Page 172 of My Ruthless Opponent

I break in his arms and he holds me tightly. As if he is trying to put my broken pieces back in place.

He holds me until my sobs turn to whimpers.

After a long stretch of silence, I speak again. “The man who did this to us was none other than Baron Proctor. My dad’s best friend and business partner. He went MIA. I had to sell everything. My parents’ penthouse, my condo, and other assets to pay the twenty-three million dollars-worth loan fraud.”

My family was declared bankrupt after paying off the debts.

The scandal was big and tarnished my family’s name. So much so, that everyone looked at me with suspicion.

Raleigh strokes my back and I swallow thickly. “After mom’s death, Dad wasn’t himself anymore. He recovered from his injuries but he shut down. In that car accident, I technically lost both my parents.”

I remember contacting all of my friends for a job. I was ready to do right about anything. But they simply stopped taking my calls.

That’s when Archer came in. I had met him years ago when I used to work in the advertising industry.

Ironic, isn’t it? people who claimed to be my friends and well-wishers gave up on me without knowing the actual truth. And the guy whom I had met only on a handful of occasions came forward to help me.

He offered me a job at KIM Advertising and the rest was history.

I tell Raleigh everything. How Archer saved my life by giving me this job and helping me with finding the perfect home care for Dad.

I even fill him in about the PI I hired to find Baron Proctor.

I may not get the money and assets back, but I want the man who caused all this behind bars.

I want everyone to know that my dad is not a thief or a con artist. I want to avenge my mother’s death.

“This morning… I was upset because I received an update about Baron. We were so close to finding him but I lost that chance. I need to find him, Raleigh. I need to—”

“Shh,” Raleigh rocks me in his arms. “Everything’s going to be all right, I promise you.”

After a few minutes, I pull back.

“Do you believe me?”

“Of course I do.” He kisses my forehead.

“After what happened back in New York, I decided to keep my identity hidden. My heart was hardened by the constant rejection I received. Not one person was ready to step up. Forget financial support, my extended family didn’t even call to ask how we were doing.”

Raleigh frames my face in his hands, stroking my cheeks.

“We are more similar than I thought.” His tone is solemn.

“Similar how?”

“We both were shunned by the world when we needed them the most.” His expression is stoic.

He has the same darkness I saw when I tried asking him about his nightmare.

“Raleigh?” My voice is unsure. I had promised myself to never touch the topic. So I don’t know what to say.

“I am an orphan.”

I already knew that through Brielle but hearing it from him makes my heart ache.

His tone is flat. I have a feeling there’s more to it than he was letting on.

“This world is a cold dark place, Hannah. I have learned at a very young age that if you want to survive in this world, you need to possess power and money. Make yourself so strong both financially and emotionally that you don’t need anyone’s help. Because people laugh when you fall instead of helping you. No one stays when you need them. No one will protect you when you need saving.”

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