“Britney, care to explain?” His voice was
trembling.
I looked him straight in the eye. “I didn’t do it.
Britney’s setting me up.‘
وو
Britney’s face changed. She said, all innocent, “Britney, you can’t blame me for finding out
what you did.”
I lost it, threw the photos at Britney, grabbed
her hair, and tried to hit her.
“You bitch! You faked this to steal my man!”
“Stop!” Cody grabbed my arm and slapped me
hard.
“Britney was trying to protect you, and you’re accusing her. You’re a monster!”
I yelled, “Cody, look! I’m the victim here!
“You and Britney want to get married? Fine.
But I didn’t do any of this crap.
“I’m calling the cops, and if Britney did this,
she’s going to pay!”
Cody saw that I was serious about letting him
and Britney get married, and he looked shaken.
He frowned, like he thought he’d made a
mistake.
“Britney, I won’t press charges right now.
“If you’re innocent, I’ll help you find who did
<
this. Until then, I’ll keep it from Grandpa.
“Just to be safe, I won’t touch you or have kids.
for a year. After that, you have to prove to me
that you’re not lying to me before we can move
forward.
“Also, it’ll be a secret marriage. We can’t tell
people about our relationship yet.”
I looked at him and laughed.
I didn’t expect anything from Cody, but this was
insane.
What made him so sure I’d still marry him after
all that?
Was it because I’d been his simp for ten years,
so he thought he could get away with anything?
Or because I stayed with him even when he was
treating me like crap?
He saw me laughing and thought I was grateful
for his understanding. His face relaxed.
“One more thing, I want Britney to live with us,
and you’re not going to get jealous.
“If you agree, we can get married. If not, I
won’t help you with Grandpa.
“She doesn’t need your help, I know Britney is
innocent.”
Grandpa walked in, chest out, with Zack behind
him.
“Announce the marriage.”
The Sterns and Smiths got all excited. Cody’s
mom and Britney were smiling, waiting for him
to announce his successor.
Cody sat up straight, looking down at me.
Grandpa patted my shoulder and walked to the head of the table, signaling the lawyer to read
the papers.
“Ms. Britney Smith has agreed to marry Mr.
Zack Stern.
“According to Mr. Stern’s wishes, Ms. Smith
and Mr. Stern will become the new heads of Stern Corporation after they get married.”
The lawyer looked at Grandpa, who nodded.
The room went dead silent.
Britney turned white.
Cody looked at me, speechless. “No way!
Something went wrong! Why did the results
change!”
