He Asked Me Out to Get Back at Her, I Gave Him a Rulebook Instead Chapter 08

He Asked Me Out to Get Back at Her, I Gave Him a Rulebook Instead Chapter 08

The party was at one of Ronan’s properties, some estate tre’d bought and barely used.

He’d brought me there a few times before

People were polite. Smiling/making small talk, pretending they weren’t all watching me out of the corners

of their eyes.

Everyone except Landon.

According to the stream of floating comments, Landon had been in love with Vivienne for years. He knew he’d never have her, wrong family, wrong league.

So he settled for making sure she ended up with someone who deserved her.

He was also the one who would eventually lead the charge to destroy me online. The “other woman” smear campaign started with him.

I had no patience for men who fought dirty and called it loyalty.

Later, he’d find out he and Vivienne weren’t actually blood-related. And he’d become the other man, happily, without a shred of guilt.

Hypocrite.

Rules for everyone else, exceptions for himself.

The truth or dare scheme had always been about Vivienne. Everything Landon did was.

When the game started, the bottle landed on Landon twice. Both times because of me.

First spin: truth. I asked if he had feelings for anyone in the room.

admitt

His eyes flicked to Vivienne before he could stop them. Then he admitted it.

Second spin: dare. I told him to pick someone in the room and kiss them.

Landon’s jaw tightened. He picked a girl who’d been flirting with him all night. After the kiss, I smiled. “You know you could’ve picked a guy, right?”

Ronan’s eyes bounced between us. The look he was giving Landon could have peeled paint.

He leaned close to my ear. “Landon’s into someone. Just so you know.”

“And his temper is worse than mine.”

I gave him a look.

Ronan shut up.

A few rounds later, Landon’s spin landed on Ronan.

The stream of floating comments exploded.

[Here it comes. Landon’s going to dare him to kiss someone.]

[The side character doesn’t deserve any of this. She gets played, gets dragged, and the guy who orchestrated it all gets called “romantic”? How is that fair?]

Landon hadn’t told Vivienne what he was about to do.

“Pick a girl in this room,” Landon said. “Kiss her for one minute.” His eyes never left Ronan’s face.

Ronan didn’t even glance at Vivienne. Landon’s smile froze.

Sometimes the person who reads you best is the one who wants you gone.

Ronan didn’t hesitate. He turned to me. “Can I?”

A month of my rules, and he asked permission like it was a reflex.

I’d promised not to embarrass him in front of people. So I didn’t say no.

He lit up. And when he kissed me, he was careful. Gentle, even. Like he was afraid I’d pull away.

Vivienne’s mask cracked.

Actually, the whole room was worth watching.

Vivienne stood up, muttered something about the bathroom, and left.

The minute was up. I pulled back. “Phone.”

I had it out of his hand before he could think.

That’s when Vivienne’s text came through. [Fine. You win.]

I scrolled up. Past the back-and-forth, past the arguments, all the way to the bet.

Ronan realized too late that he hadn’t deleted the thread.

He never cleared his messages. It had never mattered before.

The panic hit his face like a wave.

He went completely still.

I didn’t say a word. I set the phone in his hand and let go.

The room could feel it Something between us had shifted, and everyone was pretending they hadn’t noticed.

Fur the rest of the game, Ronan barely spoke. He just watched me, careful and quiet, like one wrong move

would end everything.

Vivienne pulled people aside one by one after she noticed his reaction.

Nobody had answers.

“No idea what happened. She looked at his phone and he just… shut down.”

“His girlfriend didn’t even react. She looked totally unbothered. He’s the one who fell apart.

Vivienne said nothing. But her mind was working.