I Claimed My Best Friend's Brother

1
I am the designated sidekick to a super-rich heiress.
She calls me her best friend, swipes her card to buy me clothes and bags, and never lets me pay for anything when we go out.
Lately, she’s developed a massive crush on the campus king.
And she wants me to be the one to date him.
I know we can never be together, but it would kill me to see someone else have him. So you go for it. He's all yours.
Help!
How am I supposed to tell my best friend that I just slept with her older brother?
"Anna, you're my best friend. Everyone else just wants my money. You're the only one who likes me for me."
Jenna linked her arm through mine, resting her head affectionately on my shoulder.
Hearing her say that, I felt a wave of guilt wash over me.
Because I didn't just want her money. I wanted her brother.
I’d seen him once in high school, dropping her off. He had the face and body of a runway model. The way he’d leaned down to stub out his cigarette, the sharp line of his jaw… it hit me right in the heart.
So, I latched onto Jenna.
She had a massive circle of "friends," but I managed to outlast them all.
Being friends with an heiress is the life. A luxury car picks you up, you never have to look at a price tag, and you get to experience a world completely different from the one you were born into. I studied my butt off to get into the same university as her, all because I couldn't bear to give up this lifestyle.
"Anna, I'm so in love with Alex," Jenna sighed, looking lost in a romantic haze.
As her loyal lackey, I immediately chimed in. "He's totally worth it! He's gorgeous, smart… his family is just a little… ordinary. Like mine."
In reality, Alex was from a perfectly normal, middle-class family, and he was one of the most popular guys on campus. But to an heiress like Jenna, he might as well have been a peasant.
"But I know we can never be together," she continued, a determined look on her face. "Still, it would kill me to see someone else have him. So you go for it. He's all yours."
She cupped my face in her hands, a playful smile on her lips. "My beautiful Anna, a guy like Alex will be a piece of cake for you!"
The serious look in her eyes made me panic.
Oh god, Jenna, how do I tell you? I just slept with your brother last night… My legs are still weak…
From her perspective, I was the worst kind of person.
I forced a tight smile. "Uh, Alex isn't really my type."
"That's not what you said a second ago," she said, eyeing me suspiciously.
"It just feels weird, you know? Since he's the guy you like…" I tried to hedge, hoping she'd drop the ridiculous idea.
"That's the point! If he got with anyone else, I'd be miserable. But with you? I'd be happy! I'd feel like my best friend found a great guy, and I could finally move on."
The more sincere she sounded, the more my guilt grew.
I racked my brain for an excuse. "Actually… I think your brother is way hotter than Alex. Can I go after him instead?"
It was a half-joke, half-truth.
She waved a dismissive hand. "No way. My brother will end up in an arranged marriage. My parents are already looking for a fiancée for him. If you go after him, you're just setting yourself up for heartbreak. It's the same as me and Alex. The gap is just too big."
My head started to spin. I’d always known this, of course. I’d even told myself that I wasn't losing anything, that a wild, passionate affair with a guy like him was more than I could have ever asked for.
"Well… I'll think about it," I mumbled, looking down.
"Trust me, Anna. Alex is the one. He's from your world."
...
She was right. We were both ordinary people. I shouldn't have aimed so high. But sleeping with Ken Gordon for so long… I’d already won.
"Okay," I said, forcing a smile. "If you're really sure you don't mind, then I'll do it."
Ken had been so busy lately. Sometimes I’d hear him take calls, his voice low and tense. It was probably his family, pressuring him. I was the girlfriend who wasn't even qualified to walk through his front door.
"You're the best, Anna!"
I pushed down my feelings and took the shopping list Jenna handed me. She sent me Alex’s contact info, followed by a series of cheering emojis. She had a fancy party to go to that night, the kind I wasn't invited to.
After we parted ways, I found a bench and started composing a breakup text.
I wrote and rewrote a thousand-word essay, but I couldn't bring myself to send it. A year as the secret girlfriend… our thrilling, illicit affair was finally coming to an end.
