1 My girlfriend, Luna, dragged me to one of her elite inner-circle parties. To liven things up, the table started a game of Truth or Dare. When I lost the first round, they asked me what color my boxers were. When I lost the second, they made me drink arm-in-arm with the women on either side of me. When I lost the third, they all started hooting, daring me to French kiss the scene's reigning princess. I shot a dark look at Luna, but she just laughed. "It's just a game, Carter. Don't be a coward." "Close your eyes, open your mouth, it'll be over before you know it," she said, just as she opened her own mouth to take a grape her best friend, Julian, was feeding her. She even gave his lips a little suck for good measure. I could usually tolerate their shady little games, but now she wasn't even bothering to hide it in front of me. I raised a hand, hooking my finger under the princess's chin, and let out a low laugh. "A French kiss? How boring. Let's play for higher stakes." … The princess, Stella Roth, stared at me with a flicker of interest. "Oh? And what did you have in mind?" I leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "A marriage license. You in?" "Fuck," she hissed, stubbing out her cigarette. Without a second glance at the others, she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. … As we walked out of City Hall, Stella had a wicked grin on her face. "Carter Graves, I've been chasing you for years and you never gave me the time of day. What's with the sudden change of heart? Trying to use me to make your little girlfriend jealous? You've got guts, I'll give you that." "If you're having second thoughts, City Hall is still open. We can go right back in and get a divorce." Stella just snorted, pressing her lips close to my ear. "Once you're on my pirate ship, you're never getting off. Now you just wait for me, baby. I'm going to plan us a wedding." As if she was afraid I'd back out, she snatched the marriage certificate from my hand and tucked it carefully into her inside pocket before leaving. I wanted to call my father, who was overseas, and tell him what I'd done, but I realized in my haste I'd left my phone back in the private room. When I got back to the door, I could hear them teasing Luna. "Damn, Luna. Your own boyfriend loses a dare and has to kiss another woman, and you don't even bat an eye. But now that Julian loses, you're all worked up? Talk about playing favorites." Luna's laugh was careless. "It's different." Those two words, combined with the protective way she draped her arm around Julian's shoulders, were like knives scraping my eyes and ears. "Oh, come on, we all know Julian's your favorite toy, but you can't be a sore loser. The dare stands. Julian has to French kiss the Davenport heiress." I pushed the door open, my eyes locking with Luna's. She didn't ask where I'd been or what I'd done. She just jerked her chin at me. "You're back? Good. Julian's too shy. You can take his turn." Her words were so absurd I had to laugh. "Luna, what do you take me for? If he was really so 'shy,' he wouldn't have his arms wrapped around someone else's girlfriend. If you ask me, he's shameless as hell." The room went quiet. It was awkward. Luna had been the one to introduce Julian to this circle. Everyone had seen how close they were, but Luna always insisted he was just her best friend. And since I, the official boyfriend, never made a fuss, everyone just got used to it. No one expected me to snap today. "Here we go again," she sighed. "How many times do I have to explain this? There's nothing going on between Julian and me. He's my best friend, which makes him your friend. What's the big deal about helping him out?" "And don't think I don't know you begged Stella to help you ditch the game. You didn't do a thing. So really, you're the one who was a sore loser. This is the perfect chance to make up for it. Don't ruin the mood for everyone. Are you going to do it or not?" "No," I said, my voice firm. Julian pouted, speaking to Luna in a whiny, passive-aggressive tone. "Wow, you really can't control your own man, can you? You're a real disappointment. Fine, I guess Daddy will have to handle this himself." He made a move to stand up. Luna yanked him back down. After shooting me a look of pure annoyance, she pulled Julian into her lap and crashed her lips onto his. As the crowd roared, they kissed until a string of saliva connected their mouths. After a full three minutes, she finally let him go. She wiped a stray bit of moisture from the corner of her lips with her thumb and shot a challenging look at the Davenport girl. "Miss Davenport, you don't mind