Rejecting Me for Another

Sure enough, Beverly's focus shifted upon hearing what I said.

She furrowed her brows, her gaze instantly turning cold.

"I've already explained myself many times. I don't want to discuss such a pointless topic with you anymore."

With that, she turned and walked into the bedroom. Moments later, she came out with a change of clothes.

"You clearly need some time to calm down. Once you're calmer, I'll come back and talk things over with you."

Just before she left, through the gap in the closing door, she added with disappointment, "Raymond, I'm disgusted by how petty you are now."

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

At that moment, my mind started to buzz all of a sudden.

Pointless topic? Petty?

I never thought she'd come to be this disgusted with me.

As I felt the familiar sting in my eyes again, the chill returned to my barely warmed fingers. I sat blankly on the couch, not knowing how much time had passed.

What Beverly didn't know was that the current me was the calmest I had ever been.

I checked the company's recent business operations on my phone and estimated the value of the shares I held.

Suddenly, a local trending news alert popped up on my phone.

It featured two very familiar people and a few candid photos.

"Renowned entrepreneur Beverly Galvan is living with her husband after marriage. The couple was seen together, and she is possibly pregnant!"

In the photo, Beverly was smiling radiantly, walking arm in arm with Timothy in a park.

At the end, the two entered the same villa together.

A surge of betrayal overwhelmed me once again.

No wonder she could walk out so easily with just a few clothes—telling me to "calm down" was merely an excuse to leave.

Once I was calmer and exited the trending news page, I received a message from Beverly.

"Raymond, I forgot a box in the safe. Could you bring it over for me? I'm at Timothy's villa."

Though I was surprised she would suddenly message me like this, I knew the items in the safe were important.

After thinking it over for a while, I decided to bring the box to her, afraid I'd be delaying something.

…

In front of Timothy's villa, Beverly was sitting on a swing, and Timothy was patiently pushing her from behind.

The moment I showed up, it was like I had ruined their peaceful, beautiful moment.

"Raymond, you're here. I haven't seen you in ages."

Timothy spoke as he went around the swing, whereas Beverly's face instantly clouded over.

She glared at me, eyes wide and blazing with fury.

"Who told you to come? Raymond, you're seriously unbelievable! Are you actually stalking me now?"

Before I could even say a word, she already looked ready to tear me apart.

"Beverly, I asked Raymond to come. Since you said that the heirloom in the safe was for me, I couldn't wait any longer and asked him to bring it to me. If you're going to yell at someone, you can yell at me."

Upon seeing how pitiful Timothy seemed, Beverly instantly relaxed her tightly furrowed brows.

Even her tone softened when she answered, "How could I ever yell at you? I already said it was a gift for you. Since Raymond is already here with it, I'll put it on you now."

Beverly approached me before coldly snatching the box from my hands.

That was when I realized that there wasn't anything particularly important inside the box that was business-related—it was the only bracelet her mother left behind after passing away.

Back when the company was at its lowest, Beverly had pawned it.

I once saw her staring at a photo of it on her phone in a daze. I then decided to sell my blood to raise money and get the bracelet back for her.

Later, she told me that this bracelet could only be passed on to the future son-in-law of the Galvan family, so I waited for a long, long time.

Never did I expect that today, she would give it to Timothy. Her message couldn't have been clearer.

I bit down hard on my tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I struggled to suppress my emotions.

"Now that the item has been delivered, I'll take my leave."

I had just taken two steps when Timothy suddenly grabbed me.

The bracelet was already on his wrist, swaying with his every move.

"Raymond, why are you leaving in such a hurry? Do you not want to see me? I know you've never liked me since we were children.

"You always thought our parents favored me, and you resent me because of that!"

I had to admit, in that moment, Timothy stirred up every emotion I had kept buried. Even if I no longer cared about the bracelet, he just had to bring up our childhood.

Ever since we were children, he bullied me, stole everything from me, and now he was even stealing my woman!

Right then, my emotions erupted like a volcano.

I had just raised my hand and had not even touched Timothy when he suddenly let out a shrill scream. He collapsed, clutching his stomach in agony.

Beverly rushed over, shoved me to the ground, and gently helped Timothy up. "Raymond, are you insane? You already know that Timothy's unwell, yet you still pushed him!"

I hit the floor, scraping the skin off my palm, creating a bloody open wound. However, even this pain was nothing compared to the pain I felt from hearing her harsh words.

"You're absolutely heartless! How could you do this to your own brother? A man like you doesn't deserve to be my boyfriend!"

"Don't say that, Beverly. It's my fault for upsetting him, so I made him push me. I'm already happy that you care so much about our child. I'll head back to my parents' place tomorrow so that I won't be an eyesore to Raymond anymore."

He stood up and turned around, about to leave, but Beverly grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Timothy, this isn't your fault. You don't have to go!"

She turned back to me, eyes cold and voice sharp.

"If anyone should leave, it's the cruel and heartless Raymond! Besides, I bought this villa for you. What right does he have to be here?"

I stared at Beverly in disbelief. My breath hitched, and I found myself speechless.

Right—every inch of this place belonged to Beverly and Timothy. What did any of it have to do with me?

Since I wasn't welcome, there was no reason for me to stay here any longer. Through clenched teeth, I forced out, "Fine. I'll leave."

Before leaving, I gazed at Beverly calmly, adding, "Your marriage to Timothy has already made the headlines. There are also pictures of you hanging out in a park and returning to this villa."

For a split second, a look of guilt crossed Beverly's gaze. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. In the end, she merely lowered her head in a panic and gently comforted the "startled" Timothy.

I limped out of the neighborhood and waited by the curb for a cab.

Soon, Erika's car pulled up in front of me.

She was Beverly's best friend and also an investor in the company.

"Did Beverly send you?" I asked.

Erika was silent for a moment before answering, "Well, yes and no."

I frowned, not quite understanding what she meant.

Leaning lazily against her car, she elaborated, "She called and said you two had a fight. But if it were anyone else, I wouldn't have bothered coming."

After thinking it over, I got in her car.

It was late, and it was hard to get a ride in a place like this anyway.

Erika took me to the hospital to get my hand treated.

…

By the time I got back home, it was already the middle of the night.

Right after I thanked Erika, she abruptly mentioned, "If you want to get back at Beverly, I'm willing to help you."

I gave a mocking smile. "You two are thick as thieves, and you're talking about getting back at her?"

All of a sudden, she cornered me with my back to the car door, her fingers gripping my collar. "How would you know if I'm on her side if you don't even try?"

Calling her crazy, I quickly flung the door open and escaped.

…

The next morning, I drafted a share transfer agreement before heading to the company, ready to sell off all my shares and leave this city that sickened me.

When I found Erika, I directly named my asking price, but to my surprise, she suddenly lunged at me, pinning me against the chair.

She deliberately unbuttoned her shirt, revealing a small part of her chest.

Staring at me with frustration, she asked, "Raymond, why are you so stubborn? If Beverly can have a child with your brother, then why can't you have one with her best friend and piss her off completely?"

My mind spiraled into chaos at once.

Beverly kept claiming that Timothy was sick, but he didn't look sick to me.

When I heard what Erika said, it was like the veil had been lifted from the truth.

I hadn't dared consider it before, but now it seemed like this was the only explanation that made sense.

Just then, Beverly arrived at the office.

I watched as Timothy carefully supported her into her office and sat her down, where she had laid out all sorts of sweet treats for him.

A cold smile curled on my lips.

Beverly had better not blame me for being heartless when she brought this upon herself.