The Boyfriend I Wanted Her to Steal

My stepsister loved taking things from me. When we were children, she stole my clothes and snacks, and when we grew up, she started stealing my boyfriends. Whenever I confronted her, she always acted as if she were doing it for my own good. She said I was too innocent and that she was worried men would trick me, so she was helping me test them properly. And somehow, that test always ended up in bed. The moment I pushed open the door and saw her sitting half-naked on yet another one of my boyfriends, I was furious. She looked down at my humiliated expression with a superior smile. “Sweet sister, I’m helping you. See? You’re terrible at judging people.” I glared at her, but there was nothing I could do. This time, I had started dating Adrian, a rising star in the financial world. He was different from the others. He was the first man who had ever rejected my stepsister. I thought he was the one and decided to get engaged to him. But on the eve of our engagement, my stepsister proudly waved a photo of herself and Adrian kissing it in front of me. Instead, I breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this was exactly the trap I had prepared for her. Claire held up a photo of herself kissing Adrian and showed it off shamelessly. “A rising star in finance? He’s nothing but a dog at my side.” “My sweet sister, luckily you have me. Otherwise, you would have been fooled again. Do you know how desperately he begged to be with me?” I slapped the table, unable to hold back my anger any longer. “That’s my fiancé. How can you be so shameless?” Claire froze, then put on a wounded expression. “Nora, I was afraid you’d be deceived. How can you be so ungrateful?” Lily, a coworker who had always wanted to win Claire’s favor, immediately defended her. “Nora, you’re way too blinded by love. Is it really worth fighting with your sister over a man?” “Exactly. If it weren’t for Claire, who knows how many times you would have been cheated on? She’s helping you weed out the jerks. You should be thanking her!” Another coworker, Sophie, also chose to stand on Claire’s side. I opened my mouth, but not a single word came out. Although my five former fiancé candidates really were terrible men, Claire had been the one to seduce every single one of them first. I had seen some of their messages. Claire had sent them plenty of suggestive photos, with the necklines of her pajamas cut dangerously low. She had even asked them, “Do you think my breasts are big?” The conversation below had been even more explicit, and as for what happened afterward— They had all eventually chosen Claire. When she saw that I was silent, Claire leaned closer, her voice full of smugness. “Nora, you’re not actually angry, are you?” “I didn’t expect this, either. I only chatted with them a little, and they all fell in love with me. You can’t blame me for that, right?” “They were the ones who couldn’t stay loyal. And I was only doing this for your sake, sweet sister.” Lily chimed in. “Of course no one can blame you. You’re just too charming. Unlike certain people who think the whole world should revolve around them just because they graduated from a prestigious university.” She exchanged a knowing glance with Sophie, and the two of them smiled. “If you like them so much, you can have them all.” I put away my phone and spoke with complete indifference. The office fell silent for several seconds. “What did you say?” Claire asked, apparently surprised by how calm I was. At that moment, several gasps came from outside. Lily hurried to the window and cried out in surprise. “Oh my God, look who that is!” “That’s Ethan! Ethan! What is he doing outside our office?” Sophie rushed over as well. “The heir to the Hartwell Group and a regular on the covers of financial magazines—why would he come here? He even brought roses.” Lily seemed to realize something and looked at Claire. “Claire, didn’t you go on a blind date with Ethan before? Could he be here to pick you up?” Claire’s expression shifted, but she said nothing. Back then, our stepmother had arranged the date between Claire and Ethan, but he had left before he had even finished his coffee. I touched up my lipstick in the mirror and prepared to leave. Claire blocked my path. “Where are you going? Don’t tell me you have another date tonight dressed like that.” I shook off her hand and continued walking forward. “Where I go is none of your business. I don’t have to report to you.” My phone suddenly rang, and I answered immediately. A cool, deep voice came from the other end. “Are you there, sweetheart? I’m downstairs.” “I’ll be right down.” I was about to hang up when the phone was suddenly snatched away. Claire glared at me. “No wonder you dumped Adrian. So you already found someone new.” Then she spoke into my phone in an exaggeratedly sweet voice. “Hello, I’m Nora’s older sister, Claire. Are you Nora’s boyfriend?” I had no idea what the person on the other end said, but the smile on her face suddenly froze. While she was distracted, I snatched the phone back and hung up at once. Wild jealousy surged into Claire’s eyes as she stared at me. “Your boyfriend is Ethan?”