The Billionaire's Ultimate Catch

Two guys chased me at the same time. My childhood best friend and a wealthy heir. I chose the heir.

My childhood best friend was furious. Don't count me out just because I'm broke. One day, I'll make you regret this.

Six years later, he pulled up in a luxury car, a beautiful woman riding shotgun. He found me working at a street-side food cart.

A mocking smirk played on his lips. "Since we go way back, I'll buy two."

Chapter 1

Seeing Nolan again, I stood on a freezing street corner, flipping deep-fried corn dogs.

He draped his arm securely around a young girl's waist. "Wow, Piper," he scoffed. "You've really been reduced to slinging street food?"

"Did the Sinclair empire finally go under? Your rich boyfriend can't afford to keep you anymore?"

Vance Sinclair didn't even blink. He casually fished another corn dog out of the sizzling oil with his metal tongs. "Who is this guy?" Vance asked.

Nolan's face hardened instantly.

The words caught in his throat.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop a laugh. "Nolan," I supplied. "Your college roommate."

The girl next to Nolan held a corn dog in one hand, looking entirely lost. "Nole, you guys know each other?" she asked.

He gave her head a patronizing pat. "Just old acquaintances. It's freezing out here. Go wait in the car."

Nolan leveled a deeply smug look at me.

I glanced up at the massive SUV idling by the curb.

"Seems your taste hasn't improved, Piper," he sneered. "You dumped me for Vance Sinclair's money. Regret it yet?"

I stared blankly at him. "That's five dollars. Don't forget to pay."

"My girlfriend loves these," Nolan said, pulling his wallet out. "Fry up two more. Let's pad your miserable sales quota."

I wanted to tell him to get lost.

Vance's hand landed firmly on my shoulder. His palm was warm, the solid weight of it instantly grounding my irritation. He gently nudged me aside and took over the cart. With perfect composure, Vance finished frying the food, slid it into a paper bag, and handed it over.

Nolan pulled out a crisp hundred-dollar bill and tossed it onto the metal counter. "Keep the change," Nolan sneered. "Buy yourselves a decent dinner tonight."

Vance didn't touch the cash. An unreadable smile touched his eyes. "Keep it," Vance countered smoothly. "Since we know each other, it's on the house."

Nolan scoffed, his toxic pride flaring up. "Don't play the proud rich kid now."

Vance shifted his gaze toward the street. "That SUV. You bought it used, didn't you?"

Nolan's expression completely froze. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Just a piece of advice," Nolan snapped, aggressively ignoring the jab. "She dumped me back then. She'll dump you now." He spun around, got into his car, and peeled away from the curb.

Vance and I stood on the sidewalk, the icy wind whipping around us. "Why didn't he hit us with the classic 'you'll regret giving up on a broke kid' line?" I asked.

"He probably forgot." Vance took a bite of his corn dog, a humored glint lighting his eyes. "Are you going to dump me?" he asked.

"Maybe."

"Will we be together forever?"

"Hard to say."

Vance stared at me, thoroughly speechless.

"How did you know he bought his car used?" I asked.

Because I was the first owner.

Before we could keep bickering, the actual owner of the food cart returned. It was one of Vance's closest friends. He refused an arranged marriage, cut ties with his toxic family, and watched them freeze all his credit cards. He swore he would build his own empire from the ground up by selling street food.

He cursed under his breath, snatching the tongs right out of Vance's hand. "I go to the bathroom for two minutes! You ate six corn dogs and didn't make a single cent!"

Vance shrugged. "Some douchebag ordered and walked out on the bill."

"Are you kidding me? That is my hard-earned money!"

Nolan only came to gloat today because he heard the rumors spreading around the city. And he wasn't wrong. The Sinclair family actually sat on the verge of total bankruptcy.

Chapter 2

Nolan's family ran a small manufacturing plant, making them practically royalty back in our tiny hometown.

Moving to the city for college was a brutal wake-up call. The glittering wealth of the city was blinding. I was just a student, floating on my parents' monthly allowance, playing at independence and soaking in the college experience.

But after graduation? I wanted to stay.

When I finally got together with Vance Sinclair, half the campus threw a pity party for Nolan. They called me a gold digger. Vain, materialistic, the toxic girl who brutally dumped her childhood best friend for a bigger paycheck.

A gold digger? Sure. I gladly owned that. Who doesn't want money?

