Spoilers Said He Cheated, So I Bought a Boy Toy

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A whole month without protection, and you're still not pregnant? Julian's towering frame blocked the bathroom doorway. A cold smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.

I gripped the single-line pregnancy test, my knuckles turning white. Without warning, a row of glaring, neon holographic comment boxes popped up in mid-air:

[LMAO, the villainess is still stressing over this! She'd never guess in a million years that the male lead is shooting blanks!]

[Only Hazel's super-fertile body can cure him! It's happening tonightJulian is going straight to sleep with her!]

I stared deadpan at the floating spoilers. Blaming me for not getting pregnant, while he was heading out to cheat tonight? I tossed the test into the trash can.

The heavy tightness in my chest vanished. He wasn't coming back tonight? Perfect.

My gorgeous younger boyfriend, the one I signed to a high-priced NDA, had been left hanging in a luxury penthouse for a whole month. He was waiting for me.

Chapter 1

Julian leaned against the doorframe, looking down at me. "Going for another round?"

My mind raced over the holographic spoilers. I ignored him.

Julian shrugged, unfazed. He dressed right in front of me, his movements practiced. Red scratch marks trailed down his tight abs, disappearing past his V-line.

The comments turned sour.

[Such a waste of Julian's eight-pack and god-tier stamina on this villainess. Thank god our precious Hazel gets to taste him soon.]

[The villainess is nothing. Hazel is his true soulmate. The sterile billionaire and the super-fertile girl are a match made in heaven. The villainess is just a practice run. The only reason he's so good in bed later is because he leveled up using her!]

Bile rose in my throat. They really made getting sloppy seconds sound like a fairy tale. Why not just auction him off to the highest bidder? I pushed past him out of the bathroom and grabbed my clothes.

[Tonight is the night! Julian and our innocent Hazel's fated one-night stand. Just wait, once he gets a taste, he'll be hooked on her soft little body]

[One shot, one kill! He's going to kick the villainess to the curb so fast!]

[Hehehe, Hazel's super-fertility is going to explode! She'll pop out an entire football team, turning that cheating scumbag into a super-dad!]

A football team? Was Hazel a breeding machine? Even a prize-winning sow couldn't push out that many.

[Julian goes hard, Hazel breeds hard! The second she gets pregnant, Julian's father will hand over the Julian Empire to him. He's going to love her to death!]

[Once there's a baby, he fulfills the family rule of 'pregnancy before marriage,' and he'll marry our precious Hazel!]

Met with my silence, Julian's expression hardened. But a subtle shift in his eyesa thought of whoever was waiting in that apartmentsoftened his rigid jaw.

He knotted his tie. "I have a business dinner tonight. Don't wait up. Figure out this whole pregnancy issue on your own."

Figure it out? Was I supposed to undergo immaculate conception?

[Business dinner, my ass! He's going straight to that apartment to see Hazel. She's homeless, and he took pity on her, hiding her away like his little secret.]

[It's true love! He knows he has a girlfriend, but he still defied society to fall for Hazel.]

[Sparks are going to fly tonight. Julian is going to take her so hard~]

Right. If he wanted to play the field, I could play too.

I crossed my arms. "We're done, Julian. Let's break up."

Julian stopped in his tracks. He turned and pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a harsh breath. "What are you throwing a tantrum about now? I'm exhausted.

I told you, drop the pregnancy talk for now. I'm swamped. I don't have time for your drama."

[Swamped with what? Swamped with burying himself in Hazel~]

Fine. I had already dropped the guillotine on this relationship. I drove straight to a high-end apartment complex, navigating the route on autopilot.

The second I pushed the door open, a tall, muscular frame pulled me into a tight embrace. The crisp, sunny scent of citrus filled my lungs. The tension in my shoulders melted away.

Silas looked down at me, his eyes sparkling. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, rubbing against me like a giant golden retriever.

"Sloane, I missed you so much," he murmured against my skin. "You finally came to see me."

The holographic comments exploded.

[WTF! This villainess actually dared to betray Julian? She's cheating on him!]

[Julian needs to dump her right now! Cut ties with this toxic bitch!]

[Omg this is insane. How dare she play him like this? If this were medieval Salem, shed be dragged to the stake and burned as a witch!]

[Thank God Julian has our precious Hazel. If he didn't, I'd die of rage for him!]

Chapter 2

I sneered inwardly. Was this their damn double standard? He gets to play his cheating games, but I can't have a little fun?

Besides, these comments were jumping the gun. Silas and I hadn't even crossed that line yet. And I had already dumped Julian.

My momentary distraction made Silas pout. "Sloane, you finally come to see me, and you're not even looking at me?"

He looked too pathetic, like a kicked puppy. I softened, running my fingers through his golden curls, and leaned in to brush my lips against the corner of his mouth. "Here. A kiss for my good boy."

