Chapter 1

954words2026-02-09 09:51

Everyone was toasting each other in the hall when I saw Grayson Chapman hold Monica Bleuthe's hand and take a drink on her behalf. He had told me more than once that his stomach couldn’t handle alcohol. He had never drunk on my behalf in the four years we had been together, not even when I got dead drunk while entertaining clients.
Just as I was about to ask him about it, Grayson threw me a warning glance. "This is just a misunderstanding. I'm only pretending to be Monica's boyfriend. It's no big deal that I'm having a drink." He lowered his voice when explaining it to me.
My knuckles turned white from gripping my wine glass so hard.

Monica was unhappy to see Grayson whispering to me. "Ella, do you know each other?"
A gentle smile appeared on Grayson's face. "There's nothing between us. She's just a subordinate of mine."
Everyone in my family knew that I was gaining work experience at another company, and that included Monica, which was why she said nothing.
Grayson came to Monica's side and looked at me questioningly when he saw me in haute couture. "Do you know each other?"
Monica acted like we were close. "We're cousins, and we have a close relationship."
Close relationship? Monica had always loved comparing herself with me and wanted everything I had. She even tried to get my parents to take her in as their daughter so that she could inherit the fortune that was supposed to be mine. I did not expose her and only sneered quietly.

Grayson looked relieved to hear those words. Even though we were from the same family, there was still a big gap between our families' circumstances. He probably thought that I could come to the party because of Monica, when, in fact, my father was the head of the Bleuthes.
Monica leaned on Grayson's shoulder coquettishly when she saw me staring at Grayson. "Why are you staring at my boyfriend that way, Ella? Do you have a crush on him?"
I almost laughed out loud with anger. "Don't worry. A man like him isn't worth a second glance from me."
Monica got mad when she heard my retort. She was about to say something when Grayson suddenly stepped forward to grab my wrist. "What do you mean by that?"

I slowly took a sip of my drink. "It means exactly what it sounds like, Mr. Grayson. Please have some dignity. You're hurting my wrist."
That was when Grayson realized he had lost his cool in public with so many people watching. He quickly released me.
Monica's mother, who was my aunt, looked unhappy as well. "Why do you need to say things like that, Ella?"
My uncle berated me, "You can't say that about Grayson even if you're jealous of Monica. You should apologize to him!"
I ignored them. They could not do anything to me anyway. After all, they were aware of my real identity.
Monica glared at me and suddenly changed the topic, "Didn't you say you have a boyfriend of four years, Ella? Why didn't you bring him with you? Is it because he's too embarrassing to show in public for being penniless?
"Well, that explains things. That's probably the reason why you keep staring at my boyfriend. You must really want someone like him."
I looked at Grayson. He knew the reason very well. After all, he was the one who told me to keep our relationship a secret. He always refused to take me to meet his family, even going as far as to reject me when I asked him to marry me.
He met my eyes, but did not say anything to stand up for me. Instead, he held up Monica's hand out of spite and announced out loud, "I, Grayson, am Monica's boyfriend, and she's the only woman I'll ever love in this life!"
Everyone turned to look at him when he made the announcement, and they applauded. I bit the corner of my lip as my face turned pale. This was how I was treated for sacrificing so much in four years of our relationship. My boyfriend refused to go public with me, and was even pretending to be a couple with another woman.
"Look at how loving they are, Ella. You shouldn't think about snatching her boyfriend."
"It doesn't matter if your boyfriend is dirt-poor. You should bring him home to meet the family. No one would mind!"
Just as I was about to explain, Monica acted like she suddenly realized something. "Oh, I almost forgot how you always loved having fun. You probably have lots of lovers and must be wondering which one of them to take home."
Everyone started sniggering when she said that.
My aunt looked at me with disdain, "Ella, you should take good care of yourself even if you enjoy going around town like that. It'd be horrible if you contracted some disgusting disease at such a young age."
My uncle started to lecture me sternly as well, "Don't you know that our family would want you to find someone of an equal social status, Ella? How would your parents feel if you end up pregnant with a bastard child?"
They were slandering me in front of so many other influential families and high-ranking individuals. This was no different than insulting me in public. I gripped hard on the stem of my wine glass and looked at Grayson, who was silent throughout.
"Why aren't you saying anything, Grayson? Aren't you the one who knows best what I'm usually like? Why don't you tell them if I'm someone who enjoys fooling around or if my boyfriend is a penniless man?"