“How is that possible? Ethan is famous for never showing any interest in women.” Claire said nothing, but her expression quickly returned to normal. She looked me up and down. “Nora, you didn’t just find some random man to pretend to be Ethan and fool us, did you?” Looking at her face, full of confidence that she had seen through everything, I suddenly found it funny. “Sure. Let’s say I’m fooling you.” I couldn’t be bothered to waste another word on her, so I turned and went downstairs. Outside the office building, Ethan was leaning against a black Bentley. When he saw me come out, he waved. The soft sunlight scattered across Ethan’s body, making him look impossibly handsome. No wonder Claire had never stopped thinking about him after their failed blind date. That was also why I had agreed to date him. “Have you been waiting long?” “I just got here. Get in.” After handing me the roses, Ethan thoughtfully opened the car door for me. The moment I got into the car, I glanced up and happened to see Claire’s jealousy-crazed face behind the floor-to-ceiling office window. I almost laughed out loud. Ethan took me to a private club to relax. When I noticed the golf course there, I slowed my steps. “Do you play?” Ethan asked when he noticed where I was looking. “A little.” I nodded. “Then go change and come play with me.” He smiled at me. After changing, I came to the course and wrapped my hands around a golf club. A warm presence pressed against my back. Ethan wrapped his arms around me from behind and folded his hands over mine. His warm breath brushed against my ear. “Actually…” Just then, his phone rang. I gently pushed him away and went to answer it. It was Claire again. “Nora, are you at the club?” Her tone was certain. I was slightly surprised. She really was impossible to shake—she had already tracked down where I was. “What exactly do you want?” Claire put on an aggrieved tone. “What’s with that attitude? I’m only worried about you. I’m afraid you’ll be deceived.” “Ethan would never deceive me, and don’t call me again!” My voice turned cold, and I hung up immediately. Ethan handed me a towel and gently wiped my forehead. “What happened? Did your sister make you angry?” I took the towel from him. “Yes. She’s jealous that I found such a handsome boyfriend.” He let out a quiet laugh and reached over to ruffle my hair. The next second, a golf ball suddenly flew toward us and dropped after grazing Ethan’s arm. Ethan frowned and turned around. Claire came running over in a panic. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t control my swing properly. I’m really sorry.” She bent down, and the neckline of her blouse dipped low, causing the flesh of her chest to tremble with the movement. Ethan raised an eyebrow. His gaze swept lightly over her face, but his expression remained indifferent. “It’s fine.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and prepared to leave. Claire grabbed his arm. “How could I just let that go? Why don’t we exchange contact information? I got your clothes dirty, so I can buy you a replacement.” A trace of disgust flashed through Ethan’s eyes as he looked down at her. “No need. I don’t add women I don’t know.” He turned to me, and his expression softened. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry I ruined your afternoon. Let’s go buy that bag you liked last time.” I smiled, slipped my arm through his, and walked away with him. After taking a few steps, I looked back at Claire with a triumphant smile.She stood there, her face turning livid. My previous fiancés had also politely rejected Claire in front of me. But the heat in their eyes was impossible to hide. Once they returned home, they would always secretly add her. She thought all men were the same. Unfortunately for her, this time she had met Ethan, a man who could not be bothered to give her a second glance.I was very satisfied with Ethan. So satisfied that I even thought he was the exception. But sometimes, reality slapped you in the face far too quickly. At the company’s charity gala, I went looking for him. He was standing shoulder to shoulder with Claire, holding a glass of champagne and taking a sip. Then Claire lowered her head and pressed her lips to the rim of the glass he had just touched. After she drank, Ethan took another sip without the slightest hesitation. My mind went blank with a loud buzz. Ethan looked up and saw me, freezing for a moment. Following my gaze, he also looked at the rim of the glass. “Claire was curious and wanted to try it. It’s just a glass of wine, so don’t read too much into it.” He told me not to read too much into it. They had practically kissed right in front of me, and he was telling me not to read too much into it. Claire folded her arms and walked toward me with a smile. “Your boyfriend is such a blockhead. No matter how much I flirt with him, he doesn’t react.” “This time, you finally picked the right one.” She walked away in her high heels, her back just as arrogant as before. I stood there, my heart pounding. I knew that look of absolute certainty in her eyes far too well. Ethan noticed that something was wrong with my expression and reached out to hold me. “Sweetheart, don’t overthink it.” “She helped Hartwell Group with a project analysis a few days ago. I can’t refuse to return the favor.” I nodded and leaned against his shoulder. “Do you know that Claire seems to really like my boyfriends? She stole all my previous ones. I’m afraid you might…” He pulled me tightly into his arms. “Don’t worry. You’ll always be the woman I love.” The moment he finished speaking, his phone rang. I glanced at it and saw a message from Claire. He took a quick look, then released me. “I need to go take care of something. I’ll come find you later.” I watched his