My Boyfriend Played Mind Games, So I Played Them Better Chapter 10

My Boyfriend Played Mind Games, So I Played Them Better Chapter 10

A server checked my invitation and escorted me inside.

Vivienne had excellent taste.

From the decorations to the menu, everything about the engagement party was flawless.

Of course, the couple themselves outshone everything else.

They stood onstage beneath the lights, accepting their guests’ applause and congratulations.

“Jealous?”

I hadn’t noticed Ethan come up beside me.

I smiled. “Of course. Vivienne’s fiancé is capable, charming, and actually shows up when it matters. My ex couldn’t be counted on for anything.”

Ethan looked furious, but he knew better than to make a scene there.

I helped myself to a glass from the champagne tower Julian and Vivienne had filled together.

Maybe some of that rich-people luck would rub off on me.

They made their way through the room, raising their glasses with each guest. When they reached me, Julian looked visibly surprised.

“I invited her,” Vivienne explained with a smile.

She clinked her glass against mine.

“Ivy, I heard you got into an excellent program. Your adviser is a major name in the field. We may have a chance to work together someday.”

She didn’t mention what she’d done to me. Instead, she held out the possibility of future business as an unspoken peace offering.

Apparently, getting ahead required a certain amount of shamelessness.

I took a sip and smiled. “I’d like that.”

A master’s degree barely set anyone apart anymore, so I didn’t understand why getting into

one graduate program had changed her attitude so completely.

Still, I knew better than to reject an olive branch.

Vivienne brightened. “Didn’t you need to speak to Julian? I’ll give you two a minute.”

It had been several years since I’d last seen Julian, and he looked more mature now.

“Your adviser rarely accepts international students,” he explained. “Vivienne has been trying to get an introduction for years without any luck.”

That explained it.

I raised my glass. “Congratulations.”

Julian’s voice remained even.

“Thank you.”

Silence settled between us for a moment.

Still, I asked the question I had no right to ask.

“Do you love her?”

“She doesn’t love me either.”

I nodded and decided to ask one more stupid question.

“Then why marry her? For money? Don’t both of you already have more than spend?”

you

could ever

Julian didn’t laugh at me.

Instead, he answered patiently.

“Because combining our families’ resources gives me the leverage to build what I want.”

Everyone had one thing they wanted badly enough to build their life around.

Everything else came second.

“In all the billionaire romance novels I used to read, the CEO never had to marry for business.

He just did whatever he wanted.”

“I’m a CEO, not a king. If I could do whatever I wanted, I wouldn’t need a boardroom. I’d need

a throne.”

I laughed.

Julian studied me for a long moment before smiling too.

Then he handed me an envelope containing a cashier’s check, enough to let me finish degree without worrying about money.

“Ivy, I hope everything works out for you.”