Chapter 3: Brooke’s Downfall Goes Viral

Sure enough, Brooke set her sights on Carter. Once she learned he was really born rich, she practically glued her eyes to him.

Wherever Carter went, all eyes followed. Everyone in the business world wanted to cozy up to him, hoping for a connection. Even a little favor from a big company like his could set you up for life.

The most eager was Danny Harper, one of Jake’s cronies, who kept calling him “Mr. Evans” at every turn.

Carter didn’t even glance at him. He held my hand the whole time, asking me gently, “Baby, where do you want to sit?”

I pointed randomly, and Carter sat to my left.

Out of nowhere, Brooke appeared, pointing at the empty seat to Carter’s right. She bent over, pulling her already low-cut dress even lower, and squeaked:

“Can I sit here, handsome?”

Carter immediately pinched his nose, looking disgusted. “What’s that smell? Why does your perfume reek so cheap?”

He even waved his hand in front of his face.

Brooke’s face turned dark.

I burst out laughing. I don’t usually laugh at others, but I just couldn’t help it.

Carter looked at her coldly, not giving her an inch:

“Ma’am, you’ve got some nerve. Sorry, I don’t sit next to desperate, fake girls.”

Brooke…

“Whose girl are you? Come sit over here!”

Jake, sitting across from us, was fuming. He’d just dropped nearly a hundred grand on dinner, got nothing out of it, and now had to watch us flaunt our love.

His face was turning purple.

He’s always cared most about keeping up appearances, and now he’d lost it all in front of everyone.

Serves you right, jerk!

I was loving every second.

Dinner started.

Danny Harper raised his glass, shamelessly sucking up:

“Autumn is the most successful in our class—beautiful, capable, and now she’s found someone as outstanding as Mr. Evans. They’re a perfect match. When she was dating Jake, I always thought she deserved better.”

The whole class chimed in.

Jake glared at him, drinking glass after glass in silence.

I smiled. “Oh, but that’s not what you said back then. When I was dating Jake, you gave him awful advice—said men should always go for younger, prettier girls, that women over thirty have rough skin.”

“Didn’t you say that?”

Danny’s face fell.

The girls in the class immediately jumped in, furious:

“Danny, you jerk! Have you looked at yourself lately? You’re 31, greasy as hell, and you have the nerve to talk about others? Where’s your shame?”

“Look at that beer belly—pigs would be jealous.”

Even the guys distanced themselves:

“Dude, you’re giving men a bad name.”

Danny froze, still holding his glass, embarrassed to death.

Carter squeezed my hand tightly, as if trying to reassure me.

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and, in front of everyone, confessed his feelings in a slow, steady voice. It was the first time I’d ever heard him talk this much in public:

“I’ve liked Autumn for thirteen years. There’s no better woman in the world—she’s kind, beautiful, and most importantly, we share the same values and ambition.”

“When I found out she was dating someone, I was heartbroken, but I just wanted her to be happy, so I kept my distance. It’s not her fault she met a jerk—she’s just a girl who wants love and a good life.”

“In a way, I should thank her ex, or I’d never have ended up with her. But that doesn’t mean I forgive him for hurting her.”

“And I’d advise everyone here—stay away from jerks and fake girls. Your life will be better. Don’t let these people mess with your head or ruin your future by making you feel like you’re not good enough. That’s their problem, not yours.”

“Absolutely.”

Anyone with half a brain got the message—if you want to do business with Carter, stay away from those people.

The guy sitting next to Jake immediately scooted his chair away, terrified of offending Carter.

Halfway through dinner, Carter leaned over and whispered in my ear:

“Baby, didn’t I promise to help you get revenge today?”

“What?”

I was confused.

He gave a wicked little smile. “Look under the table.”

“What?”

I was baffled, but pretended to drop my fork and bent down to pick it up, glancing under the table.

I saw Brooke had slipped off her high heel and, in her black stockings, was running her leg up Carter’s pants in a very suggestive way.

But just as she made contact, Carter quickly shifted Ben Carter’s leg over so Brooke’s foot was rubbing against Ben instead.

Holy crap, this is wild!

Brooke had no idea what was happening under the table. She looked perfectly composed, chin in hand, gazing at Carter with all the charm she could muster.

Meanwhile, Ben, as sleazy as ever, reached out and grabbed her thigh. She thought it was Carter responding, so she went even further, resting her leg in his hand.

I was dying with laughter.

When I sat back up, Carter shot me a sly grin.

You little devil.

Across the table, Brooke looked as smug as could be. If only she knew the man she was flirting with was the creepiest guy she’d ever met. I wondered if she’d want to chop her leg off when she found out.

After dinner, everyone stood up to leave.

Carter got up and walked away. Brooke stared after him, confused.

“Carter, you—”

Carter raised an eyebrow, pretending not to know what she meant. “What is it, Miss Innocent Act?”

Everyone burst out laughing.

At the table, only she and Ben were left.

Ben grinned at her, his chubby face creasing, and called out, “Brooke.”

“Shut up, fatty!”

