mine.
But it was obvious he had shown up specifically to target me. I wondered what I could do to make him back off just this
once.
Charles looked at me with cold amusement in his eyes.
My heart sank the moment I recognized that look. A wave of pure panic washed over me as I realized he was about to vote for Number 27.
Just as he was about to speak, I rushed off the stage and grabbed his hand, looking at him with a pleading expression. “I’ll do anything you want,” I begged. “Just please don’t vote for Number 27.”
“Can you believe she’s campaigning like that? That takes some nerve,” someone snorted.
“It’s hilarious how she was acting all proper earlier, but now she’s being so bold in front of Mr. Bennett,” another one chimed in.
The audience began whispering among themselves, their words filled with mockery aimed at me.
Number 27 rolled her eyes at me with complete disdain.
Lucas stood with his arms crossed, watching the spectacle with amusement.
“Wait, if you look closely, doesn’t she look like Mr. Bennett’s ex–wife?” a person observed.
“Wait, you’re right. It really is her,” another one echoed.
“I heard she used to humiliate him constantly with her family’s influence. How the tables have turned. Look at her trying to curry favor with him now. It’s downright pathetic,” a third one scoffed.
I ignored their mocking comments and kept a tight grip on Charles’s arm.
Charles looked down at my hand and chuckled softly. “You’d really do anything I ask?”
I nodded vigorously.
Charles let out a harsh, mocking laugh and asked with scorn dripping from his voice, “Do you actually think I’d believe you now?”
Without any hesitation, he cast his decisive vote for Number 27,
I could only stare numbly at the large screen that displayed the final tally.
Number 27 won by a single vote, claiming first place, while I lost the million–dollar prize.
Overjoyed by her victory, she jumped up on stage and shot me a triumphant look.
The audience began mocking me, joking that even if I stripped naked to please Charles, he still wouldn’t have voted for me.
The world around me dissolved into a chaotic blur of noise as tears filled my eyes and made everything swim out of focus.
Yet even through my tear–blurred vision, his cold and indifferent expression remained perfectly clear to me.
I knew he had made me lose intentionally, and that this was his way of getting revenge and punishing me.
But I had made it clear to him how important this was to me, and I couldn’t understand why he would still do something like this.
I knew he detested me–he could have yelled at me or even hit me, yet he had to choose this specific way to punish me.
A bitter, aching pain swelled in my chest, mingled with resentment. With my eyes red and voice choked, I glared at him and cried, “Charles, I hate you!”
Charles’s face darkened, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
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Chapter 19 Vote For Another Person
Before his anger could fully erupt, I turned and rushed out. With the prize money now out of reach, all I wanted was to get away.
I kept running until I was outside the hotel, where the night air washed over me and chilled me to my core. I hugged myself tightly as a deep, aching sadness settled in my chest.
It didn’t take long for Lucas to catch up with me.
Catching my arm, he grinned playfully and said, “Don’t go, Anna. Let’s talk this through calmly.”
I shook off his hand forcefully and replied coldly, “You deliberately called Charles here, didn’t you?”
Charles was supposed to be away on business in Amiston. If Lucas hadn’t told him I was competing in this dance event, there was no way Charles would have shown up here out of nowhere.
I should have known right then–when Lucas casually suggested telling Charles about the dance competition–that he was planning to call Charles over. But I’d been foolish to think Lucas had any genuine kindness.
Of course someone like Lucas, a careless playboy who found amusement in teasing others, would never actually want to help someone like me.
Lucas simply chuckled without bothering to deny anything.
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “Did you have fun making a complete fool out of me?”
“Come on, Anna, don’t be like that,” he said. “I didn’t know how things would turn out. Besides, it’s just money. If you would simply ask him-”
“That’s enough!” I cut him off sharply. “You spoiled rich boys could never understand anything about real life or real problems.”
Lucas actually looked offended by my words. “What makes you think I don’t understand? I understand more than you think.” I refused to listen to another word and quickly turned away to get into a waiting taxi at the curb.
The memory of Charles deliberately voting for Number 27–costing me that desperately needed money–made my heart ache.
I was fully aware that I had treated him poorly in the past, and I recognized my mistakes. But after all this time enduring his humiliation, I thought it was more than enough to make up for what I’d done.
I worked so hard to participate in this competition just for the prize money, and I couldn’t understand why he specifically targeted me.
The more I thought about it, the more my heart ached. I turned to look out the window as my vision blurred with tears. The driver came to a stop at the traffic light and looked at me with a curious expression. “Where would you like to go, miss?” he asked.
I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to change back into my regular clothes, and I was still wearing that embarrassing maid costume.
I looked around and noticed that it was already past midnight, and all the clothing stores in the mall had closed for the night.
Fortunately, my parents lived in a neighborhood just nearby. I gave the driver the address, and we were on our way soon. About ten minutes later, the car stopped at the main entrance of the residential complex.
As I stepped out of the car, the driver kindly advised me, “It’s not safe to be walking around alone at night dressed like that.” “Thanks, I appreciate it,” I told the driver gratefully before quickly walking toward my parents‘ apartment building. Just as I was about to knock on the door, I heard crying coming from inside.
It was my mother’s voice, shaking with tears as she said, “What are we going to do? The debt collectors are coming in a few days. How will we handle this?”
My father’s impatient voice replied, “Would you just stop crying? I’m not even worried, so why are you so upset?”
“You always depend on the children to solve our problems,” my mother continued. “Our son is right–we can’t let Annie suffer any more humiliation because of us.”
My father argued back, “What’s so humiliating about asking Charles for help? She’s my daughter too, and I don’t want her to be embarrassed either, but we’ve run out of options.”
“This is all your fault,” my mother responded sharply. “If you hadn’t gambled away our money, none of this would have happened.”
“Oh, that’s enough!” my father snapped. “I was only trying to improve our situation. What exactly did I do wrong?” The crying from inside gradually turned into heated arguing.
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Chapter 19 Vote For Another Person
My spirits sank as I listened, and my hand that had been ready to knock instead hung motionless in the air before slowly forming into a tight fist.
I used to love coming home, when it felt warm and welcoming. But now, this place seemed completely unfamiliar, and I felt reluctant to even be here.
I turned around and walked away without making a sound.
When I reached the lobby below, I called my brother.
It took him a while to answer, and when he did, I could hear noise in the background. He sounded out of breath when he asked, “What’s up, Annie?”
“Can you…” I began.
“lan!” someone called out abruptly from his end.
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