Silas's breathing hitched, turning hot and heavy. He pinned me against the door, capturing my lips. My hands trailed over his sculpted chest.

I sighed inwardly. Younger guys were so much more fun. Give them a crumb of affection, and they surrender everything.

When he finally pulled back, my golden retriever wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, burying his face in my shoulder, inhaling my scent. My mind drifted. I was actually getting addicted to that sun-drenched smell of his.

Ever since I put Silas on my payroll a month ago, we had done plenty of intimate things, but we always stopped short of going all the way. He ground his teeth, but he knew his place. He knew he was the secret, and secrets had to wait.

[Ugh, so annoying! I don't want to watch the villainess and her side piece.]

[Wait a minute, I think it's unfair. The male lead gets Hazel, so it's only fair the villainess gets someone too.]

[Are you seriously comparing the villainess to Hazel?]

The single comment defending me was instantly drowned out by a flood of mockery. But that one comment was right.

A month ago, Julian was supposed to be on a business trip. Instead, I saw him in a high-end mall, patiently waiting while a fragile-looking girl tried on clothes. He even let her hook her arm through his as they walked into an apartment building. If I hadn't seen that with my own eyes, I probably never would have thought about keeping Silas as a lover.

I had parked outside their building and chain-smoked three cigarettes. The sky turned pitch black. Julian never came out.

That was the moment I knew Julian was tainted goods.

Annoyed and restless, I grabbed the keys to my limited-edition Porsche, planning to hit the Ivy League college town to find my brother, Miles. That was when I bumped into Silas trying to hail an Uber on the sidewalk. He took one look at my Porsche and actually mistook me for a premium black-car driver. I was bored out of my mind, so I played along and let him in.

Silas had a clean-cut, obedient look, his messy blonde curls reminding me of a loyal golden retriever I had as a kid. There was a tiny teardrop mole beneath his eye that gave him an innocent, yet undeniably sexy edge. When he looked at me, his eyes fluttered with a shy intensity, and his mouth was dripping in honey, calling me gorgeous every chance he got. That was when the idea of keeping him hit me.

When I laid out the arrangement, my little golden retriever blinked in shock. "You want me to be your secret lover, Sloane?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Is that a no?" A hundred grand a month was on the table.

"Yes! I mean, I'm in! I'll do it!" He practically wagged his invisible tail.

I sat on the plush sofa, mindlessly running my fingers through Silas's curls while staring at the TV. His hair was soft and silky, carrying that faint scent of sunflowers.

"Sloane," he murmured, "when are you actually going to take me?" He tilted his head up, his eyes full of pathetic longing. He caught my hand, pressing my palm against his warm cheek and nuzzling it.

I let the question hang in the air. The real reason I hadn't taken that final step with Silas came down to the Julian family's ironclad rules. Julian wouldn't get true power over the Julian Empire until he produced a firstborn son. Plus, that stubborn old trust fund had an explicit rider: the heir had to provide concrete proof of pregnancy before they could access those massive shares and host a wedding.

Chapter 3

Did I love him enough to actually want his kid? Please. Julian and I were a corporate merger wearing a diamond ring. I was just playing by his family's archaic rules.

It was all about keeping up appearances. A transactional exchange of face and power. I just needed to produce the heir, lock down my shares in the Julian Empire, check off my family's mandate, and get the wedding over with.

Too bad my womb wasn't cooperating. After putting Silas on the payroll, Id actually toyed with the idea of using him as a stud. But the Julian family's lawyers would sniff out a bastard heir in seconds.

Still, thinking about those glowing commentsJulian shooting blanks, only Hazels magic womb being the curemade acid claw up my throat. Who wants a man who's been playing in the dirt? My golden retriever was infinitely more appealing.

I looked down and pressed a soft kiss to Silas's beautiful, puppy-dog eyes. "Be a good boy, and next time I see you, I'll give you exactly what you want."

The shadow in his eyes vanished, replaced by a shy bite of his lower lip. "Then don't make me wait too long, Sloane."

His voice dropped, rough and eager. "I promise I'll make you feel so good. I'll be way better than that old guy."

He lunged, tackling me onto the sofa and rubbing his face against my neck.

I let out a breathless laugh. He was massive, his broad shoulders easily pinning me down, but he was entirely submissive. He was just a pent-up boy desperate for a scrap of comfort. I finally left, his heated, sticky gaze burning into my back until the door clicked shut.

When I got back to the penthouse, Julian was already there. He sat on the leather sofa, legs crossed, eyes locked on his laptop screen. When he was focused, his sharp, aristocratic features and imposing aura were undeniable.

But my eyes zeroed in on his collar. He was wearing a black turtleneck.

The mid-air text started screaming.

