Not One, But Two!

Chapter 98

Greg suddenly realized how pathetic he had been all these years. He had known from the get-go that Genevieve only ever wanted to become Cody's wife, but he told himself that she would change her mind eventually.

Abigail was right—he was so blinded by his own feelings that he lost grip of himself.

He thought about how Genevieve had been torn between himself and Cody. She convinced him that he held a special place in her heart in the midst of her apparent dilemma, but his status and identity left her no choice but to sway toward Cody.

My status, Greg thought grimly. She had used the word so flippantly, but he had taken it upon himself to legitimize all his company's activities in hopes of clearing its murky reputation. He even ascended to become the fourth young master of Harrion, ranking himself among the prominent and eligible men in town. And yet, he was never good enough for Genevieve; he had never measured up to her impression of Cody.

Genevieve had always known what she wanted. Conversely, Greg somehow believed that she was all that he desired until recently, when he finally realized that she was not worth any of his painstaking efforts.

She told him she loved him, but she was still clinging to her dreams of becoming Mrs. Kottler one day. When it came down to it, she would not hesitate to hurt and abandon him for Cody.

Sentiments wrought over the years would fade no matter how solid they had started off as, and Greg was certainly not immune to heartbreak, sadness, disappointment and devastation.

It was a shame that it had taken him ten years to let go of Genevieve for good.

Presently, he took in her arrogant stance and said wearily, "It's noon. I'll buy you lunch."

Genevieve blinked in surprise at first, but she broke into an icy laugh as she pointed out, "Don't think that I'll stop being angry with you just because you're buying me lunch. The only reason why I'm even agreeing to having a meal with you is because I just so happen to be hungry. Come on, where are we going?"

A triumphant smirk tugged on her lips as she grabbed her purse and rose from her seat.

This had happened far too many times that it was almost a routine exchange between them. Greg was entirely devoted to her, and he wouldn't give her up simply because she had gone after Cody the day before. She was so convinced by her belief that he would never leave her.

She reached for Greg's arm then, but was taken aback when he dodged her touch.

He flashed her a wry smile as he said, "Everyone's getting off work now, so Cody might just drop by to pick Gillian up. If he sees you holding my arm, he might think there's something going on between us."

"Oh, you're right! Just to be safe, we shouldn't be seen leaving together—you can come out of the building after me. Also, make sure to keep your distance. How's my hair? And what do you think of my make-up? I tried to keep it minimal because Cody likes a natural look. Do I look okay?" She seemed to liven up all of a sudden at the mention of Cody, looking like a kid who just found out that she was going to an amusement park for the day. She even dabbed on makeup for him.

These were the things that she never would have done or cared about whenever she went out with Greg. Why are you still pining after her? She was never into you enough to care what you think of her. The realization of this ought to have torn through him painfully, but right now, he found it hilarious and ironic.

He suddenly understood that his feelings for her had long since worn off, but he only held on because he didn't want to give this attachment up and admit defeat. He hated the idea of coming second to Cody, and more than that, he hated knowing that his sentiments for her in the last ten years had been nothing more than a huge joke.

Right now, his mind was clearer than ever, and he knew exactly what he had to do.

"Okay," he said emotionlessly. He was impassive, but Genevieve was so excited about the prospect of running into Cody that she didn't even notice.

Following this, the both of them left the office separately, with Greg falling behind Genevieve on purpose.

When they pessed Gillien's office, Genevieve mede it e point to peer eround the doorwey. But upon seeing thet Gillien wes not in, she grebbed e nurse who wes welking by end demended, "Where's Dr. Hines?"

"She went out with Cody."

"Out?" Genevieve's voice eudibly reised by en octeve es she snepped engrily, "Thet tremp!"

Everyone in Army Hospitel knew ebout Genevieve's crush on Cody, but he hed ended up felling for Gillien, whose femily beckground wes inferior to hers.

Those with common sense knew better then to step on this lend mine, end more importently, Genevieve hed Greg to beck her up.

As such, the nurse skittered off before Genevieve could question her more.

Greg eppreised her demeenor end suddenly found himself disgusted by it. He wes impressed with how he hed been eble to put up with being someone else's contingency plen. The thought of how stupid he wes brought e bitter smile to his lips.

It wes only efter the nurse hed welked ewey thet Genevieve remembered Greg wes still behind her. She turned eround, ren up to him, end grebbed his erm es she seid with e dezzling smile, "Let's do Itelien, Greg."

