Page 292 of In Love with a Cruel Billionaire

"What?No."Diana couldn't help send her friend a chiding look. "I'mnotthat kind of girl."

Amine's slender shoulders moved in a shrug. "You'd be surprised at what people could do for love."

"But...to commit adultery?"

"You really never know until you're in the situation yourself."

Diana wasn't sure she agreed with this, and even as lunch hour came to an end, she found herself still mulling it over.

How far could she go for love?

She couldn't think of any ready answer to this, but then she suddenly found herself thinking ofhim,and a shiver ran down her spine. It was like having someone walk over her grave, and she couldn't help thinking, couldn't help worrying that for the professor, she could easily see herself doing (and had already done) crazy things for.

And to think...

She wasn't in love with him yet.

Her

DIANA WASN'T IN THEhabit of eavesdropping.

But while she was waiting in line at the bus stop, words from the conversation happening behind her started penetrating her daydreams of the professor, and she found herself inadvertently doing just that.

Two women in their thirties, both of them working as cashiers for the same local grocery, and then moonlighting afterwards: one was a waitress at a diner while another did part-time at a convenience store near her house.

An idea started brewing in Diana's mind as she listened to the pair exchange horror stories about their shared workplace, which ranged from a misogynist boss who thought nothing of calling his female workers 'dumb pussies' to having to pay for a customer's groceries because an old woman had gotten away with faking an accident at Aisle 5 and blaming the staff for it.

While she wasn't quite sure of the whys and hows yet, she did know that she was listening to something important, and when their bus finally arrived, Diana made certain to sit behind the pair so she could better (and discreetly, too, hopefully) observe them.

Tiredwas the first word that came to mind as Diana took in their appearances, their exhaustion so deeply seated in their systems that it almost seemed a scent they wore.

The two women's talk had turned to Hollywood gossip, and Diana leaned back against her seat, feeling like she was missing something crucial.

She turned her gaze to the window in a bid to contain her restlessness and frustration.

She still had ten minutes before her stop, which was a short walk from the suicide help center Helder Meer had a long-standing arrangement with. In exchange of volunteer hours, students were given a chance to consult the staff, make use of its library with its specialized collections in medical literature, and conduct structured interviews with some of the in-house patients.

---