[Ahhh! He is so hot! Our precious Hazel successfully devoured him! Look at those hickeys! He actually put on a turtleneck just to hide them from the villainess!]

[Julian's seed is already taking root inside Hazel! She's going to be pregnant with his baby so soon!]

[Omg, the football team is finally coming! Hazel is going to secure the bag with those babies!]

I rolled my eyes. Pushing out an entire football team? Could they even afford the child support?

Then again, this was Julian. The trust fund would cover it.

Julian's gaze flicked up, locking onto my mouth. "Why are your lips swollen?"

My heart skipped a beat. Silas had been feral today. He'd bruised my lips, and I hadn't even bothered to check the rearview mirror before walking in.

I didn't miss a beat. "Got stung by a bee."

Julian's dark eyes narrowed. I couldn't tell if he bought the bullshit or not. He lowered his head, his thumb brushing against the corner of his own mouth. A faint, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at his lips.

I squinted. "What happened to your lip? It's busted."

[Hazel bit him, duh! He took her so aggressively she cried and bit his lip!]

[Yasss! Hes totally thinking about her right now! Hes addicted!]

Julian dropped the smirk, his face turning back to stone. "Same as you. A bee sting."

I almost laughed out loud. The bees in this city were really working overtime today.

In the master bedroom, Julian was propped up against the headboard, typing aggressively on his laptop. Since I had already dropped the breakup bomb, I needed to get the family lawyers involved to officially sever the engagement soon.

Julian stopped typing. "Let's put a pin in the pregnancy thing for a while. You haven't rested well this past month. You must be exhausted."

[He's just making up excuses so he doesn't have to touch the villainess!]

[Exactly! Our male lead belongs to Hazel! Even if his body isn't pure, his heart is pure for her!]

[Hes saving all his stamina for our precious Hazel! He loves her so much!]

I clicked my tongue. So he had just been drained dry. Fine by me. I wasn't in the market for a used car anyway.

Chapter 4

I pulled my silk nightgown from the closet, ready to move to the guest room. "Right. You get some rest too."

No response. A rustle of fabric behind me, and then a heavy, warm hand gripped my shoulder, forcefully turning me around.

Julian's thumb pressed hard against my collarbone. His voice dripped with suspicion. "Why are you covered in red marks?"

The aggressive grip made me want to curse him out, but his words made my eyes drop. My collarbone was peppered with angry, undeniable hickeys. Silas. That little golden retriever did this on purpose.

I took a slow breath, keeping my face deadpan. "I'm allergic to bees."

I couldn't tell if Julian bought it. His dark gaze slid lower, lingering heavily on the swell of my chest. His jaw tightened, and he forcefully tore his eyes away.

"I'm exhausted tonight. Don't even think about it."

I casually pulled my collar up. The hypocrite was practically vibrating with tension. He had just rolled out of Hazels bed, drained dry, and his ego still couldn't handle not being in control. His mind was willing, but the hardware was obviously out of order.

[Ahhh! How can he look at the villainess like that?! He belongs to Hazel!]

[Calm down, bestie. His heart belongs to our precious Hazel. He's a man, it's normal that he can't control his biological reactions!]

[Plus, look at how thickly he's dressed! He's literally barricading himself to stop the villainess from touching him!]

[Exactly! As long as he loves Hazel, that's what matters. He can just use the villainess to scratch an itch.]

Were these commenters eating out of a dumpster? I grabbed a spare duvet off the bed and headed straight for the door. This was the perfect excuse to finally sleep in separate rooms.

Julian watched me, his brow furrowing.

"I'm sleeping in the guest suite," I said, pausing at the threshold. "You get your rest. And think hard about what I said.

The breakup and severing the engagement. I meant it."

The next morning, I was finishing my espresso when Julian walked into the kitchen. He had his suit jacket slung over one arm. He tossed a sleek black velvet box onto the marble island. "From my mother."

I flipped the lid open. Inside sat a vintage Tiffany ruby necklace. Except, it was a blatant fake.

I snapped the box shut, a dry smirk playing on my lips. I propped my chin on my hand. "Have you thought about the breakup?"

Julian's shoulders visibly dropped, the rigid tension bleeding out of his stance. "I know the pressure to get pregnant is making you anxious, but you can't force it. Ignore my parents pushing you."

He adjusted his cuffs. "Once I wrap up this project, I'll spend more time with you. Stop throwing a tantrum about breaking up.

Our engagement is a corporate merger. You agreed to play by the Julian family's rules from day one. Weigh the consequences."

He grabbed his briefcase. "I'm sleeping at the office for the next few days. Cool off and think it over."

[Sleeping at the office? Yeah right! He's craving Hazel's soft little body! One taste and he's addicted. He's moving in so he can devour her every night!]

