Chapter Seven: The Other Women
Emily had always known the rules of the game. She understood that exclusivity was a rarity in the world of sugar relationships, especially among the elite SDs of the BTC Holders Club. But knowing and feeling were two very different things.
It started with a careless mention—an offhand comment Daniel made one evening over dinner at a secluded penthouse lounge.
“I had lunch with a friend today,” he said casually, swirling his whiskey. “She just got back from Milan.”
She.
Emily didn’t flinch, but the word settled in her stomach like a stone. She had always assumed Daniel had others—he was a high-powered investor, a man accustomed to variety. Yet hearing it confirmed so effortlessly, as if it meant nothing, made her realize how much she had ignored the possibility.
For the rest of the evening, she played her role flawlessly, laughing at the right moments, meeting his gaze with the same intoxicating confidence he always praised her for. But when she left, slipping into the back seat of her car, something inside her twisted.
Was she jealous? No. That wasn’t it. She never expected love from this arrangement. But she hated the idea of being interchangeable. Disposable.
The next time they met, she brought it up.
“I don’t need exclusivity,” she said, tracing the rim of her champagne glass. “But I do need clarity.”
Daniel’s brow lifted slightly, but he didn’t interrupt.
“I respect that you have other arrangements,” she continued. “But I won’t be treated like an afterthought. If you want me to stay, I need honesty. I need to know where I stand.”
For a long moment, Daniel simply studied her, his expression unreadable. Then, he nodded.
“I appreciate that,” he said finally. “And I don’t want you to feel replaceable. You’re not.”
The conversation didn’t change their dynamic overnight, but it established something more valuable—mutual respect. Emily didn’t need to be the only one in his life, but she needed to matter.
And that, she realized, was the difference between playing the game and mastering it.
