Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Briony
I rushed downstairs and slid into the Uber.
No time now to get home, make Rory breakfast, get him on the school bus, and still clock in on time.
"Rory, remember to eat breakfast. Be safe. I'll be home tonight." I texted him the usual reminders.
He was a responsible kid. Never needed much hovering.
"Already ate. You know what? Cereal is God's gift to mankind. Way better than your vegetable soup. I feel powerful today."
I rolled my eyes. Sometimes he was like a little gremlin—not that he actually got into trouble—but still. Infuriating.
"I don't wake up an hour early to cook breakfast just so you can trash-talk it behind my back. You need nutrition."
"Nutrition comes in many forms. Teacher says picky eating is mentally healthy sometimes. Like refusing overcooked pasta and mystery-seasoned vegetable soup."
Fine. He won. I swear it was only once that I mixed up the salt and sugar. And Rory's bus was twenty minutes out.
"Don't feel bad, Briony. Everyone has their weaknesses. I'll take care of myself. Don't worry."
"By the way, you met someone you like, didn't you? Otherwise you wouldn't stay out all night. Am I right? I'm glad you're not moping after breaking up with the Human Volcano."
I nearly laughed out loud at that familiar, ridiculous nickname. Makar had a temper, always bickering with Rory over nothing. Rory never said it to his face, but behind his back he'd dubbed him "Human Volcano" and solemnly suggested I keep a fire extinguisher wherever he showed up.
But someone I liked... Varlam? My ears burned.
He was the kind of man whose restraint carried its own weight. He didn't need to raise his voice like Makar to prove anything. He just had to look at me with those dark eyes, and my common sense threw itself off a cliff.
"Stop guessing, you little brat."
"Hope he treats you better. At least don't break your shortest relationship record with Human Volcano."
"Gotta get to school. Can we have taquitos tonight? Please?"
Another message. My heart softened. Since our parents died, we only had each other. I could never say no to the kid.
"Fine. The Taquito Gods smile upon you today."
He sent back a "yay" emoji.
"We're here, ma'am." The driver pulled up to a sleek office tower.
I grabbed my bag and bolted. Twenty stories of glass and steel rose before me, sunlight blazing off every surface. The wedding planning company where I worked occupied the sixteenth floor.
I shoved through the door with three minutes to spare, still catching my breath.
"She's here."
Someone said it first.
Before my ass touched the chair, coworkers swarmed me.
"Briony, I heard what happened. What the hell went down yesterday?" One girl's eyes gleamed with gossip-hunger.
"I heard too! Oh my God, your dress got ripped off?" another shrieked.
Should I pretend nothing happened and claim they'd all been memory-wiped by aliens? Worst idea ever.
"I... wow, you guys work fast."
What could I say?
I couldn't exactly announce to the whole company: Yeah, my ex made me plan his wedding to my ex-best friend, and they arranged for me to flash my thong in front of hundreds of guests, giving me enough humiliation to last the next decade.
They didn't know about me and Makar. I'd never volunteered that information. Setting aside his rotten character, he was legitimately handsome and loaded. I hadn't wanted to become the center of attention because of him.
So none of my coworkers knew we'd dated. Except Winnie.
"Save me," I mouthed to Winnie at the next desk, hoping she'd extract me from this gossip whirlpool.
But she just rolled her chair over, hazel eyes bright with the same rabid curiosity.
"All I want to know is who that man was. The one who wrapped you in his jacket and made everyone's knees weak."
Winnie was usually reliable. Clearly this wasn't a usual situation.
"That's right! They say he was hotter than a movie star."
"So who is he? He's gotta be somebody important."
They weren't backing down without answers.
"Well... he was a gentleman. Proof that good people still exist." I spread my hands. "Okay, ladies. Clock's ticking. I need to work."
That boring answer should kill their interest. Sure enough, they groaned and dispersed to their desks.
Finally, I could breathe.
"You're dodging the question so hard, Briony, it's making people think you're hiding something way worse." A girl walked in right at start time, clutching a skinny latte.
Lily. She'd started two months before me.
"Everyone's talking about that man, but they're asking the wrong questions." She stared at me, voice sharp. "I'm curious what you did that was so shady the bride 'accidentally' destroyed your dress at her own wedding."
Pure malice dripped from every word. In this office, her aggression had one target: me.
When I'd first started, she'd pushed me around constantly. Figured the newbie should fetch her coffee, deliver her files. At first, trying to keep the peace, I'd gone along with it.
