“If You Can’t Bear My Mistress, We Can Swap Newtons”- So I Married His Worst Rival At the Wedding Chapter 02

“If You Can’t Bear My Mistress, We Can Swap Newtons”- So I Married His Worst Rival At the Wedding Chapter 02

I’d barely slept for two weeks. Revised the proposal dozens of times before it was perfect.

Tessa was my best friend and my assistant. Whenever I worked late, she stayed right there with me.

Preston had even said he’d drop out of the bidding.

And now, the two people I trusted most had set me up together.

Tessa walked over, her eyes red.

“Sloane, you’re my best friend. I never wanted to steal him from you.”

“But I really love him. I couldn’t just watch him lose. You can do whatever you want to get back at me. Even if it means I can never see him again…”

She was crying so hard. Preston pulled her into his arms, all protective.

“Sloane, look how scared she is. This was all me. A real woman is supposed to be sweet and supportive, not constantly butting heads with her man.”

“You know how much your family already dumped into this project. With that kind of loss, you guys are gonna need the Hales to keep from going under.”

“Just accept that Tessa and I are together. The wedding’s still on tomorrow. I’ll even let your family take a cut of this project. That beats losing everything, doesn’t it?”

I laughed when I heard that.

He knew his family would never accept Tessa’s background.

He just needed me as a shield.

I stood up slowly.

“No thanks. I don’t want the project. And I don’t want you.”

I looked at Tessa. Still so pitiful.

When she first joined the company, she got bullied at work. I fired the manager on the spot. Brought her to my side. Taught her how to read reports and build proposals.

When a client tried to grope her at a dinner, I smashed a bottle over his head and ripped up a multi-million-dollar contract.

Tessa had cried so hard she couldn’t speak.

“Ms. Ashford, I’ll work my hardest. I’ll win you every deal. I won’t let you lose.”

Now she called me Sloane. Said I was her best friend.

Then she teamed up with my fiancé to steal my work and made everyone think I was the other woman.

I spoke flatly.

“The last few years? Yeah, I was blind. Your man? Go ahead, take him back.”

“You’re fired. Next time you see me, call me Ms. Ashford.”

Tessa’s face went white.

I walked past her and left.

Outside, it was raining. I stepped into it.

I’d only made it a few feet when my phone buzzed with Preston’s text.

“Who said you could leave? You made Tessa cry. Get back here and apologize to her.”

When Preston and I first got together, he had a high fever once. I went to take care of him.

I tried to make him some soup and almost burned the kitchen down.

Watching him clean up my mess while he was sick, I felt so guilty I said I was sorry.

He held my face, his eyes so serious.

“Sloane, with me, you never need to say those three words.”

“You mess up, I’ll fix it. You do wrong, I’ll pay for it.”

“But I can’t stand seeing you look down like that.”

And now he wanted me to apologize to his mistress.

Suddenly, an umbrella appeared over my head.

Preston handed me a handkerchief, his eyes soft and helpless.

“You’re so stubborn, you know that? You don’t want to apologize? Then don’t. No need to torture yourself.”

“The bidding thing? That’s on me. And I shouldn’t have hidden things with Tessa. You don’t like it? I’ll give you back the development rights. I’ll cut her off. Here, wipe your face. Don’t get sick.”

The truth is, Preston wasn’t even on my list for an arranged marriage at the beginning.