Dumped by Him, Claimed by His Brothers

We're done. My fianc sat in the driver's seat, his jaw locked tight, refusing to glance in my direction.

Ten minutes ago, in the private room, he mocked me in front of his three brothers. He called me an idiot straight out of the slums who didn't even know how to hold a knife and fork. They ganged up on me, pushing him to pick a side. He swore to his boys he'd kick me, the walking punchline, to the curb immediately.

He had no idea. Right at the exact moment he was rushing to dump me, my phone buzzed like crazy inside my coat pocket. His three "good brothers" were secretly sending me screenshots of their group chat. The screen was flooded with their pathetic begging.

[See? He doesn't deserve you.]

[Make a choice. He picked us over you.]

[Baby, just look at me, please?]

Chapter 1

I was the biggest joke among the city's elites. As the most useless youngest daughter of the Yan family, I had nothing but my face. Ledger and I had been engaged for ages, but he dodged me like a plague every single day.

"Nothing going on up there besides a pretty face. She just shoves caviar straight into her mouth. Fucking stupid." Laughter erupted.

"She actually pointed at the white truffles the waiter brought out and asked how they had the nerve to serve moldy mushrooms. Clueless hillbilly."

"Tsk. 'Real daughter' is just a title. What do you expect from a girl dragged out of the slums?" Muffled laughter drifted from inside the private room.

My hand froze on the doorknob. My fingers locked up. I came here to bring Ledger home. I listened to the raucous noise bleeding through the wood, straining to catch his voice.

Finally, after his friends finished dragging my name through the mud, he spoke up.

"What can I do? We have a family trust agreement for this arranged marriage. If I back out now, my dad will freeze all my shares and black cards." He sounded casual.

The music died in the room, leaving only the sharp clinking of ice against glass.

I shoved the door open. The harsh hallway light spilled over my shoulders, illuminating the gorgeous crowd draped across the leather sofas. The four men stationed right in the center were Ledger and his three brothersthe heirs of the top conglomerates controlling the economic lifeline of this city. Every single one of them was tall, striking, and lethal in his own way.

Their eyes locked onto me. Scorching. Impossible to ignore.

I forced myself to look past them. My eyes found Ledger. He rocked a sharp buzz cut, his handsome features twisting into a sneer the second he saw me.

"My fiance is here. I'm out." He pushed off the sofa, closing the distance between us with loose, easy strides.

I stood rooted to the spot.

Ledger's eyes darkened with impatience. He jerked his chin toward the hallway. "Let's go."

I turned around. Three burning stares dug into my back, making the fine hairs on my neck stand up.

After walking out of that private club that required a top-tier membership card, my phone vibrated constantly. I knew what it was. Ledger's "good brothers" blowing up my line again.

Ledger was wild, untamed. He held an unlit cigarette between his fingers, radiating that effortless bad-boy charm. "Maeve, don't come looking for me in places like this again." He scowled.

I slid into the passenger seat as he got behind the wheel. I kept my eyes fixed on the dashboard. "Are you afraid I'll embarrass you?"

"No." Ledger snapped defensively. "What is going on in that head of yours?"

"I'm afraid something will happen to you in a place like that. Do you know what those guys do when they get drunk?"

"No."

"They go crazy."

Useless information. I turned my head, watching the neon city lights streak past the tinted glass. Ever since the Yan family dragged me back five years ago, I had been the resident outcast. Nobody liked me.

Mostly because there was something wrong with my brain. Literally. My drunk adoptive father had smashed a glass bottle over my head, leaving my processing speed permanently delayed.

So, when my grandmother told me to please Ledger, promising me a good life if I just stayed with him, I bought it. I chased him for five years, waiting to marry him and live happily ever after. But I wasn't completely brain-dead.

"Ledger," I said slowly. "If you really can't stand me, let's just call off the engagement."

"I never said I didn't like you!" A flush of anger crept up Ledger's neck. He glared at me. "Can you just drop it?"

My delayed brain struggled to process that sentence. So I asked, "Does that mean you do like me?"

"Who would like you? You're fucking stupid."

Oh. Message received.

Chapter 2

I pulled out my phone and stared at the messages illuminating my screen.

[Elias: I actually like eating caviar by the spoonful too.]

[Ryder: Baby, I wasn't talking shit about you just now. Please don't ignore me.]

[Miles: I don't like those white truffles either, Maeve. Next time, how about I take you to get your favorite cheeseburgers and fries?]

Ledger's three childhood friends kept blowing up my phone. How twisted. They trashed my name in front of everyone, yet begged for my attention behind the screen. Fucking sick.

Maybe my brain wasn't the broken one here. They were the ones who were deranged.

I glanced over at Ledger. He was tapping away on his phone too. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of his screen. Familiar avatars, completely different messages.

[Elias: I can't stand this. How much longer are you going to keep dragging things out with that stupid woman?]

[Ryder: Yeah, man. Who's more important, your brothers or that woman?]

[Miles: Ledger, make a choice. Us or Maeve. Who do you pick?]

