During college, I broke the heart of the richest, most sought-after heiress around. Three years later, my apartment’s pipes burst in the middle of the night, so I crashed at my friend’s place. In the dark, I stumbled into the guest bedroom, only to end up lying next to her. She smirked with a wicked grin, “What’s this? Rekindle an old affair?” Panic hit me like a freight train, and I tried to bolt, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “What’s wrong? You think you can just leave after showing up?” In my dream, there was warmth in my arms, soft and sweet. Just as my heart began to race and I was about to make my move, a sharp pain jolted through my ear. I shot awake, only to be met with the very pair of bright eyes that had haunted my dreams for years. Below them, her lips moved, teasing and cold. “Elias, it’s been so long, and now you sneak into my room? What’s this? Rekindle an old affair?” Panicked, I pulled my ear free and jumped out of bed, my face a kaleidoscope of red and pale. It was Cassandra Brooks, my ex-girlfriend. What the hell was I doing in bed with her? Her long hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and she wore nothing but a thin, nearly transparent camisole. Her curves were impossible to ignore. I stammered, “Why… why are you here?” “I should be asking you that.” Guilt weighed me down as I tried to make a quick escape, but she grabbed my wrist, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “What’s wrong? You think you can just leave after showing up?” How the hell was I supposed to know that after my apartment’s pipes burst, crashing at my buddy’s place in the middle of the night would land me in bed next to her? The commotion must have woken the owner of the house. Logan Bennett shuffled toward us in his pajamas, his voice cutting through the hallway before he even stepped in. “What the hell are you yelling about in the middle of the night?” When he finally saw me, his eyes went wide with disbelief. “Holy shit! What are you doing here?” I let out a helpless laugh. “My pipes burst, so I came to crash here.” Logan pulled me aside, his expression shifting into one of exaggerated amusement. “She’s my cousin. Don’t tell me… you two just spent the night together?” I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. Of all the people in the world, Cassandra Brooks was the last person I wanted to see. She was the girl I had once loved with all my heart, but fate had never been on our side.
Back in college, Cassandra was the untouchable goddess of our school. The first time I saw her at a club event, it was love at first sight. I heard she was a rich girl, one of those people who had their heads in the clouds and their feet nowhere near the ground. But then, one day, fate gave me a chance. She sprained her ankle in the locker room and hobbled out, her face pale and slick with sweat. I happened to walk by, and without a second thought, I scooped her up and carried her to the infirmary. From that day on, we became friends. I soon discovered that behind her aloof exterior, she was surprisingly down-to-earth. She had a habit of forgetting things, always losing track of her belongings. She would text me constantly, asking me to pick up this or bring her that. “You’re the most attentive guy in the world,” she once told me. “You know all my favorite things and always cheer me up. Are you sure you don’t have a girlfriend? You seem way too experienced for this.” I laughed. “Nope. You’re the first.” Her eyes sparkled as she reached out and held my hand for the first time. As we spent more time together, I realized why people called her a goddess. It wasn’t just her beauty. She was the queen of her elite social circle, effortlessly charming, and always in control. But she confided in me, saying she hated the pretentiousness of her world and found my simplicity refreshing. It made me happy. I introduced her to the joys of a more grounded life. Whenever I earned a little extra money from helping my professor with research, I would take her out to eat at food stalls and hole-in-the-wall diners. Sometimes, she would offer to pay, but I always refused. “Paying the bill is a man’s responsibility,” I told her. I couldn’t give her the luxurious life she was used to, but I gave her everything I could. Those days felt like heaven. But our love was fragile. Ordinary. The kind of love that couldn’t withstand a storm.