if I take your place, do you?" "Hahaha, of course not! Luna, you're so possessive! And damn, what a kiss. I think Julian's knees are weak." Luna's gaze fell back on me, dripping with sarcasm. "There. You're too precious to be bothered, so I handled it. Are you satisfied now?" I'd always known she felt differently about Julian, but this was the first time she'd been so blatant in front of me. A bitter taste filled my chest, but I forced it down. I said nothing, just grabbed my phone and turned to leave. I'd just opened the door when a hand clamped around my wrist. Luna looked at me with exasperation. "Come on, it was just a game. Are you really this angry? You didn't want to do it, so I didn't force you. But Julian is my friend. How could I just stand by and let someone take advantage of him?" "Carter, be reasonable. Don't throw a tantrum with me. It would have been embarrassing for Julian. Be good." Even now, all she could think about was him. I ripped my hand away. "You didn't want to see him taken advantage of, so it was okay for me to be sexually harassed, forced into drinking games, and dared to kiss someone? Don't think I'm an idiot. Those last few rounds were supposed to be Julian's losses, but you rigged the game so it would be me!" "Luna, I can't stand your so-called 'best friend' anymore. I'm done. We're breaking up." Luna froze, a look of genuine shock on her face. Before she could speak, Julian came over and linked his arm through mine. "Hey, Carter, don't be mad. This girl is just too loyal, you know? It's all my fault for losing the game. Tell you what, I'll chug this whole bottle of whiskey as an apology, how about that?" "Don't touch me. Get the hell away from me." I shoved him off. He stumbled back, looking embarrassed, and reached for the bottle. Luna snatched it out of his hand. "Are you crazy? You know you have a sensitive stomach!" "Don't worry about it! Didn't you see Carter getting angry? Even if I drink till I'm coughing up blood, Daddy has to help you patch things up with your man." Julian tried to grab the bottle, but Luna held it away, her eyes darting toward me. I knew what she wanted. She wanted me to do what I always did. Every time Julian crossed a line, I would eventually cave for her sake and say it was fine. But not this time. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. A hard look entered Luna's eyes. She lifted the bottle to her lips and started chugging. "Luna! Don't! You're allergic to alcohol!" someone shouted. She didn't stop until it was empty. Then she smashed the bottle at my feet. "Are you happy now?! Julian already offered to apologize. Did you have to be such an asshole about it?!" "Carter Graves, you said you wanted to break up, right? Fine. I'm done coddling you. I guess that means we can cancel the wedding next week. Just don't come crying back to me when you regret this. The sight of you makes me sick!" Watching Luna, willing to trigger her own allergy just to protect Julian, I felt a surge of bitter irony. I used to be the one who drank for her at parties because I cared about her. She would always coo about what a good boy I was, but she'd never once asked if I liked drinking, or if it made me feel sick. I didn't say another word. I just pushed open the door and left. Behind me, I heard their friends trying to reason with her. "Luna, are you really not going after him? I've never seen Carter that angry before. What if he's serious? You guys have been together for seven years…" "Hah. He's just putting on a show. Don't worry, he'll come crawling back in a day or two. That spoiled rich kid needs to be put in his place anyway. Otherwise, how is he going to properly serve my parents after we're married?" The tears I'd been holding back finally fell. So that's all I was to her. A pathetic lapdog she couldn't get rid of. The thought of seeing Luna's face again made me sick, so I went to my other apartment in the city. It wasn't until the next day that I remembered: if we were broken up, I needed to get my things. I'd barely stepped out of my building when a raw egg, reeking and slimy, splattered across my face. A group of bleach-blond punks started shoving me. "You're Carter Graves, right? Think you're hot shit 'cause you're rich? Think you can bully our Julian?! You think his fans are just gonna sit back and watch?!" "Why'd you force him to drink with you? And you hit him when he said no! If you're so into forcing people to drink, why don't you go sell yourself?! I hate rich scum like you who throw your weight around!" "You're a menace to society! You don't deserve a woman like Luna! Julian is the one who's perfect for