Chapter 63

115

Chapter 63

At the Nightlight Club.

Kristin’s shift was wrapping up, and she was getting ready to clock out.

James shot her a text, telling her to hang tight at the club.

“Kris, Mr. Bryce will be entertaining some guests here in a bit. Do us a solid and talk us up, will you?” The manager came over with a grin.

Kristin had a tendency towards social anxiety, the kind that made her dodge and deflect when around people.

But the manager didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she was on her like bees on honey.

“Who’s Kristin?” Outside, a posse of bodyguards in black escorted a woman in.

She was rocking shades, teetering on high heels, squeezed into a tight leather skirt. Topped off with a Chanel jacket, she looked like a frozen beauty in the chilly weather.

It wasn’t until the woman took off her sunglasses and the bodyguards cleared the area that the manager realized who she was.

Linda!

The manager had a bad feeling.

“Are you Kristin?” Linda approached Yara and popped the question.

Yara was shaking her head like it was on a swivel, scared out of her wits.

Linda sized everyone up, then turned to the manager. “Bring Kristin to me.”

Clearly, she didn’t think the current Kristin was Mr. Bryce’s type.

Kristin was tucked away in a corner, almost burying her head in the dust, her shoulders hunched habitually, too scared to stand straight.

Years in prison had left her scared stiff, so she kept her shoulders hunched as a way of self–defense.

The manager sneaked a nervous glance at Kristin. They were still in the dark about the whole Mr. Bryce and Linda situation.

Mr. Bryce might just be having a fling with Kristin, but Linda had been with him for three years.

When it came down to it, Linda and Mr. Bryce probably had a deeper connection.

“Are you deaf? Who’s Kristin?” Linda asked, her patience wearing thin.

Weighing the pros and cons, the manager reluctantly pointed to Kristin in the corner. “That’s her. You looking for her or something?”

11:41

Chapter 63

Linda looked surprised as she sauntered over and lifted Kristin’s chin for a closer look. “You’re Kristin?” The shock and disbelief were written all over her face as she continued, “Is Mr. Bryce

blind?”

Kristin stayed mum, taking a step back and keeping her head down.

Linda ground her teeth. She had come in all guns blazing, ready to throw down. However, Kristin was all meek playing the wounded card like a pro, even though Linda hadn’t lifted a finger!

“Wait, are you sure she’s Kristin? The same one James personally delivers breakfast for?” Linda asked again, skeptical.

The manager nodded crazily.

Linda was floored, taking another good look at Kristin. “You and James… had a bang? He’s not into your type, you know.”

Kristin remained silent, her head bowed as if trying to bury herself.

I thought I was gonna see some angelic beauty. It turns out he’s just tired of caviar and craving some plain old cabbage?” Linda muttered to herself. She’d come to see what she was losing to, but Kristin’s sorry state was a letdown.

“Do you think you can steal my man?” Linda gave Kristin a shove.

Kristin, scared, stumbled backward and fell to the ground.

Linda was stunned.

She hadn’t even touched her, why wasn’t Kristin in showbiz with those acting chops?

Linda’s bodyguard stepped forward and grabbed Kristin.

“Don’t touch me…” Kristin reflexively curled up, her body going into lockdown as she ducked for cover behind a low cabinet.

Linda was taken aback by Kristin’s reaction.

The bodyguard frowned and stepped back.

Linda took a hard look at Kristin, and then at the manager. “What’s with her?”

The manager rushed to smooth things over. “Kristin’s a bit of a scaredy–cat.”

“Kris!” Harriet, having received a distress signal from Yara, charged down from upstairs to shield Kristin. “Miss Linda, please, don’t make this hard for her. She’s got a severe depression. If something happens to her because of you, Mr. Bryce won’t let you off the hook.”

Harriet wasn’t entirely sure of herself, but she had to play the James card now.

Linda looked at Kristin in astonishment. “Is this the type James is into these days?”

Harriet stood her ground in front of Kristin. “Mr. Bryce doesn’t like trouble. Don’t mess with his

11:41

Chapter 63

people. You know the drill.”

Linda scoffed. “I just wanted to see who’s trying to snatch my man, that’s all.”

It turned out she was a headcase.

Kristin was pale as a ghost, not out of fear of Linda, but Linda’s bodyguards.

Back then, Adrienne cornered her in an alley with bodyguards. If Garner hadn’t arrived just in time, they would have raped her.

Ever since, Kristin would have an episode if more than two men got close. She’d have trouble breathing, her body would shake, and she wouldn’t be able to utter a word.

“Kris, it’s okay now.” Harriet, aware of Kristin’s condition, crouched outside the cabinet, whispering comfort. “It’s over, can you come out?”

Harriet had done two and a half years in the clink. During that time, Kristin had attempted suicide countless times until the guards, scared of repercussions, had put her through dozens of CT treatments. Each time she came back, Kristin was like a soulless corpse, her eyes hollow, sometimes even forgetting who she was.

Back then, Harriet didn’t know what CT treatment was.

It wasn’t until she got out that she looked it up and cried her eyes out.

It was electroconvulsive therapy, basically zapping people numb to dull the pain temporarily and reduce suicidal tendencies.

But with too many treatments, whether the painful memories faded or not, Kristin became more and more numb. She turned silent and lost her speech. At her worst, she couldn’t even manage

basic self–care.

She became forgetful, easily confused, and often got schooled by her fellow inmates.

Even the guards bullied hér.

In short, it was Kristin’s hell, a hell created by those who once loved her and those she loved.

“Don’t play dumb, come on, I didn’t even touch you.” Linda thought Kristin was laying it on thick.. “With acting chops like yours, it’s a waste you’re not on Broadway. James doesn’t buy this act. does he? Playing the damsel in distress?”

Her bodyguard barely bumped into her, was it really such a big deal?

“Ms. Linda, don’t jump to conclusions about others. If you knew what she’s been through, your wouldn’t talk like that,” Harriet said, her eyes welling up as she turned to look at Kristin. “Kris, come on out, she won’t hurt you.”

Linda opened her mouth to say something, but then clamped it shut.

Kristin was curled up in the corner, the only place that made her feel safe.

Probably it was a habit she picked up in jail, hiding under tables.

3/4

11:41

Chapter 63

“Take your bodyguard and get out. Don’t crowd us.” Harriet told Linda to take her bodyguard and leave.

Linda had stormed in with an entourage, intimidating not just Kristin, but Harriet as well.

With a snort of disdain, Linda put on her sunglasses and left, clearly bored with the drama.

“Check out that Kristin for me and find out what her deal is.”

Even the bodyguards were curious. The woman’s panic didn’t seem fake.

Not long after Linda and her bodyguard left, Rhett and York entered the club.

“Mr. FitzGerald?” The manager hurried over. “Are you here for Mr. Bryce’s appointment? Right this way, please.”

Rhett frowned and walked over to where Harriet was protecting Kristin.

Harriet instinctively shielded Kristin. “Mr. FitzGerald, Kris got a bit of a scare.”

It seemed Rhett was used to Kristin seeking refuge in corners when she was frightened.

Back at the mansion of the FitzGerald family, she had hidden behind the curtains in a corner.

“Looking for a hideout, huh? How long do you want to stay there?” Rhett crouched in front of Kristin and asked softly.

Kristin was biting her finger, glanced up at Rhett, then looked down again.

Rhett reached out to Kristin. “Come on out, I’m right here, no one’s going to bother you.”

Kristin looked at Rhett, feeling tears stinging at the corners of her eyes.