Ninety Nine Tests Too Many

After I was brought back to the Montgomery estatethe biological daughter finally reclaimed from a life of povertyTinsley, the girl who had spent twenty years living my life, took me on ninety-nine dates with her fianc, Brooks Whitaker.

Every single time, she would break down in tears, her voice a fragile whisper: Youre the one who should be by his side, Brielle. Im just an interloper. A fraud.

She made a performance of her guilt. Shed orchestrate moments to lock Brooks and me in the same room, or "accidentally" gift me the jewelry hed bought for her. She even insisted I wear identical dresses to "test" his devotion.

And every single time, Brooks chose her. Without hesitation. With a rock-solid certainty that seemed to feed Tinsleys ego. Each time he picked her, she grew more radiant, her "sacrifices" becoming more theatrical, more taxing.

It all came to a head on the hundredth occasion. Tinsley demanded that Brooks propose to her during a massive charity gala, streamed live to millions of followers.

Under the blinding glare of the cameras, with the world watching, Tinsley played her final card. She sobbed, claimed she wasn't worthy of his love, and fled the ballroom. By the time the stream hit its peak viewership, she was already on a flight to Paris.

Brooks, shes the one youre meant for, shed messaged him publicly, expecting the usual chase. She thought he would follow her across the Atlantic, a grand romantic gesture to prove his love for the hundredth time.

But Brooks didnt move. He stood on that stage, looking at the cameras, then at his cousins who were already snickering in the front row, waiting for the Whitaker heir to become a national laughingstock. He looked exhausted. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a man who had finally reached his breaking point.

He turned to me.

Brielle Montgomery, he said, his voice weary but clear. Will you marry me?

I smiled as I let him slip that ten-carat pink diamondthe one meant for Tinsleyonto my finger. Amidst the stunned silence and the eventual, polite applause of the elite, I became Brooks Whitakers fiance.

Once the guests cleared out and the heavy silence of the ballroom settled around us, Brooks stared at his phone. It was a sea of redmissed calls and frantic texts from Tinsley that he wasn't answering.

Brielle, Im sorry, he said, his voice hollow. He didn't look at me. If you meet someone you actually love, tell me. We can end this whenever you want.

The Whitakers will compensate you fairly for the trouble, he continued, finally meeting my eyes. But for now, we have to play the part. There are galas, dinners... my family is already on the edge with me. I cant afford another scandal.

Tinsleys "humility" had made Brooks a joke in the city one too many times. His parents were losing patience. If I hadn't stepped up, he would have been the man stood up at his own televised proposal.

I nodded, my expression a mask of gentle understanding.

Its okay, Brooks. Ill be exactly what you need until Tinsley comes back.

I lowered my gaze, playing the part of the sympathetic sister. Dont be too hard on her. Shes just... insecure. When shes ready to come home, Ill step aside. I know the Whitaker name belongs to her.

Brooks expression darkened at the mention of Tinsleys flight, but it softened when he looked at me. He pulled out his phone and transferred five million dollars to my accounta "retainer" for my services.

If your parents hear from her, he said, let me know.

I nodded dutifully, then turned away. The second he was out of sight, I pulled out my phone and deleted the location pin Tinsley had sent me an hour ago.

She wanted me to be her messenger. She wanted the thrill of being "found" in a Parisian caf, a cinematic reunion to cap off her latest stunt.

But I was the one with the ring now. And Ive learned one thing from the streets she never had to walk: once you get your hands on something this valuable, you never, ever let it go.

When I returned to the Montgomery mansion, the air was thick with tension. My parents were huddled on the sofa, frantically dialing Tinsleys number.

When they saw me, their faces didn't light up with relief. Instead, there was a sharp, jagged edge of guilt in their eyes.

Brielle, my father started, his voice strained. You have to understand... Tinsley and Brooks grew up together. Theyre soulmates. Today was just... damage control.

Tinsley is a good girl, my mother added, her voice trembling. Shes always tried to give things back to you. She doesn't owe you anything for the past.