her! You should just crawl back into whatever hole you came from!" The building's security guards finally ran over and chased them off. Dazed, I pulled out my phone and saw my name trending. The headlines were bright red and impossible to miss: PRIVILEGED HEIR SLAPS MODEL, FORCES HIM TO DRINK IN SHAMEFUL DISPLAY OF POWER! ARTIST LUNA VANCE DEFENDS FRIEND IN BRAVE ACT OF LOYALTY! There was even a video, maliciously edited, of what happened at the hotel. The clip of me shoving Julian away was cut to look like I was slapping him. Him reaching for the bottle was framed as a moment of noble suffering. Besides being a model, Julian was also a minor influencer. His only response to the incident was a single post: It's all in the past. I'm okay. Thanks for all your concern, my loves. (Forced smile emoji) Of course, his fans lost their minds. I didn't need to guess who had orchestrated this media storm. When I got to our apartment, Julian was there, wearing my pajamas, lounging on the sofa. There were several angry-looking hickeys on his neck. Luna was watching him with a look of pure adoration as she painted his portrait. I used to beg her to paint me, but she always brushed me off impatiently. "Carter, I don't like to use my art for such boring things." But she had painted hundreds of portraits of Julian. He was her muse, she'd said. When she saw me, her expression shifted to one of smug certainty. "Couldn't stay away, could you? It hasn't even been 24 hours." "Carter, since you're the one who came crawling back, I suppose I can forgive you. I'm sure you've seen the news. Julian sprained his ankle when you pushed him yesterday. If you give him a foot massage right now, I'll release a statement clarifying what happened. Okay?" "Hah. Sorry, I don't make a habit of apologizing to backstabbing little parasites," I sneered. I turned and walked toward the bedroom. Enraged, Luna grabbed a heavy paperweight from her desk and hurled it at me. A sharp pain exploded in my forehead, and blood started to flow. "Carter Graves, watch your damn mouth!" She strode over and forced me to my knees at Julian's feet. "You need to take responsibility for your own mistakes. You are going to massage his foot, right now!" "In your dreams," I spat through clenched teeth. "Oh, sweetie, why are you so rough with your boyfriend? Is that what I taught you?!" Julian purred, still playing his part. "Carter is a delicate flower. He's always looked down on people like me. Don't force him. You can just give Daddy a massage yourself~" Julian, who had been enjoying the show, gave Luna a playful slap on the ass. Seeing the blood streaming down my face, Luna's expression flickered for a moment, then hardened into disgust as she let me go. She tossed a box of tissues at me. "See? Julian is much more forgiving than you are. Clean yourself up. Don't get blood on his portrait." So, seven years of our relationship meant less than a single word from Julian. How hilarious. I ignored the tissues and went to the bedroom to pack. When I emerged with my suitcase, Luna was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Wow, Carter, you're really getting good at this act. First, you refuse to wipe the blood off your face, and now this? Are you trying to play the victim?" "Don't think I'm going to fall for it this time. Unless you apologize to Julian for what you did yesterday, that story online is—" Before she could finish, Julian cried out, "Luna, the posts are gone! They've all been taken down!" Luna blinked, then turned back to me, her eyes filled with even more loathing. "You work fast, don't you? You paid them off, didn't you? Carter, this is what I can't stand about you. You think just because your family has some connections, you can do whatever you want to Julian. If you pull something like this again, I swear to God, the wedding is off." I was surprised. I hadn't done it. But hearing her words, I just said flatly, "Whatever. It's not like I'd marry you anyway." I didn't look at her again as I walked out the door. Back at my apartment, I'd just finished cleaning my wound when Stella called. "Darling," she purred. "Were you satisfied with my performance?" So, it was her. "I just saw the news. You went back to that party yesterday? Carter, you didn't change your mind, did you? We're married now, you can't just leave me for someone else. What's so great about that bitch Luna anyway, that you let her walk all over you…" Hearing the jealousy in her voice, I couldn't help but chuckle. "What are you talking about? Of course not. I just left my phone there and went back to get it." "And… thank you, Stella." Her cheerful tone