I was seventeen when my dad’s enemies snatched me. There was this other boy they grabbed too.
He’s the one who actually kept me safe, stuffing me inside this empty paint barrel.
Later, Alexander found me, and I started feeling like I owed him something.
That feeling slowly turned into a full–blown crush.
Looking back now, Alexander wasn’t even the one who saved my ass.
He just happened to be the guy who popped the lid off that paint barrel. The cops, my dad, everybody else was standing right there, but my eyes only locked onto him.
Lucas shot me a look and nodded. “Yeah, someone swore she’d never forget me, then boom–next month her whole family ditches town without even giving me a freaking phone number.”
I ducked my head, feeling like total crap. Lucas pulled me back into his arms. “Whatever, not your fault. It’s all Alexander and his manipulative
bullshit.”
I laughed softly like “yeah, you’re right.”
I had no idea Alexander was lurking in the corner, watching us.
His face went completely pale, his mind stuck on the image of Lucas with his arms around me.
Seeing us smile at each other practically drove him insane with jealousy.
Even though Alexander would never admit it, he had a thing for me.
He loved having me chase after him but couldn’t stand the thought of being my “trophy husband,” so he always acted all high and mighty, shooting me down over and over, stomping all over my self–esteem every chance he got.
Alexander just stood there staring at me with this bitter look, but never grew a pair to come talk to us.
It wasn’t until Lucas and I headed upstairs hand–in–hand that he finally did something.
Just then, Dylan called him freaking out: “Where the hell are you? Penny’s gone again. She got a call from Ellie and disappeared–bet you anything Ellie bullied her into leaving us!”
Alexander frowned, confused as hell. “She got a call from Ellie?”
He’d been watching me the whole time and never once saw me touch my phone.
Dylan bitched, “Who else would it be? Penny straight–up told us Ellie called her. Get your ass over here and help us find her before something bad happens to her again.”
“Just call the damn cops,” Alexander said coldly.
For the first time ever, he didn’t drop everything to go find Penny. Instead, his mind kept replaying all those past incidents.
A scary thought started creeping into his head. He quietly dialed 911, then went to check the security footage from the mansion himself.
He pulled up every single time Penny had claimed I was bullying her, only to see the videos showing the complete opposite.
The more Alexander watched, the sicker he felt. Suddenly, he punched himself hard in the face.
All those years Penny lived at the Reed house, whenever she cried about me bullying her, none of them ever questioned it. They always forced me to
say sorry.
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Chapter 7
But now, the truth was playing right in front of his eyes.
The pool? She jumped in herself.
The cake? She smashed it herself.
Her clothes? She tore them up herself.
The stairs? She threw herself down them.
All those lies, falling apart at once.
Alexander turned and walked out of the security room without a word.
He’d totally lost the guts to face me again.
The next time I spotted Alexander was on my wedding day with Lucas.
Riding in the wedding car to the venue, I caught a glimpse of some familiar faces outside the window.
Alexander, Dylan, and Max looked like they’d seen better days, but still had that stuck–up vibe. Penny was on her knees, clawing at Alexander’s pant leg like a rabid dog–pathetic.
When he ignored her, she tried Max, who wouldn’t even look at her.
Even Dylan, who used to spoil her rotten, shoved her away like she was trash.
Penny’s eyes got all teary as she tried her usual tricks, but none of them fell for it this time.
I didn’t recognize them at first, not until Alexander stared blankly in my direction.
When our eyes met for that split second, I finally realized who they were.
I coldly looked away without giving them a second thought.
After our engagement, my dad offered those three some money, but they turned it down, swearing they’d pay him back 1. supported them.
I just laughed it off.
Over the years, those three had blown through millions of the Reed family’s money.
Now that they’d left our family, what the hell could they possibly use to pay it back?
the years he’d
As our million–dollar fireworks show ended, Lucas took my hand and led me down the red carpet. Lucas’s hand was so warm, dwarfing mine as he led me–gone was the Ice King, now just my husband.
The crowd erupted in cheers, but I saw some jealous stares–let them hate. I had Lucas, and he had everything.
Then someone handed me an unsigned letter.
The second I saw that handwriting, I knew exactly who it was from.
Without even blinking, I dropped that letter on the ground, letting people stomp all over it.
Lucas watched me with this gentle smile the whole time. As the ceremony was wrapping up, he slid a document in front of me:
“I voluntarily give all my assets to my wife, no strings attached.”
The crowd lost their minds. Even I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
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Chapter 7
But Lucas just smiled that sweet smile of his. “You still want to marry me, right?”
I covered my mouth and nodded, too shocked to get any words out.
In the end, Lucas held my hand as he signed my name to the document.
He said, “I swear I’m giving everything I have to the woman I spend my life with.”
Everyone knew Lucas meant every damn word.
After we got hitched, Lucas proved in the most hands–on way possible that making babies definitely didn’t need any medical help.
Three years, two kids–one boy, one girl.
Not wanting to put me through the pain of childbirth again, so he just went and got a vasectomy–what a guy.
My dad told me Alexander and his buddies went broke after a failed business and ran off overseas.
Apparently, Penny got shipped back to her podunk hometown and married off to some meathead from the next village over for cash. Her marriage was going to shit.
I kept my face blank, completely unmoved by any of it.
It was only when I saw Lucas walking toward me with our kids that I finally smiled.
The people right in front of me–they were my real happiness now.
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