Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 646

Demi's call came in while I was in the bathroom, wiping Ron's splash attack off my face.

"Keira." Her voice was flat, almost hollow-so unlike the Demi I used to know. She used to talk like every sentence was lit with fireworks, sharp and alive. Now? That fire was gone.

I didn't know every detail of what happened, but her suicide attempt had left a mark. She wasn't the same, and it broke my heart to hear it.

"If you didn't call me soon, I was about to come hunt you down myself," I said, trying to inject some levity into my tone.

"Don't come. I'm fine," she cut in, her tone shaky.

I tossed the crumpled paper towel in the trash and leaned against the sink. "Fine? Sure, because that sounded convincing. Spill, Demi What's going on?"

She went quiet for so long I thought the call dropped. Then, finally, her voice cracked through the silence. "I have nothing left. Nothing And now I'm stuck with almost $500,000 in debt."

Wayne had mentioned her boyfriend before, so the pieces clicked fast-she'd been played. Scammed by someone she trusted.

I gritted my teeth. "And your grand solution was to kill yourself? Is that what your life is worth-half a million

• dollars?"

voice shaking "It's payday loans... and loan sharks. When I couldn't pay, they started harassing me, calling nonstop Now they're threatening my parents." Guilt hit me like a gut punch. "Why didn't

Maybe she had tried to reach me. Maybe she'd called, and I

she wouldn't have tried to end her life. But it was too

she'd fled, I asked, "So, you're in Lindale now? Working

it. Lindale? With no connections and only a high school diploma? She wasn't

$4,000 a month-which was a stretch-that was barely $36,000 to $48,000 a year. Half a million in debt? That'd take her ten years. And that's if she didn't spend a dime on herself. That kind of endless grind

the stress of her being so

I said, the words tumbling out before I could overthink it. "Work for me. I'll pay you $500,000 upfront as an advance on your salary." As soon as I said it, I

the people you love

hit me

I

money," she said, her voice shaking "I can't just take yours to pay it off. And

now?" I snapped, frustration bubbling over. I'm not asking for repayment, Demi! There's no deadline, no

final. I'm not doing anything stupid again. Isn't that enough? Then she hung up before I could

but she

What a stubborn girl.