The Sinclair empire was a publicly traded titan. Nolan's little factory didn't even register on the same radar.

But dumping Nolan? I refused to take the fall for that. We were never together in the first place.

Now, the Sinclairs were circling the drain of bankruptcy, and everyone was treating Vance like a walking contagion.

Nolan, meanwhile, had leveled up completely. His family's food factory had massively expanded. They caught the e-commerce wave, blew up on TikTok Shop, and opened over twenty storefronts. They were drowning in cash.

Everyone was just waiting for me to break. Waiting to laugh at my shortsightedness, my colossal mistake in backing the wrong horse.

Vance was a law student. I was majoring in foreign languages. Our paths never naturally crossed. The only reason I knew him at all was because he was Nolan's roommate.

Once I found out about his background, I played it incredibly smart. I was unfailingly polite. It never hurts to be on good terms with the one percent. I wanted to build a network, to secure a lifeline.

He treated everyone with the exact same lukewarm detachment. Not freezing cold, not overly warm. Just fiercely untouchable.

Freshman year, outside of classes, my entire personality was just a desperate hustle for cash. My first gig was working the grill at the campus dining hall, slinging hot pasta.

Vance showed up one night long after the dinner rush had died down. He blinked, a flicker of surprise breaking his usual stoic mask. "You strapped for cash?"

I didn't bother looking embarrassed. "No. Just making extra money."

He gave a single, slow nod. "Which flavor doesn't taste like cardboard?"

"I practically live on the tomato basil."

"I'll take that, then."

I quit that job exactly one month later. The math was simple. Way too much heavy lifting, nowhere near enough pay.

The manager tried to gaslight me into staying. "Free shift meals, Piper. Think of the savings."

Sounded great in theory, but I couldn't survive on cheap carbs alone. I did pass the job off to a desperate classmate before I bailed, though.

The next time I ran into Vance, I was working behind the counter at the campus mailroom.

A low, breathless laugh escaped him. "You're everywhere. Taking over the campus economy?"

I arched an eyebrow. "What, the billionaire heir actually orders his own packages?"

He didn't even flinch at the title, just leaned his hip against the counter. "Heirs need toothpaste too."

"Shouldn't you just snap your fingers and have a butler airlift it in?"

He rolled his eyes, a dry, deadpan look crossing his face. "Read fewer romance novels."

A month later, I ditched the mailroom too. A senior in my department hooked me up with a freelance translation gig. Better money, less sweating.

Nolan threw a massive birthday bash at a downtown karaoke lounge, inviting half our graduating class. Vance was lounging in the corner.

There was this girl. Pastel pink hair, sickeningly sweet, doe-eyed innocent face. I only noticed her because she handed Nolan a sleek watch box.

The exact same gift I had sitting in my bag. Her watch retailed for nearly four thousand dollars. A stupidly heavy flex for a college student.

Chapter 3

Everyone in the room knew my history with Nolan. They were all leaning in, dying to see what I brought.

I looked down at the fifty-dollar watch resting in my bag. Suddenly, it felt way too cheap to see the light of day.

Nolan let out a soft laugh. "Whatever Pip gets me, I'll love it."

The night blurred into loud singing and endless chatter. I opted out, sitting in the corner with a drink, just watching the chaos unfold.

Maybe the alcohol was going to his head. Nolan suddenly raised his voice over the music. "Hey, Pip took ballet for years. Why don't we have her do a routine for us?"

A few guys immediately started cheering, chanting for me to dance.

My smile instantly turned to plastic. He was treating me like a shiny trophy to show off to his frat brothers. "I'm not exactly dressed for a pirouette tonight," I said, keeping my tone perfectly polite. "Maybe another time."

Brandon, his incredibly dense roommate, completely missed the social cue. "Oh, come on. Just do a little spin. Don't kill the vibe."

I shot Nolan a pointed look. A silent plea for him to rein in his friend. I was not about to be their free entertainment.

Instead of stepping up, Nolan gave my shoulder a light shove. "Come on, Pip. It's my birthday. Do it as a favor to me."

The last thread of my patience snapped.

I looked him dead in the eye. "What makes you think you have any say here?"

The air in the room instantly evaporated. Everyone stared at each other in dead silence. Nolan's face flushed an ugly shade of red.

I didn't start this, and I definitely wasn't going to sit here and absorb the awkwardness. I stood up, completely unbothered. "Excuse me. I'm going to the restroom."

By the time I walked back down the neon-lit hallway, the heavy bass of the music had faded into conversation. It was like the little standoff had never happened.

I reached for the brass handle, but the voices bleeding through the crack stopped me dead.

Brandon sounded intensely curious. "So, Nolan, are you and Piper actually a thing or what? I thought you guys were childhood sweethearts."

Nolan let out an easy, practiced laugh. "We've been hanging out since we were three. Our parents have been trying to set us up forever. I just haven't made up my mind yet."

The girl with the pastel pink hair chimed in, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "That's just old-school boomer logic. Just because you grew up together doesn't mean you owe her a relationship."

"I saw Piper working the grill at the dining hall a while back," Brandon added. "She's pretty enough. She could literally do anything else. Why is she sweating in a cafeteria for minimum wage?"

Nolan sighed heavily, playing the role of the deeply concerned protector. "She's so stubborn. If she's that broke, why didn't she just come to me?"

My fingers curled into fists.

The urge to kick the door open and scream at him was almost blinding.

Then Nolan kept digging his own grave. "Right after graduation, Pip actually confessed she was in love with me," he said smoothly. "I turned her down. But our families are so close, I didn't want to make things weird."

"Heh."

A low, distinctly mocking sound drifted from the dark corner of the room. Vance Sinclair, who had been completely invisible until now, offered a devastatingly polite smile. "What's the big deal? If you aren't into her, just reject her outright."

Nolan bristled immediately, desperate to defend his fragile pride. "Vance, you just don't get it. Pip and I have over a decade of history. We have a deep connection."

Vance leaned back into the leather sofa, entirely unbothered. "It's fine. She's probably not as amazing as you think anyway."

"Wait, what? Why would you say that?" Nolan demanded.

"Because I just made that up."

Nolan stared at him, completely paralyzed.

I stood outside the door, equally speechless.

Delivering total chaos with an absolutely deadpan expression. My entire perception of Vance shifted in that exact second. The guy operated on a completely different frequency.

Nolan forced an uncomfortable laugh. "You're hilarious, Vance."

Vance didn't let him off the hook. "So, do you actually like the girl or not?"

Nolan fell dead silent. That was Nolan's signature move. Hovering perfectly on the edge of the friend zone, refusing to commit, but terrified of losing his backup option.

Vance stood up, walked over, and clapped a heavy hand on Nolan's shoulder. He looked like a wise, elder statesman dispensing crucial life advice.

"You've got four years of college ahead of you. You're going to meet so many people. Trust me, man. You deserve way better."

Nolan hesitated, taking the bait. "But what about Pip"

Chapter 4

"She's the best. She's not right for you."

""

Standing outside the door, I practically choked on a laugh.

Vance Sinclair's absolute lack of logic left the whole room paralyzed. They wanted to laugh, but no one dared to make a sound.

"Vance, you" Nolan's face was rigid, his mouth opening and closing uselessly.

Vance ignored him entirely, pivoting toward the exit.

Panic spiked in my chest.

I darted down the hall and plastered myself against the wall around the corner. I leveled out my breathing, but the slow, deliberate footsteps were getting closer.

"Stop hiding. Come out."

I didn't move a muscle.

"Come out, or I'm walking back in there to tell them you were eavesdropping."

"Thanks for standing up for me back there," I said, finally stepping into the light.

"How are you going to thank me?"

I stared at him. Excuse me?

"I want to see you dance too," he said smoothly. "Do I get that honor?"

A soft laugh escaped me. "Sure. I'm performing at the New Year's Eve gala. You can come watch."

Vance raised an eyebrow, his entire posture relaxing into visible satisfaction. "See you." He turned and walked away.

So arrogant. He just dropped the line and left.

I didn't go back into the KTV room. I walked straight back to campus.

Nolan hadn't lied back there. I really did have feelings for him once. In high school, he treated me like gold.

He brought me breakfast, bought me snacks, and saved up his allowance just to buy me gifts. My parents even gave him free math tutoring. I always thought us being together was just an inevitable fact of life.

Right after graduation, I dropped a massive, hopeful hint. "We finally graduated. No one cares about high school dating bans anymore."

I was met with suffocating silence.

"Pip, I don't think I did well on the finals," he finally said, avoiding my eyes. "I want to wait until the scores come out to think about this."

