Chapter 1
All three of my childhood friends had a thing for me.
Until that nude model Bessie showed up.
I set down my brush and gestured for her to get dressed. Alexander suddenly frowned, his expression shifting. “Isabella, don’t treat her like she’s not even a person.”
I stared at him, completely thrown by his reaction. Then I noticed the way he was looking at the model–there was genuine concern in his eyes, almost protective.
I whipped around to face the other two. “What about you guys? Do you feel the same way?”
They practically stumbled backward, clearly wanting nothing to do with Alexander’s stance.
“Bella, everything you paint is incredible.”
“I mean, even if you weren’t painting a person, when it’s your work, Bella, it’d be like the most stunning android
ever created!”
My words made Bessie’s body freeze completely.
She stood there clutching her dress, unable to decide whether to take it off or keep it on, looking helplessly toward
Alexander for rescue.
His brow furrowed deeply as he stepped in front of her, his sigh heavy with resignation. “Look, I’m the one who said something, but there’s no need to humiliate someone else over it.”
I didn’t get it. Bessie had come to me herself, saying she’d rather pose for just me than strip in front of a whole room of people. Besides, she was wearing undergarments anyway.
I looked up at her. “Bessie, do you personally find it difficult to pose for me?”
She frantically gripped the hem of her dress. “I… I didn’t…”
Alexander turned to look at her, and within a second, her eyes welled up with tears as she bit her lip and looked down. She looked utterly humiliated.
“I came here on my own,” she whispered.
The room fell dead silent. I started packing up my paints. “Since you don’t want to do this, don’t bother coming back.”
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Dumped by My Three Crushes for a Gold Diever. Now I’m Dating Their Rival
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Chapter 1
Her head snapped up. “1… I never said…”
But I was already walking out.
Footsteps followed behind me–usually three sets, but this time only two. They settled down in front of me as a gentle breeze rustled the soft curtains draped over the pavilion.
Keith’s voice was soothing. “Don’t be mad, okay? I’ll find you another model if you need one. I actually saw that girl approach Alexander privately before–she’s pretty emotional, talked about how tough her life is. He probably just felt sorry for her.”
A servant brought us three glasses of juice. I took a sip without saying anything, then heard hurried footsteps on the wooden floor. Alexander didn’t even look as he grabbed my glass, drank half of it, and sat down beside me.
‘Princess, what’s got you all worked up now? A high school senior should be cramming for college, not running around as a nude model to make ends meet. I just felt bad for her situation, that’s all.”
The image of Bessie’s obvious dependence on him flashed through my mind. I pushed the glass toward him. “You :an have it. I’m not thirsty.”
Alexander studied my face, his tone softening. “She was crying pretty hard just now–she really needs the money. I old her she could come back tomorrow, Isabella, you need a model anyway…”
frowned. “Why should I have to pay for your sympathy?”
None of them said another word. I was getting annoyed and decided to put some distance between us. As I was eaving the courtyard, Alexander called out from the pavilion.
Isabella, I’ll pay for it!”
The four of us had grown up together, and by some unspoken agreement, they’d made my house their regular Langout spot. When I painted, I actually preferred quiet, but the three of them had worn me down over time and leveloped this habit of watching me work.
Jessie showed up again at our scheduled time. When I opened the studio door, she was chatting with my three hildhood friends, her face lit up with excitement.
The moment she saw me, her smile vanished. She stood up awkwardly. “Miss Lopez, should I stand today too?”
You can sit–your sitting pose looks pretty good too.”
It wasn’t me who spoke. It was Alexander.
Bessie looked over at him, a visible blush spreading across her cheeks before she instinctively glanced back at me. She didn’t say anything.
Right.
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Dunised by My Three
Brees Now I’m Dating thest kival
Chapter 1
I picked up my brush. “I’ll need you to pose completely nude today.”
Henry gasped behind me, covering his eyes with his hands. “Whoa, Bella, that’s pretty intense!”
Tears gathered rapidly in Bessie’s eyes as she bit her lip. “Miss Lopez… does it have to be like this?”
I didn’t respond. She tugged at her dress as if the garment she’d removed hundreds of times had suddenly become impossible to take off.
I smiled slightly. “What’s wrong? Haven’t you posed fully nude at the academy plenty of times before?”
1504
