Chapter 6: Stars, Courage, and New Beginnings

My palm started to sweat.

But I still didn’t let go. Instead, I gave Matthew a helpless, doting smile. “As you can see, we’re a couple.”

Matthew’s smile froze.

Ben flashed a sweet smile.

“Sis, I don’t mind your exes.”

“After all, what woman hasn’t loved a few jerks when she was young? Now that sis’s heart only has me, that’s all that matters.” He gave Matthew his trademark fake smile. “Sorry, Dr. Lane, not saying you’re a jerk, don’t take it personally.”

Matthew’s face darkened.

“Give me the pen, Matthew.” I reached out, palm up.

Ben immediately gripped my hand tighter.

Matthew looked oddly pleased, quickly handing me the pen.

The next second, I tossed the pen in the trash.

I smiled, satisfied.

Finally gone. I was so pleased.

I didn’t care about Matthew’s face. I left, arm in arm with Ben, leaving that unpleasant place.

As soon as we left the hospital, I suddenly stopped.

“Wait! Ben! You brat! You didn’t even get the chest x-ray!”

For Thanksgiving, our company had a week off.

The break was great, but after that, work was a madhouse.

I spent the afternoon in the office reviewing documents when the door was knocked.

My assistant, Lily, came in with a cup of Starbucks.

“Ms. Reed, your handsome brother is here again.”

I smiled helplessly. “Let him in.”

Ben often drops by when he has no classes. Every time, he brings the entire admin team coffee. My assistants are about to fall for him, gossiping about him every day.

“Vice President Reed, here’s your special—strawberry latte, just for you.” Ben magically produced a cup from behind his back.

The clear cup showed perfect layers of red, white, and brown—a wonderful blend of strawberry, milk, and espresso. I took a sip, and Ben looked at me expectantly.

“I learned this week. Do you like it?”

“Not bad. But what do you do all day?” I scolded. “As a student, just study hard.”

“Sis, I do study hard.” Ben skillfully went to the meeting table, pulled out his textbooks, and spread them out. “I’m just here to study. You’re busy, don’t mind me.”

I smiled and shook my head. Ever since Ben pretended to be my boyfriend to save the day and I praised him, he’s been getting bolder and bolder.

It’s like “spoiled and proud” is written all over his face. And he knows it.

After work, Ben and I were called home by our parents for dinner.

At the table, Ben didn’t hide how much he doted on me at all.

“Sis, try this pot roast. Dad’s really good at this.”

Yep, all the dishes were made by Uncle Tom.

Although my mom raised me alone, she has zero talent for cooking. After more than ten years, her food is just barely “edible.”

Luckily, Uncle Tom is a great cook and takes care of all the meals.

“Hey, Ben, you sure know how to look after your sister,” Uncle Tom smiled, giving me some food too. “I should learn from my son and take care of my ‘eldest daughter.’ Here, Autumn, try this barbecue pork.”

But before I could take it, Ben grabbed the pork Uncle Tom offered and ate it himself.

“Sis doesn’t eat pork.” Ben popped the food in his mouth, showing his dad zero respect. “Dad, remember next time.”

Under the table, I stepped on Ben’s foot, meaning: hey, knock it off.

But Ben acted like nothing happened. After I let go, I felt a bare foot teasing my pant leg, meaning: I won’t. I can do worse, so what?

Ben Carter!

This brat.

My face flushed, and Ben pretended to be extra innocent, asking why my face was so red—was the AC too high?

My fists itched. I wanted to use Ben as a punching bag.

While Ben and I were fighting under the table, Mom suddenly spoke up.

“Autumn, now that you’re successful, shouldn’t you think about settling down?”

The pot roast almost fell out of my mouth.

No wonder dinner was so good tonight—this was the real reason.

Over twenty-five, and you’re basically almost thirty. My girlfriends have long been driven crazy by their families nagging them to get married, and I always laughed at them. Now it’s my turn.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been busy with my career.

I graduated from State U’s top management program at 22, ranked first in GPA and overall. Several professors emailed me about direct PhDs, and I got a full-time offer from a big company during my internship. But after graduation, I chose to start a business with a few grad school friends.

Everyone thought I was crazy to give up such great opportunities and start from scratch, but I knew what I was doing.

Luckily, after four years of hard work, the company survived many hardships, finally established itself in Maple Heights, and entered a boom phase.

Now I’m not just the company’s number two, but I also hold 25% of the shares, making me a multimillionaire.

But no matter how great I am, in front of my mom, I’m just her daughter. Story of my life.

“Haha, Mom, of course I’m thinking about it.” Yeah, right.

