Page 123 of My Ruthless Opponent

“What was that?” I ask.

A sheepish smile tugs at his lips as he rakes his fingers through his hair. “We won.”

“WHAT?” Brielle shrieks. And I wince.

“I was trying to prank you all but Brielle began panicking and then I couldn’t get to tell you—”

“You are going to regret that!” Brielle shouts and goes to jump him. I pull her down.

“Why can’t I pull a prank on you? You do that to me all the fucking time!”

“You are a dead man.” Brielle snarls.

“Enough!” I warn and they stop bickering. “Pass me the laptop.”

I take it and read the email for myself.

One by one, everyone abandons their seats and surrounds my chair. They huddle closer to me and the laptop, craning their necks to read.

“We won the first round,” I murmur.

The silence lasts for about a minute before everyone explodes in excitement.

Their exhilaration is contagious. I find myself grinning until my cheeks hurt. Brielle is the first to pull me into a hug.

“We won? Ohmygod yes!” Mia comes running. She doesn’t stop, heads straight in the direction of Chris, pulls him down by his collar, and kisses him on the mouth.

Brielle and I exchange a shocked look before bursting into laughter.

???

The best things happen unexpectedly.

In the most unexpected way possible, they find you and fill you with happiness beyond your imagination.

Take Chris and Mia for instance. Who would’ve thought the duo—who always used to bully each other—would receive their best gift called ‘love’ in Hawaii?

Yes, love. Their words. It’s true, isn’t it? All it takes is one look, one meeting, or in their case; one kiss to know.

All this time, they were in love with each other but never realized it. Until now.

Victor would be so happy to hear that the place where he fell in love with Greta is witnessing yet another love story.

Maybe there’s something in the air of Maui that is making everyone fall in love.

I glance at the entrance of the lobby again, looking for the signs of Raleigh. He’s still not here. He will come, though. He has to.

We have a non-negotiable tradition. The losing team has to attend the party the winning team is hosting. His team is here. But Raleigh is MIA.

It’s eight in the evening, and we are all gathered at the pool area.

Chris arranged for the DJ, food, and alcohol. It’s a Hawaiian costume party. Archer has sponsored it.

We couldn’t take advantage of Victor’s resort staff for something that wasn’t related to work.

We are all wearing lei around our necks, wrists, and ankles.

The girls are dressed in maxi dresses and short halter dresses. We have orchids tucked behind our ears.

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