My Cousin Faked Illness to Steal My Boyfriend, He Turned the Tables Chapter 02

My Cousin Faked Illness to Steal My Boyfriend, He Turned the Tables Chapter 02

Greyson’s words were polite, but his actions drew a clear line.

Iris’s eyes welled with tears instantly.

Everyone in the line at the coffee shop was staring at us.

Ever since we were kids, whenever she made that face, I was the one blamed for being inconsiderate.

Just as I was about to speak, Greyson handed me the receipt. “Wait for me at the pickup counter.”

Iris stared at him, her voice dropping lower. “Am I interrupting?”

“Yes,” Greyson said.

The single word shut her up entirely.

I thought that would be the end of it.

Iris was seeing a different movie, and her ticket wasn’t for our theater.

Ten minutes into the film, she snaked her way through the dark and sat directly to Greyson’s right.

Clutching her popcorn, she whispered, “What a coincidence. We meet again.”

I looked at the ticket in her hand.

Greyson saw it too.

The theater number on that ticket was wrong.

Iris acted completely oblivious, tilting her knees toward Greyson while her purse chain slowly slid onto his leg.

Greyson turned his head and asked in a low voice, “Can’t find your screening?”

Iris blinked. “It’s too dark in here, and I’m a little scared. Mr. Brown, I won’t be in your way if I sit here.”

As she spoke, her purse chain brushed against his leg again.

I gripped the armrest.

Greyson pressed his hand over mine, signaling me to stay still.

He bent down and picked up the chain of her purse.

Iris had just started to look smug when Greyson stood up and waved over the usher from the back row.

“Someone entered the wrong theater and keeps touching me. Please escort her out.”

Iris froze. “I… I didn’t.”

The usher shone a flashlight on her ticket.

The people around us were clearly annoyed by the disruption.

“You’re not even in the right theater—what are you still doing here?”

“If you want to put on a show, do it outside.”

“Miss, don’t ruin it for the rest of us.”

Iris had been sheltered her whole life and had never faced such public humiliation.

She clutched her popcorn, her tears dropping straight into the bucket.

Normally, everyone would take her side.

But not this time.

Before the usher led her out, she looked back at me.

That wasn’t hurt in her eyes. That was resentment.

I knew she wasn’t done.

The next morning, Mom called.

Her voice was instantly accusatory.

“Did you bully Iris last night? She came home crying until midnight and had to take extra medication.”

I was washing vegetables, and the sound of running water masked my scoff.

“She went into the wrong theater and the staff kicked her out. What does that have to do with me?”

Mom said, “She’s fragile. Can’t you just cut her some slack?”

I’d been hearing that line for over twenty years.

I turned off the faucet. “Mom, she takes my seat, I let her. She takes my clothes, I let her. If she tries to take my boyfriend, do I just let her have him too?”

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Aunt Nova’s voice cut in. “Hadley, don’t talk like that. Iris just likes being around people. She didn’t do it on purpose.”

Grandma sighed in the background. “Savannah was far too petty back then, and she kept the whole family miserable. Don’t be like her.”

I gripped the phone, water dripping from my hand onto the floor.

Greyson walked over from the kitchen doorway and wiped my hands with a towel.

He didn’t ask questions. He just spoke directly into the phone. “Ma’am, this is Greyson. I’m bringing Hadley over for dinner tonight so we can clear things up.”

Mom’s tone shifted immediately. “Hi, Greyson. Alright then, come over early tonight.”

After hanging up, I looked at Greyson. “Are you sure you want to go?”

He hung the towel back up. “If we don’t go, they’ll bring the drama straight to my restaurant door.”

“My family is completely unreasonable with their favoritism,” I said.

Greyson smiled slightly. “Then I’ll play the fair judge.”

“Aren’t you going to favor me?”

“I’ll favor you, and they’ll favor her. That sets us perfectly even. Completely fair.”

I laughed despite myself.

But as the laughter faded, my chest tightened.

I knew that dinner would be anything but a simple meal.