Chapter 3 Nothing Left to Give

The moment Ryder and Gwendolyn saw me, they immediately took a step away from each other.

Ryder quickly changed the subject. "Didn't you take time off today?"

"Yeah, I have a few things to take care of. I sold the house, and I figured I'd resign while I was at it."

Gwendolyn's expression changed. "Resign? What are you talking about?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I merely walked over to my desk and started packing my things.

She planted a hand on my box to stop me as she raised her voice, demanding hotly, "Grayson, I'm talking to you! What are you doing? You're selling the house, and now you're making a scene about quitting your job?"

I looked up at her.

"What am I doing? I'm making room for you two. Don't you think it's a little crowded when three people work at the same company, in the same building, on the same floor, and live right across the hall from each other?"

She stared at me, momentarily speechless.

"By the way, you bought the house, didn't you? And you gave it to him, too?" I needled.

She answered as if she had every right to do it. "I only lent Ryder the money because he needs it. His parents have always wanted to live with him, but his place was too small. Now that he has two apartments, there's just enough room for his entire family."

I looked at her. "That does sound perfect. The four of you can all live together."

She frowned, irritation creeping into her voice. "Don't say such things just because you're angry. I only helped him because of you. Don't let something this trivial come between us."

Trivial?

When it came to Ryder, even the biggest problems were trivial to her.

If I had a problem with it, I was just being petty.

Once I'd finished packing, I handed her the ring I'd taken off the night before. "You're free to help him however you want from now on."

Gwendolyn's eyes flashed with fury the second she saw the ring. "You've taken this too far! You've been throwing a fit since last night! Are you ever going to let this go?"

Ryder finally came over from his corner. Then, he spoke with a distinctly wounded note beneath it. "Grayson, this is all my fault. Please don't fight because of me."

I snorted and retorted, "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

The pitiful look on his face stiffened.

Gwendolyn immediately stepped in front of him, her voice accusatory. "If you put that ring away, I swear to you I'll find someone else to marry next week."

I didn't respond. I simply slipped the ring into her pocket. Then, I picked up the box and walked past her toward the door.

"Grayson!"

I didn't answer her or look back. If anything, I sped up.

…

My father called me just as I got to the elevator. When I answered, he immediately launched into a tirade.

"Go back and apologize to Gwendolyn right this instant! You're making a scene over a meal and a house? What are you, five? She was only trying to help. Besides, she wasn't helping some stranger, but your friend. What did she do wrong?"

My mother snatched the phone from him, hissing, "Your brother just bought a house with the 500,000 dollars she gave him. Do you expect us to pay her back now that you're not getting married?"

My brother shouted in the background, "I'm not giving the money back! How am I supposed to buy a house if I return it?"

They were my kin, the people who were supposed to be closest to me. Yet, they never once sided with me whenever it mattered most.

I went home to pack my things 30 minutes later.

…

I was halfway through my things when someone knocked on the door.

Ryder was sipping a cup of yogurt when I turned around. He grinned at me. "Your fridge is practically mine now. It's full of all my favorite foods. Sorry about that."

He wasn't talking about the fridge. He meant my home and Gwendolyn.

I straightened up and looked at him. "The house hasn't been handed over yet. You know you can't just walk in here."

He settled comfortably onto the couch and chuckled. "Grayson, don't be so harsh. If this is about the house, I'll give it back to you."

I scoffed. "Drop the act. If you really wanted to give it back, you wouldn't have let Gwendolyn buy it for you."

He looked at me, the smile deepening on his face.

"I never asked her to. She knew I missed my parents and felt sorry for me because I was alone and couldn't take care of myself. She bought it for me all on her own. I tried to refuse, but she wouldn't listen."

He smirked. "You used to let me have whatever I wanted. Why won't you now?"

I couldn't believe he had the gall to make this my fault.

I stared at him before chuckling in disbelief. "I am doing just that, aren't I? I've given you the house and my girlfriend. You've gotten everything you wanted. That's why you're here, rubbing it in my face."

That finally wiped the smirk off his face. "It's not my fault you couldn't keep her by your side. Don't blame me. Everyone at work says we make a better couple!"

He paused before adding with a sneer, "I'm a better fit for both your girlfriend and the job you used to have."

Almost at the same moment, the company-wide group chat erupted with congratulations.

"Congratulations to Ryder on his outstanding performance on the SE project! He'll be officially replacing Grayson as project manager effective tomorrow."