Chapter 4

4: 4

04

He'd come here specifically to catch me.

The second he saw Stan Weiss behind me, his eyes went red with rage.

At the same moment, the system chimed.

【Heartbreak points +10】

I flinched.

I hadn't expected Stan to have that kind of effect on Craig.

Craig rushed over, grabbed my wrist, and tried to pull me to his side.

Too bad. I didn't budge.

Because Stan suddenly stepped forward, hooked an arm around my waist, and pulled me tight against him.

He was like a different person, chin resting on my shoulder, voice low and lazy. “Sweetheart, you never told me you knew Craig James.”

So fake.

Such a snake.

I loved it.

Craig's face went green.

He blurted out, his voice cracking. “Stan, Miriam is my fiancée!”

Stan raised an eyebrow and said, unhurried. “If she's your fiancée, how come you never brought her around to meet any of us?”

Craig couldn't get a word out for a long moment.

The truth was, I'd always known the answer.

In Craig's mind, I wasn't good enough for him.

His friends were all sons of wealthy families, and their relationships tended to be between equals. I wasn't like that. My background was ordinary. The only thing decent about me was my education.

He thought I wasn't presentable, so he never once took me anywhere his friends would be.

Watching Craig squirm put Stan in an oddly good mood.

He shifted his gaze to Willa Chandler, who'd been standing silently behind Craig the whole time, and smiled.

“Craig, your engagement ring is on Willa's hand, and you're still calling her your fiancée? That's a little shameless, don't you think?”

My breath caught.

My engagement ring had been gone for a long time.

I'd taken it off in the shower and set it on my desk.

By the time I finished, it was gone.

I asked Craig if he'd seen it, and he snapped at me. “Miriam, how can you be so careless? You lost your own engagement ring!”

I really believed I'd lost it myself. I cried for a long time and begged Craig to forgive me.

It turned out Craig had quietly taken the ring himself and given it to Willa.

Hearing Stan's words, Willa's eyes reddened as if she'd been wronged.

She slid the ring off her finger and held it out to me. “Miriam, I didn't know it was your engagement ring. If I had, I never would have accepted it when Craig gave it to me. I'll give it back right now.”

“I just hope you won't keep taking it out on Craig. Please give him back the wedding ring. That one belonged to his mother.”

I didn't take it. I said calmly, “The ring's yours. And if you want the man, you can have him too.”

A flicker of delight crossed Willa's eyes, but Craig went pale.

He rushed to explain. “Miriam, it isn't what you think. Willa had a party to attend and didn't have the right jewelry, so I just lent her your ring to help her save face. She only forgot to give it back……”

The words were barely out of Craig's mouth, and before I could say anything, I heard a soft cry of pain.

It was Willa.

Craig's attention snapped straight to her.

“Willa, what's wrong?”

Willa kept her head down and said softly, “You were walking so fast just now, I twisted my ankle.”

“I'm fine, really. Go explain things to Miriam. Don't fight because of me.”

“Explain what? How could she ever matter as much as you? I'm taking you to the airport clinic right now!”

Craig scooped Willa up anxiously and turned to go, without another glance at me.

Once he was far enough away, Stan pulled a bored face, let go of me, and yawned.

“That Craig. Still as messed up as ever.”

Having gotten that out, he shut his eyes again, sleepy, back to the half-awake state from before.

Seeing him like that, I didn't ask anything more. I got him into a cab and took him to the hotel.

Stan was a spoiled heir through and through. The moment we walked into the hotel, he ordered me to make up his bed with the silk sheet set he'd brought.

I almost turned on my heel and walked out, but looking at the dark circles under his eyes, I forced myself to let it go.

Never mind. I'd put him through the wringer these past few days.

And I'd still need him to keep playing along later, so I'd help him this once.

Only after I'd made Stan's bed and lit the scented candles was I allowed to leave.

The moment I stepped out, I ran into Craig, who'd just gotten back.

As it happened, his room was right across from Stan's.

He glanced at me, then caught a glimpse of Stan moving inside the room, and lost it completely.

“Miriam, the two of you are actually sharing a room!”

The words were barely out when Stan came out of the room too and stood behind me.

He draped his arm over my shoulder, his knuckled fingers landing right at my collarbone.

Craig's pupils shrank sharply.

On Stan's hand, there was actually——