Bruce James, drunk and unconscious, collapsed on the king-sized bed. Beside him sat a beautiful woman with a damp towel in her hand.

She carefully wiped his face, not wanting to wake him up. She was busy doing her task when her eyes met Lucy Glen’s.

The woman’s face blushed in embarrassment. “Miss Glen,” she almost whispered.

Lucy looked at her young face and smiled. “Did you know Bruce posted on his Facebook that he wanted to marry yesterday? Are you his prospect bride?” she sarcastically asked.

The woman shook her head in panic. “No! No, Miss. You’re his girlfriend. Of course, he meant marrying you. I-I don’t deserve a man like him.”

Lucy mentally rolled her eyes. She didn’t know if this woman was pretending or was just plain stupid.

Everyone knew that a year ago, Lucy proposed to Bruce. However, the brute rejected her three times. He kept telling her he didn’t believe in marriages and told her to stop trying.

But Lucy didn’t take his advice. She threatened him by saying she would jump off a building if he refused to say yes.

However, Bruce didn’t care at all. He didn’t even talk to her. Lucy was so embarrassed!

It even became a running joke around the city.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at the woman. “Well, for the first time ever, Bruce James wants to get married. Because of you,” she said.

“I don’t steal someone else’s man, Miss Glen,” the woman muttered.

Lucy hummed but didn’t say anything.

The woman only stared at her.

Her last encounter with Lucy was during a family dinner four months ago. They talked and laughed in front of everybody, pretending to be happy with each other’s company.

Even when in private, they didn’t even acknowledge each other.

Before that, she had known about Lucy because of the jumping-off-the-building fiasco she pulled up. Bruce stayed in Lucy’s ward for a couple of minutes, and when he tried to leave, she cried hysterically.

Even with his lack of interest, Bruce tried to coax her before leaving.

Since then, the man has started to keep his distance from Lucy. Well, if jumping off a building wouldn’t turn a man away, what would it be?

Such an act most probably made people think that she was a lunatic.

If it weren’t for her family name and her relative’s power and connections, no one would dare to be involved with them again.

Lucy was grateful that she had arrived with a drunk Bruce tonight. She didn’t have to deal with him and could take her things immediately.

Finished with her business, Lucy found her way to the house’s door. However, she couldn’t remember where she had left her car key.

With the two-year-long relationship with Bruce, the only thing she could remember was their lovemaking. Nothing else.

She was on her way to the study room when she passed by the bedroom. The door was slightly open, so she saw Bruce waking up. He cradled the woman in his arms and called her, “My beauty.”

The woman, on the other hand, looked away. Her cheeks were flushed.

Lucy didn’t want to disturb the two, but she also didn’t have all the time to look for her key. Sighing, she knocked on the door to catch their attention.

“Where’s my car key?” she asked Bruce.

The man’s eyes instantly fluttered open. His arms, which were wrapped around the woman, loosened. He blinked while looking at Lucy. After a few seconds, he got up and went to the study room.

Lucy trailed behind him. She saw him take out a box of car keys.

‘Rich bastard,’ Lucy thought.

“You okay with driving now?” he asked, catching Lucy off-guard.

“Yeah. I’ve got a job in sales recently. I need to go out most of the time, so I need my car.”

“Oh,” Bruce sternly replied.

Lucy found her car key in the box. “Here’s my key. I’ll go now. Thanks.”

Bruce cleared his throat. “When will you get the rest of your stuff, by the way? I need some space in the house since someone’s moving in.”

“Oh.” Lucy understood what he meant. She glanced at the woman behind him, who looked uneasy and nervous.

“She wanted my assurance, and I want to give her that. Letting her stay with me in this house means I’m serious with her,” Bruce explained.

Lucy nodded. “I’ll get them this weekend,” she said.

Bruce's eyebrows furrowed. “Why don’t you get them today? Or tomorrow?” he rudely asked.

The woman immediately held his arm. “Bruce, don’t say that. Ms. Glen says that she’ll get them this weekend. I’m not in a hurry anyway,” she said.

