Page 171 of My Ruthless Opponent

Chapter Thirty

Agust of wind circles us as the car whooshes past us.

It was past dusk. The gathering darkness in the sky matches my soul.

Pain spirals through me just by saying that out loud.

I turn left, facing the greenery of trees, my back to the road.

I wrap my arms around my middle and take a shaky breath. “Cooper was my mother’s maiden name. I had to change my surname when I moved to LA.”

When Raleigh doesn’t say anything, I ask, “Aren’t you going to ask why I had to change my surname?”

“No.”

I turn to him. He erases the distance between us and cups my jaw. “You don’t have to say anything.”

I shake my head. “I have to.” I sniffle, clutching his wrist. “I need to tell you about my past. Because I don’t want you to find out from someone else. And also because I am sick of running.”

I lower his hand from my face and take a step back. I don’t want to break into tears. One more touch from him and I might.

“You might’ve heard about a millionaire real estate broker and author from New York being accused of fraud. It was all over the news for months.”

“Hannah…” Raleigh tries to touch me but I take another step back.

“That’s my dad,” I say calmly. My eyes seek an object to avoid his gaze. So I train my gaze on the bike that’s parked to the side and begin.

“My dad who is my entire world. My dad who doesn’t even recognize me anymore.” My lips twist in a sad smile.

I inhale deeply, trying not to let on how hard it is to speak about him.

“Mom, Dad, and his best friend—Baron Proctor used to run a successful real estate firm in New York. Mom always wanted me to join the family business but my heart was somewhere else. Dad always used to tell me to follow my heart. He supported me in my dream of working in the advertising industry.”

A memory of him throwing a party to celebrate my first day at my job flashes in my mind.

He was so proud of me. My heart begins to crack all over again.

“Three years ago, Dad began facing problems at work. I saw how the stress was affecting his health. So I quit my job and started assisting him. My consolation for quitting my dream job was his recovery. As the months and years passed, I forgot about ever working in an advertising agency again.”

My lips tremble and I take a moment to pause. It’s harder than I thought. But I am not going to stop now.

“Then one day, my world came crashing down when I got a phone call from my dad. I was with my boyfriend, waiting for my parents to join us.” My vision gets blurry. “They never did.”

“Someone took out numerous loans and funds using my dad’s bank information. That day, when I took the day off to be with my boyfriend, loan collectors raided our firm. They aggressively demanded money from my parents. My dad tried telling them he was innocent but the proofs were against him. Mom and Dad somehow escaped the office building but they followed them.”

My voice becomes hoarse as I tell him about the most painful night of my life. “Dad called me while he was driving that night. They were being chased and… I-I… I heard their car crash. I…”

Hands wrap around me, pulling me to a solid chest. I whimper. “Dad was badly injured… and they couldn’t save my mom.”

Despite being covered in a leather jacket and surrounded by his arms, I am cold. So cold that I shiver against him.

The tears I was trying so hard to keep in, erupt. They flow down my cheeks like waterfalls as silent sobs wrack my body, robbing me of the ability to speak.

The stuttered wails, make it difficult to draw breath.

“I am so sorry, Hannah.”

I shake my head, nothing coming out of my mouth.

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