returned instantly. "Then you're a good husband. And since you've been so good, I got you a reward." "Your mother's last work, that angel sculpture? I found it. And I bought it. It should be delivered to you tomorrow." I was ecstatic. After the sculpture was bought by an anonymous collector, I'd searched for it for years with no luck. I couldn't believe Stella had found it. The next morning, the doorbell rang. I rushed to answer it, my heart pounding, only to see Julian's smug face. He was holding the angel sculpture, turning it over in his hands as he sauntered in. "Sorry, I saw the delivery guy at your door and signed for it for you." "I hear this thing is worth two hundred million? Carter, you really are pathetic. You talk a big game about breaking up with Luna, but behind her back, you're still tricking her into spending money on you, aren't you?" "Anyone can see that I'm the one Luna loves. We're going to get married sooner or later. If you have any shame at all, you'll stay away from my woman. And my money." I looked at him coldly. "You're delusional. Luna didn't buy this. I lost interest in her a long time ago. If you want to be her trash collector, that's your business. I'm not interested." "Give me the sculpture. It's important to me." "Hmph. You say that, but you can't bear to part with a gift from Luna. Well, today, I'll help you let go." With that, Julian tossed the angel sculpture into the roaring fireplace. Without thinking, I lunged for it, but he grabbed my wrist, holding me back. "Let go of me!" "Fine. I'll let go," he said with a vicious smirk. He yanked my hand forward, placing it on his own head, and then screamed in mock terror. "Carter, please! Don't burn my face!" The next second, I was thrown to the ground. Julian was huddled in Luna's arms, his eyes red as he tattled on me. "Luna! I was just trying to talk to him, to get him to stop fighting with you! But he found out you're pregnant with my baby, and he called me a whore and tried to burn my face!" "You were the one who said you wanted a son as beautiful as me! We're best friends, I was just trying to help you! I can't believe he'd be so cruel!" I was stunned. I couldn't believe they were having a baby together. "I didn't touch him." After that brief explanation, I looked toward the fireplace. The bottom half of the sculpture was already charred. I had to get it out. But I'd barely taken a step when Luna's hand clamped around my throat. "Carter, now you're lying too? Julian is always honest and straightforward. He would never frame you. Are you too much of a coward to admit what you did?" The pressure was immense. I winced in pain. "Luna, I told you, I didn't do it! Let go of me! He threw my mother's last sculpture in the—" "Enough! Stop trying to slander Julian! I'm sick of your excuses! Today, you are going to kneel and apologize to him!" No matter how frantically I pointed at the fireplace, she wouldn't even look. Luna had her men hold me down. Julian's eyes glinted. "Oh, sweetie, don't be so hard on him. Carter's a proud man. And the floor is so cold, it's bad for his knees. It's okay, I'll help him." He suddenly grabbed my head and forced it down. He slammed my head against the floor over and over, forcing me to bow to him a dozen times before he was satisfied. "See? Now you don't have to kneel. Aren't I the one who really cares about you?" Ignoring the throbbing pain in my forehead, I scrambled toward the fireplace. But the angel sculpture had already been reduced to ashes. My mother had carved it for me after I was born, pouring all of her love and sorrow into it as she battled her illness. It was made from a rare, precious wood, a masterpiece of craftsmanship. A maid had stolen it and sold it, and I had sworn I would get it back. And now, it was gone forever. Just like my mother. Seeing me kneeling before the fireplace, sobbing, Luna's expression softened with a hint of pity. But then, as if remembering something, her face hardened into disgust again. "Alright, that's enough. Stop the act. You were the one who tried to hurt Julian. Don't play the victim now." "Get out," I said quietly. Anger flared in Luna's eyes. In front of me, she made a call and cancelled our wedding, which had been scheduled for the following week. "Carter, you heard. I'm having Julian's child. It was an accident, but I have a responsibility to take care of him and the baby. You shouldn't stay here for a while. Who knows what other twisted ideas you'll come up with to hurt Julian." "Don't worry, after the baby is born, I'll have him legally registered as your son. He'll call you father. But you have to change this