Ledger kept his eyes glued to his screen, his thumbs flying across the keyboard. I tried to lean in to see his reply, but he anticipated the movement.

He shifted his shoulder, angling the screen away so I stared at nothing but the dark leather seat. It didn't matter. He was just pacifying his brothers by stepping all over me.

A second later, my phone vibrated in my palm. Incoming messages from the unholy trinity.

Same screenshots. Same group chat. I stared at Ledger's reply.

[Ledger: Obviously, I pick you guys. I'm telling my dad I'm calling off the engagement the second I get home. Maeve clings to me every single day. She's annoying as fuck.]

I burned holes into that screenshot, reading the words over and over again.

[Elias: See? He doesn't even care about you.]

[Ryder: Be with me, okay? I love you.]

[Miles: He's not worth it.]

The messages didn't stop. My phone buzzed relentlessly against my skin.

Ledger whipped his head around, his eyes locking onto me. "Maeve, who the hell is texting you?" His gaze was ice, trying to dissect me right there in the passenger seat.

I held the phone out toward him, offering the screen.

He froze for a second. My complete lack of hesitation seemed to kill his suspicion. He scoffed, looking away. "Hah. Who would even text you?"

"Probably just spam group chats. Seriously, Maeve, you need to make some actual friends. Everyone has their own shit going on."

"Look around. Who else acts like a stage-five clinger, orbiting their husband all day?" Ledger rambled on.

My sluggish brain latched onto one specific word. "Husband?"

Ledger snapped his head back to me. A red flush crawled up his neck. He dragged a rough hand over his buzz cut and immediately snapped his gaze back to the window.

"You can call me that in private. We aren't married yet. If people hear you calling me that outside, it makes us look ridiculous." He fired the words off like bullets, trying to mask his panic with irritation.

I furrowed my brows. The gears in my head ground together, taking a few long seconds to process the exchange before I realized I wasn't taking the fall for this. "I wasn't trying to call you that," I said flatly. "You're the one who said it."

He shot me a lethal glare, his jaw tight as he stammered, "Youyou"

I had no idea why his blood pressure was spiking. Our relationship was ending tonight anyway. He typed it himself.

He was going to demand his father cancel the engagement the second he walked through the door. Fine by me.

Ledger couldn't stand me, and I wasn't going to force him. Besides, chasing him around the city every single day was exhausting.

Ledger pulled up to the Yan estate, throwing the car into park at the massive wrought-iron gates. "Don't get into it with your sister when you go inside. You can't out-talk Blair, and you definitely can't win an argument against her, got it?" he lectured, standing by the car with his brows pulled together.

I nodded.

"And the meds I bought you. Did you take them?"

"Yes."

"Take them on time. The doctor said they might actually fix that stupid brain of yours." He kept rambling.

Chapter 3

I wanted to go back to my room and crash. If Ledger's dad hadn't ordered me to drag his son home, I never would have stepped foot outside in the middle of the night.

"Can you just shut up? You're giving me a headache," I snapped.

Ledger choked on his next word. He dragged a sharp breath through his teeth.

"Fine. Go to sleep. Night."

I didn't bother replying, turning my back on him and heading straight for the Yan family's sprawling estate. The phone in my coat pocket kept buzzing. Annoying as hell.

Ledger yelled at my back, "And your damn phone! Mute your group chats! Do you even know how to mute notifications, Maeve?"

I didn't even turn my head, walking straight up to my room. Inside, Blair had been waiting for me. She had too much time on her hands.

Ever since I was brought back, she acted like I had stolen her spot as the golden child of the Yan family. She looked for any excuse to start a fight.

I wasn't a pushover. If she came at me, I fired back. But my sluggish brain always lagged behind, my vocabulary tripping over itself.

I lost every single argument. I spent way too many nights staring at the ceiling, my nails digging into my palms, trying to script the perfect comeback for next time.

Blair sat on the edge of my bed, her arms crossed over her chest. "Look at yourself. Ledger can't stand you, yet you still throw yourself at him like a desperate stray. Have you no shame?"

"I'm not doing it anymore," I said flatly.

"Huh?"

"Ledger is breaking off the engagement."

Blair practically bounced off the mattress. Her eyes lit up greedily. "Does that mean I have a shot now?"

I crawled onto my bed and gave a single hum of agreement.

She twirled around the center of the room, her heels clicking rapidly against the hardwood.

"Then you are banned from Ledger's birthday party in three days! Don't you dare go and ruin his mood." Blair pointed a perfectly manicured finger at me.

"Maeve! Are you listening to me?"

"Fine," I muttered into my pillow.

She marched out of the room, vibrating with excitement.

I buried my face in the heavy duvet, the silence of the room pressing down on me. I wasn't lovable. My grandmother constantly reminded me that I didn't know how to sweet-talk people, that I could never match up to the fake heiress, Blair, when it came to pleasing a crowd.

So she set the bar low for me. Her only demand was that I latch onto Ledger like a parasite to secure a comfortable future. But Ledger despised me.