My mom pressed on: “Didn’t you say you had a boyfriend before? When are you bringing him home for me to meet?”

Mom, that was months ago, back when I hadn’t broken up with Ben. How do you remember so clearly?

But Ben misunderstood and demanded, “When did you get a boyfriend, sis? How come I didn’t know?”

How do I answer that?

Should I say that boyfriend was you?

I was at a loss, about to explain to my mom that we’d broken up.

But before I could speak, I suddenly paused.

Why not just go along with it? Admit I have another boyfriend, so Ben will give up sooner.

I avoided Ben’s eyes, my throat dry and scratchy.

“...Right, Mom, I have a boyfriend.”

Ben still stubbornly asked, “You haven’t said who. When did it happen? How come I don’t know?”

Uncle Tom shot him a disapproving look, but Ben ignored it, still staring at me.

I forced a smile. “Marcus Ellis from Ellis & Grant Law. You know him.”

“Bang!” Ben threw down his fork and went upstairs.

“Hey! What a rude kid!” Uncle Tom yelled, and Mom tried to calm him. “Sigh, kids are like that...”

But I couldn’t hear any of it.

My mind was full of Ben’s angry, disappointed face as he left the table.

It felt like swallowing an unripe tomato, the sourness spreading in my chest.

“Autumn, remember to bring your boyfriend home for a meal next time,” Mom reminded me.

I heard myself say, okay.

Forget it, let it go.

I looked down at the little porcelain bowl, the pot roast Ben had given me piled thickly on the white rice.

Suddenly, I had no appetite.

Great.

I should be happy.

Finally, I can get rid of the persistent puppy.

That night, Mom asked me to stay over.

“Autumn, it’s been a while since you stayed at Mom’s. Stay tonight, and I’ll make you eggs for breakfast.”

I agreed.

After showering, I came out of the bathroom in my bathrobe and saw someone else in the room.

It was Ben.

He cornered me.

“Sis, when did you get together with Marcus?” He propped one hand on the wall, veins bulging on his arm.

I was silent.

“Sis, I pester you every day. When did you have time to date another man?”

“Are you lying to me, lying to Mom? Just tell the truth.”

“Say it!”

I looked up at him.

“Before Thanksgiving.”

“What?” Ben froze.

I frowned and repeated, “I said we were together before Thanksgiving.”

“I don’t believe it!” Ben grabbed my shoulders, too hard, leaving red marks.

“Sis is lying to me, right?”

I pulled his hands off and forced myself to be calm. “Why would I lie?”

“I was with him before Thanksgiving. If you hadn’t kept interfering, I would’ve had more chances to date him.”

“Don’t believe me? Want to see our chat history?” I pulled out my phone, almost daring him.

Just like I know Ben, I know his pride won’t let him check my phone.

Ben’s eyes reddened, and he almost shouted.

“He’s your boyfriend, then what am I?”

“The homewrecker?” Ben was almost breaking down.

For the first time, he called me by name, as if furious, spitting out every word.

“Autumn Reed, you have no heart.”

“Didn’t you always hate me clinging to you? Fine, as you wish. I’ll never like you again.”

My skin is pale, so the red marks on my shoulders looked especially stark.

If it were before, Ben would’ve rushed over: “Sis, why does it look so bad?”

He would’ve hugged me and acted spoiled: “Sis, it’s all my fault, you can pinch me too.”

I didn’t care about my wet hair, lay back on the bed, and closed my eyes.

In my mind, I couldn’t help but picture Ben pestering me before the breakup.

But when I opened my eyes, there was only the chandelier above, shining its harsh light.

My eyes ached, as if I might cry.

It’s over.

This time it’s really over.

Spring came, after New Year’s.

16

Sixteenth floor, executive office. Yeah, that’s me, standing in front of Lucas Grant’s desk, ready to start a war.

I stood in front of Lucas Grant’s desk and threw a stack of documents at him.

“Lucas, what’s going on?”

Lucas was the grad school friend I started the company with, along with Wendy Evans. The three of us co-founded the company.

Lucas provided the startup capital and managed the company, I handled most of the external negotiations and partnerships, and Wendy, a tech prodigy, joined with technical patents and focused on R&D for years.

Today, I found out Lucas authorized the latest product model behind my back.

“Lucas, this product isn’t ready. Releasing it now is a gamble. If something goes wrong, the company’s reputation will be trashed.”

But Lucas didn’t care. “Autumn, I know what you’re saying, but we’ve been working on this for so long. You know how much money we’ve poured in.”

“Our technology is already ahead of the game. Why can’t we use it?” Lucas shrugged at me.

