Chapter 1

"You should've packed sedatives on this trip. You could've knocked her out and done whatever you wanted to her."

Those words were spoken by Harry Lawson, Grayson Hale's best friend. He was no stranger to me.

Grayson's helpless voice sounded. "Don't piss me off. I wanted to bring some, but I forgot."

"Oh, man. No wonder Summer always says you can't be trusted. So, what do you plan to do next? Change your target, or stick with Summer?"

Grayson scoffed. "I'm not giving up until I get her. There's no way I'll fail. Anyway, we'll talk later. She's coming back soon. Just send whatever brilliant ideas you have into the group chat."

As soon as he ended the call, I knocked on the door.

I entered the room and saw his uneasy look. As I packed up my luggage, I teased, "Why do you look like you're sweating bullets? Were you plotting something?"

He embraced me from behind and nestled his head against the crook of my neck. "Come on, babe. You know I'd never misbehave. I was just missing you because you were out for some time."

I slowly pried his arms away. "Alright, you should start packing up. We have a ride to catch."

Right then, Grayson grabbed my hand. "Chill, babe. Don't you think we should extend our vacation a couple more days?"

He seemed convincingly genuine. I would've agreed if I hadn't overheard his conversation with Harry.

"I don't think that's a good idea. We've got this big project at the company—if it goes well, I'll finally buy you that game console and those sneakers you've been eyeing."

He couldn't have been more excited at my words, enveloping me in another hug. "You're the best, babe. I'll start packing, then."

I gave a cold laugh, knowing this trick would work on Grayson.

This trip had actually been a last-minute plan.

He, who usually couldn't be bothered to leave the house and relied on takeout, suddenly showed up to pick me up after work on Friday. He was dragging a suitcase, his face full of excitement as he proclaimed he would take me on a trip.

He was bouncing with excitement, but I was full of questions.

I had expressed how busy I had been at work lately, and he was well aware of that.

The weekend was coming, and I had planned to take the time to rest. But when I saw Grayson looking pitiful, telling me he wanted me to relax on the trip, I softened and agreed.

However, I didn't expect that it was his "think tank" that came up with the idea.

…

"Summer, you've finally figured it out!"

When I returned to work, my boss, Newt Hendrix, looked at me with delight. "Career is much more reliable than relationships, Summer. I'm thrilled that you're willing to accept the transfer order."

Newt had berated me countless times because I had passed up several promotion opportunities in order to spend more time with Grayson.

On a normal day, Grayson was a very romantic and thoughtful person. He knew exactly how to make me happy.

We had rarely fought when we were dating, but there was one thing that bothered me.

He had always been too casual and eager when it came to matters of intimacy. He was constantly pushing for more.

I had been more conservative and believed we should wait until marriage. No matter how much he begged, even threatening to break up, I never gave in.

I could be a bit slow to catch on, too. During university, I was busy with studies and part-time jobs. After graduation, everything was about work, so I never really thought about it deeply.

It wasn't until I overheard Grayson and Harry's conversation that I realized the situation had been more complicated than I had thought.

A text message notification from Grayson snapped me out of my daze. "Harry and the gang are having a barbecue tonight. Join us."

"I can't. Swamped at work."

"Oh, come on. Take this opportunity to meet my other friends, will you? You've only met Harry so far. I want my friends to meet my future wife," he said through a voice message, his tone earnest as ever.

I was intent on turning him down, but a thought struck me. This could be a great opportunity to learn about his "think tank."

"Okay, then. I'll be there."