My Ex Bet Me Away, So I Married His Billionaire Rival

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On my birthday, Ethan told me he had a surprise for me.

I was blindfolded and waited for a long time, only to be held by a completely strange man.

My body felt weak and hot, and I cried, begging him not to touch me.

A low chuckle came from above.

It was Asher Vance, Ethan's best friend and the school's notorious bad boy.

He reached out, gently wiping away my tears, and murmured with a sigh, "Dump him. Be mine instead."

Then, he showed me a video.

In a dimly lit VIP lounge at a club, Ethan was drinking with his rowdy friends. Someone asked him, "Is your girlfriend's body really that amazing? I don't believe it. Unless you let me sleep with her."

"What are you thinking? She's Ethan's precious girl. If you touch her, Ethan will have your head!" another friend laughed.

Ethan, sitting amidst a cloud of cigarette smoke, spoke nonchalantly, "Beat me in poker tonight, and you can have her."

Amidst the roaring laughter, someone asked, "What about Lily, your little admirer? I'd like to"

"Don't you dare!" Ethan kicked him coldly.

"Lily is the only pure flower in my heart. If any of you touch her, I'll chop your fingers off!"

He let his friends make the dirtiest jokes about me.

Yet, he wouldn't allow Lily to be tarnished in the slightest.

I wiped away my tears, turned to the campus bad boy, and asked, "If I become your girlfriend, will you help me destroy him?"

"Are you joking?"

Even after all these years since graduation, Asher still carried that dangerous, rebellious aura.

He gave me a mocking look.

"You're not just playing me to escape this room, are you?"

Saying that, his hand slid around my waist.

"Don't forget, your boyfriend literally bet you away and lost you to me."

"Whether I agree to your deal or not, tonight, you belong to me."

His warm breath brushed against my neck.

I wanted to kick him, but my limbs were completely weak and useless.

He laughed softly and leaned down to kiss me.

But the moment before his lips touched mine, he stopped. He stared at me with pure amusement.

"Chloe, tell me, is your boyfriend blind?"

His hand gently brushed past my cheek, trailing through my hair.

"Using a woman as beautiful as you as a poker chip... and losing you to another man."

"If my girlfriend were in a room with another guy, I would go absolutely insane."

As his hand moved downward, my cheeks burned like fire.

"Asher..."

The glass of water Ethan had given me earlier was definitely spiked.

I steeled my heart. "Help me. Use your body to make this heat go away."

I closed my eyes and heard his low laugh.

Then came the sound of clothes hitting the floor.

I bit my lip, bracing myself.

But the next second, a glass of ice-cold water was splashed directly onto my face.

I opened my eyes in shock. Asher had already put his jacket back on, sitting a few feet away from me.

"I don't take advantage of drugged women. But that doesn't mean I'm rejecting your deal."

The light was too dim for me to read his expression.

He said, "Starting today, you are my girlfriend. I will unconditionally help you ruin that piece of trash."

With that, Asher got up and went into the bathroom.

The cold water had washed over me, and the effect of the drug subsided by half.

I didn't know when I fell asleep.

All I knew was that when I was shaken awake, Asher whispered, "Your boyfriend is outside."

Before I could react.

The door was pushed open slightly, leaving a crack.

Ethan walked in, looking around nervously. Just as I was about to call out to him, Asher covered my mouth.

When I saw the girl Ethan was holding, I froze.

Her name was Lily. She was wearing a pure white dress, looking as innocent as a little wildflower.

Soon, Ethan pressed her against the wall, kissing her with desperate obsession.

I recalled the video again.

Ethan said Lily was the "only pure flower" in his heart.

But in the beginning.

That was exactly how he used to describe me.

I stared unblinkingly at the hallway, watching the gentle look on Ethan's face.

Lily wasn't satisfied with just a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his hand toward the hem of her dress.

But Ethan gently stopped her.

"Babe, not here. I don't want your first time to be in some random place. Let's wait until we get back. I'll book the most expensive suite for us."

Lily smiled coyly.

"Chloe has been with you for six years. Did you coax her like this too?"

Ethan was silent for a moment. "No."

Lily pouted playfully. "Liar. I don't believe you."