I completely understood. I didn't push him. But the scores came out, and his confession never did.

I was crushed, but I never brought it up again. You only need to make the first move once.

He still enrolled in the exact same university we had always planned on.

That summer, I went over to his house and accidentally overheard him talking to his mother.

"I know you like Piper," she reasoned, her voice dripping with calculated patience. "But you're young. You'll realize soon enough that love doesn't put food on the table."

"Your father's old friend works at the Board of Education. I'm giving you his daughter's number. Talk to her. If it doesn't work out Piper is a decent girl."

"I know, Mom," Nolan agreed. Just like that.

"Be smart. Keep a close eye on her. She's always been too sharp for her own good. Don't let her run wild once she gets to the city."

His mother didn't completely despise me. She just thought her precious son deserved a better return on investment. In other words, I was the backup tire.

A cold, sickening drop hollowed out my stomach. The air in the hallway suddenly felt too thin to breathe. My fingers curled tightly into my palms, my nails digging into the skin until the sharp sting grounded me.

On the night of the New Year's gala, I performed a traditional classical piece. The auditorium was packed. I had no idea if Vance was in the crowd. I couldn't see past the blinding stage lights anyway.

After the curtain fell, I headed toward the dressing rooms.

My phone buzzed.

[I'm waiting outside.]

I pushed the heavy door open. The back hallway was dimly lit and completely deserted.

Vance leaned back against the concrete wall, completely in profile. His head was tilted down, radiating lazy indifference. At the sound of the door, he looked up slowly. An unlit cigarette dangled loosely from his lips.

My mouth moved entirely faster than my brain. "Why are you posing so hard?"

""

He was objectively gorgeous. Even trying that hard to look like a brooding bad boy, it somehow worked.

His carefully crafted facade shattered. He straightened up, a flicker of genuine awkwardness breaking through as he walked toward me. "You just"

Chapter 5

"Hold on." I cut him off. Stepping into his space, I plucked the cigarette straight from his lips.

I squeezed the white cylinder between my fingertips. It was solid sugar.

"Vance, what is actually wrong with you?" I burst out laughing, completely abandoning any sense of decorum. I couldn't hold it in.

He didn't say a word. He just stared at me, his gaze heavy and unblinking.

My laughter slowly died in my throat. Either his ego was completely bulletproof, or I had genuinely pissed him off by ruining his aesthetic twice in one night.

I dropped the smile, a sudden spike of nerves hitting my chest. "Just kidding."

My brain was doing frantic damage control. Was Vance actually mad? Was he the type to hold a grudge?

So much for networking. I just made an enemy out of a billionaire.

Instead of yelling, he smoothly plucked the candy stick back from my hand. He bit the end off with a sharp crunch. "I'm buying you dinner. You in?"

Relief washed over me. He wasn't mad. "It's pretty late."

"Nolan took another girl out tonight. You sure you don't want to get food with me?"

I stared at him, genuinely lost. "How do those two things correlate at all?"

We ended up at the late-night campus diner. Over a plate of fries, Vance refused to drop the subject of Nolan.

"Nolan is stringing you along. You can't see that?"

"I know," I said, popping a fry into my mouth.

His brow furrowed. "You're supposedly obsessed with him. Why haven't you walked away?"

"It's whatever," I said, entirely unbothered.

The second I overheard him and his mother cementing my status as the backup option, I was done. But I wasn't about to blow it up.

Our families were next-door neighbors. The fallout would be messy.

Besides, who was actually stringing who along at this point? That was highly debatable.

I wasn't about to hand that information over to Vance, though. He lived with Nolan. One slip of the tongue, and my cover was blown.

"Why are you so invested in my relationship with Nolan?" I asked.

Vance met my eyes, devastatingly honest. "I couldn't care less about him. I just want him to explicitly reject you so you'll stop holding out hope."

"And then?"

"And then I can swoop in while you're vulnerable."

""

The air in the diner completely stalled. I chewed my food. Swallowed.

Picked up another fry. Chewed.

I forced a laugh, aggressively pivoting the conversation. "Did Nolan send you to interrogate me?"

"Do I look like I'm close with him?"

Didn't he? "I don't understand frat boy dynamics," I deflected.

Thankfully, Vance let the subject drop.

Later that night, I was lying in bed, scrolling through my phone. A text chimed. Vance had sent a handful of photos. It was me, mid-performance on stage.

