CHAPTER 1

“I can’t wait to see the reaction on Jacob’s face,” Jasmine mused, a soft smile gracing her lips as she stepped out of the elevator leading to her fiancé, Jacob’s office.

She carefully held onto the rectangular paper box that housed his favorite cake which she had stayed up all night baking. Today was his birthday and she wanted to surprise him.

Her heart was cheery as she neared the door to his office, but her forehead creased into a frown when she heard muffled voices coming from within.

Was Jacob with someone?

She shrugged off the thought. Perhaps, it was one of his clients or colleagues. But as she reached the mahogany door, her steps faltered and her body stiffened as she heard a very familiar voice coming from the office.

“Jakey, when will you dump that plain Jane, so we can be together?”

Jasmine’s breath hitched and her palms became sweaty as she clutched the box tighter. 

Could it really be…?

Before she could stop herself, she pushed the door open without knocking. 

The box of cake fell to the floor, but she barely noticed it as she took in the scene before her.

Her sister, Charlotte was straddling her fiancé, Jacob with nothing but a lacy bra on. While Jacob had his arms wrapped around her waist with his tongue down her throat. 

The sound of the box hitting the floor startled the both of them and they pulled away from each other.

 Jacob pushed Charlotte off him and buttoned up his shirt as he wiped the lipstick smear from his lips. 

Charlotte, however, smirked as she licked her lips and lazily propped herself up on Jacob’s desk, not even bothering to cover her barely clad form.

“What the hell is happening here?!” Jasmine demanded, her voice pitched with anger and disbelief. 

At first Jacob’s eyes widened in surprise at seeing her, but then they narrowed as his gaze hardened. “Jasmine, how dare you enter my office without knocking?” 

Jasmine did a double take, her head spinning at his accusatory tone. “How dare me?” She retorted with an incredulous look in her eyes. “Is that really all you can say after I caught you cheating on me—with my sister?!”

“Oh please,” Charlotte scoffed as she rolled her eyes. “You didn’t catch us doing anything. We barely got started before you interrupted…” 

She trailed off as she sauntered closer to Jacob, casually trailing a manicured finger down his chest and lightly brushing her palm against the tent on his pants. “Now, Jakey has to battle with this boner for the rest of the day.”

Jasmine balled her hands into fists as her eyes zeroed in on Jasmine’s inappropriate action, then they shifted to Jacob who had a cocky smirk on his lips. 

“How could you frolic with my sister behind my back, Jacob?” She whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. “Have you no shame?”

Jacob’s smirk faltered as his eyes momentarily flashed with guilt, but it disappeared like it had never been there.

“Frankly, It’s because you’re so naive and boring, Jasmine,” his voice was flat and blunt. “It’s always the same old pattern with you. No thrill whatsoever and I’m sick of it.”

Jasmine’s mouth fell open as her mind reeled from everything happening. It was too much for her to take in all at once, and Jacob’s words felt like a dagger that was being twisted in her heart.

She would never have believed in a million years that her fiancé of 5 years would betray her in such a manner and still not be remorseful about it.

“I gave you five years of my life, Jacob,” she whispered, her voice cracking with despair as she fought back a sob. 

“For five years, I put up with your attitude even when it wasn’t convenient for me. If I wasn’t enough, why didn’t you just break up with me? Why betray me like this?”

“Enough with the sob story, Jasmine,” Jacob spat, his eyes darkening. “Don’t act like you were doing me a favor by being with me all these years. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you were only using me as a financial safety net?” 

He chuckled darkly as he continued his disdainful jabs, “Ever since you found out you weren’t your parents’ biological daughter, you’ve been paranoid of them abandoning you, hence why you clung to me like a lifeline.”

“It’s pathetic, really,” Charlotte added, her voice laced with mock pity as she took a taunting step towards Jasmine and kicked the cake box away like a piece of trash. 

“You feel threatened by me because I’m the real daughter of our parents and you're just a fraud, right? Poor thing,” she pouted, clicking her tongue. 

“It must suck not to know your true parentage. But judging by how you already behave, I’m sure the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”

Jasmine tightened her fists so hard her nails dug painfully into her palm. She was so tempted to slap the smugness off Charlotte’s face, but she held herself back. 

“I’ve never felt threatened by you, and always considered you as my sister,” she shook her head bitterly. “But it seems I made a big mistake.”

She then turned to Jacob, and the realization that the man she loved and envisioned a future with, only saw her as a burden hit her like a slap to the face.

“If you really think I was only using you for money, then you never knew me.” Her hand reached for her middle finger and she shakily slid the engagement ring off it. 

“There’s no point in us being together anymore,” she spat as she threw the engagement ring at him. “Our engagement is over!” 

Her gaze shifted back to Charlotte. “This is what you wanted, right? Congratulations then. He’s all yours now.” 

Charlotte’s smug expression faltered, but only for a second before she tossed her hair over her shoulder and walked back to Jacob.

 “Finally,” she chirped as she slipped  her arm around his. “I was getting tired of sneaking around.”

Jacob’s expression was unreadable as his gaze lingered on the ring Jasmine had thrown at him before looking back at her. 

“Don’t act rashly, Jasmine,” he warned. “You know you’re nothing without me. Will you be able to survive this breakup?”

Charlotte’s eyes flashed with mild irritation and jealousy as she observed that Jacob still cared for Jasmine. If she no longer wanted the relationship then he should just accept it. 

“Jakey,” she whined as she tightened her grip around his arm and batted her eyelashes at him. 

“Why are you still bothering about her? She clearly doesn’t realize your worth, so forget her and focus on me. I’m the right woman for you.”

Jacob seemed to consider Charlotte's words for a bit before he smirked and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest.

“You’re right, baby.” he made sure his voice was loud enough to pierce through Jasmine. 

“She was never really my type anyways. I prefer my ladies feisty and alluring like you,” he murmured seductively as he playfully smacked her ass, the sound resounding across his office.

He turned to Jasmine, his voice smug and arrogant. “You’ll regret this, Jasmine. Don’t come crawling back when you realize you can’t make it without me.”

Jasmine bit her quivering lips to stop herself from bursting into tears as she looked him dead in the eye. 

“I'll never come crawling back to you,” she sharply enunciated every word before turning in her heels and walking out of the office, ensuring to slam the door so hard that it reverberated through the walls.