Page 23 of Runaway Girl
I kind of felt sorry for the guy. Alicia cut him down so quickly he stammered like a schoolboy. I knew that place all too well—except I kind of liked it.
“No alcohol, no pet names. Nothing except business. Capiche?” Alicia said.
I held back a snigger when my phone started ringing.Shit!
I rejected the call.I really must get a new number… but then how will Alicia get in touch with me if she needs to?
My mother had been blowing up my phone for the past couple of months, her demands progressively getting more aggressive.
No matter how many times I blocked her, she managed to contact me somehow.
My dad told me to charge her with harassment, but I couldn’t push myself to do it. Some sick sense of loyalty still lingering for the woman who never gave a damn about me.
Another dial rang through, which I hastily denied. And that’s when I saw the countless notifications from random numbers and accounts online—all with the same premise.
“Stop brooding and answer your phone.”
“It’s urgent. Don’t ignore me.”
“Why aren’t you calling me back?”
“Baby boy, you’re going to regret it if you don’t answer me!”
A strong sense of foreboding took over as I read message after message. They were a mirrored version of what I had sent Alicia after we separated.
Wow.I had now turned into my mother, and the stark realisation had me gasping for air.
The entitlement. The sheer audacity.I had turned into the monster I had been running from for years.
Shame was all I felt as I made the snap decision to leave the restaurant.
I slinked away like a stealthy ninja, but as I was leaving, I paused at a surge of laughter that came from the entrance foyer.
It was the type of obnoxious laughter from someone who wanted to be heard,seen.
And in the middle of an adoring crowd was the she-devil influencer who recorded and blasted my undoing online. Katy—the same one who voiced her strong opinion to the masses and created the Runaway Girl hashtag.
Sure, everything she had said was true. But she also pushed that narrativehardand profited handsomely from the deals and partnerships she received from that video.
I wasn’t about to accept anyone monetising off Alicia’s pain and hurt. Fucking no one.
I remained in the corner, contemplating my next move.How beneficial would it be if I called that snake out in front of her band of followers? Yeah, it would probably be a disaster.
But before I could decide further, another notification hit my phone, the message bringing forth a distinct sense of impending doom.
“You left me no choice, baby boy.”
Chapter 15
ALICIA
“What the fuck, Alicia?! Who the hell were you dating for four years?”
My head was shaking on autopilot. “It’s not true…”
I was on a video call with Alexis, her screech ringing in my ears. She had called me as soon as the interview aired.
In the middle of my TV screen was a beautiful, teary Audrey Collins. A mother who had signed away all respect and fucking dignity in exchange for a measly bag of money.
