Chapter 17 Men Are Not To Be Trusted!

Noon had just struck, and so had the peak time for delivering takeaways arrived.

Ever since ordering takeaways became a popular method of getting lunch for office workers, the likelihood of people ordering meals through their mobile phones for convenience had increased. That was the main reason why Carla started being so busy and rarely had any time to take a break around this hour.

Running out of the building, Carla saw that there was such a heavy downpour of rain. After leaving home in such a hurry, she wasn't able to bring a raincoat with her. If she tried to proceed with her deliveries now, she'd definitely get soaked from head to toe.

At first, she felt troubled and was worried that the rain would prevent her from doing her job. But after pondering about it for a while, she eased herself and decided to take a break instead.

Contemplating about it, she thought it would be better to wait till the rain stopped rather than be too anxious about it. She then noticed some stores inside the mall building, so she walked towards it in order to kill some time, not knowing when the rainfall would cease.

As she entered the shopping mall, all she did was browse around idly.

Suddenly, something went through her mind, Sean's birthday was just around the bend. This could be a good opportunity to check if she could find a suitable present for him.

Passing by a children's goods store, the schoolbags displayed behind the window caught her eye, so she wanted to check and see if she could pick one for her brother. A high-pitched female voice suddenly came from behind her. "Carla, is that you? Why are you loitering about in here?" Carla turned her head around to see who was calling out to her. The woman added, "I heard that you've got yourself a fat cat boyfriend, but how come you are here now? Are you still working as a delivery girl? I couldn't recognize you in your work overalls when I saw you from a distance. Have you been dumped by your boyfriend again?"

There was a mocking laugh after the playful remark. It was Nina who was sneering and jeering at her.

She was doing some shopping in the mall with her friend. Carla wasn't really expecting to bump into her.

Nina's eyes peered over Carla from head to toe again, paying special attention to the takeaway icon on the overalls. Chuckling, she walked over close to her, "Before you go in, are you aware what the brand of that store is? Just a simple reminder, that children's store is Amani's. Do you even have enough money to pay for the goods? If not, I recommend for you not to go in just to get insulted and soil the store."

Carla did not notice the facade of the store until Nina had stated the fact. It was indeed Amani.

Then she let out a chuckle and ridiculed Nina, "I was just wondering where the foul stench of money was coming from. It turns out it was just you. Could you stay a bit further away from me? It seems that jar of water wasn't enough to wash you clean at all the other day. Do you perhaps need another one to cleanse you?"

At this time, Evan was not by Nina's side. There was no need for Carla to take into account his dignity and so, she countered back.

"What are you saying?" Nina felt offended.

Surprised that Carla had such a sharp tongue, Nina was pissed off by the sarcasm, her face turning red. After a short while, she looked at Carla and said, "That day, your boyfriend treated us to a Michelin-starred restaurant for lunch. How generous of him! Where is he now? I want to thank him if he is here."

When Nina mentioned Terence, Carla was left dumbfounded for a moment, desperately trying to find a way to respond.

"What's the matter? You really got dumped, huh? Or was he actually just casually playing around with you and wasn't interested in you at all?" Nina, whispering this to her ear, snickered.

Seeing that Carla made no attempt to respond, she thought she guessed right, and went behind her back, feeling quite amused.

"Carla, don't think so highly of yourself. Look at you, even your boyfriend has deserted you. I can't begin to fathom how you could even have the nerve to compete with me over Evan. Have you seen yourself in the mirror? Do you have any idea how unpleasing you look? Since you got dumped by a poor boy, I suggest for you to just marry an old guy. At least, that could probably bring a happy ending to your life," Nina jeered at Carla.

Hearing her nasty remarks, Carla was really pissed off. She bit her lips and tensed up, but after just a moment, pulled up a forced grin and refuted, "Nina, don't be so cocky and complacent. Have you heard of the saying, 'He who laughs last, laughs the hardest?' Let's wait and see who shall have the last laugh!"

Hearing her speak of the saying, Nina felt like she was listening to a humorous joke and burst into laughter. "Well, Carla, that makes a valid point, but even if you know it, are you capable of making that happen? Can you laugh the best and the hardest? Haha, I highly doubt that!"

She let out an extensive laugh, as if to ridicule her even further, then continued, "My father is the general manager of a big company, which ranks amongst the top three of all the companies in BH City, while my mother is a university professor. I will be engaged with Evan next month. What about you? Do you still really think that you are capable of competing with me? Is that a joke? Just look how pathetic you are. You are in no position to compete with me. You're barely even qualified to brush my shoes!"

Nina held up her chin and looked at Carla with eyes that belittled her.

"Well, in any case, maybe when I get married with Evan, I will send you some wedding candies to have a taste."

Nina was born to a well-off family. It wasn't necessary for her to worry about making a living, unlike Carla who consequentially had to.

They had rather contrasting family backgrounds. It wasn't fair, but nevertheless, it was the truth.

Nina had always been arrogant and overbearing because she was well-bred, and her family background allowed her to behave at her will. As for Carla, it was an entirely different case.

Just then, a male voice suddenly appeared from behind.

"That's good! When you and Evan eventually get married, we'll be sure to attend your ceremony!"

It was Terence. He strode over and laid one hand on Carla's shoulders, who was looking a bit pale. Adding to that, he remarked, "But, Nina, you'd better pray for a happy life after your marriage. I am hoping for the best for you."

"What... What do you mean by that?" queried Nina, looking quite mortified with Terence's words.

All she did was look at the tall man with a demanding presence standing in front of her, and her momentum weakened all of a sudden.

She found it strange seeing him there, as she thought he had already broken up with Carla.

