Chapter <b>70 </b>


    Harper


    #55 vouchers


    I propped my phone on the dressing mirror as I fumbled with the curling wand. I was trying so hard not to burn my fingers while talking to E and Zoey on the phone.


    “Finally!” E squealed. “I’m d you’re giving this thing with Maddox a chance. Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for this?<b>” </b>


    “Yeah!” Zoey chimed in right after her. “It’s about damn time.”


    I gave a small smile, even though they couldn’t see me. If only they knew the truth. I wasn’t about to tell even my closest friends that the whole thing with Maddox was fake.


    I didn’t even hesitate when he’d asked me to fake going out with him to get Tiffany off my back for good.


    “Hey,” E continued, “have you seen thements under the picture Maddox posted!”


    “To be honest,” I paused, trying to curl a few strands, “I haven’t read thements. I don’t even want to know what they say.”


    “Well, we read them all!” Zoey bragged. “It’s crazy that so many are surprised when a few weeks ago, there were videos from his birthday. You know the ones where you two were dancing all over each other?”


    “This is different,” E chimed in. “That’s because Maddox himself posted Harper on his page with a fucking heart emoji. Now that’s some rtionship territory right there!”


    Usually, I would’ve been dismissive about it, but I had to y along. “You’re right about that.”


    “Aww, isn’t she cute?” Zoey teased me. “You two look so good together. The next thing you know, he’s going to get down on one knee.”


    “Which,” E cut in dramatically, “would make Tiffany your sister–inw! Can you imagine that? I would eat up that drama every single day!”


    Before <b>I </b>could argue, I heard someone at the door downstairs, making me put down the curling wand as I told them we’d talkter. Like they shared the same mind, they demanded pictures of my date in unison.


    I hurried down the stairs with my hair half done as I didn’t want to keep whoever was at the door waiting since I’d already taken a while toe out of my bedroom.


    What I was certain of was that it wasn’t Maddox. I would’ve heard his engine pull up.


    When I opened the front door and came face to face with the person who was at my doorstep, my eyes narrowed with a sudden wave of rage. Seeing Kate made me tighten my grip on the doorknob. I still wasn’t over how she was the one who had set the ball rolling for Tiffany’s n in London.


    “What are you doing here?” I bluntly asked.


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    She gasped dramatically, bringing a hand to her lips. “Damn, Harper, I’ming to your ce for the first time and this is the wee that I get?”


    “I asked you a question. What do you want?”


    She took a step forward, getting closer to my face then looking past me to take a peek at the interior.


    “Tiffany never came inst time and she said it looked like there wasn’t much. I agree.”


    Thest thing I wanted was to be that close to her. It only fueled the urge to push her so hard she’d fall and roll over, but I practiced a little restraint. Instead, I poked a finger on her chest and pressed, my hostile gaze locked on hers.


    “Get…back,” I said slowly.


    As a reflex, she moved back, ncing down at my finger on her chest with disgust. She pushed it away, only to tightly grab onto my wrist.


    “You think you’ve won just because Maddox is giving you all this attention?”


    I sneered, not even trying to pull back my wrist. “Is that the reason you’re here? Oh, wait, I shouldn’t even be surprised. You’re the one who’s been going after him.”


    If I was going to sell the story that Madddox and I were dating to anyone, it was going to be to her. I knew she’d tell Tiffany all about that incident.


    Letting go of my wrist with a downward push, she said, “You officially being his girlfriend is going tost a week or even less. He hasn’t been in such a rtionship in years.”


    “That was until I came along and rocked his world.” I gloated with my head high. “I’m sure you must be wondering how I pulled it off.”


    She sneered. “It’s perfectly clear. You threw yourself at him over and over again until he had no choice.”


    “Hmm.” My eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “That sounds a lot like you. But wait, he didn’t choose you.” I ced a hand over my mouth to hold in myugh.


    Her jaw clenched, her pbacking in quickly. “Looks like you’reughing again. You weren’tughingst week when you realized Anna was never interested in meeting you.”


    My expression of amusement almost cracked. Her words hurt and she was right, but I wasn’t about to show it and let her win.


    “I understand that being Tiffany’spdog has its benefits for someone like you. How about you run along and find a different way to keep her entertained?”


    “You fucking bitch.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.


    “I’m not sure what you were hoping to achieve bying here to rant, but we’re done here. I’m actually wasting time when I should <i>be </i>upstairs in my bedroom. My hair isn’t even done yet and my boyfriend will be here soon. We’re going on a date!”


    8:05 Thu, Sep 25


    <b>99 </b>


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    She chuckled bitterly as she scornfully looked at me. “In a cheap outfit. I’m not surprised.”


    “That’s where you’re wrong. My boyfriend bought this for me. You know how he values certain clothing standards.”


    She frowned, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “One day, I’ll have thestugh when ites to Maddox.”


    Izily nodded in agreement. “Good thing it’s not today.”


    I expected a sharp pback. Instead, she turned around to leave, her head low as she got further away from <ol><li>me. </li></ol>


    “Do you have feelings for him?” I asked.


    She suddenly stopped in her tracks, her hands balling into fists.


    I gasped, hurrying outside and blocking her way just so I could look at her face. “Of course you do. I mean… just look at you. It’s so obvious that you can’t even hide it. I even saw it that day, when you showed up to his ce in London unannounced and he kissed me in front of you. I’m pretty sure you bawled your eyes out when you were far away.”


    She lowered her gaze, her nostrils ring like she was about to clear things up and convince me it wasn’t the case. But she just stood there in silence. I wanted to feel bad for her, but after what she and Tiffany had done to me, I didn’t give a shit.


    “You know what?” I continued, “There’s actually one way that you can be Maddox’s girlfriend.”


    Her head shot up so fast that I scoffed. She wanted to hear what I had to say. “The one thing that needs to happen is that you just need to be me. Oh, wait, you can’t. Looks like it sucks to be you right now.”


    Tears now glistened in her eyes and not even that could ruin the fun for me.


    “When I say you’re going to regret this, I mean it.” She shot me a re.


    “I’m already regretting spending so much time out here with you when I should be finishing up. You can go


    now.”


    I stepped to the side and hurried back to the open front door, a smirk of satisfaction on my lips…because that felt good.


    O