首頁 / Emotional Realism 短篇故事 / She Ditched My Grandpa's Birthday for Another / 第 1 章 - 第 10 章

《She Ditched My Grandpa's Birthday for Another》全部章節：第 1 章 - 第 10 章

10 章節

Chapter 1

Diana Pearce, my sister-in-law, stepped in front of the butler and shot me a look of pure contempt."Some people just can't stand what they don't have. That's Claire Donovan we're talking about. She's worth billions of dollars. You really think she'd send a fake?"She's right outside, by the way. Archer said his girlfriend has been wanting to visit for a while now. She's probably here to talk about the wedding, seeing as it's Grandpa's birthday and all."Outside the villa, a woman stood with her back to me, smoothing down Archer Colton's collar. I'd know her anywhere.It was my fiancee, Claire Donovan.We'd been together for six years, and she'd never once gone public with our relationship in front of any of my friends or family. Even our engagement was nothing more than a quiet dinner at home, just the two of us.When I asked her to come with me to Grandpa's birthday banquet, her face went cold. She snapped at me before I could get another word out, "How many times do I have to

Chapter 2

Archer raised an eyebrow, his smirk sharpening. "Maybe it's because his fiancee refuses to come home year after year, and all it took was one word from me to bring Claire here. Must sting a little."You know, Blake, you might want to lower your standards a bit. We've got plenty of housekeepers around here. Pick one, and Grandpa gets to see a granddaughter-in-law every single day."He nudged the housekeepers toward me as he spoke. Every one of them was a no-nonsense professional type, all well into their 40s. It wasn't a suggestion. It was humiliation dressed up as a joke.The room erupted in laughter, but I was watching Claire.She covered her mouth, laughing along, and when she spoke, she didn't even bother hiding it behind concern. "Archer's just looking out for you. Maybe you should take him up on it. I think you'd be a good match, honestly."I looked down at the wooden box in my hands. I thought about the first time I'd seen the bracelet inside it, how thrilled I'd been, think

Chapter 3

Grant grabbed my shoulder and shoved me forward, trying to force my head down. "You're the one nobody wants, and you've got the nerve to call someone else a homewrecker? Apologize to Archer and his girlfriend right now."Donovan Group still has deals with this family. Don't you dare ruin that."Diana rallied the guests behind her and started in on me without bothering to lower her voice. "This is just who he is. He stole Archer's toys when they were kids, and now he's trying to steal his girlfriend."He's acting like he's close with her, and she won't even give him the time of day. Take it from me, those two are in love. You're not going to wedge yourself in."I wrenched free of Grant's grip and locked eyes with Claire. "Are you sure you don't know me? And you're sure Archer is your boyfriend?"Claire's patience snapped. "I told you to apologize to Archer. Why are you changing the subject?"If Archer wasn't my boyfriend, would I just stand here and let someone humiliate him like

Chapter 4

Somewhere in the crowd, someone exchanged a glance with Archer. The moment the company was mentioned, the outrage in the room shifted into something sharper.Archer suppressed the gleam in his eyes and put on a show of stepping in on my behalf. "Come on, Blake didn't mean it. Asking for shares as compensation is a little extreme."As long as you're willing to give me a sincere apology, we can forget about the bracelet."The more he backed down, the more wronged Claire thought he was. Her tone hardened. "No. Whatever it costs, that's what he pays. If he doesn't learn his lesson today, he'll just keep doing this to you."Blake, hand over 20% of Altius Capital. That covers the bracelet."I watched her rally behind Archer like she'd go to war for him, and a cold laugh escaped me. I kicked the wooden box aside, brought my heel down on the bracelet, and ground it into the floor."It wasn't even broken yet, and you already wanted compensation? You think you can use one bracelet to get A

Chapter 5

Then, I turned to Claire. "And when the proof comes out, go ahead and try telling everyone you don't know me."I had my assistant bring over the prenuptial agreement from home. Claire had insisted on it when we got engaged.Under the terms, the husband would cover all household expenses after the wedding, and everything in the wife's name would remain her separate property, exempt from marital assets.I knew the agreement was designed to take advantage of me. But I loved Claire, and I didn't care about the money. All I wanted was for us to be together. So, I signed it.I flipped the document over and held up her signature on the back, bold and unmistakable. Grant, Diana, and the rest of the relatives hesitated."They already signed a prenup, and she's still trying to say she doesn't know him?""I've worked with Claire Donovan before. That's her handwriting.""So, Archer's the other man, and he had the nerve to bring her here."Claire's hands clenched. She snatched the agreement

