Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Chapter 5

Clara felt a wave of frustration wash over her, but seeing how exhausted Megan was, she decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

Megan tossed a fresh pair of pajamas on the bed. "Your room's got its own bathroom. Go take a shower and get some rest. I'm wiped out today, so let's skip the chit-chat."

Clara nodded, murmuring a quiet, "Thanks."

As Megan headed towards one of the bedroom doors, Clara realized the other room was hers. After grabbing her pajamas and enjoying a much-needed shower, she finally felt a bit more at ease.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, her phone buzzed with a new message. It was from her brother, Ryan.

Ryan: [Hey, I'm back home for the holidays. It's Quinn's birthday today. Why aren't you here? Mom said you ran off again. Seriously, can you just come back? The housekeeper's cooking is awful. I miss your food. Don't forget to make your potato salad for breakfast tomorrow.]

You stir up drama everytime. It's exhausting. Simon doesn't even like you, and

heart ached, feeling like the whole world was team Quinn, while she was just the odd one out. Even if her memories were a bit hazy, the hurt

raw.

with dark circles under her eyes. She headed to the kitchen to whip up

ever tasted your cooking? You spent your

paused, spoon in hand, about to say it wasn't for Simon. But it seemed no one would believe

was lying there, and Clara glanced at it. "Megan, I want to find a

frowning in thought. "Clara, you're really convincing

a twinge of bitterness and pushed the bowl of soup towards

probably don't know where the front door is, and even Quinn holds ten percent of the shares. You've got nothing. You had a chance to intern there after graduation, but you blew it off because it would cut into your Simon- chasing time.

a few bites and then suddenly said, "I'll work at Ferguson Corporation. Dylan's back, isn't he? I want to

like Dylan, so you avoided him too. Every time his name came up, you looked upset. Do you even know what league Dylan is in? He graduated from Harvard with dual degrees at eighteen and founded the largest acquisition company overseas by nineteen. He's a regular in