A bitter smile formed at the corner of my mouth.

He wasn't lying.

I remembered my first time with him.

He had begged and pleaded for it.

It was in a dusty backroom of his family's department store.

He didn't even want to spend money on a hotel room.

It turned out that being loved and not being loved were worlds apart.

"Ethan, who is prettier? Me, or your girlfriend?"

"You are."

Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed. "True. Otherwise, you wouldn't have used her as a bet and lost her to another man."

"She's probably sleeping with someone else right now. Aren't you sad at all?"

Ethan let out a mocking laugh.

"She's been dirty for a long time anyway. One more man won't make a difference."

It felt like a lightning strike.

Even after he walked away with his arm around Lily, my hands and feet remained ice-cold.

I knew exactly what he was referring to. It was that night back in college.

I was walking back late from my campus job and took a sketchy shortcut through a wooded path. I ran into a group of local thugs.

When I finally escaped and got back, my clothes were torn.

Rumors spread like wildfire, saying I had been ruined by those thugs.

I clarified again and again that they hadn't touched me.

On the surface, Ethan pretended to believe me. He held me gently and comforted me, saying, "I know. My Chloe is always pure."

But behind my back, he told his friends:

"Chloe? Who knows how many guys have slept with her already."

"I don't even want to touch her. She feels dirty."

It turned out, from beginning to end,

He had never believed me.

The next day, when I found Ethan, he was picking out a birthday gift for Lily.

It was an expensive jade bracelet.

He had specially ordered a jasmine flower to be engraved on it.

Ethan looked at it with eyes full of tenderness, imagining how it would look on Lily's wrist.

"Aren't you going to explain yourself?"

My voice was cold.

Ethan looked up at me and smiled.

"Asher has had his eye on you for a long time. Giving you to him for one night wiped out my millions of dollars in debt."

He sneered.

"Don't you think that's a pretty good deal?"

Losing my mind, I swung my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

But Ethan seemed to enjoy it.

He gently touched the cheek I had slapped, his smile turning even more despicable.

"Chloe, I said I would still marry you. No matter how many men you sleep with, I'll still marry you."

"But if you keep throwing these tantrums, I don't mind postponing our wedding for another year."

His tone was so condescending.

After all, I was the one who had chased him in the past.

My parents divorced when I was young, leaving me extremely insecure. All I wanted was to build a family of my own early on.

But to Ethan, that made me easy to manipulate.

The last time he postponed our wedding, which was supposed to be last month, was because Lily cried. She claimed I called her a mistress and pushed her down.

But if he had bothered to check the security cameras, he would have seen that Lily fell on purpose. She had cornered me to provoke me, and when I ignored her, she used this petty trick to frame me.

Before I could even defend myself, Ethan believed her without hesitation.

"Chloe, you went too far. Lily has been sheltered her whole life. How could you push her?"

"Kneel down and apologize to Lily right now, or our wedding is postponed for a year!"

I hadn't done anything wrong, so of course, I refused to apologize.

So, the wedding was indeed delayed.

But now, I finally understood what it felt like to stop loving someone.

Let alone the wedding.

I didn't even want this man anymore.

By the time I snapped out of it, Ethan was already gone. I pulled out my phone and texted him:

"Let's break up."

After a long time, he sent back a casual, single-word reply: "Okay."

I let out a bitter laugh and turned off my phone.

I walked aimlessly around the street food market, feeling completely lost.

Back in college, Ethan always said he was broke and couldn't afford fancy restaurants, so he often brought me here.

Even though we were poor, feeling loved made everything feel warm.

Five years after graduation, Ethan was now a CEO.

He would come back from hooking up with Lily and hand me a twenty-thousand-dollar designer bag or take me to a thousand-dollar dinner.

But he never loved me the way he used to.

I remembered the first time he introduced me to Lily.

He sat in the car, looking at the girl in the pleated skirt and pigtails standing at the school gate, and said:

"She's my neighbor's little sister. She just came to the city for college, and her family asked me to look after her."

Later, the way he looked at Lily became more and more intense.

More and more tender.

Once, after getting drunk, he looked at Lily's back and chuckled.

"Chloe, don't you think she looks a lot like you did five years ago?"

"So pure, untouched by the world."

