\u201cMy uncle has a girlfriend, Beth!\u201d<\/p>\n
Bethany Porter woke up to the sharp scent of disinfectant lingering in the air.<\/p>\n
She had just undergone an appendectomy. Before being wheeled into surgery, she had sent a message to her boyfriend, Noah Vazquez. Yet, she still hadn\u2019t received a reply.<\/p>\n
Just then, she received a call from her best friend, Holly Vazquez.<\/p>\n
Bethany\u2019s fingers tightened around her phone, the color draining slightly from her knuckles. Guilt seeped into her voice as she asked, \u201cYou\u2019ve heard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh? Were you aware of it as well?\u201d Holly paused before realization dawned on her. \u201cHow could I forget? You\u2019re my uncle\u2019s secretary. Of course you\u2019d know!<\/p>\n
\u201cStill, I didn\u2019t see this coming. He\u2019s been single for many years. Turns out, he was waiting for her all along.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her? Bethany\u2019s breath hitched.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I seriously can\u2019t stand Ella,\u201d Holly grumbled. \u201cShe\u2019s so dramatic and fake, and she always talks in that high-pitched voice. I have no idea what my uncle sees in her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bethany was worried that her secret would be exposed, but when she heard that, she realized that the girlfriend Holly was talking about wasn\u2019t her. The wound in her lower abdomen throbbed painfully. Biting her lip, she asked through her pain, \u201cAre you sure you didn\u2019t get it wrong, Hols?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before Noah went abroad, he had slept with Bethany in his arms every night. So how could he have fallen so easily for someone else?<\/p>\n
Holly clicked her tongue. \u201cI didn\u2019t get it wrong. Here, let me video call you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended without warning, abruptly switching to video. \u201cThe one in the pink ski suit is Ella, Beth. The one in black is my uncle.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at how lovey-dovey they are. My uncle is warming her hands and eating her face right in front of me. I\u2019m going to throw up!\u201d<\/p>\n
The camera was far away, but Bethany recognized Noah at a glance.<\/p>\n
Noah had promised her that he would make their relationship public when she turned 25. Her birthday was only five days away. Instead of receiving the acknowledgement she was promised, she witnessed Noah with the woman he truly loved at her most vulnerable moment.<\/p>\n
Right then, a nurse walked in and took a look at the chart in her hand. \u201cIt\u2019s time to change your dressing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh. Beth, are you in the hospital?\u201d Holly asked.<\/p>\n
Bethany swallowed the lump in her throat. \u201cNo. I\u2019m visiting someone. I have to go, Hols. Let\u2019s talk later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, alright. I\u2019ll text you!\u201d<\/p>\n
Bethany\u2019s phone buzzed. Instinctively, she tightened her grip and unlocked the screen, only to see another message from Holly. \u201cI thought my uncle was into men, Beth. Who knew he\u2019d fall for such a cutesy, clingy woman? I swear, she kind of looks like you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bethany had heard that sentence countless times before. She and Ella Reid weren\u2019t related by blood. After her father, Jack Porter, passed away, her mother married into the Reid family, and Ella became her stepsister.<\/p>\n
Bethany closed her eyes for a moment, exited the chat, and noticed a notification pop up from Instagram.<\/p>\n
It was a post from Ella. \u201cTeehee, my personal trainer!\u201d Attached was the picture that she and Noah had just taken together.<\/p>\n
Bethany had been in a clandestine relationship with Noah for three years. No matter how much she begged, he had never agreed to post a single photo of them. It hit her then that he was fine being seen, just not with her.<\/p>\n
Noah wasn\u2019t looking at the camera when the picture was taken. Instead, he gazed down at Ella with unmistakable tenderness, her reflection filling his eyes.<\/p>\n
Within seconds, a new comment appeared below the post.<\/p>\n
NV: \u201cMy princess.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bethany\u2019s nails dug into her palm as she tapped on the familiar profile, as if she were punishing herself. It was his Instagram, as she had expected.<\/p>\n
Valentine\u2019s Day, Christmas, New Year\u2019s\u2026 Every time he said he was working overtime, on a business trip, or at a social event, he had been with Ella.<\/p>\n