Bruce’s expression started to relax. He nodded at her before turning to Lucy again. “This weekend, okay?”

Lucy watched the two of them for a while. In the end, she made a decision. “I’ve changed my mind. I’ll get them today so I won’t bother you two anymore.”

As soon as she placed the last bag inside her car, Lucy was already out of breath. She got in the driver’s seat and started the engine.

She glanced at the two persons behind. Bruce hugged the woman from behind and said, “Why are you looking at her? Your man’s here. You should only look here.”

Lucy turned away and scoffed. Without wasting any second, she drove away from the house.

The traffic light turned red. Lucy slowed down and took out her phone.

As soon as she opened it, hundreds of messages instantly flooded her inbox. All her friends were bugging her nonstop, asking her about the wedding preparations. Some were even calling her ‘Mrs. James.’

Because of Bruce’s cryptic Facebook post, everyone in their circle thought that he was pertaining to her. After all, they knew Lucy as his girlfriend. In terms of family background and status, they both matched perfectly.

Lucy sighed. She typed in a message and pressed send.

[He wasn’t talking about me.]

However, everyone seemed to ignore her reply and continued making fun of her.

All of a sudden, Bruce added a member to their chat group.

Everyone was surprised, including Lucy. The chat group was supposed to be for their circle of friends only! Why would Bruce add an unknown person, a woman, in fact, to their group?

Lucy’s phone repeatedly buzzed because of the new messages. Everyone was asking Bruce who the woman was.

Bruce: [This is Angelia, my fiancée.]

Only Lucy knew the truth.

The chat group went silent. A few moments later, someone dared to ask a straightforward question to him.

[What the hell?! If she’s your fiancée, then what happened to Lucy?]

Lucy groaned upon reading the message. She had to say something. She immediately typed on the keyboard, but Bruce had already sent a new message.

Bruce: [Why? When did I ask you to call Lucy ‘Mrs. James’?]

Lucy deleted everything she was typing.

Bruce was right. He never asked them to call her like that.

It had always been Lucy. Just Lucy.

Lucy couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. She typed a message again.

[Yeah, we weren’t even in a relationship for a long time. By the way, we haven’t told our parents yet, so don’t spill the beans, please.]

She watched her message appear on the chat box before sending a few random memes to make the atmosphere lighter. And to make them drop the topic, too.

A few messages later, Angelia Charles sent a ‘hello’ to everyone. Even in her message, it was apparent that she was a shy woman.

Of course, no one would dare disrespect Bruce’s girl. Messages of warm greetings started pouring in. Some even sent humorous messages, making Angelia loosen up a bit.

In the end, their friends liked Angelia. She was young and lovely, so they eventually warmed up around her as well.

Lucy noticed they were busy paying attention to their group’s new ‘member,’ so she exited the application and turned her phone off.

After she arrived home, Lucy busied herself unpacking her stuff before taking a shower.

After a while, she went out of the bathroom and cleaned up. She looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw Sherry Colin sitting on her bed.

“What are you doing here? You scared me!” she exclaimed.

“Aunt Zoe asked me to invite you for dinner. With her family,” Sherry said.

“Fine,” Lucy deadpanned before walking to her closet.

Sherry watched her rummage through her clothes. “You’ve been dating Bruce for almost three years now. When are you getting married?” she asked with curiosity.

Lucy’s body went still for a few seconds.

“He won’t marry me,” she quietly said and zipped her skirt.

Sherry thought that Lucy was just pertaining to Bruce’s ‘marriages don’t work belief.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, don’t lose hope. You’ve been through ups and downs together for years! The fact that he’s still with you until now means that he truly loves you. Don’t worry. He’ll propose to you sooner or later.”

‘Or never,’ Lucy wanted to say.

She gave Sherry a small smile but stayed silent. When she opened her bedroom door, she heard familiar voices talking downstairs. She stood on the staircase to peek when her gaze immediately met Brandon’s.

“Hi, Darling,” Bruce greeted her. Beside him was her uncle.