Yes, she was pure and flawless.

Unlike me now, who had to go to business dinners and drink myself to exhaustion just to save his company from crises.

I no longer had that "untouched" innocence. Instead, I had the aura of a weary, calculating businesswoman.

But he forgot.

Who was the one who turned me into this?

The avocado salad in my mouth tasted like cardboard. I stood in the cold wind, tears streaming down my face.

"If it tastes that bad, don't eat it."

Suddenly, a hand snatched the salad away.

I turned around in surprise, only to find Asher standing there. He had been quietly following me from a short distance this whole time.

He handed me a tissue and gently wiped away my tears.

I looked at him blankly. "Why are you here?"

Asher stared at me with a complex look in his eyes.

"You agreed to be my girlfriend. Can't I go on a date with my girlfriend?"

He slowly leaned closer, took my cold hand, and stuffed it into his coat pocket.

"Or are you planning to back out?"

Asher and I walked in silence for a long time.

Suddenly, he asked:

"Why didn't you tell him that I didn't touch you last night?"

I shook my head. "I broke up with him anyway."

Asher gave me a surprised look. "I thought you couldn't let him go. After all, everyone said you two... had the perfect relationship."

Maybe it was my imagination, but Asher's voice sounded a bit strained, almost jealous.

I looked up at the sky and smiled. "Yeah. Everyone thought we had a great relationship. Even I believed it."

Three years ago, Ethan got critically ill.

The doctors even issued a critical condition notice, telling his family to prepare for the worst.

But I didn't give up.

I worked five jobs a day. I was a waitress during the day, delivered food during rush hours, and promoted alcohol at clubs at night. I worked so hard I almost coughed up blood.

I did everything I could and somehow saved Ethan's life.

When Ethan woke up, his eyes were red as he held me.

"Chloe, I love you."

He promised he would protect me for the rest of his life.

On my birthday that year, he gave me a massive bouquet of paper roses.

He said I would always be his favorite rose.

But it wasn't until I saw him spend millions on that jade bracelet, carefully carving a jasmine flower onto it,

That I realized.

He didn't want roses.

He liked jasmines.

"Maybe it's fate, Asher. You saved me back then, and maybe I was destined to return the favor."

I took the initiative to hold Asher's hand.

"I'm your girlfriend from now on."

Asher let out a soft chuckle.

"I thought you forgot about what happened back then."

How could I forget?

In college, there was a rumor about Asher and me for a while.

He was the notorious bad boy, the rebel who skipped classes and got into fights. Even the professors stayed out of his way.

In my memory, he was a loner.

Whenever I saw him, I would walk the other way.

But that night, walking home late from my job, Ethan was supposed to pick me up but stood me up.

I walked down the dark path alone.

And ran into those thugs.

They cornered me in a dead end, covered my mouth, and tried to tear my clothes off.

Just when I was in complete despair, Asher showed up.

He fought like a maniac, completely reckless, and literally terrified the thugs away.

"Get back to your dorm already," he growled.

He recognized me. He hid his bleeding knuckles behind his back and followed me from a safe distance to make sure I got back safely.

I asked hesitantly, "You're bleeding. Let me take you to the hospital first."

"None of your business. Stop being annoying," he snapped coldly, like a defensive hedgehog.

But feeling guilty, I forced him to go to the clinic anyway.

By the time we got back to campus, the sun was almost up. When people saw me returning with the school bad boy, my clothes torn, the rumors started.

They said I had spent the night with Asher at a motel.

The rumors were nasty.

While I didn't care about what others said, I begged Ethan to believe me, repeatedly explaining that nothing happened between Asher and me.

On the surface, Ethan comforted me gently, saying he believed me.

But behind my back, he told his friends:

"Who knows what really happened that night? Maybe Chloe was already ridden by Vance."

No wonder he never touched me after that night, claiming he wanted to save it for marriage.

My thoughts were interrupted when Asher went to buy me boba. I sat on a bench near the mall entrance waiting for him, when a familiar voice sounded in front of me.

"Ethan, look, isn't that Chloe?"

Lily smiled at me with an innocent face, holding a massive bouquet of bright red roses.