Each word on the screen felt like a dense cluster of needles piercing into her chest. The cold seeped into her bones, leaving her unable to breathe.<\/p>\n
In a heartbeat, a metallic tang filled her mouth. Why did it have to be Ella?<\/p>\n
Bethany had never gotten along with her stepsister, and Noah had been well aware of their history. Bethany wondered whether she had been nothing more than Ella\u2019s substitute when Noah was with her.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t want to dwell on that train of thought. Thus, she picked up her phone and texted her mother, Diana Reeves. \u201cI\u2019ll go on the blind date, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diana, who was usually cold toward her, replied almost instantly. \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019ve come to your senses. I\u2019ve sent you the address. Private room 1012. Remember to be agreeable, alright?\u201d<\/p>\n
A wry smile curled at Bethany\u2019s lips. Diana sure was eager to sell her off for a good price.<\/p>\n
After finishing her IV, she raised her hand, hailed a cab, and headed to the restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u2026<\/p>\n
Diana would never set Bethany up with someone decent. Bethany\u2019s blind date was Cyrus Brannon, an infamous playboy who went through women faster than he went through clothes.<\/p>\n
Ever since she remarried, Diana had been kind only to Ella. Bethany had long grown used to her mother\u2019s favoritism.<\/p>\n
Bethany took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the private room. Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly. The man wore a flamboyant burgundy suit that made him stand out in a crowd.<\/p>\n
He held a glass of wine in one hand and had his other tucked into his pocket. His posture was relaxed, almost lazy.<\/p>\n
When he heard the door creak open, he lifted his gaze. His eyes were dangerously captivating.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Brannon?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bethany had to admit that the heir of the Brannon family possessed a flawless face. He had the looks to play the field, and he clearly did.<\/p>\n
The private room was filled with both men and women. It seemed that he truly didn\u2019t discriminate.<\/p>\n
The man cocked his brow. \u201cYou are\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I have a word with you?\u201d Bethany asked.<\/p>\n
The man set his wineglass down and motioned for the others to leave. Silence settled in the private room in no time.<\/p>\n
Bethany pressed her lips together and walked up to him. \u201cI\u2019m Bethany Porter. I\u2019m here for the blind date. If you like what you see, we can skip ahead straight to marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noah\u2019s heartlessness had stripped away her illusions about men. It didn\u2019t matter who she married. She now believed that it was just a partnership to get through life.<\/p>\n
The man\u2019s lips curled slightly. His lazy, indifferent voice reached her ear. \u201cMarriage?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bethany composed herself. \u201cOf course. Since this is an alliance between our families, marriage is the end goal. You can do whatever you want on the outside, but I won\u2019t be responsible for any illegitimate children you have. At most, I won\u2019t mistreat them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIdeally, I\u2019d like our marriage to last a year. I\u2019ll play the role of your wife, and when the year is up, we\u2019ll go our separate ways. Don\u2019t worry. Since it\u2019s only in name, I won\u2019t take a single cent from your family.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want, we can sign a prenup. And if you\u2019re okay with this arrangement, we can put everything in writing. How does that sound?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bethany believed that she had shown more than enough sincerity. For a notorious playboy like him, having a virtuous wife as a shield would only benefit him.<\/p>\n
Yet, his gaze was deep and unreadable, like the deep sea on a winter night. The way he studied her made her chest tighten.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d he drawled. Then, he changed his tune. \u201cIt\u2019s still early. Why don\u2019t we go register our marriage now?\u201d<\/p>\n
A Mix-up Made Me His Enemy\u2019s Woman Ch 1 \u201cMy uncle has a girlfriend, Beth!\u201d Bethany Porter woke up to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-mix-up-made-me-his-enemys-woman-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19984,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19983\/revisions\/19984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}