Until I overheard her in the break room, laughing that I was fat as a pig stuffed into a dress. My rebellion was simple: I dumped her coffee in the trash right in front of her. She'd hated me ever since. Any chance to step on me, she took.
When I didn't respond, she smiled victoriously and continued. "Such a shame. So many people saw, but no photos or videos. Otherwise, with your body and the way that bride treated you, you'd have gone viral on TikTok for sure."
From the moment she opened her mouth, I'd noticed the shift in the room. Ears perked up all around us. Nobody passed up entertainment in the middle of a boring workday.
"I heard she used to be close with the groom..." another girl murmured, joining in. "Oh my God, what if she was the other woman and the bride caught her and humiliated her in public?"
More whispers followed. They believed Lily's baseless insinuations. My chest heaved harder than it ever had.
"If you want to go viral that badly, feel free to rip your own dress and see if you make the headlines." My voice stayed level. Getting angry was exactly what Lily wanted.
Her smile froze.
"I don't have a thing for showing off my body." She crossed her arms. "Seriously, people with that kind of bulky figure should stick to wearing jeans instead of putting on skirts and embarrassing themselves."
"Embarrassing themselves?" I met her eyes coldly.
"If you put half the energy you waste spreading rumors into your actual job, last week's proposal wouldn't have gotten torn apart by the boss.
You've been here two months longer than me and still haven't earned permanent status.
Is that really something to brag about?"
"Briony!" Lily's face flushed with humiliation, but after sputtering for a few seconds, all she could manage was my name.
"Listen, Lily. What you should worry about is improving your skills enough to keep your job. The company pays for wedding planners, not gossip columnists." I sat down calmly and opened my laptop. "Now you can get back to work."
Stifled laughter leaked from behind the cubicle dividers.
Lily's face cycled through shades of rage and mortification. She glared at me, then retreated to her desk.
"Remind me never to argue with you." Winnie nudged my elbow. "Nobody wins against you."
I smiled. If I couldn't handle it, she'd have jumped in anyway.
"But I have to say—your body is nothing like what Lily claims." She studied me seriously. "That man yesterday clearly agreed."
I nearly choked on my own spit. I knew she wouldn't let this go.
The nosy heads around us had already turned back to their screens. Winnie leaned close to my ear.
"All right, spill it." She lowered her voice. "I heard that man didn't just rescue you—he made Makar and Chloe apologize to you in public. Someone who can do that isn't just a passing gentleman."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Who is he?"
She'd make a killer paparazzo.
"He helped me. That's all."
"Your ears are red."
"The office is hot."
"The AC is cold enough to preserve a corpse."
I didn't know what to say.
"Miss Cox." She studied me like a detective. "You have the right to remain silent, but your face is singing like a canary."
I was terrible at lying. Especially to Winnie. She was the first person who'd talked to me when I started here. She'd seen me crying in the bathroom over Makar and Chloe, and seen me come back the next day with swollen eyes, still working.
She meant no harm.
I glanced around to make sure everyone else was occupied with their own conversations before speaking.
"The man who helped me at the wedding is Makar's brother."
Winnie froze for two seconds. Then her eyes widened slowly.
"Jesus." She pressed a hand to her chest. "No wonder Makar apologized. So what happened? He drove you home?"
I looked at her. She looked at me. The shock in her eyes shifted to realization.
"You didn't go home." Her volume jumped. "You slept with him!"
I didn't lunge to cover her mouth—that would only draw everyone's attention.
"A little louder. The receptionist didn't quite catch that for the meeting minutes." I pretended to focus on my screen, though I wasn't reading a single word of the proposal.
"Sorry." She switched to a whisper. "But this is insane. You slept with your ex's brother."
"Thanks for the recap. I almost forgot."
"How was he?"
My mouse stopped moving.
"How was what?"
"Don't play dumb." She raised an eyebrow. "He seems like the kind of man who won't let anyone adjust his tie by an inch. Was he like that in bed too—"
"Winnie."
My warning carried no weight because last night's memories had already ambushed me.
When he pinned me down, sweat glistened on his chest, his muscular arms corded with veins from exertion. My legs wrapped around his solid waist, my ears flooded with his low, rough breathing... Heat pooled instantly in my belly.
"Mm-hmm... so he's exceptionally gifted." By the time I snapped back, Winnie was watching me with satisfaction. "He's got you completely wrecked."
I bit my lower lip, embarrassed.