Chapter 2Three Sweethearts, None for Me

From the Hayes' estate, I went to the Thorne residence.

As the maid was showing me in, Ethan was just ending a call. The moment he saw me, a smirk touched his lips.

"Liam just called," he said, walking towards me. "Said you tried to force a marriage proposal at his house and now you're trying your luck with me?" He put on his usual mask of gentle civility. "Anya, I thought we made it clear at the gala. We're not interested in you. We're not going to marry you. You should stop this."

I just smiled and nodded. "Which is why I'm here to deliver my wedding invitation."

He froze for a second, then that mocking smile returned. "Let me guess. You're pulling the same stunt your father did, hoping to corner one of us at the altar so we'll have to play along to avoid a scene? Anya, haven't you learned your lesson? We don't like you. And we won't do anything that might make Chloe misunderstand. You won't be able to invent another fake boyfriend to save yourself this time."

I shook my head, about to speak, but his phone rang again. His entire demeanor softened when he saw the caller ID. "Hey, Chloe… Okay, I'll be right there."

He hung up and shot me a look that said, You're on your own, before brushing past me and leaving.

It seemed that because of my father's stunt at the gala, they were utterly convinced I was trying to trap one of them into marriage. Fine. They'd find out the truth soon enough.

Mrs. Thorne came out then, greeting me warmly and accepting the invitation. "My Ethan just doesn't know how lucky he could have been," she sighed.

I was delivering the invitations myself because, despite the fractured friendship with the three of them, their parents had always been incredibly kind to me. After my mother died and my father threw himself into his work, I had spent my childhood rotating between their three homes. I would never forget the warmth and love they had shown me.

Just then, I saw a new post on Chloe's social media—a picture of the four of them at an amusement park. Perfect. That meant I could go to the third house without any interruptions.