vicious personality of yours. As punishment, I am officially postponing the wedding." She took Julian's hand and left without a backward glance. I watched, my face a blank mask, as Julian shot me a triumphant smile and held up nine fingers. The ninth time. This was the ninth time Luna had postponed our wedding for Julian. The first time, it was because he was going out of town for a photoshoot and was scared to be alone, so Luna went with him. The second time, it was because he had a cold and needed to be taken care of, and she told me not to be jealous, that they were just friends. And now, it was because she was having his baby. How utterly laughable. That night, Julian sent me a dozen videos. In them, Luna was lovingly painting his body with oils, her voice hoarse with passion. "Julian, you're my true muse. So pure and clean. Carter is just some tacky rich kid, coasting through life, reeking of money." "If his father didn't know Richard Carmichael, the international art master, and couldn't get me an introduction and provide me with resources, why would I have ever looked at him?" "My family is a family of scholars. If I married someone so vulgar, my ancestors would roll over in their graves." They had sex all over the house, from the living room to our bedroom, leaving no corner untouched. I covered my mouth, tears streaming down my face. Julian was a kept man, living off his "best friend" Luna, his modeling career nothing more than a hobby. And that was what she called "pure and clean." I had chosen not to take over my family's international business, instead starting my own company from scratch. And I was the one who was "tacky" and "coasting." I cried for I don't know how long before I finally fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. The next day, Stella called. "Husband, remember that rose manor in France you love so much? That's where we're getting married. It's all set up. You can come check it out whenever you want. If there's anything you don't like, I'll change it." I was stunned. How had she moved so fast? That rose manor was famous. They called it Le Jardin de la Déesse, the Goddess's Garden. I'd loved it since I was a child. I couldn't believe she remembered. Luna couldn't even name one thing I liked. When I arrived in France, Stella sent her new personal assistant to pick me up. The assistant first took me to be fitted for a custom-made suit, which was surprisingly exquisite. Stella, apparently suffering from a case of pre-wedding jitters, insisted I rehearse the ceremony with her. Our wedding, she declared, had to be perfect. When we arrived at the Goddess's Garden, we found Julian, also in a suit, and Luna, in a full wedding gown, arguing with the security guards at the gate. "The Goddess's Garden has always been open to the public! My fiancé and I are here to take our wedding photos. Why won't you let us in?" "I'm sorry, ma'am, but the owner of the garden is preparing for a wedding here, so it's closed to visitors for the time being." When Luna saw me, a guilty look flashed in her eyes, but it quickly turned to rage when she noticed the suit in the assistant's hands, a groom's boutonnière pinned to the lapel. "Carter, this was your doing, wasn't it? I told you, the wedding is postponed! Don't you understand English? It seems you still haven't learned your lesson." "Oh, by the way, you really scared Julian the other day. He's been having nightmares. As compensation, I promised him we'd do a wedding photoshoot. You'd better not cause any trouble." Julian's eyes were glued to my suit. "Luna, that suit is gorgeous! I want to wear that for our pictures, can I? Please?" When Luna hesitated, he pouted. "And you call yourself my best friend. You won't even do this one little thing for me. I'm so disappointed. You know my stomach hurts when I get upset." Luna immediately grew anxious. She turned to me and commanded, "Alright, Carter, I've said my piece. The wedding is postponed anyway, so there's no harm in letting Julian borrow the suit for a bit." When I didn't respond, her face darkened, and she reached for my arm. "Don't think you can get away with just giving me the silent treatment. Who do you think you are, sulking all the time? And another thing, until I've forgiven you, I don't want to see your face. Give me the suit, tell this man to let us in, and then you can go back and think about what you've done." But before her hand could touch me, someone kicked it away. "Try saying 'get lost' to my husband one more time. I dare you."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "385590", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel