Chapter 1 : The Hand-Me-Down

On her way through the lobby, she spotted a little girl whWalking into The Second Diamond Hotel, Gabrielle Taylor held her head high. Her gorgeous legs strode across the marble lobby in a striking sapphire dress that hit just above her knees.

Even in a simple three-quarter sleeve casual outfit, her stunning figure and delicate features turned heads wherever she went.

She clicked confidently across the floor in black heels, dead set on crashing her ex-boyfriend and former best friend''s engagement party.

o looked completely lost. Despite her sky-high emotions, Gabrielle stopped and walked over to her.

"Hey there, what''s wrong? You okay?" Gabrielle asked, noticing tears welling up in the girl''s eyes. "Are you lost?"

Gabrielle always kept lollipops in her purse – total sweet tooth – and seeing the little girl''s distress, she pulled one out and offered it. "Here, don''t be sad. Tell me what''s going on."

Something about Gabrielle must have clicked with the little girl because she immediately brightened up. Taking the lollipop, she said, "Big sister, do you want to meet my uncle?"

Gabrielle couldn''t help but chuckle. She tried not to laugh outright and answered, "Sorry, sweetie. I''ve got some snakes to fry right now, but let me take you to the front desk so they can help find your parents—"

"There you are, Kim! Why did you just take off like that?" A man in a crisp white shirt and black jacket appeared to collect the girl.

The man noticed the lollipop in the girl''s hand and immediately snatched it away, warning, "Never take candy from strangers!"

Gabrielle thought the guy was decent-looking, but his attitude made him seem like a total jerk. Her lips twitched in annoyance before she snapped at him, "Excuse me, sir, you need to watch your daughter! How do you just lose track of her like that? What kind of irresponsible father are you?"

She glanced once more at the little girl, and seeing how she reached for the man''s hand, Gabrielle figured he really was her dad.

Before the man could get a word in, Gabrielle simply said goodbye to the little girl and walked away, leaving him completely speechless.

Pushing thoughts of the negligent father aside, Gabrielle soon found the Two-Carat conference room.

Her eyes locked onto the poster on the easel stand. It read: ''Warren Foster and Camilla Clark''s Engagement Party.'' Warren – her boyfriend of two years. Camilla Clark – her best friend. Just a week ago, Warren had dumped her out of nowhere and gotten her fired from her part-time job!

Earlier that day, she''d found out through a mutual friend that Warren and Camilla were having their engagement party that very night!

The two people she trusted most had completely betrayed her, and she''d been totally clueless!

With that thought burning in her mind, Gabrielle approached the hotel staff member guarding the door.

"Your invitation, please, miss?" the man asked.

"Of course," Gabrielle said with a smile. She pulled out the invitation and handed it over.

The guard looked skeptical and asked, "Thank you for coming, Miss... Dylan Harper. Let me show you to your table."

The doors opened for her, and Gabrielle took a deep breath, knowing this was going to be one hell of a night. Her heart was racing, and she felt herself getting cold feet, but remembering the pain they''d caused her, she pushed forward with her plan, walking in with a smile plastered on her face.

Perfect timing. Dinner was already underway, and everyone was busy with their fancy meals.

After taking her seat, a server approached with Gabrielle''s menu choice and asked, "Would you like some wine, miss?"

Pursing her lips, she asked, "Is that included in the package?"

"Yes, miss. The couple ordered several bottles for tonight," the server replied.

"Okay then. I''ll definitely have some wine," Gabrielle answered.

She was seated with a group from the upper management of The BNC Media Center, where she used to work. She could hear them whispering – clearly gossiping about her – as she downed one glass after another.

Gabrielle barely touched her food, focusing instead on building up the liquid courage for what she was about to do.

After her fifth glass of wine, her eyes scanned the entire venue and finally landed on Warren and Camilla. They were chatting happily with their parents at the head table. The engaged couple hadn''t spotted Gabrielle yet, but it wouldn''t be long before they did.

Once most guests had finished eating, a hostess took the microphone and announced, "Now that we''ve all been well-fed, it''s time to hear from our happy couple and let them share their love story with everyone."

After a round of applause, Warren grabbed the microphone and smiled confidently at the room of over fifty guests.

Standing tall, Warren began his story, "Camilla and I met through a mutual friend. We—" His green eyes gazed adoringly at Camilla, who sat at the front table. He continued, "We started as just friends, but the more time we spent together, the attraction grew, and after about a year, we really hit it off!"

