Rejecting Me for Another

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.