Leo and I were never anything special growing up. Just two perfectly ordinary kids from a perfectly ordinary town. But we both had big dreams. In high school, I set my sights on the handsome, popular rich kid, and he fell for the beautiful heiress. We clicked instantly, forming an alliance to help each other climb the social ladder. Years later, we'd made it. I was the girlfriend of Bob Thorne, CEO of the Thorne Group, and Leo was being vetted to marry into the Beaumont family, working at their company under the watchful eye of Vivian Beaumont herself. Life was smooth sailing for two years. Then, Leo and I hit the exact same roadblock. Bob’s childhood sweetheart came back from abroad. And Vivian’s old college flame returned home, too. 1 “Sigh…” Leo and I both rested our chins in our hands, a synchronized sigh escaping our lips. “What is it with living abroad?” Leo grumbled, completely baffled. “It’s like a factory for producing bombshells that drop back into your life out of nowhere.” “I’ve been by Vivian’s side for five whole years,” he continued, shaking his head. “I’ve traveled with her, shopped with her, worked with her. I’ve never once heard her mention some unforgettable ‘Ethan’ from college.” I nodded in solidarity. “Three years as Bob’s girlfriend, and I’ve met every friend and family member he has. Not a single peep about a childhood sweetheart named Isabelle.” Just as we were about to solidify our positions, these new rivals had appeared. This was our third strategy session. Life had definitely gotten harder since they’d returned. As if on cue, both our phones buzzed. We glanced down at our screens. “Isabelle stole another one of my design contracts,” I moaned. “I just don’t get it. She’s a jewelry designer. What is she doing poaching my interior design clients?” Leo, on the other hand, was unnervingly calm. “Ethan was brought in as a director. I’ve been reassigned. It was expected.” He was actually smiling. I stared at him. “Are you okay?” “It’s a good chance to take a break.” Leo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Things at the company are a mess right now. Better to let him navigate the minefield.” I understood. The Beaumont family only had one daughter, and she had zero interest in running the business. The shareholders were ambitious, the internal politics were a snake pit. I’d been shocked when Leo first managed to gain a foothold there; I had no idea my old friend was so capable. “What about you?” he asked, finishing his iced tea and starting on a slice of cheesecake. “Anyone can see Isabelle is targeting you.” Me? I let out a small laugh. “She’s the darling princess everyone adores. All I can do is lie low and steer clear of the drama for now.” Besides, while Isabelle’s petty moves were an annoyance to my design studio, they weren’t a major blow. It had taken a mountain of effort, and finally leveraging my status as Bob’s girlfriend, to open my own studio in the first place. My first wave of clients all came from him—his circle of rich friends and business partners. He gave me a shot, and I ran with it. That’s how I got to where I am today. We both got our start through connections. It wouldn’t be fair for me to use them and then complain when his precious childhood sweetheart did the same. And if you really thought about it, Bob’s friends were Isabelle’s childhood friends, too. I had no desire to go up against a pack of trust-fund kids. Their logic could be terrifying. Leo finished his cake and started scrolling through his phone. “You should go,” he said, waving me off. “I’m on vacation. I can finally just chill on my phone guilt-free.” He was watching fishing videos. I rolled my eyes and padded away in my fluffy slippers. 2 When I got home, Bob wasn't back yet. Ever since Isabelle returned, their little social circle seemed to be trapped in a non-stop party vortex. If it wasn’t a gala, it was a dinner party. If it wasn’t a dinner party, it was a wild night at some club. I’d gone from confused to completely numb. I was used to it. I wracked my brain but couldn’t remember what today’s special occasion was. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through our chat history. Ah, right. It was the birthday of some pop star Isabelle was obsessed with. Bob and his friends had hired the celebrity so Isabelle could personally celebrate with him. For a second, I actually felt sorry for the pop star, being forced to work on his own birthday. But then I remembered that making money is never easy, and I promptly called my personal masseuse to treat myself. I was lying on the sofa, deep in a state of bliss from the massage, when Bob walked in. He had a strange look on his face. He placed a gift bag on the sofa. “Isabelle told me everything. She didn’t mean to take your design contract. She was just testing her own skills. Don’t