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek. “Hi.”

“Mom told me you’ll join us for dinner, so I came here to pick you up,” he sweetly said. His tone was far different from when he discussed the stock market with Lucy’s uncle.

But only Lucy and he knew the truth. Everything they showed to people, even their families, was just a façade.

Lucy remembered the time Bruce rejected her proposal. The man told his friends that he had slept with her a ton of times and that he had already had enough.

“So, what’s the point of marrying her?” he laughed.

Lucy shook her head.

“Let’s go,” she said without looking at him.

Sherry looked at her with disapproval. “Don’t be rude, Lucy!”

“She’s been moody for the past few weeks, Aunt Sherry. She hadn’t been home for four months and rarely called me during those times. Hmm…” Bruce said with fake suspicion.

Lucy looked at him. She couldn’t decipher if Bruce had already begun his plan. He acted so sweet in front of other people but also made her look like a bad girlfriend. Perhaps he wanted people to think it was Lucy’s fault once they announced their breakup.

Lucy made a face but decided not to argue.

“But we’re fine, Aunt Sherry. Lucy is my future wife, and I don’t want that to change. I will do everything for our relationship to work,” Bruce muttered while looking at Lucy. He took her bag, grabbed her hand, and started walking.

As soon as they stepped out of the house, Lucy removed her hand from his grasp.

Bruce looked at her coldly. “My mother will probably convince us to get married later. Again. If I refused her whim, she’d get mad. We have to figure out some ways.”

And that way was to make Lucy appear like the bad girlfriend.

Lucy knew that. “From now on, every time we visit our families, you’ll pay me before doing something for you. Your real girlfriend won’t mind, right?” she said sternly.

She needed money.

Every time she needed money, she always needed to ask her aunt. Most of the time, she felt awkward about it. So, her solution was to do whatever Bruce wanted as long as he gave her money.

After a moment of silence, Bruce finally spoke. “Fine. I’ll provide a credit card for you,” he nonchalantly said.

Bruce was right. Their entire dinner was filled with nothing but Zoe asking them about their wedding. She even told them about her friend’s grandson!

“So, when are you two getting married?” Zoe asked excitedly.

“As soon as possible,” Bruce answered while Lucy remained silent.

“Really?” Zoe asked with wide eyes. “What happened to your I-don’t-want-to-get-married speech?”

Bruce chuckled. “I’ve changed my mind, Mom. Also, I want to have a daughter.”

Zoe grimaced. “I prefer a grandson, though. Girls are a handful. You may have a hard time with a daughter.”

Bruce looked at Lucy affectionately. “Whatever my wife gives birth to, I’ll be happy.”

Then, he pinched Lucy’s face and tucked some hair behind her ear. Aware of the people staring at them, Bruce mockingly leaned to her ear and said, “Want to get married in April? I have a perfect day in mind. Let’s get our wedding certificates first, shall we?”

Zoe shook her head. “So clingy. Stop being PDA in front of us!”

Everyone at the table laughed. Zoe felt happy upon watching the couple.

A year ago, people thought Bruce and Lucy weren’t for each other. However, the couple seemed to prove them wrong.

Lucy and Bruce started dating when they were in college. Zoe witnessed their relationship and growth over the years. She was fond of Lucy because, aside from finding her innocent, Bruce genuinely liked her.

“I’ll cling to my Lucy whenever I want to,” Bruce said and looked at Lucy. “Darling, listen. After we get our certificates, I’ll give you my house and car. I won’t look at other women! If you ask me to go east, I’ll never go west. I will listen to all your rants all day,” he cooed.

Lucy slightly turned away when she felt his warm breath hit her face.

“Sorry,” she awkwardly said.

Zoe’s eyebrows furrowed. Bruce glanced at his mother before looking at Lucy again. He sat up straight and squeezed Lucy’s hand.

“I’ll give you some time to think about it. There are a lot of benefits in marrying me, you know.”

Lucy stared at him. She thought that if she wanted to play the villain, she needed to be good at playing her role.

