I Married My Childhood Friend Instead

During my cousin Monica Bleuthe's birthday party, my boyfriend, Grayson Chapman, who claimed to be on a business trip, suddenly appeared holding her hand and toasting the crowd.

We were stunned when our eyes met.

Monica hugged his arm intimately. "I forgot to introduce him to you, Ella. This is my boyfriend, Grayson. He's the CEO of the company we worked with last time."

Grayson approached me and lowered his voice to say, "It's just a misunderstanding. I'm only pretending to be Monica's boyfriend."

We had been in a relationship for four years, and he had never allowed our relationship to go public. He even refused to let me attend any high-end parties with him because he thought I was just an ordinary employee who was not glamorous enough to be introduced to anyone.

He had no idea that my father wanted me to gain valuable work experience away from the family business. I hid my identity so that I would be better equipped to take over my family business one day.

If I had married Grayson, he would have enjoyed a portion of my family's fortune. Unfortunately, that was no longer possible.

Everyone was toasting each other in the hall when I saw Grayson Chapman hold Monica Bleuthe's hand and take a drink on her behalf. He had told me more than once that his stomach couldn’t handle alcohol. He had never drunk on my behalf in the four years we had been together, not even when I got dead drunk while entertaining clients.

Just as I was about to ask him about it, Grayson threw me a warning glance. "This is just a misunderstanding. I'm only pretending to be Monica's boyfriend. It's no big deal that I'm having a drink." He lowered his voice when explaining it to me.

My knuckles turned white from gripping my wine glass so hard.

Monica was unhappy to see Grayson whispering to me. "Ella, do you know each other?"

A gentle smile appeared on Grayson's face. "There's nothing between us. She's just a subordinate of mine."

Everyone in my family knew that I was gaining work experience at another company, and that included Monica, which was why she said nothing.

Grayson came to Monica's side and looked at me questioningly when he saw me in haute couture. "Do you know each other?"

Monica acted like we were close. "We're cousins, and we have a close relationship."

Close relationship? Monica had always loved comparing herself with me and wanted everything I had. She even tried to get my parents to take her in as their daughter so that she could inherit the fortune that was supposed to be mine. I did not expose her and only sneered quietly.

Grayson looked relieved to hear those words. Even though we were from the same family, there was still a big gap between our families' circumstances. He probably thought that I could come to the party because of Monica, when, in fact, my father was the