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Chapter 2

Autor: Levi
The profile picture clearly belonged to a young man.

Graham noticed immediately. "Who's texting you?"

I picked up my phone. "Maybe someone who's interested in me."

His expression tightened as he walked over and reached for it.

"Don't even read it. Delete it."

Just then, the front door opened.

Anna hurried in, soaked from the rain, with Bagel in her arms.

"Sorry. It started pouring out of nowhere, so I'm late."

Graham pulled his hand back and went straight to her.

"What were you thinking? Why didn't you find somewhere to get out of the rain? You know you could get sick getting soaked like this."

He took Bagel from her arms.

"I'll take care of Bagel. Go take a hot shower."

Anna glanced at me.

"I don't think I should."

Then she took Bagel back. "Never mind. I'll just give her a bath and head home. You're allergic to cats, so I'll do it."

She carried Bagel into the guest room.

Graham followed right behind her.

The sight reminded me of the photo that had popped up after I scanned the QR code.

Anna was holding Bagel.

And Graham was holding Anna.

Bagel's profile had made everything even clearer.

Name: Bagel

Dad: Graham Mercer

Mom: Anna Vaughn

Message: [If I ever get lost, please call my mom and dad right away. I'm proof of their love. Mom will cry if I go missing, and Dad will worry himself sick.]

Two phone numbers were listed underneath.

Graham's and Anna's.

I looked down without a word and took another bite of beef.

Then I opened the message on my phone.

It was from Chase Calloway.

Chase: [Well, look who finally decided to unblock me.]

Chase: [I got you fired because your boss was coming on to you! I wasn't about to let you keep working for him.]

Chase: [I was protecting you, okay?]

Chase: [And no, I'm not asking to get back together.]

Chase: [But if you're the one who wants me back, I guess I could consider it.]

Chase: [It's not like I've found anyone else I like yet.]

I stared at the screen, speechless.

Me: [You're insane.]

He was obviously just acting out because I'd rejected every Valentine's Day gift he'd sent me yesterday and bruised his ego.

Who was he kidding with all that talk about not wanting me back?

To be fair, my boss really had been coming on to me.

I'd already planned to quit at the end of the month.

So Chase had actually done me a favor.

Getting fired came with a generous severance package of nearly $55,000.

Four years ago, I would've considered that pocket change.

Now, it would take me nearly two years to save that much.

Graham came out of the guest room.

"Lauren, can you get Anna something dry to change into? She got soaked because she took Bagel out for me. I can't exactly send her home in wet clothes."

I looked up at him and smiled. "Sure."

He seemed relieved and smiled back. "Great. I'll go grab something for her."

As he turned away, I said, "The top is $1,437. The pants are $1,437. The dress is $14,344. The lingerie is $143. Take your pick."

Graham turned back and stared at me in disbelief. "Since when are you this obsessed with money?"

I calmly took another bite of beef.

"I just want to know what it feels like to have you send me one of those little 'I love you forever' numbers for once. If you can tip her $1,437, I'm sure you can afford her clothes too."

In the end, Graham didn't take anything from my closet.

Instead, he set his debit card down in front of me.

"Everything I make is yours. Why bother transferring money between us?"

Then he ordered Anna an outfit from a nearby store for express delivery.

It arrived half an hour later.

When Anna came out in the new clothes, she looked fresh and put together again.

I had to admit, the outfit suited her perfectly.

Graham knew exactly what colors looked good on her.

What styles suited her.

He even remembered her size.

Meanwhile, the dress he'd given me for Valentine's Day yesterday had been so tight I could barely breathe in it.

Looking at Anna's slim figure, I couldn't help thinking Graham had probably bought my Valentine's dress in her size out of habit.

My phone lit up again.

Chase: [You dumped me, and I still went out of my way every day to find out how you were doing.]

Chase: [Fine. I'm insane. Happy now?]

Chase: [Can I try to win you back?]

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  • I Won't Compete With His Ex   Chapter 10

    Mrs. Langford's expression stiffened.Mr. Langford came downstairs, clearly displeased."Shut up. You're getting more and more out of line."For four years, we've given you everything you've asked for. We've done everything we could to make up for what happened. What are you still unhappy about?"Mr. Langford looked much older than he had four years ago.When I'd left, he hadn't had a single gray hair.Now his temples were streaked with gray.My heart ached.I wanted to ask what had happened, but one look at the hostility in Sloane's eyes made me hold my tongue.Tears streamed down her face."Just admit it! You don't love me. She's the only daughter you care about!""Enough!"This time, I was the one who cut her off.I spoke slowly, one word at a time."It was already confirmed that a nurse was responsible for the switch."You were the one who insisted we both go back to our birth families, and everyone agreed."When I left, I didn't take anything with me. I was the one who cut ties wi