The "past." The fact that Tinsleys biological mother had swapped us at birth, leaving me to rot in a damp, one-bedroom apartment with a couple who used me as a punching bag, while Tinsley grew up in silk sheets. My biological parents actually believed she didn't owe me.

The bias was so thick I could taste it. But I just offered them a small, sad smile.

I know, Mom. Dad. Dont worry. I only did it to save the familys reputation. Ill take care of Brooks and his family until shes ready. Ill explain everything to the Whitakers so they aren't mad at her.

They both let out a visible breath of relief.

Good girl, my father said, patting my hand. When Tinsley comes back, well find you a nice husband. Someone from a quieter family. A simpler life will suit you better anyway.

I smiled politely and turned toward the stairs.

Wait for her to come back? By the time Tinsley decides shes finished her French holiday, I intend to be Mrs. Whitaker.

The next morning, I traded my Zara jeans for a structured Chanel-style suit and headed to the Whitaker estate.

The Whitakers were old moneythe kind that didn't just have wealth, but a pedigree that went back generations. For the Montgomerys, this marriage was a golden ticket. It was the only reason my parents were so desperate to get Tinsley back in Brooks' good graces.

But why should she have the ticket?

I arrived with a curated gift for Brooks grandmother, Evelyn. She was a woman of the old guard, a matriarch who valued grace and discretion above all else. My quiet, poised demeanor was a sharp contrast to Tinsleys manic energy.

Over the next few weeks, I became a fixture at the estate. I didn't chase Brooks. Instead, I wove myself into the fabric of his life. I spent afternoons reading to Evelyn. I learned the exact way she liked her tea. I was there, a calm presence in the wreckage Tinsley had left behind.

After seeing me at the house a few times, Brooks eventually asked me to accompany him to a corporate gala.

He was nervous. I could see him watching me out of the corner of his eye, waiting for me to trip over a fork or say something "unrefined." Hed spent years listening to Tinsleys subtle barbs about my "unfortunate upbringing."

But I didn't stumble. I navigated the room with a practiced ease that stunned him. I spoke when necessary, listened with intent, and moved through the crowd like I had been born into it.

Brooks caught my eye under the chandelier light, a flicker of genuine surpriseand perhaps something elsesoftening his gaze.

Where did you learn all this? he asked, a small smile playing on his lips. Tinsley always mentioned that your... foster situation... didn't exactly provide this kind of education.

Foster situation. I thought about the peeling wallpaper, the drafty windows, and the parents who only looked at me when they were angry.

I didn't want to embarrass you, Brooks, I said, looking up at him with just the right amount of vulnerability. Ive spent every night for the last six months with etiquette coaches. I knew I had a lot of ground to catch up on.

Brooks looked genuinely impressed. In six months? Youre smarter than you let on, Brielle.

I didn't tell him the truth. I didn't tell him that the moment I stepped into the Montgomery house and saw Tinsleys smirk as she "pitied" my lack of manners, I had made a vow. Everything she knew, I would know better. Everything she took for granted, I would master.

I just wanted to be worthy of the name, I whispered.

Brooks expression shifted. He reached into his pocket and handed me a black Centurion card.

Were engaged, he said firmly. If you need anythingdresses, coaches, whateveruse this. You dont have to ask.

I took the card with a shy, delighted smile. Thank you, Brooks.

From that day on, the distance between us began to shrink. I didn't overwhelm him. I brought him lunch at the office under the guise of "Evelyns orders." I stood by his side at every boring board meeting and charity auction.

I became his comfort.

Two months in, the shift was undeniable. During a meeting with a high-level European delegation, their translator fell ill. Without missing a beat, I stepped in, my French fluent and flawlessanother "hobby" Id obsessed over in the dark of my old room.

After the deal was signed, Brooks stared at me for a long time.

Brielle, he said, his voice thick with a strange complexity. You aren't anything like I expected. Youre... remarkable.