overthink it.” I opened the bag. Inside was a beautiful gold bangle. It looked gorgeous on my wrist. I looked up at him and smiled warmly. “It’s fine. We have a backlog of projects at the studio anyway. The team is swamped.” Bob stroked my hair, satisfied. “Have you eaten? I can call The Garden and have them send over your favorite king crab.” “I’ve already eaten,” I said. “Go get changed into something comfortable. I brought you some soup. You should have it while it’s hot.” It was really just leftovers I’d packed for myself, but the gold bangle had earned him a share. I shooed him away and went back to admiring my new prize. It was so pretty. A hand like mine was made for gold bangles. As for the contract Isabelle stole, I was laughing my head off on the inside. You see, the client was one of Bob’s trust-fund buddies. He was a decent enough guy—quiet, reliable—but a total mama’s boy. The last time my team designed a retail space for him, his mother was there for what felt like twenty hours a day, “supervising.” Her demands were endless, bizarre, and enough to make you want to tear your hair out. Worse, she demanded premium quality at bargain-basement prices and was a master of haggling and guilt trips. We were no match for her. By the time the project was done, we’d barely broken even. So, the moment I heard he’d bought his mother a new villa, I happily shared the news in our company-wide group chat. Within three days, every single design team had magically found other projects to work on. For Isabelle to swoop in and take that nightmare client off our hands? I wanted to give her a round of applause. 3 The next morning, as soon as I walked into the office, my best friend and lead designer, Maya, rushed over to poke me. “So, your Bob was out again last night, wasn't he?” “Ooh, what happened this time?” A few other colleagues gathered around, their eyes gleaming. I gave my nosy friends an elegant eye-roll. “You guys are doing this on purpose, aren’t you? What else could it be? Another party for Isabelle.” I casually stretched, making sure my new gold bangle was on full display. “A little something I got yesterday.” “Nice,” Maya said, giving me a thumbs-up. “How many does that make?” “Seventeen,” I answered after a quick mental count. “Whoa…” “Bob’s taste is a little basic, though.” “It’s a gold bangle. It’s always going to look good.” “Any boyfriend who buys you solid gold is a keeper.” Maya leaned in conspiratorially. “Seriously, Senta, you’re not bothered by this whole thing with him and Isabelle? Look at this…” She showed me her phone. A photo slideshow on Isabelle’s TikTok had gone viral. There were pictures of her singing with the pop star, laughing and drinking with all the rich kids, and of course, a shot of her and Bob standing incredibly close. The caption read: ‘The most important people, my favorite people, all by my side. Another lucky day.’ Looked like they had a great time. I tapped her with a file folder. “Get back to work before this capitalist has to dock your pay.” That’s right. I’d leveled up from a workhorse to a capitalist. So even if things with Bob didn’t work out, I could always find another man. For the past three years, I’d been working tirelessly to cash in on the title of ‘Bob Thorne’s girlfriend’—networking with his family, his friends, his resources. I’d learned so much from him, acquired assets, and found investment opportunities. I had already gained more than I ever expected. My parents were open-minded and happily ran a little countryside inn, content with their comfortable life. My reliable relatives worked on my construction teams, and my wildly creative best friend was on my design team. They were even more dedicated to the company than I was, working diligently day in and day out. I guess because I never really lacked for love growing up—I was always surrounded by family and friends—romance has always been a ‘blessing if I have it, fate if I lose it’ kind of thing for me. Bob was a good man, and he was good to me. But if we didn’t end up together, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Still, it was starting to get on my nerves. 