A voice message from Ken popped up. "What kind of love poem takes half an hour to write?" His voice was as magnetic and intoxicating as ever.
I sighed, deleted the essay, and reminded myself that a secret girlfriend doesn't get to do the breaking up. For a guy like him, being dumped was the ultimate humiliation.
"Just thinking about my hubby," I typed back.
I was shameless. I knew he would never marry me, but I called him "hubby" anyway. He’d hated it at first, but eventually, he’d grown to like it.
Ken is typing…
I quickly sent another message.
"Hubby, I saw this bag I really want… it's two million dollars… can I have it? meow~" I attached a GIF of a kitten aggressively nuzzling a teddy bear.
I never wanted for money when I was with him—he was far more generous than Jenna. But this was the first time I had ever asked for something so extravagant. Asking for a two-million-dollar bag the morning after sleeping with him… it screamed "gold digger."
He transferred the money without a second's hesitation.
"It's yours."
I stared at the number on the screen, and tears started to fall.
Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. In his eyes, I was just a woman after his money. It was a comfortable, easy dynamic for him. If I had demanded love instead, it would have been a joke.
I cried for a while, then picked up my phone again.
"You're so generous, hubby! Can you buy me an apartment, too? One of those penthouses at The Grandview."
"How much."
He replied instantly.
I looked up the prices. They started at ten million.
"Ninety million."
I scoffed, stopping myself from typing a hundred million. I could already picture him frowning at his phone, confirming his suspicions about me.
"I'll have Chen take you to sign the papers tomorrow."

2
I shot to my feet. Seriously? You're not even mad? My mind was a mess. I turned off my phone, trying not to think about it.
The next day, Jenna asked for a progress report. I realized I hadn't even added Alex yet.
"Progress: -1."
"?"
"He didn't add me back."
"Ugh, he's like that. It took him five hours to accept my request."
I patiently chatted with her for a while longer. She was hungover from the party, and this would have been the perfect opportunity for me to play the caring friend. But thoughts of Ken kept weighing me down.
That afternoon, as I was leaving the library, a man named Mr. Chen called. He said the paperwork was ready and waiting for my signature.
This has to be a joke, right?
I got in the car, steeling myself for the inevitable humiliation. But there was no mockery, no lecture. Mr. Chen respectfully led me to the sales office and into the VIP manager's room.
"Are you sure you want to sign?" I asked, half-expecting the act to drop any second. Aren't you going to call me a gold digger now?
Mr. Chen looked confused as he pushed the contract toward me. "Mr. Gordon has already picked out a villa for you, but he said this location is closer for you and would be more convenient."
I glanced at the contract. My name was printed in black and white.
I sighed and put the pen down. "I'm sorry, I don't want it."
Mr. Chen looked baffled. The manager looked like his world was ending.
"Ma'am, if you have any concerns, please let me know. I will do my absolute best to resolve them."
Money could be returned. A house was a whole other level of entanglement. What was Ken thinking, actually agreeing to buy me a house?
In the end, I just left. A gift like that, given during a relationship, could be taken back after a breakup. It was too messy.
"You don't like it?"
Ken's call came through. His voice was as cool and steady as ever.
"I don't like it. And Ken, I've been thinking. I don't like you anymore, either. Let's break up."
What was there to be concerned about? For a rich boy like him, the messier the breakup, the more he'd hate you. And if he didn't hate you, it was even simpler. It was just about money. He'd just find someone new.
I hung up before he could respond. For good measure, I blocked his number and deleted his contact.
I tried to act casual when I got back to my dorm, but a message from Jenna was waiting. I reluctantly opened my chat with Alex. Turns out you have to actually click "add friend" on a contact card. Who knew?
This time, he accepted instantly. A simple "hello" emoji popped up.
I was feeling pretty miserable. On a whim, I sent him a series of reaction GIFs that, when strung together, told a story: "See this flower? I'd rather throw it away than give it to you."