“I’m not ready yet.”

The tension in the room remained palpable. Bruce leaned closer to her. “Alright. If you don’t want to get married right away, then I’ll wait ‘til you’re ready,” he said, enough for Zoe to hear.

Zoe remained to stare at Lucy. However, she realized she must be holding back because of Bruce’s past misdemeanors. So, she decided to let it slide this time.

“On, I’m just checking on you two. You’re both young, and it’s all up to you when you want to get married. Anyway, let’s eat? I cooked all this by myself!”

The dinner continued. The food was delicious, but Lucy had already lost her appetite. She brought down her fork and muttered an excuse to leave.

“I’ll see you off, babe,” Bruce said.

Lucy almost said no, but she instantly realized that his parents were watching them. She nodded at him and smiled.

The two of them waited for the car outside the door. Lucy let out a confused look when she saw a vehicle approaching them. It was different from the one Bruce used earlier.

In fact, Lucy wasn’t really unfamiliar with the car. Although, this car only reminded her of ugly memories.

Lucy and Bruce had lots of sex inside this car. It was safe to say that they spared no corner of this vehicle.

She didn’t expect that he still used this car.

‘Well, he must have forgotten those stupid days,’ she thought.

Still, Lucy felt disgusted by the thought.

Bruce was good at sweeping women off their feet. He was a known ladies’ man. With his looks and aura, no one would dare ignore him.

His all-time favorite line was, “Remember, darling, only I can satisfy you in bed.”

“Do you need me to drive you home?” Bruce suddenly asked.

Lucy knew that line very well. If Bruce really wanted to drive for someone, he wouldn’t ask a such thing and just tell them to get in the car. If he asked this question, it meant a warning to people to think about their answers carefully because he didn’t want to drive.

She shook her head and waved her phone. “No, thanks. I’ll call a cab.”

In a flash, Bruce went inside the car. Lucy could still hear his voice from the outside.

“Where are you? Let’s have fun tonight. My treat! You should meet my new girl,” he said on the phone.

And by a new girl, of course, he meant Angelia.

The disco lights illuminated the jam-packed club, and pop music blasted everywhere. Bruce stood in front of his guy friends. His hand his holding the aloof Angelia who was standing next to him.

The men stared at Angelia as they nodded their heads. They thought that their friend must be serious this time. She looked pretty but not as attractive as the women he had dated.

Perhaps Bruce was really fond of her.

“Hi!” Jack and the rest of the group greeted her.

“Hi,” Angelia timidly replied before tightening her hold on Bruce’s hand.

“Don’t you dare scare my girl, or I’ll kick your asses,” Bruce jokingly warned.

Jack let out a smile. “Aww, you found your little baby, man.”

Bruce raised his hand, ready to order his favorite drinks. A few bottles of beer and wine later, he noticed that Angelia’s eyes turned red even though she only had a few sips.

“What’s the matter, babe?” he said near her ear.

Angelia looked at him with hesitation. In the end, she lowered her head and sighed. “I don’t like you drunk, Bruce.”

“Okay,” Bruce replied. Then, he called a waiter to order a soda.

Jack laughed at Bruce. “Where on earth is Bruce? This isn’t him! This one looks like a lovesick puppy!”

The boys broke into laughter while Bruce playfully glared at Jack.

Jack instantly raised his hands in defeat. “Fine, that’s my last joke tonight,” he said.

Jack suddenly remembered a similar scenario from before. Lucy fought Bruce about his drinking habits over and over again. The woman started giving him the cold shoulder, but Bruce didn’t care. He continued his excessive alcohol intake every time he went out for a drink.

‘Who could have thought that this bastard will finally change, huh?’ Jack thought.

The truth was that Jack was attracted to Lucy. The first time Bruce introduced Lucy, Jack couldn’t take his eyes off her. Of course, he didn’t tell Bruce about it.

And since Lucy and Bruce were over now, he thought he might have a chance with her.

Jack took a couple of tequila shots and turned to Bruce. “Bro, you and Lucy are over, right?”

