Her Hidden Crowns (Suzanne and Austin) novel Chapter 232

From that day on, Cheryl had been calling Seline non-stop. But Seline had already blocked her number, refusing to answer.

Today, Cheryl finally managed to get through with a new number.

The moment Seline heard her voice, her anger exploded. With one hand on her hip and the other gripping her phone, she snapped, "You couldn't even do a simple job right, and you still have the nerve to ask me for money?"

She was already furious about Todd's mess. And now, this idiot, Cheryl, dared to come knocking on her door looking for payment?

"Listen up, Cheryl," she spat coldly, her voice dripping with venom. "You should be grateful I haven't come after you for screwing up. And now, you wanna talk about money? You? Get lost!"

Without another word, she hung up. She hurled her phone across the desk.

No wonder Cheryl and Suzanne were friends. Both were useless bitches.

...

In the hallway outside the hospital ward, Cheryl stared at her phone after the call ended. At that moment, it felt like all her strength had been drained from her body. She leaned against the railing, slowly sliding down until she collapsed onto the floor.

Since that day, regret had been eating her alive—like a slow, excruciating death.

She had betrayed her friend, and in the end, she hadn't even gotten the reward she was promised.

Cheryl wished she could slap herself twice over. Why had she agreed to do something like that for Seline in the first place?

Her hands trembled as she held her phone and pulled up Suzanne's number. Her thumb hovered over the dial button, staring at it for what felt like an eternity.

Since everything had happened, Cheryl had never found the courage to apologize to Suzanne. She had no idea how to face her.

Torn and in agony, she struggled with herself. Half an hour later, her legs had gone numb, but her finger finally pressed down on the dial button. The call went through instantly.

Cheryl's legs gave out, and she slumped to the floor. She had known Suzanne for years and understood her better than most. The rift between them was real, and it was all her fault. The weight of her guilt felt like it was crushing her. She bit her lip hard, trying to keep herself from breaking down completely in front of Suzanne.

After a long pause, Cheryl managed to steady herself enough to speak. "I only went along with it because I thought I was helping you patch things up with your family. I had no idea your sister was setting you up. If I'd known, I never would've agreed to it."

Even though she had messed up big time, she owed Suzanne an explanation. Whether or not Suzanne forgave her was another story.

Cheryl tilted her head back, wiping the tears from her face. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I have to apologize to you. I'm so sorry..."

Suzanne slowly pressed the gas as the light turned green. The orange glow of the sunset filtered through the windshield, casting a warm light on her face. She replied softly, "Okay."

Cheryl couldn't handle the conversation any longer and quickly hung up.

Suzanne stared at the darkened screen and let out a long sigh. A second later, her phone rang again.