After I sent it, I just stared at my phone. I was supposed to be charming him, for Jenna's sake. But I just didn't have the energy. I felt like crying, but I held it back.
A voice message came through. It was Alex.
"It's okay. Where did you throw it? I'll go pick it up."
His voice was lighter than Ken's, with a lazy, sun-drenched quality. And that line… it was smooth. Especially considering he didn't even know who I was. All he had to go on was my profile picture—a stylized, dark- Goth bunny. Not exactly flirtatious material.
...So he was the type to flirt with anyone. A real "cast a wide net" kind of guy. So this was the man my heiress friend was crazy about.
"Did he accept? Send me a screenshot," Jenna texted.
I couldn't bring myself to screenshot my own ridiculous GIFs. I sent her his reply instead. She was ecstatic. "OMG, Alex uses reaction GIFs? And he sent one first? Babe, I'm shipping this so hard."
If you heard his voice, you'd be building the whole boat, I thought. I wanted to block and delete him too, but I restrained myself.
After the "breakup" with Ken, I became a hermit. My life was a simple routine: library, eat, sleep. I didn't even have time for Jenna.
"Anna, meet me at The Reverie tonight. I have a party, but you can wait for me in the lobby. It'll be late and you won't get a cab. You have to come."
It was an order.
Now that I was done with Ken, I knew I couldn't be Jenna's sidekick anymore. What if I ran into him? The fallout would be catastrophic. Jenna's revenge would be terrifying.
I didn't want to go, but she didn't give me a choice.
"By the way," she added in a follow-up call, her voice buzzing with excitement, "I don't think Alex is poor! I just saw him with old Mr. Crawford. I think he might be his grandson? Let me do some digging. Hold off on the seduction for now, okay?"
I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, an out. "Okay! Should I just delete him, then? I always thought you two were perfect for each other. And now that you're in the same social circle, it's even better!"
"Yeah, you can delete him. I know you don't like him anyway," she said with a laugh. "Oh, and send me a screen recording of you blocking him. I want to make sure you're really over him."
"Okay."
I had been ignoring Alex's messages for days, avoiding any place I might run into him. It was just too awkward.
After hanging up, I started the screen recording, blocked Alex, and deleted his contact. I took a screenshot of my block list and sent it to her for inspection.
Suddenly, a terrible feeling washed over me. I scrolled through my phone, the feeling growing stronger.
Oh, crap.
I knew I'd forgotten something.

3
The second name on my block list… wasn't that Ken's? My best friend's brother?
More than two minutes had passed. It was too late to unsend it.
Jenna's end went silent. She hadn't replied.
Did she see it? What is she thinking? Why isn't she asking me about it?
I clutched my phone, my anxiety skyrocketing. My mind raced, playing out every possible scenario of her explosive anger.
Time ticked by. I was sick with dread, but I didn't dare ask.
"When you get to The Reverie, have Old Chen bring the card up to you."
"Anna, Alex is the real deal! He's Mr. Crawford's actual grandson! I can't believe someone with his background could be so low-key at school. I love him even more now! So, so much!"
Just as I was about to suffocate from the tension, two messages from her came through.
She hadn't noticed.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, feeling like a beached fish tossed back into the water. I spammed a few reaction GIFs to discreetly push the screenshot further up the chat history, ending with a GIF of a person on a speeding motorcycle.
"On my way, my lady!"
"I can't believe the campus king has such a background and is still so humble! No wonder you have such good taste!"
As a qualified sidekick, I always knew how to provide the right kind of emotional support, saying exactly what she wanted to hear. And she always fell for it.
After the emotional rollercoaster, I collapsed onto my bed. The sky outside my dorm window was dark. With the stress gone, my thoughts immediately drifted back to Ken.
Ugh. So pathetic.
I put on some light makeup and headed out to meet Jenna, feeling completely drained.
At the restaurant, I met up with their driver, Old Chen. He handed me the car keys and a credit card.