He started looking at me thennot as a placeholder, but as a woman. He began inviting me to dinner, not for business, but just because. He brought back small gifts from his trips.

Then came the night of the industry gala, where a drunken investor tried to get handsy with me in the hallway. Brooks didn't just intervene; he was livid. He threw a punch that shocked everyone, himself included.

Later, as I sat with him in the back of the car, I gripped his hand, my heart racing for a reason that wasn't entirely act.

Brooks, you shouldn't have, I whispered, my voice trembling. Im fine, really.

He pulled me closer, his head resting against my shoulder. I could hear his heartthe steady, thumping rhythm of a man who was finally anchored.

Im not letting anyone touch whats mine, Brielle.

And just as we were settling into this new, quiet reality, Tinsleyrealizing the silence from Brooks was lasting far too longfinally "leaked" her location to him through a mutual friend.

She expected him to drop everything. She expected a grand romantic chase to Paris.

But Brooks just stared at the address on his phone for a long time. Then, he put the phone face down on the table and asked me what I wanted for dessert.

Tinsley was furious. Through our parents, she learned the truth: Brooks wasn't pining. He was with me.

She had been pampered her whole life; she didn't know how to lose. She called the Whitaker estate, her voice screeching through the line, hurling insults at the "feudal, arranged-marriage relics" who were "trying to ruin her life."

Brooks will never marry that girl! she screamed. Hes obsessed with me! Try to make him marry Briellehell die before he says 'I do'!

It was Evelyn who picked up the phone. The shock of Tinsleys vitriol, the sheer disrespect to the family she had spent ninety years building, sent the old woman into a cardiac event.

She was rushed to the ICU.

Brooks was a wreck. He had been raised by Evelyn while his parents traveled the world; she was his entire heart. As she lay there, pale and fragile, she gripped his hand and whispered her final wish.

Brooks... marry Brielle. I need to see you settled with someone kind. Someone who won't tear this family apart.

That night, Brooks sat in the hospital chapel, the scent of wax and old stone heavy in the air. He didn't call Tinsley.

At dawn, he found me in the waiting room.

Brielle, he said, his eyes bloodshot. Lets get married. For real.

The terms were staggering. Shares in Whitaker Holdings, a trust fund in the eight figures.

Ive enjoyed these last few months, he told me, his voice low. I think... I think we have something real. I want to be a good husband to you. Will you have me?

I looked at him, seeing the man I had meticulously won over, and felt a surge of cold, hard triumph.

Yes, Brooks. Of course.

The wedding preparations began immediately. Tinsley, still in Paris, had no idea. She was waiting for her prince to storm the castle. Instead, her prince was at a tailor fitting a tuxedo for a wedding to her sister.

She sent me one last taunting text: Brielle, I gave you everythingthe house, the parents, the fianc. Are you enjoying my leftovers? Just remember: youll always be second best. No matter what you steal, youll never be me.

I didn't reply. I just took a photo of myself in the mirrordraped in Vera Wang, glowing with the quiet confidence of a woman who had finally wonand sent it.

Then, I blocked her.

Tinsleys favorite move had always been the "graceful retreat." When I first arrived at the Montgomerys, she had "offered" to move out, even dramatically cutting her wrist in front of everyone to show how "burdened" she felt by my presence. My parents had spent a week coddling her, ignoring the girl who had actually suffered for twenty years.

She used her "sacrifices" as a weapon to make sure my parents never loved me. She wanted to prove that even when she gave things up, she was the one who held the power.

But she forgot one thing. People aren't trophies. They are hearts, and hearts get tired of being played with.

The wedding was hurried because of Evelyns health, but it was magnificent. The cream of society filled the cathedral.

I stood at the altar, looking at Brooks.

The officiant began: Brooks Whitaker, do you take this woman...

Before he could finish, the heavy oak doors of the cathedral swung open. Tinsley stood there, draped in a white gown of her own, looking like a tragic heroine.

Brooks, stop! I won't let you do this!