Boyfriend Dumped Me for “Heiress” BFF? Your New Girl Calls ME “Boss” Every Day! Chapter 12

Boyfriend Dumped Me for “Heiress” BFF? Your New Girl Calls ME “Boss” Every Day! Chapter 12

The message? Ethan.

My next-door neighbor growing up. Five years older than me. Watched me turn from a snotty kid into… this mess.

He’d been into me forever. Everyone and their mom knew it. I just played dumb.

Because back then, Carter was my whole world. Ethan was just this annoying older dude who wouldn’t get off my case.

Five years might as well have been fifty when I was younger. He was always up in my business, always killing my vibe

with Carter.

When Carter and I first hooked up, Ethan kept running his mouth about how Carter was bad news.

I went off on him.

“God, you’re so jealous! At least Carter knows how to have fun! He doesn’t treat me like I’m twelve!”

Ethan went pale but still tried grabbing my arm.

“Mia, listen to me-he’s gonna wreck you-”

I shoved him hard enough that he stumbled back. Then I bolted straight to Carter.

I was a complete moron.

Three months back, Ethan cornered me outside my building. Dead serious.

“Wanna make a bet? Carter’s gonna cheat. I’m putting money on it.”

I actually laughed in his face.

“You’re insane! We’re literally getting married!”

Something flickered in his eyes. Something I was too stupid to read.

“When it happens-and it will-you give me one shot. That’s all.”

I was so drunk on wedding planning, so pathetically happy, I didn’t even think twice.

“Deal! Because guess what? It’s not happening!”

Now I get it. He wasn’t making a bet. He already knew. I was just too blind to see it.

I texted back: “Fine.”

Then I started picking up the pieces.

Called a real estate agent next. Set up an appraisal for tomorrow.

Carter left me this house? I’m dumping it. Fast. Every inch of this place makes me want to puke.

My phone lit up again.

“Be there in 30. Stay put.”

Something in my chest loosened.

All those years he had my back. Fought my battles. And what I did was call him old, jealous, a buzzkill.

He was just trying to save me from myself.

I typed: “Okay.”

Half an hour later, my doorbell rang.

Ethan stood there in his usual black jacket, holding a grease-stained paper bag.

Roasted chestnuts. Still hot.

He actually remembered.

2

His eyes swept past me to the disaster zone behind me-torn papers, broken glass, the works. He didn’t say a word about it. Just gave me this soft smile.

“Come on. You need real food.”

I grabbed my stuff-those stupid stock papers, the house deed-and followed him out.

His car was toasty warm. We barely talked.

He pulled up to this beat-up diner we used to hit as kids.

The owner spotted us through the window and waved like we’d never left.

Ethan got the door for me. We slid into our old booth. He ordered without asking-mac and cheese, fried chicken, a

mountain of fries.

Everything I used to demolish as a kid.

Food came. He glanced over.

“So? How bad was it?”

I poked at my fries.

“Signed everything. Started at 10%. Then I kinda… lost it. Shredded his proposals. Smashed his computer. He bumped it to 20% just to get me out of his face.”

I looked up.

“Six months of work? Gone. I torched it all.”

Ethan didn’t even blink. If anything, he looked proud.

He grabbed a piece of chicken, ripped off the best part, tossed it on my plate.

“Damn right.”

Two words. But they hit different than anything Carter ever said.

I bit into the chicken. My eyes stung.

We ate. Didn’t talk much. Ethan didn’t push. Didn’t ask questions I wasn’t ready to answer. Just sat there, solid and

steady.

After, we drove along the water.

Then out of nowhere:

“Stay at mine tonight.”

I turned to look at him.

He kept his eyes forward. “You used to crash at my place all the time when we were kids. Your old room’s still there. Mom dusts it every week. They keep asking when you’re coming back.”

My throat went tight.

I used to run to his house every time life got hard. His parents treated me like I was theirs.

But once Carter came around? I just… disappeared.

I stared at Ethan’s profile in the dark.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Let’s go home.”