Married To My Exs Best Friend Chapter 2

My intuition was confirmed quickly.

It was Brad’s birthday, and he’d invited a lot of his wealthy friends to celebrate, including Declan.

I was held up late at the office and arrived slightly behind schedule.

Just as I reached out to push open the private room door, I heard Declan’s lazy, drawling voice from inside.

“Brad, seriously. What do you see in that girl? She’s got nothing going for her but being hot.”

Oh.

Even the ruling class enjoys a little petty gossip, apparently. I felt a wave of embarrassment, pulling my hand back from the door handle. I tried to recall if I’d done anything specific to offend the prince of the Shaw dynasty.

Inside, Brad replied, “The face and the body, obviously. She’s that ‘pure but secretly wild’ thing, right? Who wouldn’t be into that?”

“You agree, right, man?”

“…”

Declan went eerily silent for a few seconds before speaking again. “So, are you going to marry her?”

Brad hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe eventually.”

“Look, Delaney is beautiful, no doubt. But she’s… a little simple, and her parents are just working-class people from out-of-state. I can’t afford to lose this family trust battle to my half-brother just because of my choice of wife.”

I knew about the illegitimate half-brother and the ongoing fight for control of the family business. I also knew that my parents, who ran a small auto shop and never asked for anything, couldn't give him the social or financial leverage he needed.

Declan hummed in response.

“Right. You need to be cautious about who you align yourself with. Don't drop the family mansion for a simple distraction.”

Brad sounded touched. “Thanks for looking out for me, Declan. I needed to hear that. A toast to you.”

A new round of sycophantic praise and toasting started up inside.

I stood outside the door, my chest tightening. I was hurt by Declan’s words, by the chasm between my background and Brad's, and, most of all, by Brad’s shaky commitment to me.

It’s only been two months, I told myself. We have time to work this out.

When the conversation shifted to a different topic, I collected myself, took a breath, and pushed the door open.

Brad, acting like nothing had happened, rushed over and piled food onto my plate. The other guys were polite to my face.

Only Declan, from the moment I walked in, maintained a cold, irritated expression, as if my presence alone ruined his evening.

Fine. He clearly still hated me. I resolved to just keep my distance.