Brooke’s face went white as she realized it wasn’t Carter who’d touched her leg, but Ben.

Her expression changed like a chameleon—it was hilarious.

“Aren’t you leaving?”

Jake asked, still clueless.

“Yeah, I’m going.”

She was sweating, searching for her shoe, her voice barely audible. “Where’s my shoe?”

Suddenly, a female classmate shouted, “Who threw a red GUCCI high heel in the trash? It’s pretty nice.”

Another chimed in, “Isn’t that Brooke’s? She was just bragging about it.”

“Brooke, you were sitting nowhere near the trash. How’d your shoe end up in there? Practicing three-point shots last night?”

Everyone looked around at Brooke and Ben, still sitting at the table.

A guy laughed, “No way—is it what we think?”

“You two are really wild…”

“Jake, your girlfriend’s really something—cheating on you right under your nose.”

“It’s not what it looks like! You’ve got it all wrong!”

Brooke was red with embarrassment, unable to defend herself.

She’d flirted with so many men, but this was her first time getting caught.

I remembered when I was dating Jake, she used to flirt with him right at the table. Who knows what else she did in private.

Jake looked at her like he wanted to eat her alive.

She immediately teared up. “Jake…”

I couldn’t stop laughing.

I even joined in, mimicking her in a cutesy voice:

“Jake, look at them!”

The whole room erupted in laughter.

Jake gritted his teeth. “Autumn, enough!”

I clung to Carter’s arm. “What did I do? Your girlfriend cares so much she’s keeping you warm for winter, and you’re mad? Where’s your gratitude?”

“Didn’t you always say how thoughtful she was?”

Jake, humiliated, stormed out.

Brooke panicked, hopped over to the trash to retrieve her shoe, and ran after him.

“Jake, wait for me…”

“Brooke, wow. She’ll take anyone—even Ben.”

“Now that you mention it, Sarah, didn’t you hook up with her while I was dating her?”

“Chris, don’t talk crap.”

A female classmate spoke up:

“You guys fighting over Brooke—what are you, pigs fighting over slop? Embarrassing!”

—

I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. Watching Jake get publicly embarrassed was better than winning the lottery.

Carter turned my face toward him and asked, “Satisfied?”

I gave him a thumbs up.

You’re the best.

He pouted, pretending to be wronged.

“I sacrificed myself to have your back. You owe me.”

Then he tugged at his pants, grimacing.

“I need to burn these as soon as we get home. They’re filthy now.”

Me: …

After Brooke’s public flirtation with Ben at the reunion, word spread like wildfire. She became a laughingstock.

“I can’t believe she finally got what was coming to her. Last year, she stole my boyfriend and acted all high and mighty. ‘Admit I’m more attractive than you, is that so hard? Your boyfriend likes me, what can you do about it?’”

“Thanks to her, we know which guys are trash. She’s doing a public service for women everywhere.”

“Someone should give her a fake-innocent award. Wonder if she even dares show her face anymore.”

I replied, “She’s thick-skinned. She’s already after my boyfriend now.”

My friend, shocked, blurted out, “No way, is that little fake-innocent still alive? Where’s her grave? Your boyfriend must be ruthless.”

Just then, my boyfriend came over, holding his phone, looking annoyed.

“That woman called again. Block one number and she just uses another. Babe, watch me teach her a lesson this time.”

He put the call on speaker.

“Finally, you picked up! I texted and added you on Instagram but you never replied. Do you hate me?”

Her voice was syrupy, with sobs in the background.

“If you know I hate you, why do you keep calling? Are you sick?”

“I really am sick, pretty boy. If you add me on Instagram, you’ll see I posted about my severe depression. Because of what happened, I tried to end it a few days ago. I’ve wanted to die for a long time.”

Carter didn’t hold back: “So you’re still alive—are you calling to say goodbye?”

“Why would you say that?” she cried harder. “Did Autumn say something bad about me? I’m not like that. I’m actually a really good person. Jake came to me first, said he liked me and wanted to take care of me. He said Autumn just works all the time and can’t cook, and he didn’t want to marry a tiger. I felt sorry for him, so we got together.”

Listen to this garbage.

“Well, thanks. If you hadn’t taken in that jerk, I never would’ve gotten together with Autumn.”

“How about this—when you finally go, I’ll pay for your funeral. Don’t worry about anything, just rest in peace.”

Brooke broke down sobbing. “Pretty boy…”

Carter lost his patience and yelled:

“Stop calling me that! If my mom knew she’d given birth to someone as shameless as you, she’d want a refund. Call me again and I’ll report you for harassment.”

“I finally got the girl I love. If you mess this up for me, I’ll end you! Get lost!”

He hung up with a bang, muttering:

“What did Jake ever see in her? Even her voice is grating.”

I poked his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

“Look, she’s annoying, but she’s right about one thing—I really am a workaholic. Maybe I don’t have that much time to take care of a home.”

Carter frowned.

“You think I need taking care of? I’m 25. So what if you’re a workaholic? I love ambitious women.”

He hugged my waist and leaned in.

“Babe, give me a kiss.”

This guy is always asking for kisses…