Resent, Reject, Regret

Chapter 22 Jinx

The voice sounded youthful. It belonged to a woman -a furious young woman.

Deirdre could feel her heart shrinking in dread. “Who are

you?”

“Who am I? Who am I?!” Eva Heinemann gaged as she sized Deirdre up with unreserved contempt. “Sterling is doomed because of you! Because of a stupid, irritating blind woman like you!”

Deirdre’s hands closed around the fabric of her own dress. “What happened to Sterry?”

“What happened? Ha! Do you know how much Sterling has sacrificed to protect you? They took his picture – the media took his picture and spread it all over the internet, and now he’s doxxed! The internet is canceling him! Do you know how big of a deal this is to a doctor? Saving and curing people is literally his job! And now, thanks to you, he can’t ever work in a public hospital again!

“And that Brendan Brighthall-he led the charge to

cancel the Fuller family! Do you know that? Any deal his business ventures made that was even remotely connected to the Fullers has been automatically voided, but oh, there is more! He threatened everyone – literally anyone-out of working with the Fullers. Failure to comply automatically means they are going against him, the most powerful man in the city!

“Do you get it yet? Do you understand that you, Deirdre McKinnon, are the reason sh*t hit the fan?! You jinxed him-you jinxed your own hero the moment he protected you to make sure you stayed out of the picture! You’re a f* cking catastrophe!”

Deirdre felt her heart sinking into an icy abyss in her stomach. Her feet felt like lead.

Sterry? I want to

time! Who the hell is gonna take that chance? Besides, you can’t even if you want to. His family

to even protect him instead of, I

and her eyes

don’t know how the hell you managed to piss Brighthall. off, but I’m begging you: Make this go away! Settle whatever this is between the two of

God, she really was a walking jinx. She cursed everyone who was close to her. Her mother had been first, and

head low. She clenched her fists so hard her fingernails turned ruddy. She then lifted her head again and stared ahead, her eyes as liseless as ever.

all Eva wanted to hear, so

away.

fingers flew on the number pad, typing a string of numbers she

word she spoke summoned a wave of agony, as if every sound she made felt like lodging a knife in her throat. “What do you want from me in exchange for leaving Sterling

snickered. He sounded pleased

the

and Deirdre put her phone away. She hailed a ride to the building, armed with only her walking stick, and made her way to

here!”

seemed to have elicited

pain flaring

the asphalt. She found her walking stick and got to her feet again. “I have an appointment. Ask Mr. Brighthall if you don’t