Bruce nodded.

“I want to pursue her.”

Silence filled them for a while.

“Oh,” Bruce finally said while pouring drinks for Angelia. He didn’t even look at Jack.

“It’s okay, right?” Jack asked.

Bruce coldly looked at him. “Why are you asking me? She’s not my business anymore.”

“Angelia—” But before Jack could finish his sentence, Bruce had already grabbed his collar.

“What the fuck, man?! Are you nuts?” he growled.

Jack raised his hands. At least now, he understood that Bruce was not kidding about Lucy.

“I’m not hitting on Angelia, dude. I was about to say that her fork fell off the table,” he uttered.

Bruce let him go and immediately called a waiter.

Angelia, on the other hand, felt relieved and satisfied. She didn’t know that Bruce was this serious about her. Of course, she knew she was just an ordinary person compared to him. She always thought that Bruce was just toying with her.

It was already enough for her to know that he really cared and respected her. She couldn’t believe that he would always go out of his way to make her happy.

Their little party continued. Jack was in a great mood. He grabbed the tequila bottle and poured some into Bruce’s empty cup.

“Come on, man, just this once,” he said, trying to persuade him.

Bruce looked at Angelia, asking for her permission. Angelia didn’t want to leave a wrong impression on his friends, so she nodded her head and smiled.

Jack hooted as they all emptied their cups. A few more shots later, the men were already wasted and drunk.

Angelia took a glance at Bruce, who had already passed out in their seat. She didn’t know how to drive, so she needed to contact a substitute driver for them.

Jack, whose mind was already clouded with alcohol, picked up his phone and dialed Lucy’s number. He drunkenly asked her to pick him up.

Lucy agreed to Jack’s request. Aside from being free, she felt it was okay to do it since they were in the same social circle.

As soon as she opened the VIP room, her eyes instantly landed on Bruce lying in Angelia’s arms. She stopped in her tracks, slightly taken aback. When she recovered, she gave Angelia a small smile and headed to where Jack was.

Jack was too drunk that he didn’t wake up from Lucy’s constant calls and taps on his arm. Lucy even tried to yell his name twice, but the brute didn’t even move.

Instead, it was Bruce who woke up from Lucy’s yells. When he saw Lucy, he immediately pushed Angelia to the side and hugged his ex!

He removed her grip from Jack and locked her with his arms. Then, he crouched and rested his head on her neck.

Lucy froze in her spot. Her wide eyes looked at Bruce, surprised and slightly alarmed. Bruce looked up at her, showing his drunk and unsteady gaze.

“Don’t hold hands with Jack!” he muttered like a spoiled child.

“You’re drunk, Bruce. Let go of me,” Lucy calmly said.

“No! I’m not drunk!”

Angelia stood up from her seat and looked at Lucy apologetically. She pulled Bruce’s arm, but he only tightened his hold on Lucy.

“Babe,” Bruce told Lucy.

“Babe!” Bruce muttered louder when Lucy didn’t reply.

“If you don’t answer me, I’ll get mad at you,” he mumbled.

Lucy looked at Angelia. “He’s looking for you,” she said.

Angelia glanced at Bruce, worried and nervous. She bit her lower lip. “Bruce, I’m here. Come on, let’s go home.”

Bruce stayed silent. The two other friends, who were not as drunk as the two, stood up and pulled Bruce away from Lucy. Angelia grunted as she hugged Bruce’s waist, feeling his weight since he was already sleeping.

Lucy went to Jack. However, she noticed Angelia’s stare directed at her. She sighed.

“Don’t overthink, Ms. Charles. He’s just drunk. He always hugs every person he sees when he’s drunk. And everyone in this room was addressed by Bruce as ‘babe’ once or twice.”

“Oh,” Angelia muttered. She kissed Bruce’s cheek, relief washing over her. “I guess we’ll get going first.”

Lucy stared at them as they went out of the room.

When they were out of her sight, she scoffed. She knew that Angelia’s little display of affection just now was her way of marking her territory.