A specific, custom ringtone cut through the quiet.

[Ledger: We're done.]

I slowly sat up. A cold weight settled in my chest, and my fingers trembled against the screen as I typed out my reply.

[Okay.]

The news of Ledger dumping me reached my biological father's ears in record time. He stormed into the hall, his face flushed a dark, violent red.

The middle-aged man adjusted his expensive glasses, jabbing a finger inches from my nose. "Do you realize the only reason our company hasn't gone bankrupt is because of the Ledger family? The food in your mouth, the clothes on your backit's all paid for by his money! You useless piece of trash!"

"I asked nothing else of you! Can't you even manage to keep a man happy? What a waste of a pretty face! Get out!"

"Get the hell out of my house!" He swung his arm.

The back of his hand collided with my cheek in a sickening, sharp crack.

I pressed my hand against my ribs, a dull, phantom ache radiating through my chest.

Blair stood next to him, rubbing his shoulder in a show of comfort. Over his shoulder, she shot me a silent, venomous smirk.

I gripped the handle of my suitcase that had been tossed onto the marble floor and walked out the front doors without a single word.

Grandma, this city is a nightmare.

Five years ago, when my biological mother needed a kidney transplant and tested Blair for a match, they realized she wasn't their real daughter. The Yan family hired investigators and finally tracked down the mix-up at the hospital, leading them to my adoptive parents who were working minimum-wage jobs on the outskirts of the city. They dragged me back to this high-society hell, calculating that my face was my only asset to secure a powerful man. They thought I would be a better investment than Blair.

But my brain was damaged. I failed to meet their bottom-line expectations. Ledger hated me.

The trust-fund babies of this city despised me. They sneered, they mocked, constantly reminding me that I still reeked of cheap dirt and poverty.

Chapter 4

I slowly pieced together the last five years of my life. I came to one absolute conclusion.

This city was a nightmare.

My grandmother was wrong. She didn't understand. Everyone here was rotten. I wanted to leave.

My grandmother was already gone, but I still wanted to visit her grave back in my old town and talk to her.

Tires screeched. A cherry-red convertible slammed on the brakes right in front of me. The man in the driver's seat had hair dyed to match the paint job, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.

"Ryder?" I stared at his neon hair, startled.

"Baby, why didn't you answer my texts?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line, irritation prickling my skin. "We aren't close."

"Fine. But look at my hair. You love red, don't you? Do you like it?"

I didn't want to entertain his nonsense. Ryder was the only son of the Qin family. When it came to being spoiled and reckless, he was exactly like Ledger.

The four of them had massive family backing. They played hard, and every trust-fund baby in their circle revolved around them.

Ledger looked down on me. They looked down on me. Everyone else just treated me like a walking punchline. I didn't get it.

"Don't you hate me?" I asked.

Ryder hopped out of the car. He wore a lazy smirk, about to open his mouth, but the second his eyes landed on my face, his expression dropped.

His eyes darkened. "What happened to your face? Who hit you?"

"My dad."

"Because Ledger dumped you?"

News traveled fast. Everyone always said I was lucky to even breathe the same air as Ledger.

Ryder's jaw clenched. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward his car.

I dug my heels in, struggling against his grip. "Where are you taking me? I have somewhere to go!"

"Where?"

"Back to my hometown."

"I'll drive you there in a few days."

I didn't need his escort, but Ryder yanked me toward the passenger door. His grip was entirely too tight. He always had a smile plastered on his face.

Not right now. He looked dangerous.

I let him shove me into the leather seat. Ryder let out a heavy breath. He tilted his head, studying me.

"Baby, you're not exactly the sharpest. You might wander off and get lost on the way back to the countryside.

Let me take you. You want to see your grandma, right? She'd be heartbroken if you went missing."

I wasn't that stupid. But my brain was too tired to argue with him.

Ryder drove me to a high-end mall. I had no idea why he dragged me here. He said he wanted to kill whatever hope I had left.

And then

I saw Ledger walking arm-in-arm with a gorgeous girl. She looked delicate, tilting her head up to talk to him.

Ledger stood tall, broad-shouldered and sharp-featured, his buzz cut giving him a lethal edge. But as he looked down at the girl, his usually cold eyes softened.

Ryder leaned in. "Ledger's been chasing her for a long time. He finally locked her down last night."

No wonder he suddenly demanded to break the engagement.

A dull ringing echoed in my ears, instantly drowning out the mall music.

Ryder looked down at me. "Does it hurt?"

"I don't know."

I dragged in a few shallow breaths.

My eyes burned violently, stinging with unshed tears, and my ribcage felt like it was caving in.

Ryder reached out, running a hand through my hair. "It's okay, baby," he murmured softly. "Stay with me from now on. I'll never let you hurt like this."

Ryder pulled me into his chest. I shoved my hands against him, breaking the hug. Across the distance, my eyes locked with Ledger's.

I watched Ledger take the boba from the girl's hand, bite down on her straw, and take a sip. The girl's face instantly flushed crimson.

But Ledger's eyes were dead-set on me