One day, Adrian Cross, a guy from another department, showed up out of nowhere. “I’m Cassandra’s fiancé,” he said. “Stay away from her.” I stared at him in shock. “She’s never told me she’s engaged.” “It’s an arrangement between our families. You think you can be her boyfriend? What can you offer her? Drag her down?” I didn’t believe him, and we argued. He smirked arrogantly. “Let me show you her world.” He had me disguise myself, and then he took me to a lavish villa. There she was, perfectly poised with immaculate makeup, her hair swept up elegantly. She wore a custom gown that highlighted her beauty, moving through the crowd like royalty. She was the hostess, exuding grace and confidence as she charmed every guest. Adrian turned to me with a sneer. “Look at her. She’s a queen, and you’re nothing but a nobody. She doesn’t need a guy who takes her to street food stalls. She needs someone who can stand beside her, shoulder to shoulder.” I glanced down at my sneakers and jeans, feeling completely out of place. But I clenched my jaw and said, “She likes me just the way I am.” Adrian laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. “Sure. She likes a lot of guys like you. Check her phone if you don’t believe me. The contacts in her phone are categorized. Our circle is one group, and you… you’re in another.” The next day, I couldn’t resist. When Cassandra left to use the restroom, I took a peek at her phone. Sure enough, I found myself listed as a code and a number, grouped with several others. When she returned, I asked her directly. “Am I boring you?” She blinked in surprise. “Boring? No way. I love spending time with you. You make me feel relaxed. I don’t have to pretend around you.” “Do you feel that way about anyone else?” She tilted her head, considering. “Well, there are a few others, I guess.” My heart sank. “And in your future, is there a place for me?” “Of course,” she said with a teasing smile. “You’ll come to work with me at my family’s company. There’s this trendy term now, ‘live-in son-in-law.’ What do you think?” She looked at me playfully as if it were all a harmless joke. But it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to stand as her equal. One night, after we finished a movie, something inside me gave out. “Let’s break up,” I said. Her eyes widened in disbelief, but her pride quickly took over. “Fine. But don’t come crawling back later.” She texted me after that, but I blocked her. And just like that, three years passed. I heard she moved abroad.
Logan’s jaw practically hit the floor. “So, you and Cassandra, huh? No wonder she was so down for a while back then. She wouldn’t talk to anyone, just locked herself in her room for weeks.” I couldn’t imagine her being sad over me. Her phone had listed seven or eight people in the same group as me, each with their own impersonal code. I was just one of many. “Getting dumped always stings. That’s nothing new,” I muttered, brushing it off. The next day, I had to go to work and figure out who could fix my apartment’s busted pipes. In the morning, I left quickly, not wanting to cross paths with her again. I worked as a project manager at an IT company, and we had a major meeting scheduled with a corporate client. When my team and I arrived at the client’s headquarters, the person greeting us was none other than Cassandra. My scalp tingled, and I fought the urge to bolt. There was no escaping this. “The timeline for this project is tight,” she said, her tone cool but professional. “The workload is heavy, and many of the deliverables will require in-person meetings with me.” I nodded. “We’ve secured the bid, so we’ll give it our all.” She turned her gaze directly on me. “Elias, could you step into my office? I’d like to discuss some details privately.” I followed her, trying to steady my nerves. Her office was sleek and modern, with a stark elegance that didn’t quite match the soft, gentle image I remembered. The tailored suit she wore, though, fit her perfectly, accentuating her poise and commanding presence. We went over the project specifics, and I responded to each point. Then she asked a question out of nowhere. “With such a demanding project, won’t your girlfriend mind you working late nights?” I shook my head, unsure why she cared. And then, for reasons I couldn’t explain, I blurted out, “Will your boyfriend mind you pulling late nights with us?” She leaned back in her chair, speaking slowly. “My boyfriend? He’s temperamental, a bit spoiled.” The words stung. I figured she meant Adrian, and the thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. “Then maybe you shouldn’t stay too late,” I said awkwardly. “We can update you on any issues in the morning.” She didn’t reply, just stared at me for a moment before getting up and sitting down next to me.
