The Inheritance Game

❃10❃

"Thank you all so much for joining us in celebrating my wife's birthday," Dad addressed the crowd from his wheelchair, a content smile gracing his face beside Mum.

"Be sure to drink the night away!" Mum chimed in cheerfully, raising her own glass in a toast, and the whole yacht erupted into cheers. There were so many people, most of whom I hadn't even seen before.

I was just about to take my first drink of the night (hopefully the first of many - I was craving for some) when a familiar voice called my name. "Liam!"

My hand froze mid-air as I turned, and my eyes widened in surprise. There stood Quinn, a really good friend from high school. "Quinn!" I exclaimed, setting the drink down hastily and practically bounding over to her. I wrapped her in a tight hug. "No way! What are you doing here?"

"I'm working as an intern at your Mum's fashion company!" she said proudly, a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. "So, she invited me and my girlfriend. Knew I'd run into you. Loving the matching outfits by the way." She winked playfully before turning her gaze to Zayn. "And who might your friend be?"

With a chuckle, I nodded towards Zayn. "This is my fiancé, Zayn," I introduced, and Zayn extended his hand for a shake.

Quinn gasped in surprise, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You're engaged?!" She gave Zayn's hand a light shake before turning back to me, awaiting an explanation. "How did this happen? Was it love at first sight?"

"Well-"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Zayn smoothly interjected, his voice laced with his usual charm as he took a casual sip of his drink.

Quinn's curiosity seemed to intensify as she leaned in, her eyes fixed on Zayn. "Come on, spill the tea! How did you sweep Liam off his feet? We all know he's not exactly had the best track record in the dating department." She giggled, earning an eye roll from me at her blunt honesty.

Zayn grinned and took another sip of his drink. But before he could utter a word, "What's going on over here?" Lawrence and Louis interrupted the conversation, approaching us. Despite the tension over the inheritance ordeal, I couldn't help but appreciate the warmth in their smiles at that moment. Sure, they could be annoying as hell, but they were still my brothers, and I loved them dearly.

"Just talking about the moment Zayn and Liam fell in love," Quinn clarified with a toothy smile.

"Yeah, I'm dying to know what made you fall for our lazy, train-wreck of a brother," Louis mused, making me shoot deadly glares at him.

But Zayn, unruffled by Louis' teasing, took another sip. "Feels like we're talking about two completely different people. The Liam I know is caring, selfless, and smart. Though he can be a perfectionist at times, but who isn't?" He squeezed my shoulder, and I felt a swell of warmth in my chest. "Still, being his fiancé truly makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world. Because I get to see this beautiful, rare side of him that not just anyone gets the pleasure to witness."

I leaned in close to his ear while trying my best not to swoon over his fake words. "That was a pretty convincing lie," I whispered, a grin spreading on my face. We were really making a good fist of this fake relationship.

"I'm not lying," he whispered back, catching me off guard. I snapped my head back to face him with my mouth agape in astonishment. "Every word that came out of my mouth just now was a hundred percent true."

I was taken aback, staring into his eyes, searching for any sign of deception, maybe a subtle smirk that said 'hehe, got you again'. (You all know how he gets off on teasing me.) To my surprise, there was none - just sincerity and a warmth that made my heart flutter in his gaze. Before I could fully process this revelation, Quinn prodded, "And when did you learn that Liam was the one?"