[He loves our precious Hazel so much! He even gave her the necklace his mom bought! That's the symbol of the Julian family's daughter-in-law. Hazel wanted it, so he gave it to her!]

[Look at the villainess smiling like an idiot. She totally doesn't realize the necklace is a cheap knockoff.]

I ground my teeth together. These holographic pop-ups were brain-dead, doing nothing but throwing cheap personal attacks all day. Who said I didn't see through the fake? I was born into old money, for God's sake.

Chapter 5

Julian cleared his throat. He shifted his weight, looking slightly off-balance. "Your birthday is next week. Tell me what you want."

He reached out, his fingers brushing toward my neck. My jaw tightened. I leaned back, dodging his touch entirely.

He stiffened, his dark eyes instantly sweeping down to my collarbone. "How about a necklace? You have beautiful collarbones. A necklace would look perfect."

I pulled my collar tighter, giving a dismissive nod. "Sure. Sounds great."

Buying his own peace of mind seemed to put him in a fantastic mood. He grabbed his tailored jacket and walked out the door.

The second the door clicked shut, I took photos of the fake jewelry, threw it up on eBay for one dollar, and tagged it: Cheap knockoff from a cheating ex.

Just like this pathetic engagement, it was time to cut the cord.

He used to throw insane amounts of money at me to keep up the facade of our corporate merger. Now, his little secret mistress whines about a shiny toy, and he hands over the real vintage piece on a silver platter. Meanwhile, I get the embarrassing knockoff.

Thank God I knew my vintage Tiffany from a street corner fake. Back then, at least the financial compensation was real. Now? He was useless.

What was the point of this garbage arrangement? Just like the holographic comments said, let Hazel pop out a hundred kids for him.

I scoffed aloud in the empty room. "Good luck feeding an entire football team. The child support will bankrupt him."

That evening, I parked my Porsche across the street from the high-end apartment complex where he hid his little secret.

Right on cue, Julian's black SUV pulled up. A woman in a flowing white dress fluttered out of the lobby like a moth and threw herself straight into his arms. They clung to each other, a picture-perfect, sickly sweet romance.

I rubbed the goosebumps off my arms, raised my phone, and snapped a rapid-fire series of photos. Concrete proof secured. I slammed my foot on the gas and drove home.

I slept like the dead. When I finally woke up, my screen was flooded with clingy texts from Silas. He missed me. But then again, he missed me every single day.

I tapped the screen and sent a reply: You're a secret lover right now, baby. Control yourself. I only like good, obedient boys.

Silas went completely radio silent for a few days.

I assumed he had finally learned his place. Until a sharp tapping sound against the glass woke me up at noon.

I groaned, dragging myself out of bed to find the source of the noise. Silas was literally perched on the thick oak branch outside my second-story window. He knocked on the glass, staring at me with wide, expectant eyes.

I blinked, utterly baffled, and unlatched the window. My giant golden retriever scrambled inside and immediately tackled me into a bone-crushing hug, nuzzling his face into my neck.

I narrowed my eyes, pressing my palms against his solid chest to push him back. "You're not acting like a good boy, Silas. You're not obedient at all." Being crowded and controlled like this rubbed me the wrong way.

His bright eyes dilated, breath catching in his throat. "No, Sloane, I swear I've been good" His voice dropped into a rough, jealous whisper. "It's just you broke your promise."

He looked so pathetic, his golden curls actually seeming to droop. He was a dangerously beautiful distraction. My rigid posture softened. "What promise did I break?"

Silas's head snapped up. His pupils dilated. He closed the distance, backing me against the wall until his hot breath ghosted over my lips.

"You said you would give me what I wanted. Can I have it now?" he rasped.

"If you forgot, it's fine. I delivered myself right to your door."

The sun-drenched scent of his skin was intoxicating. He was reeling me in, but a shred of sanity kept me grounded. "Julian is technically still my fianc," I said, keeping my voice cool. "You're getting way too bold."

My golden retriever stiffened, panic flashing across his face again.

He opened his mouth, desperate to argue, but the sound of knuckles rapping sharply against the heavy bedroom door cut him off.

Chapter 6

My stomach plummeted. I grabbed Silas, who was glaring at the bedroom door with lethal intensity, and shoved him toward the walk-in closet.

"Sloane, what the hell are you doing?" Julian's muffled voice bled through the heavy door. "It sounds like you're tearing the house apart in there."

My giant golden retriever dug his heels in. He tugged at my silk sleeve, his voice dropping to a rough, greedy whisper. "Just ignore him, Sloane. We can do it in the closet."

I ground my teeth and shot him a deadly glare. Don't tempt me. If Julian caught us right now, the family lawyers would make severing this engagement a living hell. I shoved him deep into the racks of designer coats, snapped the closet door shut, and smoothed down my hair before pulling the bedroom door open