We parted on bad terms.

Near the end of the day, my assistant Lily brought a large bouquet of fresh roses to my office.

“Ms. Reed, your handsome brother is here again.”

I smiled helplessly. “Let him in.”

She took the card and her eyes widened. “Hey, it’s really from Mr. Grant!”

Recently, Lucas and I have disagreed over the new product’s authorization. We just argued this morning, and the whole company knows.

Lily looked awkward holding the flowers. “Is Mr. Grant apologizing? But who apologizes with roses?”

My face darkened.

I knew what Lucas was up to. This wasn’t his first ambiguous move.

Lucas divorced last year. His ex-wife took 10% of the company’s shares. He used to own 51% and had absolute control, but not anymore.

Not long ago, he heard somewhere that Wendy once had a crush on me. Since then, he’s been worried Wendy and I would get married and kick him out, so he started pursuing me, intentionally or not.

At first, he didn’t even want to use what he thought were clichéd ways to chase women.

He privately invited me to dinner and stated his intentions.

He wanted me to marry him.

“Autumn, we’re old partners. I think we’d be just as compatible in life. Will you consider being my wife?”

I was speechless, thinking he was joking.

But his next words made me furious.

“Autumn, I know you’ve had plenty of boyfriends. I don’t mind your past. As long as you clean up your relationships, we can get a marriage license next week.”

???

Did Lucas’s ex-wife take his brain along with his house and shares? Seriously, what is wrong with this man?

“Lucas, you don’t mind me, but I mind you. Don’t you know divorced men aren’t worth much?”

After that, I left with my bag, ignoring his stunned face.

I thought Lucas was just having a moment, but I didn’t expect him to keep up his ‘pursuit.’

That night, traffic was good. The usually jammed bypass was clear, but I still felt exhausted holding the steering wheel.

Because my mom called me home for dinner again.

Unhappy at work, and at home I have to face relatives urging marriage.

Ever since I lied about having a boyfriend, my mom keeps asking me to bring him home for dinner, and I have to make up all sorts of excuses.

When I got home at seven, there weren’t many people, and my parents don’t like maids. I thought it would be quiet as usual, but opening the door, I found a lively scene.

Turn left from the entrance is the dining area. The table was full of dishes, and I saw Ben and a round-faced girl sitting close together.

On the other side, my mom happily waved at me.

“Hey, Autumn’s here. Your brother brought his girlfriend home. Come eat.”

“Hello, sis, I’m Mia Parker, Ben’s girlfriend.”

The round-faced girl wore a high ponytail and greeted me warmly as soon as she saw me.

If I were a good sister, I should have welcomed her warmly now.

But I just nodded coldly.

My mom was serving food to Mia. “Mia, it’s the first time Ben brought a girl home. Eat more.”

But Ben stopped her. “Mom, I forgot to tell you, Mia doesn’t eat eggplant.”

But eggplant is my favorite.

Something twisted in my chest.

I told myself, Ben has finally moved on, I should be happy, but my heart was sour.

Everyone enjoyed the meal except me.

Especially Mia, who blushed the whole time.

She must really like Ben.

A young boy and girl sitting together, smiling shyly under their elders’ blessings—how fitting.

But to me, it was especially glaring.

So many good dishes, but I was absent-minded.

After dinner, my proud mom praised my achievements to Mia, who looked at me with shining admiration.

But my heart was full of selfish thoughts.

Unable to face her admiring gaze, I fled upstairs.

I smoked on the balcony, savoring my resentment and bitterness. Nice, Autumn. Real mature.

Only when the cigarette burned my fingers did I snap out of it.

I smiled bitterly. Turns out I still liked Ben.

But what’s the use realizing it now?

Like a little sparrow I once rescued as a child, I hoped it would fly high. After a short time together, I let it go.

He flew high and never came back.

He wasn’t just my little sparrow anymore.

As I was lost in my sadness, someone knocked on the door.

Ben’s voice came.

“Sis, it’s me.”

I yanked open the door.

“Ben, what are you doing here?”

But Ben walked in and locked the door behind him.

With a wicked smile, he approached step by step.

“Sis, what else would you do in an ex-lover’s room?”

He put his arm around my waist. “Sis, you don’t look happy tonight. Do you still like me?”

He fiddled with my blood-red earlobe. “Mia just went for a walk with Mom and Dad. We have at least half an hour.”

I stared at Ben in disbelief, unable to believe what I was hearing.

Has this brat gone this far?

“Who taught you this?”

I pushed him out. “If you’re sick, go get treated. Stop acting crazy!”