"Why is she shopping all by herself? Ethan, how could you leave your girlfriend alone? I should go say hi to her."

"Lily!"

Ethan frowned and called out to her, but he didn't stop her.

He quickly followed behind, glaring at me defensively, as if he was terrified I would hurt his precious Lily.

"What are you doing here?"

I sneered. "I didn't know you owned this street. Why do you care?"

Lily smiled and wrapped her arm around Ethan's.

"Ethan is taking me out. He said you two used to eat here all the time during college. He even said your favorite was cheap street hot dogs. I would never dare to put something so cheap in my mouth. You really can endure anything, Chloe."

I rolled my eyes internally.

I looked around to see why Asher was taking so long, but Lily took that as a cue to flaunt her roses.

"Look, Ethan bought these roses for me. They smell so good!"

"Since you're his girlfriend, why don't I give them to you!"

I looked up coldly.

"Didn't he tell you? We broke up."

Ethan frowned. "Chloe, stop throwing a tantrum. We've been together for nearly seven years. What do you mean, broke up?"

"Even if you're mad about what happened the other night, you don't have to lie about this."

He was the one who had replied "Okay" to my breakup text.

Just as I was about to pull out my phone to show him,

Lily suddenly shoved the roses right into my face.

"Don't be mad. Just take these roses as Ethan's apology to you..."

Her movement was so sudden that I couldn't dodge.

The thick scent of pollen rushed straight down my throat.

"Get... get them away..."

I was severely allergic to pollen.

Within seconds, my lungs seized up, and I could barely breathe.

"Call... call 911..."

Seeing me gasp for air, Lily looked terrified and immediately hid behind Ethan, pretending to cry.

Ethan shielded her, looking down at me with disgust.

"Stop acting, Chloe."

"Do you think copying Lily's innocence makes you look pitiful? This pathetic act only makes me despise you more."

I wanted to beg them to help me, but Ethan disgustedly kicked my foot away and walked off with Lily.

As my consciousness faded,

I suddenly remembered years ago.

The first time Ethan found out about my pollen allergy, he had rushed me to the ER, holding me tightly, crying with panic.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were allergic!"

"I promise I'll protect you from now on..."

But just now.

He only cared about protecting his precious little flower.

He forgot that my allergy was severe enough to kill me.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed.

I opened my eyes to meet Asher's worried, bloodshot eyes.

"You almost scared me to death."

"I came out with the boba and saw you collapsed on the pavement. The doctor said if I had been a few minutes later, you wouldn't have made it."

He still looked visibly shaken.

I smiled weakly at him. "Who knew the fearless bad boy of our school could make a face like that?"

Asher looked away, embarrassed.

"I'm thirsty."

He immediately poured me a glass of water. I noticed his knuckles were bruised and scraped.

"What happened to your hand?"

Asher tried to pull his sleeve down to hide it.

But I grabbed his arm. "Tell me the truth."

Asher sighed. "Ethan did this to you. I went and taught him a lesson."

My eyes widened in surprise.

That was definitely Asher's style.

I tugged at his sleeve. "Asher."

"Yeah?"

"Do you... like me?"

Asher turned around, staring into my eyes with absolute seriousness. "Dummy. It took you this long to realize?"

I froze, my face turning crimson.

That afternoon, Asher went out to get food. When he came back, he mysteriously pulled out a velvet box and proposed to me.

"Chloe, I can't wait anymore."

"I'm terrified that if I hesitate for even a second, you'll run back to that loser. I need you to promise to marry me right now."

The patients in the neighboring beds laughed and cheered.

"Say yes! A guy this devoted is hard to find!"

I hadn't planned on moving so fast.

But looking into Asher's intense eyes, I found myself nodding. "Can I really trust you?"

"Of course. I'm a million times more reliable than your ex."

I laughed.

Asher bought plane tickets. He said he wanted to take me back to his family's estate next week to get married.

After officially quitting my job, I passed a bakery on my way home. Remembering Asher liked strawberry cake, I smiled and picked one out.

"Excuse me, how much is this"

Suddenly, the cake was snatched from my hands.

Lily cooed, "Ethan, I love this cake. Buy it for me, please?"

Then she gave me a provocative look, pretending to be shocked.