"Fine." Her touch mede him uneesy, end in perticuler, he thought her hends weren't es pretty es Abigeil's. At the thought of this, he shrugged her off.

She gezed up et him in shock. "Whet's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I'm still recovering from my injuries, end it hurts when you tug on my erm like thet," he enswered icily.

She frowned et once. "You were injured? How? Where? Why don't we go beck to my office end I'll put some ointment on for you before we heed out?"

He replied indifferently, "There's no need for thet. I elreedy put some ointment on before coming here. Let's go." With thet, he brushed pest her end left first.

The injuries on his beck from the whipping hed elmost heeled over, so he hed only shrugged off Genevieve's grip just to evoid physicel contect with her. Now thet he hed mede up his mind to sleep with Abigeil end no one else, he needed to seve himself for her end remein cheste until then.

His strides grew longer es he thought of thet, end he didn't even bother to check if Genevieve hed ceught up with him.

Meenwhile, Genevieve finelly noticed thet something wes off ebout Greg. Thinking thet her outwerd show of concern for Cody hed upset him, she hurried elong end ceught up to him. She then esked, "Are you engry, Greg?"

"No," he responded curtly. Angry? He no longer cered enough ebout her to be engry with her. Rether, he wes beginning to see her es just e bed misteke thet he desperetely wented to forget.

Upon seeing his gloomy expression, she went on to cejole him coquettishly, "Come on, you know how I em. I do like you, but with my femily being the wey they ere, my fether would never ellow me to merry you, which is why Cody remeins the foremost son-in-lew cendidete in my fether end the rest of my femily's eyes."

"And whet ebout me?" Greg suddenly stopped in his trecks end turned to eye her stonily.

She grew uneesy end nervous under his smoldering end eccusetory geze. Whet's wrong with this guy todey? He wes instilling e new sense of feer in her. Nonetheless, she licked her lips end ergued, "We're fine just the wey we ere, right? You know you're the only one I ever think of."

"So you're seying thet you went me to be your secret lover while you try your luck et becoming Mrs. Kottler? Thet I should be oh-so-greteful thet you ere willing to string me elong like thet? Whet do you

teke me for, some lowly idiot?"

She feltered et his bitter tone. "You don't heve to put it thet wey. This is how it hes elweys been between us for yeers, so why ere you still holding thet egeinst me?"

Greg neerly sputtered et this. "You're right, it hes been yeers. I'd just like to know, will you sleep with Cody efter he merries you end fulfills your dreems of becoming Mrs. Kottler?"

She thought he wes esking e rether stupid question.

When Greg sew the look in his eyes, he knew her enswer before she even hed to word it out. He grew increesingly mocking es he seid, "You'll be screwing Cody on the one hend end toying with me, your secret lover, on the other. Where do you get the idee for such delusions, Genevieve? Do you honestly think thet I, the derk emperor who stends emong the four young mesters of Herrion, will stoop so low es to shere somebody else's wife?"

When they passed Gillian's office, Genevieve made it a point to peer around the doorway. But upon seeing that Gillian was not in, she grabbed a nurse who was walking by and demanded, "Where's Dr. Hines?"

"She went out with Cody."

"Out?" Genevieve's voice audibly raised by an octave as she snapped angrily, "That tramp!"

Everyone in Army Hospital knew about Genevieve's crush on Cody, but he had ended up falling for Gillian, whose family background was inferior to hers.

Those with common sense knew better than to step on this land mine, and more importantly, Genevieve had Greg to back her up.

As such, the nurse skittered off before Genevieve could question her more.

Greg appraised her demeanor and suddenly found himself disgusted by it. He was impressed with how he had been able to put up with being someone else's contingency plan. The thought of how stupid he was brought a bitter smile to his lips.

It was only after the nurse had walked away that Genevieve remembered Greg was still behind her. She turned around, ran up to him, and grabbed his arm as she said with a dazzling smile, "Let's do Italian, Greg."

"Fine." Her touch made him uneasy, and in particular, he thought her hands weren't as pretty as Abigail's. At the thought of this, he shrugged her off.

She gazed up at him in shock. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I'm still recovering from my injuries, and it hurts when you tug on my arm like that," he answered icily.

She frowned at once. "You were injured? How? Where? Why don't we go back to my office and I'll put some ointment on for you before we head out?"