Chapter 6

"You've got this all wrong. There's nothing going on between me and Archer."We have something important to take care of today. If you ruin this, you're done."I didn't reply to a single message. Instead, I called Claire's father, Liam Donovan."Liam, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Claire and I are calling off the engagement. The two million dollars I put up for the wedding, the car, and the house—I need all of it returned. And going forward, our two companies won't be doing business together anymore."A few people in the crowd still weren't buying it."He puts on a good act—I'll give him that. But he calls her his fiancee, and all he's got to show for it is one agreement.""What kind of boyfriend lives like that? He's not a partner. He's a doormat."Claire froze, then lunged for my phone. "Why are you calling my father? This is between us. Was it really necessary to drag him into it?"On the other end of the line, Liam's voice was apologetic, almost pleading.I hung up and l

Chapter 7

"Blake, this is all a misunderstanding. I can explain."Archer and I were just pretending to be a couple so we could get our hands on that land. You have to believe me. Nothing happened between us."Walter wasn't about to let Claire plead her case. He waved at the guards from outside the door, and they dragged her toward the exit.Through the sound of Claire's desperate shouting, I spoke up, "Wait."The room went still.Grant nudged me, disbelief all over his face. "After everything this woman just put you through, you're still going to defend her?"My voice was flat. "The engagement's off. She's nothing to me now, so why would I be defending her?"I turned to face Walter. "I stopped them for you. Just now, you were speaking up for Archer, and you were handing envelopes to guests, paying them to pile on me. I think you owe me an explanation."By all rights, given my position and how much weight Grandpa gave me in this family, every person in that room should have been falling o

Chapter 8

"I know you're still angry about the project, and you just wanted to see me sweat a little. I was out of line, so I've decided to bring you in on it. We'll do it together. My assistant will be at your office tomorrow with the contract."Grant and Diana stood there stunned for a long moment before it sank in. Grant threw his arms around me and planted a few kisses on my head before I could stop him."You're too good to me. Today was all my fault. I was being petty."I swear I'll do right by this project, and if anything like this ever happens again, I'm standing right next to you."I laughed and pushed him off. "Alright, alright. We're family. You don't have to say all that."I picked up my glass, and my gaze caught on someone walking through the front door."Well, well. Ms. Langley is back in town, and Blake just happens to be single again. What perfect timing!""Come on, someone get Mr. Stirling Senior over here and let him make this official. The girl's been carrying a torch f

Chapter 9

I paused. It hit me then that she was right. She'd left the country first, and her parents followed later. The timeline matched.With the misunderstanding cleared, she told me about the years in between. I had no idea she'd built an entire career for herself in New Yis.She looked at me, her expression serious. "Blake, I fought for everything I have just to get back to you. Does the promise we made when we were kids still stand?"She slid a ring box across the table. She'd been waiting for this moment.And I didn't want to hold back anymore. I nodded.News of our engagement spread through the city's social circles fast. Claire sent me a barrage of messages demanding to know if it was true, calling me every name she could think of. We'd barely broken things off, and I was already with someone else.I forwarded her the invitation to the engagement party. "You're welcome to come celebrate with us."That set her off completely. She went hysterical, demanding to know what six years t

Chapter 10

Claire lunged forward and wrapped her arms around my waist before I could leave. "Why do you have to assume the worst about me? Can't I just miss what we had and want to make things right?"Her face pressed against my back, and her voice was unsteady. "I regret it, okay? I can't live without you, Blake. I was wrong."But this time, I really am looking out for you. I won't hurt you again."There was a time when her tears kept me up at night, convinced I wasn't doing enough for her. Now, all I felt was tired of it. Loving someone that much only ever got a person taken for granted.I pulled her arms off me. "Don't bother. You and I are done."During the engagement party, Archer suddenly jumped onto the stage and asked Audrey if she'd leave with him, like he was trying to elope with her on the spot.Audrey stared at him blankly. "Do I know you? Please don't give my fiance the wrong idea."Archer was frantic, desperately trying to signal her with his eyes. "Don't you remember? You to

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