"Oh, Chloe! What a coincidence! I'm so sorry, but I really want this cake. Can you let me have it?"

What a curse. I couldn't even buy a cake without running into them.

I pulled my hand back in disgust. Since she touched it, I didn't want it anymore.

Seeing me turn around to leave, Lily pouted as if she was about to cry.

"Ethan, is Chloe mad at me? Go comfort her!"

The next second, Ethan blocked my path.

"Didn't you hear her? Lily is crying because of you. It's just a cake, why can't you let her have it? Apologize to her."

Seeing my silence, his tone softened.

"Chloe, Lily just graduated. She's still a kid. Don't be so petty."

"If you behave, and let me spend this graduation season with her, we will get married in a year as planned."

"You'll still be my wife. No one can take your place."

I looked up and let out a cold laugh.

"Ethan, didn't you get my breakup text? Why are you still acting like we are together?"

"What breakup text?"

Ethan froze.

The next second, Lily stepped between us. "Chloe, your dress is so pretty. Can you send me the link?"

She intentionally sent Ethan away to pay for the cake. Once he was out of earshot, the mask came off.

"I'll tell you the truth. I replied to that text on Ethan's phone. He has no idea."

"Chloe, you already know Ethan doesn't love you anymore. But since his family is rich, it's no wonder you're still clinging to him like a desperate dog."

"But stop wasting your time. No matter how much he liked you in the past, you are history now."

She crossed her arms, smiling like a proud white rose.

"The only one Ethan loves now is me."

She expected to see tears in my eyes.

Instead, I gave her a calm look. "Is that so? Then congratulations."

I turned and walked away without looking back.

She had no idea that I was getting married too.

Whatever drama they had had absolutely nothing to do with me anymore.

A week later, Asher took me to his family's estate.

When we pulled up, I was stunned by the massive, sprawling historic estate before my eyes.

"This is your family home? Why does the gate say 'Vance Mansion'?"

Asher explained:

"Vance is my mother's family name. When my father cheated and abandoned her, I took her name. Now, the Vance family needs an heir, so they brought me back."

Asher looked at me seriously. "Actually, I am the sole heir to the Vance Empire."

Back in college, I thought Asher was just a poor, angry kid.

When I accepted his proposal, I was fully prepared to live a simple, budget-friendly life with him.

I had no idea he was the heir to the wealthiest family in the city.

Three days later was our wedding.

Asher threw me a grand, spectacular wedding that caught the attention of the entire high society.

Even my wedding dress had been custom-made months in advance.

When I tried it on, it fit perfectly. I asked him in surprise, "How did you know my measurements?"

Asher smirked. "Guess."

I couldn't.

Later, the housekeeper let slip that on the night Ethan "lost" me to him, Asher had held me close just to measure my frame.

On the day of the wedding, the Vance family invited every prominent figure in the city.

Ethan and Lily showed up in formal wear, looking around the Vance Estate with pure envy as they were led to their seats.

When Ethan saw me passing by, his brow furrowed. "Chloe? How did you sneak in here?"

He looked around nervously. "Come here. Do you know what kind of place this is? You can't just wander in without an invitation."

"Just tell them you're with me. Don't cause trouble."

I was wearing a casual but elegant silk wrap dress, heading to the bridal suite to get my makeup done. Naturally, Ethan couldn't tell I was the bride.

I just smiled. "No need to worry, Ethan."

With that, I walked away.

Ethan's voice chased after me.

"Wander around all you want! Don't blame me when security throws you out!"

I thought to myself: The only one getting thrown out today is you.

Two hours later, the makeup artists finished my bridal look, and I changed into a multi-million-dollar designer wedding gown.

The venue was buzzing with excitement.

Lily looked around with starry eyes. "I wonder who the lucky girl is to marry the Vance heir!"

Ethan shook his head. "I've never met him. I don't know why he invited me, maybe some business associate of my dad's."

He was already planning how to flatter and connect with the mysterious Vance heir after the ceremony.

"The bride and groom are coming!"

Asher gently held my hand. Amidst the thunderous applause and cheers, we stepped out onto the grand altar.

When Ethan and Lily saw our faces, their expressions turned completely pale.

"No way... How can it be them?"