The crowd cheered, wanting to hear more. But when his eyes drifted to a distant table, he suddenly felt his throat close up.

Warren''s brows furrowed, and he ran his fingers through his dark blond hair. He recognized that beautiful girl with caramel-colored hair – his ex-girlfriend, Gabrielle.

He seemed to lose his words completely, his jaw hanging open for several seconds. He ended up coughing and swallowing hard repeatedly.

"Baby, what''s the holdup?" Camilla Clark called out.

"Tell us, how long have you two been together?" another guest shouted.

"We''ve been together for eight months now!" Camilla answered for Warren, turning to address the person who''d asked.

Warren watched his ex narrow her eyes at him, realizing just how long she''d been deceived.

"Man, Warren, people at the media company honestly thought that other girl was your girlfriend. So she was just the connection between you and Camilla," one guy said. "She''s definitely hot. Maybe I can get your friend''s number!"

Warren tried to laugh it off. His voice finally returned as he answered, "Ah—"

"And here''s my cue!" a loud voice rang out from the back tables, cutting Warren off mid-sentence.

Everyone turned to see Gabrielle making her way forward with flushed cheeks. She''d had nine glasses of wine – enough to give her the courage she needed. She wasn''t much of a drinker, so it didn''t take much to kill her inhibitions.

Gabrielle beamed at all the guests, especially directing her gaze at Camilla and her parents.

Warren''s parents had only met her once since they lived in another city, but Camilla''s parents definitely knew her.

"Let me answer that question!" she announced as she stumbled slightly toward the front.

In the back of her mind, she was thrilled to see Camilla''s face go white. Knowing her best friend like she did, Gabrielle could tell she''d sent her into full panic mode.

Gabrielle first greeted Camilla''s parents: "Aunt Caroline, Uncle Dale. So nice to see you."

"Oh, Camilla said you wouldn''t be able to make it to the party. I''m so glad you decided to show up after all, Gaby," Caroline Clark said, leaning in to kiss Gabrielle''s cheek.

"Gaby, what are you doing here?" Warren spoke up, realizing the danger his ex-girlfriend had just brought into the room. "Are you drunk? Maybe you should—"

"Yes! I am slightly drunk, but I''m still sane enough to talk!" Gabrielle pushed Warren away as he tried to grab her arm.

She turned to Warren''s parents and said, "Hi, I''m Gabby. I''m your son''s girlfriend of two years, and we broke up a week ago. You remember me, right? We met a little over a year ago."

Warren''s parents looked at each other with confused expressions before turning to Camilla and then to Caroline and Dale Clark.

"Gaby, this is insane. Haha!" Finally, Camilla stood up to try to stop Gabrielle from saying more. But while she tried her best to hide the truth, her voice was shaking as she spoke: "You''re obviously drunk and don''t know what you''re talking about."

"Gaby, I''m warning you—" Despite Warren''s attempts to silence his ex, she kept talking, glaring at him and pushing him away.

"I just wanted to clear a few things up for everyone here." Turning to face the crowd, Gabrielle announced, "I was the mutual friend between Camilla and Warren." She laughed and continued, "Because I was Warren''s girlfriend until last week! And Cami has been my best friend since freshman year of college!"

"Warren, do something!" Camilla glared at her fiancé, and Gabrielle saw the fury in her eyes after she''d revealed the truth to everyone in the room.

"But it''s okay," Gabrielle smiled and said to Camilla''s parents, seeing how flustered they looked about the situation. "I love Cami like a sister. I certainly don''t mind giving her my hand-me-downs."

Camilla: "..."

"And I can''t blame Warren." Gabrielle shifted her gaze to her ex and revealed, "I never gave him my virginity. Somehow, I always knew he wasn''t worthy of my purity!"

Warren: "..."

Looking at the guests, she added, "I''m glad Camilla was there for Warren, taking care of all his... needs." She winked at Camilla and added, "She was always good at that!"

"Gaby! That''s enough!" Warren approached her again and gripped her arm tightly. "Time to go!"

"Oh, don''t worry, I''m leaving. My new boyfriend is waiting outside, so I really do need to get going," she said, gently pulling her arm free.

She took a moment to look around at everyone and said, "Like they say, when one relationship ends, a new and much better one begins."

"Cami, Warren, I wish you all the best." She grabbed a full wine glass from a nearby table and raised it in a toast. "To my best friend and ex-boyfriend: May life treat you as a married couple exactly the way you treated me."

Her eyes grew dark as she added, "Cheers!"