Desired by All and He Threw Away 13

Taylor POV 

Attached are images. I scroll, my heart hammering. Photos of Alex a former teammate–jersey faded, eyes hollow. The caption screams accusations of discrimination. 

Another picture shows Aiden with a woman–blonde, polished, he lips brushing his jaw. The timestamp places it during his marriage. More claims: emotional abuse, gaslighting. 

And then- My breath snags. A photo of Ella’s arm. Purple bruises ing her skin like shackles. 

Her caption: This is what Aiden did to me whenever he was drunk. 

My stomach twists, bile clawing up my throat. The screen trembles in my hands as I scroll faster, every new image heavier than 

the last. 

The air around me feels too thin, like the bus has collapsed into a coffin. 

“No…” The word rasps from my throat, fragile and small. “This can’t…” 

Suddenly, the phone is ripped from my hands. 

Aiden towers over me, his jaw carved from stone, his eyes like storm clouds. 

“Stop looking at that,” he snaps, his voice sharp enough to cut. “It’s all lies.” 

The words hang there, vibrating in the air, but they don’t steady me. They only make my pulse thunder harder, the images still seared behind my eyelids. 

Aiden’s teammates all peel off toward the parking lot, heading home for the night. Seeing him walking away, I call out, my voice sharp in the quiet. 

“Wait, you have my phone!” 

“How can you just dismiss all this?” My voice trembles, I try to steady it, but the tremor betrays me as the anger starts curling in my chest. “Ella has so much evidence and if she’s really been emotionally and physically abused by you, that’s disgusting. This isn’t something you can just ignore.” 

Aiden’s face darkens further. He tosses it back at me. The plastic hils with a sharp clack, and my heart jumps. 

“I don’t need an employee digging into my personal life, telling me what to do,” he says, his voice low and cold but controlled. His eyes never leave the mine as he speaks. 

“And I certainly don’t need an employee who doesn’t trust me.” He pauses, letting the words land like hammers. “This is your third warning. You’re fired.” 

Fired. 

My chest tightens as if someone has punched me in it. I open my mouth, searching for words, but they crumble like dry leaves before they could even reach my tongue. 

I’d acted impulsively, yes. 

I had reacted to the images and accusations without confirming whether they were true. But-“Wait–Aiden-“But he’s already striding toward the facility doors, his tracksuit jacket swaying with the movement, cleats clattering against the pavement. The scent of sweat, grassy field smell and sharp cold air trails behind him. 

His shadow stretches long against the concrete until he disappears into the building, leaving me standing alone in the cold night. 

I glance at my phone, its screen blank. Damn it, it died, even it seems to be mocking me with its silence. 

The parking lot around me is now empty and colder somehow, as the bus had carried away every trace of warmth with it. 

1/3 

Chapter 13 

+25 Bonus 

The next day, I find the head of the department, hoping for some semblance of support, some loophole I can cling to. “I–please –he can’t just do this. There has to be something,” I say, breathless as my hands grip the edge of his desk. 

He shakes his head, sympathy draining from his face. “Taylor… Alen has absolute control here. If he says you’re gone, that’s final. I’m sorry.” 

I nod mutely, swallowing the bitter lump rising in my throat. No recourse. No advocate. 

Nothing but the echo of Aiden’s dismissal ringing in my ears. 

Outside, the sun fades away as it paints the city with gentle amber streaks. The atmosphere carries the scents of vehicle exhaust and pavement, along with a delicate hint of baked goods which seems to come from a nearby street vendor. 

However, the atmosphere fails to bring me any sense of peace. 

My landlord comes to my door later that day asking for rent. 

Dylan had taken almost all of my savings. The worst thing is I quit my previous part times for this new job. I had to squeezed all my money out to pay for the rent for this month, after paying I decided its best for me to move out.I have to find a cheaper place. 

Kiera will take me in for now–my dearest friend, a sports reporter girl with a sharp tongue and a sharper sense of fairness. 

Kiera won’t ask questions. She’ll just give me a place to breathe while I go hunt for work. My resumes vanish into the digital void, each click of “submit” echoing like a stone dropping into bottomless water. 

I polish cover letters until my fingertips sting, words blurring into the same desperate promises. I cast my net wide–every team, every club, every organization that might glance twice at my name. 

I have to find my next job as soon as possible while doing some part–times. 

After one day doing tough part–time shifts, I stumble onto the sidewalk. 

The city thrums around me. A taxi horn rips through the air, someone shouts across the street, and a vendor’s call for coffee cuts sharp through the evening hum. The scents swirl together of spiced pastries from a nearby bakery, the sour tang of wet asphalt, the bitter burn of exhaust. 

Ordinary smells, ordinary life. 

And then I see it. 

A massive screen atop a building flickers to life, showing a pristine interview with Aiden. The camera loves him: perfect hair, smooth suit, flawless smile. He radiates control, power, wealth. 

Not a single wrinkle of struggle crosses his face. Not a single trace of the chaos he causes. 

I clench my fists and the words burn through my mind: Aiden really is my disaster. 

The phone vibrates sharply in my pocket, cutting through my thoughts. Unknown number. I answer, hesitancy biting at my tongue. 

“Taylor?” His voice, smooth, controlled, instantly recognizable. 

“Aiden.” My tone is cautious, tight. 

“I need you to come to me right away,” he says, words clipped. “W need to discuss a new job. Now.” 

I blink at the sky, muted reds and oranges bleeding into evening. ustration boiling in my chest. 

My brain screams at me to refuse. But… what choice do I have? I swallow a lump of anger and disbelief lodged in my throat and answer. “Fine, I’ll be there.” 

The office smells the same as before, sterile and sharp, but now with the added tension of my patience stretched thin. He’s waiting, pacing lightly, the same calm control that makes my blood boil. ” Please Sit,” he says, gesturing to the chair across from him. 

2/3 

Chapter3 

“No, thank you, I’m good, what did you call me here for?” 

He doesn’t waste time with pleasantries. “After a quick discussion with my team, I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend for a 

while.” 

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