I'd been dating my best friend's sister for a year, and just when I was trying to figure out how to explain things, he dragged me to a café to air everything out.
"My sister's been seeing other guys without telling me!
"I don't want a brother-in-law; we need to settle this ourselves!"
Before I could even react, he pulled me into the café.
Seeing the couple cozying up together, my heart sank, but I tried to keep my composure.
"Hey, sis."
She looked visibly flustered.
——
My gaze fell on the couple cuddling together in the café, and I felt a lump in my chest.
Beside me, Sean Harvey was fuming.
"My sister has been seeing other guys without telling me!
"Are we just not charming enough, or does she prefer someone else's leftovers? No way, I'm going to make a scene…"
Without another word, he grabbed my phone and dialed the number of the woman inside. I didn't resist; I just watched her reaction.
She picked up the phone, hesitated for a second, then answered.
"Hey, little brother. I'm a bit busy right now. Is there something you need?"
Her voice was impeccably professional, not a hint of casualness.
Before I could say anything, she added, "If it's nothing urgent, I'm going to hang up now. I'll call you back when I'm done."
And with that, she hung up decisively.
Sean was grinding his teeth in frustration. Without saying a word, he dragged me into the café and made me sit down right across from them.
My heart was heavy with bitterness. I forced myself to speak up, "Sis, are you busy...?"
She looked startled and flustered.
Julia Harvey and I exchanged glances, and for a moment, the air was thick with awkwardness.
The silence was broken when Sean spoke up passionately.
"Seriously, sis? This is what you call being busy?
"Busy with that pretty boy you're hanging out with, right?
"Tell me, sis, what do you think would happen if I told Mom and Dad about this..."
Julia was so frustrated she actually laughed, then raised her hand and slapped him on the head.
"Honestly, sit down. Your new brother-in-law is treating us to dinner today. Try not to make a scene when you go home." She glanced at me with a polite but distant tone. "Leon can join us as well."
I gave a small smirk and countered, "Just Leon?"
The atmosphere instantly became a bit awkward, and the young man next to Julia started eyeing me with a hint of scrutiny.
I smiled back at him, trying to keep my tone light, "Just kidding, Julia. I'm looking forward to the big dinner you and your boyfriend are treating us to."
Julia's eyes met mine with a clear sign of panic.
But I decided not to push it any further.
After finishing our coffee, Sean insisted on digging into the background of the new brother-in-law and followed him to get the car.
Julia got up to leave, but I pulled her into an embrace.
"Why?"
I asked her, my voice trembling more than I realized.
Julia and I, along with Sean, had grown up together. Julia was a few years older, having started school much earlier than us.
Since we were kids, Sean and I had followed her around. It wasn't an exaggeration to say we grew up together.
I had been pursuing her for over a decade. After finally getting her to agree to be my girlfriend, it had only been a year. How could she just change her mind so easily?
Weren't we supposed to announce our relationship soon?
I had even prepared a bribe for Sean. And yet...
I couldn't understand it.
She looked at me with a smirk and asked, "Do you have money?
"Can you make over ten thousand a month just after graduating?"
"Do you have a family business?"
My throat felt parched, and I could only shake my head. "I don't have any of those things.
"But I'm working hard to achieve them. Even if I can't get to ten out of ten, I can at least make it to eight."
She coldly laughed, "But he can.
"Some people are born into luxury, while we spend our entire lives just trying to touch a piece of that luxury.
"I've had enough of that kind of life, so I chose him."
