Chapter 3

When Grayson and Iris came back, there was a bright red mark on his neck.

Noticing my gaze, panic flashed in his eyes. He quickly covered it, trying to hide the truth.

“There were mosquitoes at the bubble tea place...”

Iris nodded, her face turning red.

“Charlotte, it really was a mosquito. You don’t suspect me, do you?”

I shook my head.

“Must’ve been a female mosquito. So fond of biting people. Like an animal.”

My words instantly drained what little color remained from their faces.

“Sorry. I’m getting out for a smoke.”

A few yards away from the wedding car, Grayson looked anxious as he cautiously asked Iris, “She... didn’t notice anything, did she?”

Iris took the cigarette from between his lips, placed it between her own red lips, and took a deep drag.

“How could she? She loves you so much. Even if she found out, she’d forgive you.

“I know her well. She acts tough, but she’s soft-hearted.

“Back then, all I had to do was say I was heartbroken, and she skipped her final exams and flew six hundred miles just to comfort me.

“I never wanted her to lose, but I couldn’t help it. Then I met you.”

Iris’s words were far too sweet. Grayson couldn’t resist. His face turned red all the way to his neck.

I watched them quietly through the car window.

One tall, the other shorter, their shadows stretched long beneath the sunlight. The two people I had once loved most were the ones who had hurt me the deepest. I had spent years trying to please them.

It was time to wake up.

I lowered my head and called the HR department at my father’s company.

“Hello, Wendy, didn’t you say you wanted to give me a wedding gift? I’d like it to be... Iris’ dismissal.”

After failing courses and delaying her graduation, Iris couldn’t find a job. I was the one who had gone out of my way to get her hired at my father’s company.

In just three years, she had gone from working at the front desk to becoming a chief engineer, with her annual salary rising from eighty thousand dollars to eight hundred thousand.

I had a hand in every step of the way, but because I didn’t want to hurt her pride, I had hidden everything and simply praised her for working so hard.

Now, everything should go back where it belonged.

After finishing his cigarette, Grayson got back into the car. Maybe out of guilt, he actually pulled out a cup of coffee.

“I picked it up while I was buying the bubble tea. I know you don’t like sweet drinks.”

I didn’t take it. He shook the cup, sounding impatient.

“Stop dragging your feet. We’re going to be late.”

I didn’t respond.

“Are you really this mad just because I bought Iris cake and bubble tea? She’s your best friend. What kind of person gets jealous over her?”

Grayson was always especially harsh with me. He had never spoken to Iris that way.

“Babe, I’ve been exhausted for days dealing with this wedding. Can you be a little more reasonable? Do I really have to spend my wedding day dealing with your attitude?”

I nodded and swallowed my tears.

“Thank you.”

My voice was polite and distant, but it finally put Grayson completely at ease.

He stopped worrying about me. The rest of the way, he listened to rock music and chatted and laughed with Iris until we arrived at the hotel where the wedding was being held.

He never noticed the black Maybach parked by the side entrance. It was unobtrusive, but he should have recognized it.

Unfortunately, all his attention was on Iris, who had tripped and fallen. He had no time to notice details about me anymore.

“Iris, what happened?”

She pouted, looking deeply wronged. “This bridesmaid dress is too long. I tripped over it.”

Grayson shot me an annoyed look and admonished, “This is your fault. You just had to pick a long dress.”

He had forgotten that Iris had chosen the style herself.

“She fell. I’m taking her to the bridal suite first. You can come up on your own.”

With that, he scooped Iris into his arms and carried her straight into the elevator.