"Do you really have to keep throwing yourself at me?"
I froze.
Then it clicked. He'd gotten the wrong idea.
"What I meant was, I'm not getting married because my career is still taking off."
Patrick stared at me for a long moment.
Then he laughed.
"You don't think that excuse is a little pathetic?"
I blinked.
"The CEO of Ascend Group is a woman about your age. Even she still thinks about settling down. So what exactly are you pretending to be?"
I couldn't argue with that.
Everyone knew I used to be hopelessly lovesick. So now that I'd actually wised up, nobody believed it. Not even my business partner.
"Let me make this crystal clear, Celeste."
He leaned in.
"I didn't like you before, and now that I'm engaged, there's even less chance of that happening. The more you cling, the more I despise you. Unless..."
His eyes narrowed. "You think you can be my side piece?"
In that moment, I couldn't understand my former self more than ever.
This man standing in front of me.
Shallow. Arrogant. Utterly classless.
Why had I ever fought with Effie over him?
A cold laugh escaped my throat.
I shoved him aside and walked away.
My partner came to apologize.
I stood at the banquet, quietly sipping my orange juice.
A sharp whistle.
Seven or eight men settled into the seats around me, boxing me in.
"Well, well. If it isn't the princess herself. Patrick's engagement party, and you actually showed up."
"We were taking bets on whether you'd be too heartbroken to come."
"Looks like the princess is still carrying a torch."
A hand reached over and pinched my dress strap.
I scowled and slapped his hand away. Hard.
"Ooh, a few years studying abroad and she's got a temper now!"
"This isn't like the old days when you were begging us to put in a good word for you, is it?"
Back when I was desperately in love with Patrick, I hadn't just fawned over him. I'd fawned over his entire crew too. Effie was talented in every way imaginable, and I couldn't compete, so my only hope was getting these guys to say something nice about me to Patrick.
I'd memorized all of Patrick's hobbies. But I'd memorized theirs even better. Every holiday, I'd send expensive gifts, just to get them to help me leave a good impression.
Looking back now, I truly couldn't fathom who I used to be.
I simply hadn't known any better.
"Look, Patrick's engaged now. You've lost your shot. You just can't measure up to your sister in his eyes. That's a fact."
"But... it's not completely hopeless."
The man leaned closer. The stench of cigarettes and liquor filled my nostrils.
"Spend one night with us, and we'll put in a good word. Maybe we can get you a spot in Patrick's bed too. How's that sound?"
I tried to pull away.
But fingers clamped down on my chin. "Don't be shy. We'll keep it our little secret."
"Oh? Patrick?"
Someone spotted Patrick walking past.
"Patrick!" I scrambled to my feet, but one of the men yanked me back down onto the couch.
Patrick had heard everything.
"Patrick! Tell your friends to back off!"
A flicker of nervousness crossed their faces. They glanced at each other.
But Patrick just slid his arm around Effie's waist.
His expression was completely blank.
He turned and walked away.
"Patr—"
"Hey, princess." The man pulled me into his arms, gripping my chin. "How are you still not getting it? In Patrick's world, your little sister ranks above us, above a dog, and above you."
