All Chapters of Thanks for the Lies: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Today was Luke Weston's little get-together with his friends, and, of course, I ended up late. Something last minute popped up.I rushed to the private room and pushed the door open. For a second, the whole vibe inside froze. Ignoring it, I slid into the seat next to Luke like nothing happened.His friends started trading looks, their smirks loud enough to hear. Then one of them piped up in Italian, "Hey, how about a toast for Luke and his engagement to the Junkin heiress?"My fingers tightened around my fork until they ached.Luke just smiled. "What's there to toast? Save it for the wedding."The same guy didn't miss a beat. "So, when's the big day?"Luke glanced at me, throwing one of his fake "don't worry" smiles before answering in Italian, "About a month, I think. Can't remember the exact date."Everyone turned to me.Someone else cut in. "And Elena? Are you guys breaking up?"Luke's tone was indifferent. "It's just a convenience thing. Elena's the one I love. Marriage do

Nora forced a polite grin and extended her hand toward me. "Miss Seinfeld, nice to meet you.""I've heard so much about you," she added, giving me a quick up-and-down. "And wow, seeing you now, you definitely live up to your reputation."Before I could respond, Luke's group of obnoxious friends strolled over, smirking like they were in on some private joke.Luke's jaw tightened as the realization hit—they'd invited Nora on purpose. His anger flared, but he tamped it down, shooting me a strained smile. Things were shaky enough between us without his friends stirring the pot.He couldn't afford to let them make it worse, so he maintained his composure.Nora's seat? Oh, it just happened to be right next to Luke, across from me. In person, she was nothing like the sharp-tongued messages she'd sent. She came off as warm, polished, and almost too charming.When Luke brought up bidding on a porcelain piece for an elder, she slid into the conversation effortlessly, dropping porcelain tri

When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed. Lucky for me, the injuries weren't too bad.Luke sat beside me, his face shadowed with guilt. "Elena, I'm sorry," he said. "I only protected Nora because I was thinking about our families' partnership. You can be mad at me—just, please, don't ignore me."His eyes were sincere, almost pleading. If I hadn't known about his upcoming wedding, I might've believed him.When I stayed silent, Luke kept apologizing, stumbling over his words in desperation. Then, he suddenly remembered something. "Isn't your birthday coming up next week? Elena, what do you want? I'll get it for you—anything!"I finally looked at him. "Anything? Then get me a ticket to Crestwynd.""Crestwynd?" He blinked. "Why do you want to go to Crestwynd?"Before I could answer, he jumped in with his own assumption. "Oh, for a vacation?"I didn't bother correcting him and just nodded.Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and booked the ticket right there. When he f

Luke's hand froze midair, his face dark as he stared at the screenshots scattered across the floor. His voice was barely a whisper. "Nora... this is all your fault."Meanwhile, I slept like a rock, completely unaware of Luke's late-night meltdown.The next morning, I was up early, heading straight to Nova Corp. As the newly appointed CEO, I felt ready to prove myself. News that the Seinfeld family's daughter was taking charge spread fast—every corner of the industry was buzzing about it.While I was stepping into my role, Luke was drowning his misery at some private club, surrounded by his so-called friends. They were trying to joke their way through his mood."Come on, Luke, don't be like this," one of them said. "There's no way Elena's serious about breaking up.""Yeah, exactly. Women like her always play hard to get. Give her space—she'll come crawling back."The words hung in the air like poison, until Luke slammed his glass to the floor, shattering the moment. "Shut up! Who

My good mood didn't last. By morning, my phone was blowing up with notifications—one abusive message after another. It was nonstop. I stared at the chaos, completely confused, until a call from a friend broke through."Elena! Have you seen what's online? Nora Junkin has lost her mind! She's accusing you of being a homewrecker. You. Can you believe it? And, of course, people are eating it up! You need to shut this down and make her pay for this nonsense!"She barely paused for air, unloading everything in one breath.Apparently, after Nora's humiliating exit at the banquet, she couldn't deal. So, she went full scorched earth, using her engagement to Luke as an excuse to spin some ridiculous story online.She claimed I'd come between them, even throwing out "evidence" that Luke and I had lived together after their engagement.And people bought it. The headline—[Heiress of Nova Corp Accused of Breaking Up an Engaged Couple]—spread like wildfire, fueled by Nora's fake receipts and tra