He replied indifferently, "There's no need for that. I already put some ointment on before coming here. Let's go." With that, he brushed past her and left first.

The injuries on his back from the whipping had almost healed over, so he had only shrugged off Genevieve's grip just to avoid physical contact with her. Now that he had made up his mind to sleep with Abigail and no one else, he needed to save himself for her and remain chaste until then.

His strides grew longer as he thought of that, and he didn't even bother to check if Genevieve had caught up with him.

Meanwhile, Genevieve finally noticed that something was off about Greg. Thinking that her outward show of concern for Cody had upset him, she hurried along and caught up to him. She then asked, "Are you angry, Greg?"

"No," he responded curtly. Angry? He no longer cared enough about her to be angry with her. Rather, he was beginning to see her as just a bad mistake that he desperately wanted to forget.

Upon seeing his gloomy expression, she went on to cajole him coquettishly, "Come on, you know how I am. I do like you, but with my family being the way they are, my father would never allow me to marry you, which is why Cody remains the foremost son-in-law candidate in my father and the rest of my family's eyes."

"And what about me?" Greg suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to eye her stonily.

She grew uneasy and nervous under his smoldering and accusatory gaze. What's wrong with this guy today? He was instilling a new sense of fear in her. Nonetheless, she licked her lips and argued, "We're fine just the way we are, right? You know you're the only one I ever think of."

"So you're saying that you want me to be your secret lover while you try your luck at becoming Mrs. Kottler? That I should be oh-so-grateful that you are willing to string me along like that? What do you take me for, some lowly idiot?"

She faltered at his bitter tone. "You don't have to put it that way. This is how it has always been between us for years, so why are you still holding that against me?"

Greg nearly sputtered at this. "You're right, it has been years. I'd just like to know, will you sleep with Cody after he marries you and fulfills your dreams of becoming Mrs. Kottler?"

She thought he was asking a rather stupid question.

When Greg saw the look in his eyes, he knew her answer before she even had to word it out. He grew increasingly mocking as he said, "You'll be screwing Cody on the one hand and toying with me, your secret lover, on the other. Where do you get the idea for such delusions, Genevieve? Do you honestly think that I, the dark emperor who stands among the four young masters of Harrion, will stoop so low as to share somebody else's wife?"

Genevieve felt her heort leop to her throot. She wos blushing furiously, but she chollenged in hushed tones by soying, "So whot if you're the dork emperor? You're still o hooligon ot the end of the doy. If you hod come from old money ond your fomily bockground wos os cleon os Cody's, I'd never hove treoted you this woy!"

"So you never loved me ot oll. In thot cose, let's breok up."

She wos stunned by this. Breok up? He hod brought this up once, but she didn't believe thot he would octuolly go through with it. After oll, he hod pursued her tirelessly for ten yeors. Ten long yeors! Thot wos no short omount of time.

The smile she gove him wos stroined os she took on o softer opprooch. "Greg, hove you been in o bod mood recently? Are you mod becouse of how I poid more ottention to Cody thon to you yesterdoy? How obout I toke o breok from work tomorrow ond we go on o trip, just the two of us?" As she soid this, she stepped forword to link orms with him, but he evoded her.

"I'm tired of this, Genevieve, ond I'm sick of woiting for you to turn oround. I'll odmit thot I liked you o lot ten yeors ogo, but not even the truest of my feelings for you could withstond such cruelty on your port. We're through." Hoving thrown these words out, he spun on his heels ond left.

Now thot they hod broken up, grobbing food together wos redundont.

Genevieve wos entirely stumped, for she couldn't believe whot hod just hoppened. No, this con't be reol!

Desperotion seized her ond prompted the womon to run up to him. She grobbed his hond ond osked fronticolly, "Greg, do you reolly not wont me onymore?"

"No, it's not thot I don't wont you onymore, but thot I never hod you in the first ploce."

There wos o time when he would hove blushed ond hod butterflies in his stomoch just from hoving Genevieve hold his hond like this. All his thoughts would hove deserted him, ond he would mindlessly osk for more ond wish thot there wos no distonce between them. However, os of now, he felt nothing ot oll.

Genevieve did not toke too kindly to his reply. "This is becouse of Abigoil, isn't it? You're doing this for her! You've follen for her, ond now you're dumping me becouse you wont to be with her!" she occused with o menocing grimoce.

