Chapter 4

I was surrounded by escorts. On my left, a suave yet shady type was pouring me wine, while on my right, a flirty pretty boy was feeding me grapes.

"Who here can actually sing? Hit me with something fun and upbeat," I teased.

An escort in a glittery jacket eagerly snatched up the mic.

Before he could even start, the door to the private room burst open.

I smiled sweetly, grape in my mouth, as I looked toward the door.

Alex walked in with a sour expression, looking pissed.

He growled, "Everyone out. Now."

The escorts didn't move. They all just looked at me, waiting.

I swirled my wine glass.

"Better head out, guys. Wouldn't want any of you getting hurt on the job," I said with a smirk.

In just a few moments, the private room was cleared out, leaving only the two of us.

I sat on the couch, watching as Alex slid in right beside me.

Same old trick. He tugged at my sleeve, acting all sweet and needy.

"Babe, was I not good enough? Did I let you down?" he whined, looking all pitiful.

I brushed his hand off with a blank face, giving him a cold sidelong look.

"Alex, how much longer are you going to keep pretending?" I said flatly.

As soon as the words left my mouth, he totally freaked out, clutching my wrist like his life depended on it.

"I..." He choked out, looking like he'd just been caught red-handed.

I didn't let him finish. I jabbed at his fancy suit jacket.

"Please, my sweet boy could never rock a custom suit like this," I snarked.

He unconsciously let out a relieved breath.

I scoffed. "So, you're planning to steal your own brother's girl now?"

Alex snapped back to that fake serious face of his and finally let go of my wrist.

"Heard you've been living it up out here. Someone's got to defend Evan's honor. Gotta look out for my brother," he said, acting all self-righteous.

I took a slow sip of my wine, barely hiding my smirk.

Then, out of nowhere, I leaned in and planted a kiss right on his warm cheek, leaving a trace of lipstick behind.

"Since your brother's not around, how about you step in and keep me company for a bit?" I teased, my voice dripping with mischief.

Alex was frozen, his eyes wide in shock—though I caught a flicker of something else in there. Hope, maybe.

I smirked, putting a finger gently to his lips.

"Shh, don't tell Evan," I whispered, my voice low and teasing.

"I... I'm really not like that," he stammered, turning his head away in a panic. "You're drunk. Come on. Let me get you home."

He walked me down to the lobby, and I took the elevator up by myself.

I collapsed onto the couch, and after a few minutes, I heard someone unlocking the door.

It was Alex, back in his Evan persona and rocking a hoodie.

A shopping bag in hand, he stepped inside.

"Just saw Alex downstairs," he said, trying to play it cool.

"Oh," I replied, keeping it short.

"Did you guys meet up tonight?" he asked, sounding curious.

"Yeah," I said, not giving much away.

Noticing how I was totally giving him the cold shoulder, he quietly slipped into the kitchen.

He soon reappeared, carrying a glass of water, and settled in right beside me, looking all attentive and eager to please.

"Since you and Alex seem to be on better terms, maybe you two should just be friends. I mean, you're going to marry me. We'll be family." He tried to sound casual about it.

I took the glass but didn't drink. I just held it and locked eyes with him, letting the silence hang between us.

"Alright, just for you, I'll give in. Tomorrow's the weekend, so I'll go with you to Sterling Manor," I said, letting my tone soften a little.

"Do we really have to go to Sterling Manor?" He gave me those puppy eyes. "Honestly, Alex is the only one I even get along with over there."

I took a sip of the water.

"You know things are pretty tense between me and my dad. If we ever get married, it'd be weird if neither of us had any family around," I said, letting my voice soften a bit.

As soon as I said 'married,' Evan's eyes sparkled, and he agreed in a heartbeat.

At that, my grin just got bigger.

"By the way, give Alex a heads up for tomorrow. If he doesn't show, it just means he's not ready to bury the hatchet with me," I teased.

Evan let out a couple of awkward chuckles, pulled out his phone, and stepped away to make the call.

"I'll call him right now. If I have to, I'll even tie him up and haul him over to see you," he said, trying to sound all eager to please.

"Enjoy your call. You're sleeping in the guest room tonight," I said, shutting him down without a second thought.