Chapter 1

"Clara, I've decided to go for the business alliance." Alex Foster's cool voice sounded extraordinarily clear and loud in the quiet night. When his older sister, Clara Foster, heard his decision, she finally relaxed. "So, you finally have the heart to break up with that girlfriend of yours, huh? You two have been together for so many years, yet she refuses to meet me and our parents. I knew things between you two wouldn't end up well." Upon hearing Clara's confident words, Alex lowered his gaze before humming softly in response. "I was wrong in the past. I'll deal with everything on my side as soon as possible. I'll leave the wedding preparations to you. Just give me half a month." "You don't need to worry about the wedding. We'll get everything in order. Just get back to us on time. Mom, Dad, and I have put in so much effort to pick out the woman you'll be marrying this time. Her background, personality, and appearance are top-notch. I'm sure you'll be satisfied with her. "By the way, remember to call someone for me to your wedding. You remember my best friend, Estelle Jeffries, right? "When you traveled all the way to Jhecmel to study at the college there, you used to crash at her place for a period of time, didn't you? She took care of you during that time. Remember to invite her to your wedding." Alex didn't know how to respond. A long silence later, he finally replied softly, "She can't make it to the—" Before Alex could finish his sentence, the door was opened from the outside. He quickly ended the call before raising his head to see Estelle. Estelle raised an eyebrow. A grin appeared on her face. "I can't make it? Where can't I go?" "My wedding," Alex mumbled internally. But he remained cool as a cucumber on the outside. He replied flatly, "Nothing." Estelle didn't think much about it. She stripped her pantyhose absentmindedly while asking, "Were you on the phone with your sister?" Alex hummed as he got up to return to the bedroom. But Estelle grabbed his hand before pulling him into her arms. Her warm breath fanned across Alex's ear, making the atmosphere between them very steamy. "Then did you tell her what sort of relationship we're in?" Alex smiled at the question, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Didn't you say you don't want her to know the truth?" "It's not that I don't want to—it's just that I can't. Judging from Clara's personality, if she finds out that her best friend is dating her baby brother, she'll definitely fly here overnight just to denounce her friendship with me." Alex's eyelashes trembled slightly at Estelle's joking tone. Still, his voice remained calm. "So, do you view me as your boyfriend?" Estelle raised an eyebrow at the sudden question. "If you weren't my boyfriend, would I have lived with you for six years? If not for your status as my boyfriend, would I have embraced you the moment I came home? Would I do such things to you if I didn't see you as my boyfriend at all?" As she spoke, she rubbed her lips against Alex's neck, causing him to stiffen up immediately. He tilted his head in order to dodge Estelle's kiss. "I… I'm tired today." Estelle thought Alex was merely being shy, which made her chuckle. "My dear boyfriend, we've been together for so long. Why are you still so shy?" She ruffled Alex's hair before heading toward the bathroom. As he listened to Estelle's receding footsteps, he finally repeated that term under his breath. Boyfriend? Wasn't he just a replacement? Eight years ago, Alex met Estelle for the very first time. She and Clara were college roommates. Since they shared a tight-knitted relationship, Clara would always take Estelle out for shopping. Sometimes, they'd even go back to Clara's home for meals. Teenagers were prone to love at first sight. In Alex's case, the moment he laid his eyes on the cold yet enchanting Estelle for the first time, he fell in love with her right away. After that, Alex graduated from high school. Estelle graduated from college as well, so she returned to Jhecmel, her hometown. Since Alex missed Estelle terribly, he decided to enroll at a college in Jhecmel despite his family's objections. It was Alex's first time moving into a brand new city, so he wasn't familiar with how things worked. Not to mention, he was also an introverted and reserved young man. Clara was worried about him managing on his own in Jhecmel, so she entrusted him to Estelle. She even got him to move into Estelle's apartment for the time being. At first, Alex and Estelle didn't interact with each other much. He was busy with his studies, whereas she spent her days racing and dating. At that time, Estelle frequently changed her boyfriends every now and then. Things changed during Alex's second semester in his freshman year. One night, Estelle stumbled home in an extremely intoxicated state. Flustered, Alex did his best to take care of her. It was already late at night. As he gazed at the sleeping woman on the couch, he found himself raising his hand, hoping to iron out the wrinkled knot between her brows. The moment his finger touched her forehead, Estelle's eyes flew open abruptly. After cracking her eyes open, she asked in a casual yet seductive tone, "You like me, right?" With his thoughts exposed, Alex shot up to his feet. "N-No…" Estelle merely smiled flippantly. "If that's not the case, then why does your face turn so red whenever you see me?" Alex didn't expect Estelle to notice him every time he snuck a look at her. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. But Estelle just giggled as she placed her hand on the back of his head before pulling him down for a kiss. Alex immersed himself in the gentle kiss that went on for too long. He couldn't bring himself to stop kissing Estelle at all. After sharing a night of passion, Alex's tranquil life went through a massive change. Estelle, the well-known playgirl, finally settled down. She focused on her relationship with Alex. At the same time, Alex rejected his family's request to go for a business alliance in their hometown numerous times. He was adamant on staying in Jhecmel so that he could be with Estelle. Clara often asked Alex if he had a sweetheart in Jhecmel and if she was the reason behind his six-year stay in that city. During those times, Alex badly wanted to come clean about his relationship with Estelle. He wanted to let everyone know that he was dating Clara's best friend. But Estelle kept stopping him. For so long, Alex didn't know the reason behind Estelle's reluctance. The answer came a few days ago. That night, Estelle had too much to drink at a gathering. When Alex picked her up from the restaurant, one of Estelle's friends, who was extremely drunk, pointed at him sympathetically. "How could a guy as innocent as you fall into Estelle's trap as well? Young man, I'm telling you, do not fall in love with Estelle! That woman is heartless, you know? You and all of her ex-boyfriends… are just Jared's replacements at the end of the day." This was Alex's first time hearing Jared Leek's name. Since then, he couldn't forget that name. After asking around Estelle's connections, he finally pieced the truth together. Estelle and Jared were each other's first love. But Jared broke up with her and insisted on leaving the country during the year Estelle loved him the most. Since Estelle was stuck too deep in her love for Jared, she let herself go and became a flirtatious playgirl. After that, she began cycling through her boyfriends. Each boyfriend resembled Jared in a way. This included Alex. After graduating, Estelle refused to take over her family's business. Instead, she was bent on becoming a racer. It all stemmed from something Jared had said when he was young. "Girls who race look super cool and have vibrant personalities! I'm definitely marrying a racer in the future!" To think that six years of youth and love were nothing but an illusion… At that moment, Alex made up his mind to go home for the business alliance. He no longer wanted to be with Estelle, nor would he love her ever again.