I scooted away, trying to keep my distance. She reached out and grabbed my sleeve. “Why did you block me? If we can’t be lovers, can’t we at least be friends?” Her words twisted something inside me. Did she really think I had a choice? She leaned in closer, her breath brushing against my face, carrying a faint, familiar fragrance. ” Elias, I…” Cassandra started, but before she could finish, a knock on the door interrupted us. Adrian walked in and said, “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you had a guest.” He stopped abruptly when he saw me. Then he turned to me, his eyes narrowing. “Well, well, if it isn’t Elias. Long time no see. I hear you’re a project manager now. Congrats.” The sight of him dredged up old memories, filling my chest with a sour jealousy that I struggled to suppress. He strolled over to Cassandra and casually slipped an arm around her waist. “What do you feel like eating tonight?” he asked her, his tone intimate. “I’ve already made reservations.” Then he glanced at me, smirking. “Care to join us?” I stood abruptly, gathering my things. “Thanks, but I already have plans. My girlfriend’s waiting for me.” I nodded stiffly. “Excuse me.” Cassandra froze, her expression unreadable, as I walked out under Adrian’s mocking gaze. My chest felt tight, and my long-buried emotions shattered into pieces. The girlfriend I mentioned wasn’t real. I was referring to Elena West, a former classmate who had pursued me relentlessly during college. Back then, I had rejected her. Years later, we reconnected when her family’s company partnered with ours on a project. During those months, she had organized countless dinners under the guise of client relations, always trying to get me drunk. Her predatory gaze made me uneasy, and I instinctively kept my distance. But at that moment, I needed her name as a shield.
I hadn’t expected this project to be with Brooks Enterprises or that Cassandra would now be running the company. I did everything I could to avoid her. Unless she explicitly summoned me, I stayed away. Even when she called for me, I always brought a colleague along to share the responsibility of presenting updates. I noticed Adrian in her office several times. He was relaxed, at home there. Sometimes, even during serious project discussions, Adrian would linger, casually listening or throwing in the occasional comment. The company rumor mill painted the two of them as a power couple, their relationship practically common knowledge. One night, when everyone else had left, I stayed behind, stuck debugging a particularly stubborn section of code. I was so absorbed in my work that I didn’t hear the footsteps approaching. A hand appeared in my peripheral vision, holding a cup of coffee. Startled, I turned too quickly and accidentally knocked the cup over, spilling its contents all over Cassandra. Panicking, I grabbed a napkin and started dabbing at the stain. But the moment my hand brushed against her, I froze. The fabric was thin, and beneath it, the sensation was soft and warm. Realizing what I was doing, I yanked my hand away and stood stiffly to the side, waiting for her inevitable reprimand. Cassandra sighed, “Go buy me something to change into.” I dashed downstairs to a 24-hour convenience store and bought her a blouse and a pair of pants. After a moment’s hesitation, I also picked up a set of undergarments. I had noticed the coffee had soaked through. When I handed her the bag, she stepped closer, pinning me against the desk. “You still remember my size?” she asked, her voice low and teasing. “Haven’t you noticed how I’ve changed over the years?” I turned my face away, my thoughts in chaos. “You’ve kept in great shape,” I mumbled. “But I did buy the top a size bigger.” When she emerged after changing, she looked like the girl I used to know, the one who had shared street food with me on warm college nights. She opened her mouth to say something, but my phone buzzed with a call that couldn’t wait. I answered quickly. “Yeah, I’m on my way.” I turned to her, holding up my phone apologetically. “I’ve got an emergency at home. Gotta run. See you.” Without waiting for her response, I grabbed my things and bolted out the door. The call was from my neighbor. Apparently, the repair on my pipes hadn’t worked, and water had leaked into his apartment. I had no choice but to return home shut off the water supply entirely, and accept the harsh reality. Just as the repairman had warned, it might be time for a full renovation. Once again, I turned to my buddy Logan for help. “You can crash at my place. I’ll be out on business trips all week,” he said. I hesitated for a moment before asking, “Cassandra isn’t staying there, is she?”
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