Page 16 of Reclaimed By My Ex’s Bratva Brother

Lily. She'd started two months before me.

"Everyone's talking about that man, but they're asking the wrong questions." She stared at me, voice sharp. "I'm curious what you did that was so shady the bride 'accidentally' destroyed your dress at her own wedding."

Pure malice dripped from every word. In this office, her aggression had one target: me.

When I'd first started, she'd pushed me around constantly. Figured the newbie should fetch her coffee, deliver her files. At first, trying to keep the peace, I'd gone along with it.

Until I overheard her in the break room, laughing that I was fat as a pig stuffed into a dress. My rebellion was simple: I dumped her coffee in the trash right in front of her. She'd hated me ever since. Any chance to step on me, she took.

When I didn't respond, she smiled victoriously and continued. "Such a shame. So many people saw, but no photos or videos. Otherwise, with your body and the way that bride treated you, you'd have gone viral on TikTok for sure."

From the moment she opened her mouth, I'd noticed the shift in the room. Ears perked up all around us. Nobody passed up entertainment in the middle of a boring workday.

"I heard she used to be close with the groom..." another girl murmured, joining in. "Oh my God, what if she was the other woman and the bride caught her and humiliated her in public?"

More whispers followed. They believed Lily's baseless insinuations. My chest heaved harder than it ever had.

"If you want to go viral that badly, feel free to rip your own dress and see if you make the headlines." My voice stayed level. Getting angry was exactly what Lily wanted.

Her smile froze.

"I don't have a thing for showing off my body." She crossed her arms. "Seriously, people with that kind of bulky figure should stick to wearing jeans instead of putting on skirts and embarrassing themselves."

"Embarrassing themselves?" I met her eyes coldly. "If you put half the energy you waste spreading rumors into your actual job, last week's proposal wouldn't have gotten torn apart by the boss. You've been here two months longer than me and still haven't earned permanent status. Is that really something to brag about?"

"Briony!" Lily's face flushed with humiliation, but after sputtering for a few seconds, all she could manage was my name.

"Listen, Lily. What you should worry about is improving your skills enough to keep your job. The company pays for wedding planners, not gossip columnists." I sat down calmly and opened my laptop. "Now you can get back to work."

Stifled laughter leaked from behind the cubicle dividers.

Lily's face cycled through shades of rage and mortification. She glared at me, then retreated to her desk.

"Remind me never to argue with you." Winnie nudged my elbow. "Nobody wins against you."

I smiled. If I couldn't handle it, she'd have jumped in anyway.

"But I have to say—your body is nothing like what Lily claims." She studied me seriously. "That man yesterday clearly agreed."

I nearly choked on my own spit. I knew she wouldn't let this go.

The nosy heads around us had already turned back to their screens. Winnie leaned close to my ear.

"All right, spill it." She lowered her voice. "I heard that man didn't just rescue you—he made Makar and Chloe apologize to you in public. Someone who can do that isn't just a passing gentleman."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Who is he?"

She'd make a killer paparazzo.

"He helped me. That's all."

"Your ears are red."

"The office is hot."

"The AC is cold enough to preserve a corpse."