But Ben stubbornly hugged me and put me on the bed. “What? Didn’t you teach me this?”

“You made me a homewrecker. Why can’t you be one yourself?”

I slapped Ben.

This time I didn’t hold back. The slap turned his face, and his cheek swelled up immediately.

“Madman! You’re crazy!”

I grabbed his hair, but he still stared at me, stubborn as ever.

How did things end up like this?

“You jerk! Is this how you treat people? Are you even worthy of that girl?”

Ben still refused to back down.

“Then when you dated others and kissed me, were you worthy of them?”

“Sis, we’re even now.”

I finally broke down in tears.

“No, no! I lied to you then!”

“Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!”

Ben hugged me, his voice choked with sobs. “Sis... actually, actually I...”

Just then, the door was flung open.

I panicked, not caring about my tear-stained face, and quickly pushed Ben away.

To my horror, Mia ran in toward me and Ben.

I thought I’d at least get slapped, but Mia grabbed Ben’s collar angrily and yelled at him.

“Ben! How dare you make sis cry!”

“I’ll fight you!!!”

It was chaos. I watched Mia punch Ben a few times, and before I could react, she rushed to wipe my tears.

Ben also pounced over. “Mia, get lost! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Stay away from sis!”

It took a lot of effort to separate them.

“Wait, what’s going on?”

Before Ben could speak, Mia beamed at me. “Sis, you’re so pretty!”

?

“Sis, I’m actually just pretending to be Ben’s girlfriend. Don’t worry—I’ve got nothing with him, because I only like girls!”

?

“Sis, I fell in love with you at last year’s alumni speech. You’re so beautiful and capable—you’re like the dream woman in our lesbian group. My dream, period.”

?

Ben nervously hugged me. “Mia, get away! Sis only likes me!”

“Sis, won’t you consider me? I could be your type—more ‘butch’ if you want.”

Things escalated quickly. I stared, still processing all the bombshells, when Mom and Uncle Tom appeared at the door.

My mom covered her mouth, Uncle Tom’s mouth formed an O.

For a moment, I realized our posture was way too shocking.

Ahem, let me describe: the parents were at the door staring at us. Ben was hugging me on my bed, Mia was kneeling on the bed with one hand on my arm.

According to Ben, I looked pitiful after being ravaged—red nose, red eyes, tear-stained cheeks, wrinkled clothes.

Plus tissues scattered all over the bed and floor.

Hmm.

Wonderful.

After a full-blown circus, the five of us finally sat in the living room.

My mom held Dad’s hand. “So, Autumn’s boyfriend is Ben? You were together before we remarried? And Mia was a fake girlfriend.”

The more my mom spoke, the lower I bowed my head.

But Ben quietly took my hand, wrapping it in his palm.

“Yes, that’s right.”

I stared blankly at my hand in Ben’s.

So, he’d already become a boy who could stand in front of me.

That night, I watched Ben argue with my parents, confess his feelings in front of them.

He made a vow to me in front of our parents.

Uncle Tom held Mom’s hand. “Kids will live their own lives. Why interfere!”

“Let them figure out the sweet and the bitter of love on their own!”

In the end, Ben and I were laughed out of the house by our parents, hand in hand.

But I knew our parents had accepted us.

Ben and I walked hand in hand under the stars.

For some reason, courage surged in me, and I finally made up my mind.

Maybe it’s cheesy, but maybe love really does give you strength.

I stopped and looked up at Ben seriously.

“Ben, I’ve decided to resign and start my own business.”

Ben gazed at me affectionately. “Then go for it, sis.”

It’s a risky decision. Looking back, I’ve always been like this.

I gave up a “bright future” after graduation to start my own business. After years of struggle, now I’m giving up a stable position others dream of to start over.

But now Lucas is stubborn, the company’s future is uncertain, and I don’t want to stay and fight with him forever.

I know what kind of life I want.

The night wind blew my hair. I smiled at Ben.

I asked, “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”

But Ben shook his head.

“I trust you, sis. Always.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll fail and go bankrupt?”

He smiled too, his eyes twinkling like stars.

“I trust you’ll always leave yourself a way out.”

“You’ll definitely succeed!”

Warmth filled my heart. Ben has always been like this. He won’t say, ‘If you fail, I’ll support you,’ even though he would. He’ll never say it out loud.

Because he’s the only Ben Carter in the world who belongs to Autumn Reed, the one who understands her best. The only one who ever could.

I grabbed his collar and kissed him.

Under the stars, we grinned at each other and ran home, hand in hand, hearts pounding, the world wide open in front of us.