Welcome to the city of Shanghai. A world of designer clothes, chauffeurs, lavish parties, and juicy scandals. Ever since the Chinese economic boom, rich foreigners have inhabited Shanghai and ruled every inch of the electric city, from the sparkling...
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"NEVER DATE A HIGH SCHOOL BOY, OLIVE!" The teenage heiress advised her nanny fervently as she stuck a pair of scissors through the innocent stuffed animal. Gabe, the Burberry teddybear, was just one of the countless victims of brutal stabbings that morning. Dakota Winslow's penthouse suite was scattered with designer items and lavish gifts, all belonging to her ex-boyfriend, Gabriel Salvatore. All trash too as far as she was concerned.
Dakota paced towards her floor-to-ceiling windows and stared aimlessly into the distance like a seasoned veteran. "Because this is how you will end up: hurting, heartbroken, alone. Take it from me, they are master manipulators. They will say and do anything to get you where they want you. They'll convince you that they love you and that they'll never leave you, butwhen they feel like it, they'll cut you off."
"And this is what you'll be left with: old love letters, hoodies that smell like them, tainted memories, never-ending nostalgia, and a thousand unanswered questions," Dakota continued bitterly, throwing on a silk robe over her satin-trim La Perla chemise.
"So, Miss Winslow, what exactly am I to do with all this stuff?" Olive held up a ripped Gucci sweater, tossing it into a cardboard box along with other expensive items that once possessed sentimental value.
"Donate it, throw it away, do with it as you please, I just want it out of my sight," Dakota made her way to her vintage-inspired vanity, running her hand through its carved accents and textured drawers before plopping down onto a cream-colored chair.
"Miss Winslow," the nanny sighed deeply, green eyes scanning the sealed boxes. She pursed her heart-shaped lips together and chose her next words wisely, "Are you sure you and Mr. Salvatore are over for good?"
"Yes! Haven't you been listening to my tragic, heart-felt monologue for the last fifteen minutes?" Dakota reached for one of the luxury skin care products laid out in front of her. She gently dabbed the expensive cream onto her visible under-eye bags; a clear indication of how little she had slept and how much she had cried.
"What's going on?" Lennox Richmond walked out of the en suite bathroom, a cotton towel wrapped around her head and her modelesque figure adorned with items from Dakota's overly-glamarous wardrobe. "Are you and Gabriel still together?"
"Have a seat," Dakota said solemnly, inhaling through her dainty nose as she prepared to make her announcement. Lennox and Olive shuffled onto the ottoman at the end of her bed. "I didn't mean you too, Olive, but you might as well."
"To preface, I'd like to make clear that what I say cannot leave this room," Dakota tugged at the ends of her blown-put hair anxiously as they gave her a reaffirming nod. She rubbed her buttery lips together, "Gabriel Salvatore cheated on me."
The words hung in the air like grenades seconds from hitting the floor and inevitably causing a catastrophic mess. Their faces exuded looks of complete shock and bewilderment. Dakota knew they were both thinking the same thing. How could anyone cheat on Dakota Winslow?