  • I Won't Compete With His Ex   Chapter 9

    I was a little surprised Mom would ask that.Chase immediately sat up straighter."Mrs. Hartley, my parents have always adored Lauren."They were really sorry to see her go four years ago."And once they found out I loved her, they kept telling me to hurry up, finish school, and come home so I could marry her."He even raised a hand as if he were about to swear an oath."If you're willing to trust Lauren with me, I promise...""All right, all right."Mom grabbed his hand and cut him off before he could launch into a speech."Forget the grand promises. As long as Lauren's happy, who she marries is entirely up to her."We just need to know she won't be mistreated."Dad nodded. "I do have one condition, though. No pets. Ever."If my daughter gets scratched again, I won't let you off easy."Chase grinned. "Don't worry, Mr. Hartley. I'll spend my life taking care of my family, not pets."I never knew he could be such a kiss-up.The arrogant young heir who was used to throwing his weight aro

  • I Won't Compete With His Ex   Chapter 8

    I didn't tell our parents everything I'd found out.I just kept it simple."Graham's cat doesn't like me. She's scratched me several times, but once you take in a pet, you can't just abandon her. So I think it's better if we break up."He'll find someone Bagel likes."Mom reached over and brushed my hair away from the back of my neck.The scratches there looked awful.She froze.Then she turned to Graham. "Aren't you allergic to cats? Why do you even have one? And you let her scratch my daughter up this badly?"Mrs. Mercer looked just as shocked."Exactly. Your cat allergy was so severe when you were little that you almost died. I spent your whole childhood doing everything I could to keep you away from cats and dogs, and now you've gone and gotten a cat?"Graham's fingers curled against his knee, then slowly relaxed.Finally, he sighed."My allergy has gotten better over time. The more I've been around cats, the milder my reactions have gotten."My symptoms are pretty mild now."And I

  • I Won't Compete With His Ex   Chapter 7

    I couldn't blame Mom for thinking that.In their eyes, Graham had always been practically flawless.Until now, I'd thought so too.Four years ago, when I came to live with the Hartleys, everything was unfamiliar. Even my own parents still felt like strangers.Growing up, I'd always traveled by chauffeured car or private plane. So when junior year started and I needed to book a flight myself, I had no idea how.Graham was already working by then, and he walked me through the whole process.He happened to work in the same city as my college, and he ended up looking after me quite a bit after that.Whenever a school break was too short for me to go home, I'd be stuck in my dorm with nothing to do. I'd also lost touch with most of the friends from my old social circle.Graham would come pick me up and take me out for dinner or shopping.I knew my family had asked him to keep an eye on me.That was why, in his eyes, I'd always been a pampered rich girl.Two years ago, after I graduated from

  • I Won't Compete With His Ex   Chapter 6

    Chase stopped at Cask & Cedar and picked out an expensive bottle of whiskey and a few high-end gift boxes.I folded my arms and seriously wondered if he was trying to get my dad in trouble at work."My dad's line of work doesn't allow him to accept expensive gifts like these."In the end, we only brought some fruit and food.As our car pulled into the parking garage, another car pulled into the space beside us.It was Graham.The moment he got out, he saw Chase holding my hand.His expression darkened."Let go of her."Chase only tightened his grip. Then he lifted our joined hands and waved them right in front of Graham."She's my girlfriend. I'll hold her hand if I want. And who are you supposed to be?"Compared to Graham, Chase really was childish.But he was sincere.I interlaced my fingers with his and squeezed his hand, then smiled at Graham."We already broke up. This is Chase Calloway, my boyfriend."Then I casually told Chase, "And this is Graham Mercer, my ex."Graham's jaw ti

  • I Won't Compete With His Ex   Chapter 5

    Chase hung up and looked at the injuries on the back of my neck, his expression tightening with concern."Hmph. Even at my roughest, I never left that many bite marks on you. What gives that fat cat the right?"I stared at him.He was insane.I snatched my phone back just as it rang again.Chase tried to stop me from answering and leaned in to kiss me.I pressed a hand to his chest."I forgot I haven't broken up with him yet. You really want to be the other man?"He stopped immediately.Then he straightened. "Then what are you waiting for? Answer it."I picked up."I'm sorry." Graham's voice was quiet. "I shouldn't have accused you. I just...""Let's break up."I cut him off.Silence fell on the other end for a few seconds.Then came a soft sigh."I know you're angry, but can we not talk about breaking up?"Our families already planned an engagement dinner for tomorrow. We've been together for two years. You're really breaking up with me over something this small?"Something this small

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