[Not bad camerawork]

I texted back, genuinely impressed.

[I can take more next time.]

Another image loaded on the screen. It was me in my freshman orientation uniform. Sitting on the dark stadium bleachers. I definitely didn't know him back then.

A sudden, petty urge took over. I typed out a deliberate trap.

[Did Nolan make it back to the dorm?]

A solid thirty seconds passed.

[How the hell would I know.]

[]

I saved the stage photos to my camera roll and fired off a quick escape text.

[I'm going to sleep.]

I wasn't actually tired. I just wanted to doomscroll in peace.

[Are you reporting your whereabouts to me?]

What the actual hell?

While my brain was still short-circuiting, rapid-fire messages lit up my screen.

[Are we doing this every night now?]

[Or should I report to you?]

[Asleep already?]

[Goodnight.]

I locked my screen and shoved the phone under my pillow, playing dead. My social intelligence was officially bankrupt. I was terribly equipped for this level of warfare.

Every single time Vance spoke, I was left scrambling for a comeback. He was playing way too aggressively.

Chapter 6

I was playing dumb, but I wasn't actually stupid. When he said he wanted to swoop in, it was either about me, or about messing with Nolan. I figured the odds leaned slightly in my favor.

But from start to finish, all I wanted from Vance Sinclair was a spot in his professional network. We were from completely different worlds. If we dated, the breakup was a statistical certainty. We would end up blocking each other and never speaking again.

But friendship was a stable, long-term asset. As long as I didn't cross any boundaries, cashing in a favor wouldn't be an issue. Like securing a high-paying corporate job in the city after graduation.

It was a beautiful plan. But the execution was getting complicated.

Maybe Nolan sensed Vance moving in and finally felt threatened. Or maybe the girl he was seeing dumped him, and I got bumped back up to the active roster.

He started asking me out constantly. Dinners, movies, theater shows. I didn't say no. If I had free time, I showed up.

If Vance wanted to misread the situation and think I was helplessly obsessed with Nolan, that worked perfectly for me. Billionaires had notoriously short attention spans. He would find a shiny new target soon enough.

My lack of resistance gave Nolan a massive ego boost. He assumed I was still deeply, tragically in love with him. He felt entirely secure.

On my birthday, Nolan took me out to dinner. He spotted the sleek new phone sitting next to my plate. "You upgraded?"

"Yeah, bought it yesterday." It was an expensive model, but it was my birthday. My freelance translation check had just cleared, so I swiped my own card.

He hesitated, putting on a show of careful concern. "Pip, all smartphones do exactly the same thing. There is no need to chase the newest model. Wasn't your old one working just fine?"

"I ran out of storage," I said flatly. "And I paid for it with my own money."

He refused to let it go. "Girls should be a little more practical. You can't just burn through cash like that. Wouldn't it be better to save it for things that actually matter?"

Lecturing me on my own finances. A walking red flag.

"Enough, Nolan," I snapped. "It's not your bank account taking the hit."

Seeing my expression harden, he aggressively pivoted. "Okay, okay. I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's your birthday. Let's just eat."

It was late by the time I walked back into my dorm room. A sleek velvet gift box sat dead center on my desk.

"Where did this come from?" I asked.

My roommate Quinn was aggressively mashing buttons on her glowing keyboard. "Oh. Vance Sinclair dropped it off. He was waiting outside the building, so I just grabbed it for you His ult is down, push!"

My phone had died at dinner. The second it powered up, Vance's texts flooded the screen.

[Happy birthday.]

[Got you something. Want to come down and see what it is?]

I looked over at Quinn. "Did he say anything else?"

"He asked where you were," Quinn yelled at her monitor. "I told him you were out on a date with your childhood best friend Who the hell just stole my penta?!"

I stared blankly at the ceiling. I carefully lifted the lid off the box. Nestled inside was a delicate sapphire and diamond bracelet.

I did a quick reverse image search on my phone. Twenty-three thousand, eight hundred dollars. I cursed under my breath.

There was an obscene amount of wealth in this world. Why couldn't I just be born with some of it?

There was zero chance I was keeping it. I genuinely wanted to maintain a clean, professional dynamic with him. Favors had an expiration date. If I accepted a twenty-grand piece of jewelry now, how could I ever ask him for a corporate referral later?