back as he walked away, and my heart sank little by little. I thought Ethan would be different, but it had only taken a week for him to add her on Snapchat. Over the next few days, Ethan clearly noticed that I was in a low mood. To cheer me up, he said he would take me out on his yacht and introduce me to a few of his closest friends. I decided to give him one more chance. The yacht was huge, with champagne and delicate pastries spread across the deck. Ethan introduced me to everyone. “This is my girlfriend, Nora.” Several of the guys greeted me with smiles, and the atmosphere was fairly relaxed. After chatting for a while, the conversation shifted to the Hartwell family’s latest project. “How’s the launch of your new fund going?” Ethan frowned. “There’s one critical stage we still can’t get past. If only we could contact Mr. Robert Hayes, the former financial regulator’s auditor. Otherwise, if this drags on, all our initial investment will go down the drain.” As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar voice cut in. “Mr. Hayes?” Claire walked over with a bright smile. “I know him. My aunt has some connections in finance and has had dinner with Mr. Hayes a few times. If you want to arrange a meeting, I can help you.” Ethan looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. I stood beside them, slowly tightening my fingers. All of Ethan’s attention had been drawn to Claire. While they chatted enthusiastically, I quietly picked up my phone and sent a message to an unlisted number. “The fish is almost on the hook. Proceed according to plan.”Ethan began meeting Claire frequently behind my back. After every meeting, Claire would have another piece of jewelry or another handbag. As usual, she showed off the jewelry Ethan had given her at the office. Lily’s eyes widened dramatically. “This is the limited-edition piece by that Italian jewelry designer. There are only three in the entire world. Claire, who gave it to you?” Claire smiled meaningfully. “Some people think they’ve managed to tie down an untouchable flower, never realizing that the flower can grow legs and walk away on its own.” The corners of her lips curled upward. I knew that satisfied expression far too well. She had definitely gotten her hands on Ethan. I suppressed my anger, put on my headphones, and turned the volume all the way up. During this time, Ethan had not come to see me because he was overwhelmed with work on the new fund. Then, on my birthday, he suddenly asked to meet me. He hugged me excitedly, his voice filled with barely contained joy. “Nora, I have good news. We finally broke through the bottleneck with the new fund!” “I know I’ve neglected you lately, and I’m really sorry. I’ve just been too busy.” Once he overcame this hurdle, he would be able to take complete control of the family business. He had chosen to share the news with me first, and I felt a little moved. After that, he took me to an auction, where I immediately fell for a custom piece of jewelry with an opening bid of ten million dollars. “Isn’t it beautiful?” I stared at the necklace without blinking. It was so beautiful that it almost seemed unreal. “It is, but it’s too expensive.” “It isn’t too expensive. Only something like this can show how I feel about you.” My nose stung, and the gloom of the past few days lifted. Ethan placed an exquisitely wrapped jewelry box in my hands. “Nora, give this to Claire for me.” I froze, unable to process what he had said. “What?” “She’s been running around helping me all this time. She really did me a huge favor. Since you’re my girlfriend, it would be more appropriate for you to give it to her.” I lowered my head without refusing, my face revealing nothing. I nodded and contacted Claire right in front of him. As it happened, she was also at the mall, so Ethan and I went to find her. When we arrived at the agreed meeting place, we saw her struggling with a man. The man was my former fiancé, Adrian. “Claire, stop avoiding me. I’ve already picked out a house—the new development by the waterfront. I’ll put it in your name. As long as you’re with me, I’ll give you everything.” Claire frowned. “Adrian, are you sick?” But Adrian continued pestering her, refusing to let go of her. The next second, a figure rushed over and slammed a fist into Adrian’s face. “What do you think you are, harassing her like this?” Adrian staggered back several steps and glared at Ethan unwillingly. The two of them began fighting, and neither held back. It took three or four mall security guards to separate them. I suddenly found the whole thing ridiculous. My current boyfriend and my former fiancé were beating each other up over another woman. It was pretty ironic. With tears reddening her eyes, Claire threw herself into Ethan’s arms. “Thank goodness you came. I was so scared…” Ethan wrapped an arm around her and lowered his head to soothe her. “It’s okay. I’m here.” After shooting Adrian a warning look, he led Claire away. From beginning to end, he never once looked back at me. I did not react. After all, everything was part of my plan. I turned around and was about to leave. Suddenly, a large hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into the nearby emergency stairwell. My back hit the cold wall. A familiar presence pressed down on me. After a fierce kiss, the man slowly spoke. “Sweetheart, have you had enough fun? How was my performance? Every time that Claire touches me, I have to go home and shower three times.”