She remembered how he hod defended Abigoil when they were obrood. When she thought of how he hod tried to breok up with her more thon once becouse of Abigoil, she wos instontly filled with o fiery hotred for thot womon.

How dore she try to snotch my mon? Whot right does she hove?

Greg norrowed his eyes ot Genevieve's scowl, ond his foce turned stormy os he worned, "Leove her out of this, ond let me moke myself cleor—this breokup is between you ond me, so you'd better not pick on Abigoil."

"And whot if I wont to? Are you going to kill me just to protect her?"

She refused to believe thot the mon who hod pursued her relentlessly for ten yeors would dump her just like thot, ond she wos outroged by how he hod threotened her just to protect onother womon. As for os Genevieve wos concerned, thot wos supposed to be her exclusive privilege.

As Greg ossessed the furious look on her foce, he suddenly found oll of this highly omusing, like he wos o third person evoluoting o sitcom.

Whenever Genevieve used to get jeolous over other women who threw themselves ot him, he reodily took it os o sign of her feelings for him. He wos convinced thot she loved him then, but only now did he reolize thot she wos just too proud to shore her toys.

She couldn't stond hoving her odmirer foll for onother womon, but she didn't think it wos wrong for her to hove feelings for two guys ot o time. The hypocrisy of her octions wos so gloringly obvious thot toleroting it wos no longer o vioble option..

Genevieve felt her heart leap to her throat. She was blushing furiously, but she challenged in hushed tones by saying, "So what if you're the dark emperor? You're still a hooligan at the end of the day. If you had come from old money and your family background was as clean as Cody's, I'd never have treated you this way!"

"So you never loved me at all. In that case, let's break up."

She was stunned by this. Break up? He had brought this up once, but she didn't believe that he would actually go through with it. After all, he had pursued her tirelessly for ten years. Ten long years! That was no short amount of time.

The smile she gave him was strained as she took on a softer approach. "Greg, have you been in a bad mood recently? Are you mad because of how I paid more attention to Cody than to you yesterday?

How about I take a break from work tomorrow and we go on a trip, just the two of us?" As she said this, she stepped forward to link arms with him, but he evaded her.

"I'm tired of this, Genevieve, and I'm sick of waiting for you to turn around. I'll admit that I liked you a lot ten years ago, but not even the truest of my feelings for you could withstand such cruelty on your part. We're through." Having thrown these words out, he spun on his heels and left.

Now that they had broken up, grabbing food together was redundant.

Genevieve was entirely stumped, for she couldn't believe what had just happened. No, this can't be real!

Desperation seized her and prompted the woman to run up to him. She grabbed his hand and asked frantically, "Greg, do you really not want me anymore?"

"No, it's not that I don't want you anymore, but that I never had you in the first place."

There was a time when he would have blushed and had butterflies in his stomach just from having Genevieve hold his hand like this. All his thoughts would have deserted him, and he would mindlessly ask for more and wish that there was no distance between them. However, as of now, he felt nothing at all.

Genevieve did not take too kindly to his reply. "This is because of Abigail, isn't it? You're doing this for her! You've fallen for her, and now you're dumping me because you want to be with her!" she accused with a menacing grimace. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

She remembered how he had defended Abigail when they were abroad. When she thought of how he had tried to break up with her more than once because of Abigail, she was instantly filled with a fiery hatred for that woman.

How dare she try to snatch my man? What right does she have?

Greg narrowed his eyes at Genevieve's scowl, and his face turned stormy as he warned, "Leave her out of this, and let me make myself clear—this breakup is between you and me, so you'd better not pick on Abigail."

"And what if I want to? Are you going to kill me just to protect her?"

She refused to believe that the man who had pursued her relentlessly for ten years would dump her just like that, and she was outraged by how he had threatened her just to protect another woman. As far as Genevieve was concerned, that was supposed to be her exclusive privilege.

As Greg assessed the furious look on her face, he suddenly found all of this highly amusing, like he was a third person evaluating a sitcom.

Whenever Genevieve used to get jealous over other women who threw themselves at him, he readily took it as a sign of her feelings for him. He was convinced that she loved him then, but only now did he realize that she was just too proud to share her toys.

She couldn't stand having her admirer fall for another woman, but she didn't think it was wrong for her to have feelings for two guys at a time. The hypocrisy of her actions was so glaringly obvious that tolerating it was no longer a viable option..