They Made Me Confess To A Bricklayer, Then I Saw The Comments Chapter 02
I yanked free of Preston’s grip and ran. By the time I hit the campus entrance, Rowan was gone, so I flagged a cab and headed back to my dorm.
The second I shut the door, the reader feed flooded in.
[Wait, Preston’s family business is about to collapse??]
[He’s been going to Chloe for help. Their deal? They team up to take down Serena’s family business.]
[Holy crap, is this for real?? The male lead is going after the drama queen’s family??]
I stared at the comments. My hands curled into fists, slowly, one finger at a time.
I tried to take a deep breath, but my chest felt too tight.
So that’s what this was.
Ten years of chasing Preston, and he’d been playing me the whole time.
I used to feel sorry for Chloe. Her family’s business was barely scraping by. Every time my family landed a good deal, I made sure to cut her in.
And she repaid me by scheming with Preston to rip apart my family’s business?
I grabbed my phone and called my mom. The second she picked up, I got straight to it.
“Mom, my birthday’s in two days. I want to throw a huge party.”
“Reserve an entire floor at Crestview Hotel. Stream the whole thing, invite everyone we know, and I mean everyone. Our entire social circle.”
My mom never said no to me. She agreed without a second thought.
After I hung up, I pulled up my socials and posted a photo I’d taken of a pink diamond ring, still sitting in its box. One line underneath.
[At my birthday party in two days, I’m confessing to someone.]
The reader feed exploded.
[Called it. She’s going to confess to Preston!]
[Classic drama queen. She literally just told him he wasn’t worth it, and now she wants to confess?? Make it make sense.]
I read the comments and smiled. Let them think what they wanted.
Through the reader feed, I watched a scene unfold. Chloe sat across from Preston, her tone perfectly casual.
“Did you hear? Serena’s throwing a birthday party. She’s going to confess to you on livestream and everything.”
She hid a smirk behind her hand, playing the concerned friend.
“You should still go, though. She only snapped at you because she got called out and panicked. You know how she is. If you don’t show up, she’ll be crushed.”
Preston let out a short, hard laugh, contempt written all over his face.
“She thinks throwing some big party is going to make me say yes? Not a chance.”
Chloe leaned in, eyes wide, all innocence. “So you’re not going, right? I mean, it’d be so awkward if you did.”
Preston sneered. “I’m not going. Let her sit there and wait. Maybe then she’ll learn I don’t play her little games.”
Watching their conversation update live in the feed, my mouth curved, and there was nothing kind about it.
The next day, I tracked Rowan down.
He wasn’t at a construction site this time. He was holed up in a small office, scrolling through financial statements on a computer.
[Holy crap, the second male lead already has a company?? Do-over speedrun??]
[It’s been like five minutes since he got reborn, and he already has a whole business??]
Rowan looked up and saw me. His eyes darted away for a split second before his voice went flat.
“I already told you, Serena. Stop messing with me.”
But the tips of his ears were already burning red.
[Second male lead, have some self-respect, PLEASE. Did you forget how you died last time??]
I crossed to his desk, stepping right into his space. There was a smile in my voice I didn’t bother hiding.
“My birthday party is in two days. You’d better be there.”
The refusal was instant. “I’m not going.”
I planted both hands on his desk and leaned down until my breath grazed his face.
“You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
I let the silence sit for a beat.
“Because I’m going to confess to someone that night.”
His fingers tightened around a pen. His knuckles went white.
“Think it over. If you don’t show up, you won’t even get to run my errands anymore.”
His throat moved, a slow, visible swallow. I watched every second of it.
I turned and headed for the door. I was halfway through it when his voice stopped me.
“What time?”
I didn’t turn around. The smile on my face stretched until it ached.
“Seven o’clock. Don’t be late.”
The reader feed had it right. He was completely, helplessly gone.
But this time, I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.