4 That evening, I treated the entire office to a buffet to celebrate dodging a difficult client. The city lights were just starting to glitter as we arrived. Maya linked her arm through mine, chattering away about her mom trying to set her up on dates. The dinner was great, right up until Maya nudged me again. “Hey, isn’t that your Bob over there?” I followed her gaze. Across the street, in front of a fancy hotel, stood Bob. A woman in a flowing white dress threw her arms around him, and the two of them started walking inside, talking intimately. I took out my phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to him. A second later, my phone rang. “Senta, where are you?” “Look to your left, darling,” I said, my voice perfectly calm. Through the massive glass window of the restaurant, I gave him a little wave. I saw him gently push the woman away and start explaining. “Don’t misunderstand. It’s Isabelle. You know I’ve always seen her as a little sister.” What he didn’t see was Isabelle, standing beside him, shooting me a triumphant smirk as she pretended to be upset, clinging to his arm. She leaned in and whispered something to him, her voice a theatrical pout. “Senta, please don’t be mad at Bob. We were just going to meet Mrs. Sterling to discuss the initial design concepts.” Bob pulled the phone away from his ear. “Senta won’t mind. You go on ahead and order Mrs. Sterling’s favorite dishes. I’ll just have a quick word with her.” Leaving Isabelle behind, he crossed the street and walked into the buffet restaurant. As always, he greeted my employees warmly before sliding into the seat next to me. He took my hand. “Should I have someone drive you home later?” he asked gently. “Don’t drink too much.” I smiled, smoothly pulling my hand away to pick up my wine glass. “No need. It’s girls’ night. I’ll be home late. You should go. Don’t keep your ‘little sister’ Isabelle waiting.” I propped my chin on my hand, my voice dripping with sarcasm, and gave him a slow once-over before turning away. Bob’s expression remained calm. He put his arm around my waist and leaned in to whisper, “Don’t be out too late.” The moment he left, everyone at the table stared at me. I found it amusing. “What? Want to gossip about the boss? I’ll have to dock your pay.” They immediately lost interest and went back to their food. Maya blinked at me. “You’re really okay?” “I really am,” I sighed. I guess from the very beginning, I never truly believed Bob and I would last. Everything happening now felt… acceptable. Almost like a sense of relief that the other shoe had finally dropped. After dinner, instead of going home, I went back to Maya’s apartment to binge-watch a show and gossip. That night, I shared the day’s events with Leo. He sent me a photo of Vivian having dinner with Ethan. Suddenly, I felt a whole lot better. Misery really does love company. We spent the next hour sending each other about eight hundred complaint-filled texts before finally calming down enough to analyze the situation. Leo: [I don’t think you can win against this Isabelle girl.] Me: [And I don’t think you can win against Ethan. He’s ridiculously handsome in that photo.] Leo: [A man’s appeal is his competence.] Me: [And Vivian clearly thinks he’s super competent! Why else would he be hired as a director out of the blue?] Leo sent me a hammer GIF, followed by a link to a trending topic about Isabelle and Bob. The headline: ‘Thorne Heir Introduces Girlfriend to Family Elders.’ I was silent for a moment, then sent Leo a GIF of a bloody butcher knife. Having thoroughly wounded each other, we both decided to cool off. I scrolled through my phone for a bit. Maya sidled up to me with a conspiratorial grin, holding a box. “Hey, stay over tonight.” “Why?” I asked, feigning suspicion. She giggled. “I’ve been learning mixology. Let’s get drunk!” I laughed. I knew she’d been binging cocktail-making videos, trying to cultivate a more artistic vibe. “Alright, but first, let’s see the snacks.” We checked to make sure the apartment was secure, then laid out a spread of fruit, crackers, appetizers, and bottles of liquor in every color. Later, when the world was starting to feel fuzzy, my phone rang. I forced myself to sit up, rubbing my forehead. “What is it?” There was a pause on the other end, then Bob’s voice. “Senta, I’m not coming home tonight. Isabelle ran into some problems with work, and I’m staying to help her.” The alcohol hit me harder than I expected. A sneer escaped my lips. “Wow, Mr. Thorne, a man of many talents. I didn’t realize you knew anything about design.” “I…” Bob started to say something. But my patience had run out. “Whatever. Have fun, Bob.” I hung up. It was pointless to waste any more energy on this. Isabelle’s triumphant attitude was obvious to everyone except Bob, who was willfully blind. His friends and family were all actively trying to set them up, pushing me to the side. Whether Bob realized it or not, the traces of my existence in his life were slowly being erased. I sighed. What could I do when they were all working together against me? Look, if they wanted to, they could ensure I never even saw Bob’s face. I’ve never been one to torture myself. The realization sent a brief, wild surge of anger through me, but then I thought about the good life I’d built for myself, and the anger subsided into a calm acceptance. Then another thought occurred to me. Maybe Bob was just waiting for me to take the hint and bow out gracefully.
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