Chapter 3
"Do you really have to keep clinging to me like this?" Charles asked. I froze. Only then did I realize he'd misunderstood.
"What I meant is, I'm not getting married because my career is still on the rise." I explained.
Charles stared at me for a while. Then he suddenly laughed. "Don't you think that excuse is pretty lame?"
I blinked. "Skyline's CEO is a woman about your age too. Even she's thinking about marriage, so who are you trying to fool?"
For a second, I couldn't argue back. Everyone knew I'd once been hopeless about love, so now that I'd finally snapped out of it, nobody believed me. Not even my own partner.
He leaned in. "Let me make this clear, Olivia. I didn't like you before, and now that I'm engaged, there's even less chance I ever will. If you keep clinging to me, I'll only hate you more.
"Or do you think you could be the other woman?"
Suddenly, I understood my past self even less. The man in front of me was shallow, arrogant, and utterly classless. Why had Emily and I ever fought so bitterly over him?
I let out a cold laugh, pushed him away, and strode off.
My partner was already on her way to apologize, and back at the banquet, I quietly sipped my orange juice.
A whistle cut through the air.
Seven or eight men plopped down around me, hemming me in.
"Well, if it isn't Miss Olivia. Chuck's engagement party, and you really came after all."
"We were wondering if you'd be too heartbroken to show up."
"Looks like Miss Saunders really is still in love."
One of them hooked a finger under my dress strap, and I slapped his hand away.
"You've gotten feisty after a few years abroad. "
"This isn't like back when you were begging us to put in a good word for you anymore, huh?"
Back when I was crazy about Charles, I didn't just simp for him. I practically simped for his whole crew too, hoping they'd put in a few good words for me since Emily outshone me at everything.
I remembered every one of Charles's hobbies, and I even knew his friends' tastes.
Every year, I'd send them expensive gifts and beg them to help me leave a good impression on him. Looking back, I can barely recognize the girl I used to be. I'd simply seen too little of the world.
"Look, now that Chuck's engaged, you've got no chance. You really can't compare to your sister in his eyes. That's just the truth." One of them leaned close, blowing smoke and booze in my face.
"Spend the night with us, and we'll put in a good word for you. Maybe then Chuck will let you into his bed too. What do you say?"
I tried to pull away, but he caught my chin. "No need to be shy. We'll keep it secret." that man continued.
"Huh? Chuck?" someone said when they spotted Charles walking past. I hurried to stand, but the man yanked me back onto the couch. Charles had clearly heard everything. "Charles, get your friends away from me."
A flicker of nervousness crossed their faces, and they all exchanged looks. But Charles only wrapped an arm around Emily's waist. There wasn't the slightest expression on his face. Then he turned and walked away.
"Charles—" I called out, but the man beside me dragged me into his arms and pinched my chin. "How are you still not getting it? To Chuck, Emily ranks above us, above dogs, and definitely above you."