Chapter 5

Andrew turned his head to glare at me, beside himself with rage as he scoffed. "Putting on quite the helpless act, aren't you?

"I take you for a full-body checkup every single month. Do you really think I wouldn't know if anything was wrong with you? Dropping dead from driving late at night? That's the biggest joke I've ever heard."

Having taken a barrage of cruel words like that over the past couple of days, I felt only numb. There was hardly any feeling left in my heart.

Ethan's eyes turned bloodshot, his voice oddly worked up. "Can't you see how much weight he's lost, how pale he is? You really think some worthless medical report tells you everything?"

He turned to look at Olivia, his gaze dripping with disgust. "Call off your engagement with her and spend this time staying by Lucas' side.

"As for the company, I can sign a contract guaranteeing I won't lay a finger on it. It'll all be yours—"

For a moment, it felt like Ethan was onto something. I cut him off sharply, "No, there's no need.

"I already told you, he and I are done."

Andrew's eyes were burning with rage as he yanked me off the bed. "Who says we're done? Lucas, has he been filling your head with crap?

"I'll make sure you see loud and clear today whether we're done or not."

A sense of dread washed over me, and I tried to shove him away. But he yanked my arm hard, dragging me out of the bedroom and toward the stairs.

Only when we reached the top of the stairs did I finally make out the commotion down below.

The living room was packed with guests. It took my dulled brain a long moment to finally piece together that today was supposedly Ethan's birthday.

Henry Sterling sat in the place of honor in the living room, surrounded by people chatting and laughing with him. By the looks of it, they were throwing a birthday bash.

Henry loved a crowd, so even a good number of reporters with cameras had shown up.

When Andrew dragged me downstairs, the crowd below turned to look, every face washed with shock and disbelief.

Olivia rushed after us, her voice tight with panic. "Andy, have you lost your mind?"

Andrew ignored everything, calling over his assistant and handing his phone off to him.

He glanced sideways, motioning toward the big screen in the living room. "Change what's on there."

Having been with Andrew for ten years, I didn't need him to say a word to piece together what he was up to.

I couldn't stomach the humiliation in front of such a crowd, and my hand trembled uncontrollably in his grip. "Andrew, we can end this amicably. We don't need to make a scene."

The veins on Andrew's temples throbbed as he tightened his grip, giving the reporters free rein to snap photos. "So you can hook up with Ethan? You think he's some kind of saint? In your dreams!"

My head throbbed with sharp, stabbing pain.

The visuals on the big screen cut out, only to be replaced seconds later by a new feed.

Photos and videos of me and Andrew from the past ten years started rolling across the screen.

There was security footage of our first meeting, where I held a drink and made the first move on him in a bar, all the way to photos of us sharing a candlelit dinner ten years down the line.

I stood there taking it in. With the storm looming over us, a strange sense of calm settled over my heart instead.

So many years had passed that I had almost forgotten Andrew had loved me deeply once.

Even now, I could see it so clearly in those old photos and videos.

I could pick up the undeniable love and tenderness shining in his eyes whenever he looked at me.

As the photos rolled on, his gaze turned more and more distant. Ten years of photos laid bare how love completely faded from his eyes.

I stared at the screen, completely lost in thought. It wasn't until the growing chaos around us and the barrage of questions from reporters dragged me back to reality.

Henry and the Sterling family elders all looked livid, scrambling to switch off the big screen and stave off the press and guests.

But the reporters kept pushing, and honestly, they wouldn't dare unless Andrew was pulling the strings.

In the chaos, I caught the first question. "Mr. Sterling, are you and a close friend to Mr. Grant?"

The word "friend" carried a heavy second meaning. With intimate photos already paraded on the screen, everyone knew what the reporter was really asking.

On top of the press hounding us, shocked and disdainful murmurs echoed through the crowd.

"Olivia and Andrew are about to get married. So what's going on here?"

"Two guys together I mean, seriously?"

"Andrew has always kept his head on straight. He wouldn't fool around like this. But look at Mr. Grant in those photos. He's the one making all the moves."

"Men with wealth and power bound to attract moochers. As for Mr. Grant... well, you can't judge a book by its cover."

The gossip settled into a clear consensus as everyone began turning their guns on me.

Andrew deliberately threw the reporter's question back at me, a half-smile on his face. "So, are we really that close, Mr. Grant? Why don't you tell everyone?"

Ethan rushed downstairs, trying to step in and stop Andrew.

I looked at Andrew, catching the mocking smile in his eyes.

After a long pause, I leaned toward the reporters' microphones and spoke up. "No."

The smirk on Andrew's face froze instantly.

Facing the press, I kept going. "Mr. Sterling and I have a strictly professional relationship. He's my boss, or you could call us business partners.

"These photos and videos were doctored. I'll investigate and make sure everyone gets the truth as soon as possible."

An affair between two grown men had already struck many as far-fetched. Hearing me say this made quite a few reporters hesitate, as if that actually felt like the more plausible story.

Andrew's face hardened completely. Suddenly, he grabbed my phone right out of my coat pocket.