Chapter 4 NEW BEGINNINGS

Sophie spent the next few days job hunting after her breakup with Kingsley. She was desperate to move on quickly.

She also needed to raise money for herself, as she had squandered her life savings to buy a car gift for him.

"Hey, dear. How's it going over there? Have you received any job offers yet?" Pamela, Sophie's best friend, asked as she came into the room eating some cheese.

"Not yet, Pamela. No job offer email," Sophie sighed in frustration.

It had been more than a month since she started her search. She had sent her résumé to several leading companies in the city. She needed to raise fifty thousand dollars quickly.

"You know, you still haven't told me the full details about your breakup. I know you were hurting badly, and I didn't want to ask, but I'm curious," Pamela said, sitting down on Sophie's bed. They devoured their cheese while watching a movie on the laptop.

"Don't you have any work today, Pamela? I know what you're about to ask-it's written all over your face. You want to know where I spent the night after the breakup with Kingsley?" Sophie asked, exposing Pamela's curiosity.

"Now that you know, can you tell me? I'm dying to know what crazy thing you did that day, aside from using your life savings for a car gift. No, wait. Let me take that back. Spending your life savings on that selfish bastard wasn't just crazy-it was foolish," Pamela scolded.

"Fine! I know it was foolish, and I regret it every day. But looking on the bright side, I'm glad I didn't give him the gift before he broke up with me. That would've hurt even more," Sophie admitted.

There was no point in playing hide-and-seek when her secret had been exposed.

"It's all right, Sophie. You'll be fine. You'll find a good man who truly deserves and values you. That man is definitely not Kingsley-he never was," Pamela said, moving closer to hug and comfort her.

"Thank you, bestie. I wonder what I would've done without you. I feel so foolish for not listening to you when you warned me about Kingsley. Now I know better. I don't think he ever loved me during the three years we were together. If he did, he wouldn't have broken up with me over some silly social status.

"We were both in the same social class before that day. I can't believe he changed so quickly because of money and fame," Sophie sighed.

"He's always been a selfish bastard. You were just too in love to see him for who he truly was. I could recount all the sacrifices you made for him in the past three years. But what did he do?

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I swear, I feel like punching that bastard in the face right now. It still annoys me that he offered you a million dollars as compensation for the 'wasted years.' What a fucking bastard," Pamela fumed.

"It's all in the past, bestie. Let's not talk about him anymore. I've accepted my faults in all this. Please don't get worked up over Kingsley," Sophie said, trying to calm her down.

"You're right, dear. He's not worth my emotions," Pamela said, looking at Sophie with a mischievous smile. "Now, out with the gist of who you spent that night with. Don't you dare think I've forgotten about it."

Sophie blushed so deeply that her fair face turned red. Pamela burst out laughing.

"I guess you spent it with a man, judging by how you're blushing," Pamela teased.

Sophie nodded, then let out a deep breath before speaking. "I did the craziest thing that night. It was totally out of line, to be honest. But it was also the best night of my life."

Pamela's curiosity peaked. "Can you let it out now, girl? I don't have the patience for your dramatic act."

"Fine! You win," Sophie smiled, then recounted the events of that night.

"What the fuck?" Pamela screamed in excitement. "You asked a total stranger to fuck you till you forgot your sorrow? That's crazy, you know!"

Sophie laughed and covered her face in embarrassment. "That crazy night turned out to be one of the best nights of my life."

"How hot is this stranger? Is he handsome? Was he, you know... huge?" Pamela asked eagerly.

Before Sophie could respond, a mail notification sounded from the laptop.

Sophie moved closer to check, then jumped up in excitement. Pamela joined her and read the message on the screen. Both of them started screaming and jumping like children.

Sophie had been offered a job as a personal assistant at the number one leading company in the city, with a monthly salary of ten thousand dollars.

"That's huge, girl! Congratulations! This calls for celebration. Let's get dressed and go out to eat-it's been a while since we did that," Pamela suggested, and Sophie agreed.

---

After an hour of getting ready, they arrived at a high-class restaurant. Pamela offered to pay in celebration of Sophie's achievement.

They placed their orders when the waiter approached and chatted casually, sipping drinks while waiting for their food.

"You know what, Pamela? If not for what Kingsley did to me, I wouldn't have aimed so high or looked for a high-paying job-even though I'm well qualified," Sophie said.

"You're right, dear. He brought down your value. I'm glad you're becoming the woman your late parents would be proud of," Pamela replied.

Sophie was about to say something when she saw Kingsley enter the restaurant, holding a tall, sexy, and beautiful woman with a body to die for.

She nearly choked on her drink when Kingsley saw them and began walking toward their table, his hand around the woman's waist.

"Well, look who we have here. Isn't it Sophie?" he paused, then pointed at Pamela. "What's your name again?" he asked sarcastically.