Chapter 1

When the scholarship student Emily Rivers showed up, I finally realized that my childhood friends never actually cared about me. But my father didn't know.

So at the business party, he suddenly announced, "Charlotte, tell me who you like, bring him over. We'll get you engaged right here, tonight."

Every guest turned to look at me, and at the three childhood friends who'd once doted on me: Alexander Quinn, William Stone, and Lucas Grant.

But they acted like they hadn't heard a thing. One was feeding Emily. One was making her laugh. One was gazing at her with nothing but tenderness.

The room went dead silent. My father's face stiffened.

I quickly jumped in, "Dad, my boyfriend's overseas. I'll bring him to meet you when he's back."

The three of them snorted, shooting me mocking looks.

I knew they didn't believe me. Thought I was saving face.

But I actually did have a boyfriend.

*****

The next time I went to their place, it was to hand out my wedding invitations.

Alex's mother Olivia and I were sipping coffee in the living room when Alex came downstairs.

Olivia called out, "Alex, we were talking about Charlotte's wedding."

Alex shot me a cold glare and said, "Charlotte, who said I was going to marry you?

"Stop trying to get my mom to talk me into it. I told you, I'm not interested. Drop it already."

With that, he stormed out of the house, clearly annoyed.

Olivia sighed, "He only ever hears half of what's said. Who said you were marrying him, anyway?"

She looked at me apologetically. "Charlotte, I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into Alex. He used to dote on you, always fighting with the other two over who could treat you better.

"I thought if you were going to be my daughter-in-law, Alex would have to work extra hard to outshine those two. But who would've thought..."

I smiled and shook my head. "Sometimes things don't click, and that's okay. Well, I'll get going now."

"Of course, Charlotte, we'll be there to celebrate your wedding," Olivia said.

After leaving the Quinns, I headed over to the Stones.

As the maid led me in, Will was on the phone. When he saw me, a mocking smirk tugged at his lips.

He walked over and said, "Alex called. He said you tried to push him into marrying you, and now that he said no, you're coming to me?"

He always wore that gentle mask. "Charlotte, I thought it was clear at the last party, we're not into you, and there's no way any of us would marry you. You shouldn't keep hanging around."

I smiled and nodded. "That's why I'm here to give you my wedding invitation."

He paused, then curled his lips in a mocking smirk.

He sneered, "Charlotte, are you trying to pull another fast one like your dad did last time? Planning to spring a wedding on us and pick one of us to stand in as your groom, thinking we'd go along with your fake wedding to save you from embarrassment?

"Seriously, Charlotte, didn't you get enough of a reality check last time?

"I've told you before, we're not into you. And to keep Emily from getting the wrong idea, we're not going to bail you out. If you end up in an awkward spot, don't think you can make up a fake boyfriend at the last minute to save face."

I shook my head, about to say something, but his phone rang again.

When he saw the caller ID, his whole face softened. He answered, "Hey, Emily. Okay, I'll be right there."

After hanging up, he gave me a look that said, 'Suit yourself,' then walked right past me.

I couldn't help but sigh. Ever since my dad made me announce my boyfriend in front of everyone last time, they were convinced I was trying to force one of them to marry me again.

Whatever. They would find out soon enough.

Will's mother Mia Stone came out, greeted me warmly, and took my invitation. She sighed, "Looks like Will wasn't meant to be that lucky."

I wanted to deliver the invitations in person because, though I was no longer close with the three of them, their parents had always treated me with so much kindness.

When my mom passed away and my dad was always busy with work, I spent a lot of time bouncing between their homes. I would never forget the warmth they gave me back then.

Then, I happened to see Emily's social media post. She'd shared photos of the four of them hanging out at an amusement park.

That put my mind at ease, so I headed over to the third guy's house.