Missing Fiancée: She's Acting as His Girl

Brianna Lindt froze, staring at the ring in my hand as her brows pulled together. "Michael, what are you talking about? What do you mean for the rest of my life? Didn't I just tell you that an urgent matter came up at the office?"

She reached out, trying to slide the ring back onto my finger. "Stop throwing a tantrum. I'll apologize to Mr. and Mrs. Pearson. I promise I'll make a great impression next time."

However, I yanked my hand back out of her reach, looking her dead in the eye.

"Something urgent at work? What kind of work emergency requires you to show up at Elliot Collins' place with gifts and pretend to be his girlfriend?"

Brianna's hand froze in midair.

Pulling out my phone, I brought up the screenshot of Elliot's Instagram post and slid it across the table toward her.

The screen's glow cast a harsh light over her features.

In the photo, she was sitting in Elliot's living room, patiently making coffee for his grandmother with a gentle expression.

I'd spent an entire month persuading Mom and Dad to agree to this meeting.

The Pearsons had strict expectations when it came to marriage. They'd always believed Brianna came from too ordinary a background and carried herself with too little maturity.

I was the one who fought against everyone's objections, promising them that she treated me well and was a partner I could truly trust, which was the only reason they finally agreed to clear their schedules.

In the end, we'd waited in that private room for three hours.

When the server came in for the sixth time to refill our drinks, Dad slammed his glass onto the table and walked out without saying a single word.

Meanwhile, my fiancee was busy keeping someone else's grandmother company.

Brianna's face fell the moment she saw the screenshot, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Michael, I can explain. Elliot's grandmother isn't in good health. Out of nowhere, she started pressuring him to bring a girlfriend home, and she refused to take her medication unless she saw her grandson settling down. I was only helping him out as his boss and went along with it for a little while."

She softened her tone. "We just had a quick dinner, and absolutely nothing happened. You're usually such a compassionate person, Michael. You wouldn't want me to just stand by and watch an old woman suffer, would you?"

I stared at the certainty in her eyes, unable to find any humor in the situation.

"So, you bailed him out and left me hanging instead?" I retorted.

Brianna faltered. "I didn't mean to. I wanted to text you to let you know, but I forgot to charge my phone last night, and it went out of—"

Before she could finish, her phone suddenly lit up.

Accompanied by a chime, a text notification popped up on screen.

"Thanks for everything, Ms. Lindt. Grandma's getting a good night's sleep."

The private room fell dead silent.

I stared at the glowing screen, the sheer absurdity of the situation washing over me.

Brianna hesitated for a second, guilt clearly getting the better of her.

She flipped the phone face down onto the table, a flicker of panic crossing her features. "Michael, I—"

At that moment, I stood up and walked right out of the room.

The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, I spotted the familiar black Maybach parked at the curb.

The window rolled down to reveal Mom sitting in the back seat, her expression unreadable.

"Get in," she said flatly. "We're going home."

Anxiety gnawed at me as I opened the door and climbed into the car, keeping my hands tightly clasped in my lap.

The Pearsons had adopted me when I was 12 years old.

Their biological son had tragically passed away in an accident that same year, driving Mom to a complete mental breakdown. Dad had selected me from the orphanage simply because I bore a slight resemblance to their late boy.

Over the years, they provided me with everything I needed and gave me the best education money could buy, yet they always treated me with polite distance.

They never asked what kind of friends I made, nor did they care where I ranked in school.

I'd always assumed this distance existed because I was an outsider who didn't deserve their guidance or expectations.

Moreover, I'd embarrassed them by letting my fiancee stand them up.

When we returned to the Pearson residence, I stood in front of the coffee table with my head bowed, bracing myself for Dad's fury and disappointment.

After all, they'd canceled a multi-million dollar business meeting just for me, only to spend three hours waiting for someone who never showed.

But the explosion never came.

Dad merely rubbed the bridge of his nose, stood up, and went upstairs to his study.

Meanwhile, Mom removed her shawl, letting out a quiet sigh. "Get some rest. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

Nobody yelled at me, and nobody even bothered to ask why Brianna failed to show up.

Standing alone in the middle of the empty living room, I felt a chill run through my body.

They didn't even care enough to be angry with me.