I opened his text thread.

[Sorry, my phone died. The bracelet is gorgeous.]

[Glad you like it.]

[It's way too expensive. I can't accept this. I'll bring it back to you tomorrow.]

[Taking back a gift is a terrible look for me.]

Chapter 7

I gave this a lot of serious thought. Guys like Vance Sinclair operated entirely on ego and optics. Social maneuvering was exhausting, so I decided to play the guilt trip card.

[The gift is way too expensive. I can't afford to pay you back. Are you really going to make me starve myself to save up for a return gift?]

[That's fine. You use my money to eat, and you use your money to buy me surprises.]

What the actual hell. Weren't we crossing into dangerously flirty territory?

I had absolutely no idea how to respond. I just sent back a generic smiley face emoji.

[I'm pursuing you. It's my job to put in the effort. You didn't force me to do anything, so don't feel guilty.]

Playing dumb anymore would just be insulting. It looked like I was going to have to find another way to secure a corporate job.

Vance wasn't all talk. He showed up outside my dorm the very next morning with breakfast. The moment I walked out of the lobby and saw that devastatingly handsome face, my morning crankiness completely evaporated.

"Vance, Nolan is your roommate. Isn't this crossing a line?" I asked. There was zero chance Nolan knew he was here.

"Oh. I guess I lack basic manners."

A laugh bubbled up in my throat. I couldn't help it. Say what you will, but the man delivered top-tier emotional value.

"You guys aren't even together," he added smoothly. "And even if you were, people break up. Plus I'm pretty sure I'm a massive upgrade."

The absolute arrogance of this guy.

He caught my smile. "Don't look at me like that. At the very least, I actually know how to be loyal."

I used to think Vance was this untouchable, cold guy. Now I realized he just knew how to market himself. I had to admit, I was a little tempted.

Okay, maybe a lot tempted.

You couldn't blame me. Any girl in her right mind would be losing her grip on reality. Vance was top-tier in literally every category.

But I was brutally pragmatic. I always planned for the worst-case scenario. Option A: Say yes. But I had zero hope for us surviving long-term.

Option B: Reject him. Yeah I really didn't want to do that. Being around him was genuinely fun.

And honestly, I wasn't some overly righteous heroine desperate to prove myself. If I could leverage a connection to land a better job in the city, there was no logical reason to suffer through the grind alone.

Vance kept pursuing me for a long time. I never expected him to be this relentless.

Right before winter break of our sophomore year, I finally gave him a timeline. "If you still feel exactly the same way after the holidays, then we can be together."

On New Year's Eve, my phone stayed perfectly silent. No midnight text.

A hollow drop of disappointment hit my stomach. The holidays were prime time for wealthy families to play matchmaker. They were probably throwing a parade of flawless, wealthy heiresses at him. Girls who actually belonged in his world.

I told myself I was lucky. I was lucky I hadn't invested too much emotion into this yet.

Then, two days later, he drove straight to my hometown. There was massive construction on the main highway, and his GPS got completely turned around.

I stood on the icy sidewalk, staring at his luxury sedan. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to tell you I still like you."

A helpless laugh escaped me. "I meant we could talk about it when classes start."

"I couldn't wait."

"We literally have cell phones. You could have texted."

He leveled a deeply unamused look at me. "You are completely dismissing my effort."

There was no universe where I was bringing a billionaire heir to my parents' house. I booked him a room at the local hotel. Sitting in that room, I decided to lay all my cards on the table.

"If I said I liked you back, would you even believe me?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"What if I'm just after your trust fund?"

"That's not being a gold digger," he countered smoothly. "That's just a bullet point on your list of reasons for liking me. By that logic, I'm just using you for your brain, your competence, and your face."

"You're very good at this."

No matter who you were, hearing that was a massive ego boost. Vance Sinclair was definitely way better at playing the game than I was.

Chapter 8

I told myself it was just a relationship. No need to stress.

If we broke up before graduation, I would just enjoy the temporary high. If we survived past graduation, I could still leverage him for a decent job referral.

And if graduation was the reason he dumped me? We'd already be broken up. Asking for a corporate recommendation as a parting gift wouldn't be crossing a line, right?

That same night, Nolan and his parents came over to our house for dinner.

Nolan's mom let out a soft, practiced laugh. "Having a daughter is just so much better. I've always hoped Pip would end up as my daughter-in-law