Fiancée Wipes Childhood Friend’s Mouth at Gathering

Claire wiped Ryan’s mouth right in front of me.Ryan looked me up and down with a hint of provocation in his eyes.At the family dinner table, the atmosphere tightened into a brief, uneasy stillness.I kept peeling the shrimp in my hand, as though none of it concerned me.Ryan spoke first.“Sorry, everyone. Please do not mind us. Clairy had always been this thoughtful.”Who asked him. I almost laughed.Ever since Claire and I got engaged, was I not the one doing all the accommodating. Thoughtful. That word did not suit her at all.I finally understood when I looked at Ryan’s vaguely familiar features.Claire tended to him gently, while he leaned in closer on purpose, lifting his gaze to me with open provocation.I only found it childish and turned to Claire with a faint smile.“Since she was so thoughtful, I could not fall short on courtesy either.”I placed the shrimp I had just peeled onto Chloe’s plate, wiped my hands clean, then draped my jacket over her shoulders.“Do

When I returned to the restaurant to say I would be taking Chloe home, Claire’s expression stiffened for a split second, while Ryan gave a knowing smile.“Do you need me to come with you?” Claire asked, though she did not move from her seat.“No, you can keep Mr. Zane company.”I deliberately emphasized the word Mr. Zane. “He does not often come back to the country.”Ryan rose to his feet and extended his hand. “Mr. Carter, nice to meet you. Hope we get a chance to talk alone sometime.”I shook his hand, feeling the pressure in his grip. “Anytime.”On the way to take Chloe home, she leaned against my shoulder the entire time, her fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns across my chest.“Adrian,” Chloe said suddenly, “if my sister does not want you anymore, would you consider me.”I slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched sharply against the road.“You are drunk.”My voice was cold. At the same time, her phone screen lit up. It was a message from Claire:[Don’t push it too

“These…” My voice caught in my throat.“They’re real.” Chloe sat down beside me. The same fragrance as Claire lingered on her. “Claire and Ryan were never truly broken up. They just… paused things for a while.”My fingers tightened unconsciously, nearly crumpling the photos. “Why are you telling me this now.”Chloe’s eyes shimmered with an unsettling glint in the candlelight. “I cannot stand seeing you being deceived.”Her hand rested on my knee. “And… I have liked you for a long time. Since the first time we met.”The confession came abruptly, yet somehow it was not entirely unexpected.I recalled all those moments over the past two years, her accidental touches, lingering gazes, and the calls she always made when Claire was not around.“Do you even know what you are saying.” I moved her hand away.Chloe suddenly rose to her feet and walked toward the bedroom. “There is more you should see.”After a brief hesitation, I followed her.The bedroom walls were covered in photos.

That reaction was basically an admission in itself. “That does not matter,” I said for the third time, a wave of exhaustion washing over me, deeper than anything I had ever felt. “What matters is that our relationship is over.”“No!” Claire rushed forward and grabbed my hand. “Adrian, I love you, I really do. That was all in the past, I…”I pulled my hand away. “Chloe is in the hospital, poisoned by a mix of drugs and alcohol. She mentioned you before she passed out.”Claire’s expression shifted instantly, from pleading, to shock, then anger. “That bitch showed you all this? She has been trying to break us up from day one!”“Enough.” I turned and walked toward the bedroom, already pulling out a suitcase. “I will have my lawyer handle the engagement termination. As for the company shares… do not even think about it.”Claire followed me in. Her voice suddenly turned cold. “You think it ends that easily? Ryan has something you do not know about.”I stopped. “What do you mean.”Sh

A cup of hot tea was placed in front of Chloe, but her trembling hands could barely hold it.“He found out about the recording,” Chloe’s voice was hoarse. “He said I betrayed him… he hit me…” She looked up, fear flickering in her tear‑filled eyes. “Then he answered a call and said, ‘prepare Plan B’… I heard him mention the data breach… and your car.”“My car.” I shot up from my seat.Chloe grabbed my wrist. “He might have tampered with it. Just like… just like what happened to my father back then.”The words hit like a thunderclap.Chloe’s father, the founder of the Lawson Group, had died five years ago in a suspicious car accident. The official report blamed brake failure.Mr. Zach immediately picked up the phone. “Security, check Mr. Carter’s vehicle right away. Focus on the braking system.”Chloe pulled an envelope from her bag. “I took this from Ryan’s safe last night. It has complete evidence of your company’s data breach… and the parts he forged.”I skimmed the documents.