"We were in a hurry tonight, so we took Mr. Gordon's usual car. Can you handle it, Miss Anna? If not, I can have someone bring another one over."
My hand froze. Ken's car?
I instinctively clutched the keys, then quickly tried to hand them back. "You know me, Uncle Chen. I wouldn't dare."
He looked troubled. He made a quick call. "Yes, Mr. Gordon's car is at The Reverie. You're coming now? Great, I'll wait for you to swap." He hung up and turned to me. "Miss Anna, could you please wait here for Little Chen? He's bringing the miss's car over now."
Little Chen? My blood ran cold. That was Ken's personal driver! He had been a witness to my entire secret, year-long affair, chauffeuring me between villas and hotels. Swap keys with him? No way.
I made a split-second decision and bolted. "Uncle Chen, I'm running late! I'll go up first! Just leave the keys at the front desk for me!" I sprinted away, leaving a bewildered Old Chen in my wake.
I paused to catch my breath on the second-floor landing and saw Alex around the corner.
He was leaning against a window, smoking, his gaze lost in the night sky. The cigarette in his hand had burned almost to the filter.
If it weren't for Ken's god-tier looks, I probably would have fallen for a guy like Alex—fresh, sunny, and handsome. But having just blocked him, even though he didn't know it was me, I felt a pang of guilt. I tried to sneak past him toward the main hall.
But his hearing was sharp. He caught my movement out of the corner of his eye.
I froze, wondering if I should say hi. Do I normally say hi to him? I racked my brain. When I was deep in my Ken-induced love fog, did I ever acknowledge him when I was with Jenna?
While I was hesitating, he stubbed out his cigarette and walked briskly toward me.
I looked around. No one else was there. He was coming for me.
"Hey… fancy seeing you here, Alex," I said, my shamelessness kicking in. If I couldn't hide, I might as well own it.
But as I waved, he grabbed my hand. He stared at me, his eyes clouded with a sullen emotion.
"Why did you delete me?"
He knows?! A fresh wave of guilt washed over me. My mind raced. How do I get out of this social nightmare?
"Was I texting you too much? Did I annoy you?" he asked, his voice soft, almost wounded. "Did I say something to upset you?"
If his one text every couple of days counted as annoying, then my constant stream of messages to Ken could be classified as harassment.
"What are you talking about?" I played dumb. It was the only way. I looked up at him, blinked innocently, and forced a bright smile. "I don't have your contact info, so I couldn't have deleted you. You must have me mistaken for someone else. You're the campus king, after all. So many people want to add you."
I thought it was the perfect excuse. But his gaze hardened.
"I didn't say it was WeChat."
My smile froze. He pulled out his phone and showed me his WeChat profile. "Is it true that a lot of people want to add me? Then you should add me."
I was dying inside. What do I do? Can you even add someone who's on your block list? I cursed myself for not using a burner account.
"Anna, what are you doing?"
Jenna appeared, resplendent in a designer gown and towering heels, slowly walking toward us. The click-clack of her shoes on the marble floor sounded like the countdown to my execution.
I panicked, trying to pull away, only to remember that Alex still had a death grip on my hand.
...It was over. I struggled, but he wouldn't let go.
"Jenna, I need to talk to her. Can you give us a minute?" Alex said coolly, stepping in front of me protectively.
No. This was not happening. I was about to pry his fingers off my hand when a chill ran down my spine. I looked up and saw him.
Ken.
It was really, truly over. Why was he here? What was I going to do?
I stood frozen, watching the impossibly handsome, impeccably dressed man walk toward us. He was tall, with long legs, exuding an aura of cool elegance, one hand casually tucked in his pocket, a cold smirk on his perfect face.
A coldness I had never seen before.
He walked right past me, as if I didn't exist. The faint scent of his cologne was gone in an instant.
I had imagined a thousand different scenarios, but I was not prepared for this—for him to look right through me. A lump formed in my throat, and my eyes began to burn.
A tear escaped, then another, splashing onto my arm.
Why am I crying?

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