"Didn't you watch the news? I don't think it's that big of a deal, but if you

really want to know, go find out yourself. I guess there is something you don't know about Evan. Ah, but if you want, I may tell you now a little bit about his story if you like. The headline was something about a wealthy young man spending the night with a beautiful young model at his house, and she was seen leaving after 6 o'clock in the next morning. It was said that they made love with each other all night, and the model was intensely reluctant to leave the man before saying their goodbyes, hugging and kissing each other." As Terence was saying that, he gestured the movements as if it were happening right in front of them.

"Nina, aren't you feeling the urge to, like, ask where Evan was last night?" suggested Terence with a chuckle, making it very clear that the man who had an affair with a model could possibly be Evan.

This time, it was Nina's turn to get pale in the face.

Nina tried to recall the scene last night. Evan really did tell her he had to meet some clients and could not spend the night with her. 'Did he really have an affair with a model?'

"No, that's impossible. Evan is not that kind of person! Don't besmirch his name and attempt to alienate our relationship. I warn you. Stop doing that! I don't believe you."

As Nina was talking, she fled into a fit of rage, looking rather awful with mixed feelings of embarrassment and anger. All of this was clearly apparent to Carla and Terence.

"I am not attempting to alienate your relationships. Why would I do that? What good would that do to me? If you don't believe it, you can go watch the news yourself," argued Terence with a shrug.

Then he got impatient and abruptly stopped talking, patted Carla on the shoulder, and brought her to the entrance of the shopping mall.

"What's the matter? You are such a bright and clever girl at home. How could you become such a nitwit and let yourself be bullied by her like that?" asked Terence, looking down at the girl in his arms. He took a deep breath and added, "If it weren't for me arriving in time, you might be having a hard time and feeling down, right? I just don't know. If I am not with you anymore, what's going to happen to you? I wouldn't dare to imagine that."

After exiting the building, Carla escaped from Terence's arms immediately.

'There were countless times I had been bullied, ' she thought to herself. And she had always managed to pull herself up to face all those hardships. Taking care of her brother and enduring all the struggles and sorrows bestowed by life, who was beside her at those times? There was no one.

So, she had made up her mind even at such an early age to not let herself be looked down upon by anyone, depend on anyone, to get ahead in life, and achieve her dream and be successful. That was her life goal.

"Are you... are you still mad at me? Please don't be. Look, the moment I noticed that it was about to rain, I specifically asked Karen for the address you would be delivering the takeaway and brought you the raincoat, especially even while I was still injured. Isn't this one of my merits? Don't I get to have any reward?"

said Terence, pouting his mouth like a child asking for praise. Seeing that Carla did not say anything, he just looked at her in silence as well and waited patiently.

A few minutes ago, when Terence arrived at the building, he saw Carla's scooter parked outside, so he guessed she must be inside the shopping mall taking shelter from the rain. He then went in to look for her, that was also the time he heard Nina throw those harsh words at Carla.

Carla quickly grabbed the raincoat from his hand. She looked up at the dark gray sky, and it seemed like the rain wasn't going to stop any minute soon, so she walked towards the sitting area, with Terence following her closely.

As she was heading toward the seats, she told him, "Don't brag about yourself. You don't mean anything to me. You're not worth the effort to get upset about."

Carla sat down on the chair, opening the raincoat.

Terence thought she might be thirsty, so he walked to a beverage store and bought her a cup of hot drink. Sitting down beside her, he stated, "You're not mad about me. That's really great. You know what? I am now dwelling in your place and depending on you. I have to be careful everyday to make sure I don't do anything to displease you. Do you see how hard this is for me? Because I'm afraid once you're not happy with me and decide to throw me out, I will have to sleep out on the streets. Isn't that tragic? How pathetic it would be on my end if I had nowhere to stay."

As he was telling her this, Terence swiftly put the hot drink in Carla's hand.

She accepted the drink and took a sip. Looking up, she said, "The news you talked of about Evan, was that real? Or did you just make all that up?"

In Carla's eyes, Evan had always been the perfect man, upright, handsome, and thoughtful. How could he be the kind of playboy who was a two-timer cheating on girls? There was no way she'd believe something like that.

"I made it up? Do you really think so?" Terence asked disappointedly.

Raising his eyebrows, he cast a look upon her, sneered and stretched out his hand in front of her, "Hand me your mobile phone and I'll show you."

Taking over Carla's phone, he pulled up a website, and then handed it back to her.

"Carla, see for yourself. This is the man you've had a crush on for three years. Evan looks quite gentle and mild-mannered; there's no denying that. But still, he's a man, so it's only natural for him to be caught off track. If a charming woman throws herself on him, would he be able to resist the temptation? I don't really think so. But I am absolutely different from him.

What's more, Nina is not someone appealing and captivating enough to be able to keep him for herself. It's no wonder that Evan would cheat on her."

As Terence was explaining all of that, Carla watched the news, her eyebrows raising in surprise. The familiar figure on the screen of the mobile phone might not have been very clear, but it was easily recognizable at a glance. It was Evan, definitely.

In the video, Evan was holding a woman of excellent stature in his arms, while her hands were wrapped around his waist. They hugged tightly and kissed passionately, reluctant to part with each other. Anyone watching this scene would be able to sense that they must have had spent a wonderful night together.

Carla originally thought it was just a trick played by Terence, but it turned out that it was the shocking truth. It was way beyond her expectations. In astonishment, she couldn't help but exclaim, "How could that be!

Mm-hmm, men are not to be trusted. I shouldn't have trusted that man, and nor will I ever trust any other man from now on!"

Switching off her phone, she glanced at Terence sitting by her side, still flustered and disappointed about the way Evan had behaved.