Chapter 326 Riding on a Woman's Coattails.
A bunch of dudes gathered around us. Seeing Brad and me holding hands, they all threw compliments our way. Every look they gave me was full of admiration, but it was all just friendly and respectful.
They asked stuff straight up; Brad answered all chill; I just listened, feeling all happy.
Not wanting to butt into Brad and his buddies' convo—guys always have their own stuff to talk about—I stepped back to give them some space, soaking in Brad's familiar greetings with them.
Seeing me standing there with a smile, someone said I was super considerate and understanding, which made Brad really happy.
I couldn't help but feel secretly pleased and proud; I thought I totally deserved all their praise.
Standing further back, I couldn't catch their convo clearly until after a bit, I realized these folks were Jenny's friends and classmates from National Capital University. They were all from different places but had come here 'cause Jenny invited them. Looked like one of them had just rolled in from the airport, suitcase and all.
I was pretty shocked that Jenny could round up her classmates from all over for just a regular birthday.
Jenny, who was chatting with some girls, obviously noticed the buzz over here and came over, pushed by Michael Smith in a wheelchair.
Jenny was rocking a bright red dress, her long hair all curly over her shoulders, with perfect makeup on her face. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw Brad, and a sweet smile spread across her lips, like a girl in love.
Jenny said softly, "Brad, why didn't you come in to find me when you got here? A lot of my college friends are here today; I invited them especially for you. You should totally chat with them later."
When she spoke, she seemed super close and affectionate with Brad. After all, not just anyone could call Brad by his first name.
Brad listened with a cold expression. It was clearly Jenny's birthday party; she hadn't mentioned inviting her college friends before. Now, she was saying she invited them for Brad, making it seem like the party was for him.
Seeing Jenny dressed like a blooming flower, I couldn't help but wonder if she had selective memory loss. Our conversation yesterday left me feeling incredibly awkward and embarrassed. How could she, as the one who started it all, act like nothing happened?
Brad was standing in a weird spot, right next to an arch made of roses. From my angle, I was in Jenny's blind spot, so she couldn't see me and naturally didn't know I was there. My absence made Jenny even more bold.
Maybe because she saw Brad coming alone as promised; she was confident that Brad wouldn't turn her down in front of so many people. She even tried to hold Brad's hand, saying, "Brad, come with me over there. I'll introduce you to my friends. They're all super impressive and will be a great help to your career in the future."
The folks around started giving each other weird looks, their eyes bouncing between Jenny and Brad, like they were trying to figure out what was really going on.
I had caught most of their convo earlier, and everyone seemed to admire Brad's achievements.
But Jenny's words just trashed all of Brad's accomplishments, making him look like a dude who got where he was by riding on a woman's coattails.
Brad's face turned ice-cold the moment he heard her.
"Oh, so Jenny's old wish came true? Congrats," a male classmate joked.
Brad's demeanor turned even colder.
Jenny clearly realized she had messed up and knew Brad wouldn't let her get away with it. She started to panic a bit.
To save face, Jenny quickly laughed and grabbed everyone's attention before Brad could say anything, cutting off his best chance to clap back. She played innocent and said, "Don't say that. We're just college friends. I have a close relationship with him; Brad's profession is somewhat related to my family's business, so I thought I'd help him out. Starting a business is risky and hard work. I was just lending a hand, nothing as calculated as you say."
I really wanted to find a dirty sock covered in dog poop from the trash can and stuff it in her mouth.
Was Jenny trying to backtrack on her previous statement, or was she doubling down on the idea that Brad's success was because of her? Saying this in front of so many classmates, and repeating it in different ways, was basically telling everyone that Brad's past and future were all thanks to her! This was a blatant slap in the face to Brad. No wonder the Taylor family wouldn't acknowledge her. Her inability to discern right from wrong, friend from foe, was incredibly frustrating.
Was this how she loved someone? I couldn't wrap my head around it.
Brad, being the strong-willed guy he was, worked his butt off to get everything on his own, not relying on any woman. His gig at National Capital University was all because of his killer professional skills and solid rep in his field. It was all his hard work and had zilch to do with Jenny.
They say behind every successful man is a woman who silently supports him, but that person was never Jenny in the past, and she would have nothing to do with Brad in the future.
What was Jenny trying to pull with her nonsense? Was she betting her dignity to force Brad to compromise? Or was she trying to trash Brad's dignity so he'd have to look up to her?
I really wanted to tell her she was making a huge mistake. Not only might she lose the respect and gratitude Brad had for her because of her life-saving grace, but she might also push Brad's buttons, driving him further away from her, making it impossible for them to even be friends.
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