He Scorned Me, Now I’m a CEO He Can’t Afford Chapter 06

He Scorned Me, Now I’m a CEO He Can’t Afford Chapter 06

Lena didn’t struggle.

She didn’t even glance at the red marks already forming on her wrist.

She simply looked past Wyatt to Clara, who was clutching her arm and groaning.

Her gaze was so calm it was unnerving.

The people around them erupted.

“Lena, how could you?”

“Clara just wanted to borrow your gloves to stop the bleeding, and you put needles in them?”

Faced with the accusations, Lena didn’t say a word.

She just used her free hand to pull out her phone and unlock it.

“What are you doing now?” one of Clara’s friends shrieked, reaching to snatch the phone.

Lena raised her eyes and, for the first time, looked directly at Wyatt. Her tone was flat.

“I’m calling 911.”

Wyatt froze.

“You’re all worried about Clara, right?” Lena continued. “Then let’s call an ambulance. When the paramedics get here, they can see exactly what’s in her wound. They can also inspect the gloves to see if there were any needles inside.”

The moment she said it, the stable fell silent.

Clara’s groans stopped abruptly.

Her face went pale, a flicker of panic in her eyes, but she quickly forced a smile.

“I… I’m fine now. I must have been too nervous. The wound just hurt so much, I think I imagined it…”

The people around them stiffened.

The anger on their faces slowly morphed into embarrassment.

Wyatt frowned and turned to look at Clara.

“Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine, Wyatt, really.” Clara struggled to maintain her pitiful expression. “I overreacted. I made everyone misunderstand Lena…”

Wyatt slowly released his hand.

A bright red ring circled Lena’s wrist.

He looked at her.

The eyes that used to shine so brightly were now hollow.

His throat felt dry. After a long moment, he forced out two words.

“I’m sorry.”

This was the second time he had apologized to Lena.

The first had been years ago, when an out-of-print ranch management book went missing. Everyone had accused Lena, who was always following him around, of stealing it.

In the end, Lena had demanded her father pull the security footage from the stables. Only then did they discover that Clara had secretly taken the book and hidden it under her own bed.

He had said “I’m sorry” then, too.

That time, Lena’s eyes had turned red, but she had still managed to make a face at him.

“I don’t want your apology. If you really feel bad, why don’t you just give me Rattlesnake Ranch?”

At the time, he had thought she was being ridiculous.

But now, he found himself afraid she might say something like that again.

Lena just rubbed her wrist. “It’s fine.”

Then she walked away.

Wyatt stood frozen, watching her back disappear into the bright light of the doorway.

In that moment, he knew, with chilling certainty, that something between them had broken for good.

That night, Red Creek Ranch held a barbecue to celebrate finishing the storm preparations.

The bonfire crackled, sending sparks into the night sky. The air was thick with the smell of grilled meat and smoke.

Lena sat in a corner, nursing a glass of ice water.

She watched Clara weave through the crowd, graciously accepting everyone’s praise.

“Lena, why are you sitting over here by yourself?” An old rancher who knew her father ambled over with a beer. “What are your plans for the future? Your father’s always said he hopes you’ll take on some of the ranch work.”

Lena looked up and answered honestly.

“I’m still figuring it out.”

Her award-winning proposal was locked in a drawer in her Austin apartment. Until the prize money was in her account and the paperwork was signed, she wouldn’t say a word.

The moment she spoke, a peal of laughter came from nearby.

It was one of Clara’s friends, her voice deliberately loud. “Still figuring it out? You mean figuring out which Austin gallery to have an exhibition at, or which bar to sing in?”

Someone else chimed in. “Everyone knows Lena’s just waiting to get out of this cow-patty town. If she’s planning anything, it’s how to sell this place for the best price.”

Clara walked over, pretending to scold them.

“Don’t talk about Lena like that. Everyone wants different things in life.” She turned to Lena, her expression gentle. “Even if you don’t want to stay, Dad will support you. But you should think about your future. You can’t just drift forever.”

On the surface, she was defending her.

In reality, she was just reinforcing the “useless” label they’d all given her.

The people around them watched Lena, some with pity, some with contempt.

Lena’s expression didn’t change.

She took a sip of water, acting as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

Soon, they would all know who the real fool was.

The party grew louder.

A drunk distant cousin swayed over, holding a glass of tequila.

“Lena, come on. Have a drink with me.” He pushed the glass toward her. “It’s a party. You can’t just drink water.”

Lena frowned and took a step back.

“Sorry, I don’t drink.”

“What, you’re too good for me?” His voice rose. “Just one glass. Drink this, and I’ll admit you’re one of us.”

The people around them started to hoot and cheer.

Lena was cornered, and a flicker of impatience crossed her face.

Just as her fingers were about to brush the glass, a large hand reached over and pressed it firmly to the table.

She turned and saw Wyatt.

He stood beside the bonfire, half his face lit by the flames, the other half in shadow. His expression was dark.

“She’s allergic to tequila.” Wyatt looked at the drunk man, his voice like ice. “Are you trying to send her to the emergency room?”

The yard went quiet.

Everyone watched as Wyatt took the glass from the table, tilted his head back, and downed the tequila in one swallow.

He set the empty glass down hard.

Then he turned, grabbed a bottle of iced sweet tea from a cooler, twisted off the cap, and pushed it into her hand.

Lena held the cold bottle, her fingertips chilled.

She looked up at him, but Wyatt avoided her gaze and turned away.

The smile on Clara’s face collapsed.

She knew better than anyone that Wyatt had always hated what he called Lena’s “delicate” city habits.

But he had remembered she was allergic to tequila.

He had even taken the drink for her.

By the time the party wound down, it was nearly midnight.

Wyatt had blocked several more drinks for Lena and was clearly intoxicated, his steps unsteady.

Lena also felt strangely dizzy. Her limbs were heavy, even though she’d only had the sweet tea.

“I’ll drive,” Clara said, shaking a set of car keys. “I just had juice. I got my license last week, so I can take you both home.”

Wyatt was too drunk to argue, and Lena felt too sick to object.

She was half-pushed, half-supported into the passenger seat of Wyatt’s Ford pickup.

The moment the door shut, the dizziness intensified.

She leaned against the seat, the world swaying around her.

The truck started.

In the darkness, Clara’s profile behind the wheel looked strange, distorted.

The pickup shot forward at a terrifying speed.

Lena’s vision tunneled. Her stomach churned.

She wanted to tell Clara to slow down, but she couldn’t form the words.

The next second—

*BANG!*

A deafening crash, the shriek of twisting metal, and the screech of brakes exploded all at once.

Lena’s body was thrown forward.

In the last moment before she blacked out, she saw a massive black shape through the shattered windshield.

It was a tall Angus bull, slowly collapsing to the ground.

Clara’s screams filled the air.

Then everything went black.