The Villains Must Win-Chapter 134: Reid Graves 14

Gwendolyn stopped crying for a moment, her brain struggling to process this new horrifying reality. "Wait . . . what?" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Reid adjusted his glasses again, warming up to the subject. "In fact, studies show that on average, a baby receives at least a hundred kisses a day from their parents and relatives. Multiply that by the first few years of your life, and you’ve already been kissed thousands of times before you could even form a coherent sentence."

Gwendolyn’s jaw dropped. "Are you seriously saying that right now?"

"Precisely. So technically, Roman didn’t steal your first kiss. He just happened to be the first person outside your family to do it. The real culprits are your mom and dad."

Gwendolyn gasped, looking genuinely disturbed. "Oh my god, Reid . . ."

"And if you have any aunts or grandmothers, they’re probably accomplices."

Gwendolyn stared into the void, completely unresponsive to Reid’s words. She should have expected this from him—really, she should have—but somehow, hearing it out loud only made her feel worse.

Meanwhile, Reid mentally congratulated himself for successfully diverting the conversation. Unfortunately, his satisfaction was short-lived when Gwendolyn started crying again, harder this time.

Reid felt the panic rising in his chest. This was not the expected outcome. He thought his statistical breakdown would provide a fresh perspective—maybe even a small distraction. Instead, he had successfully sent her spiraling into a full-blown meltdown.

Reid opened his mouth, then closed it. He had nothing. Absolutely nothing. What was he supposed to do? Comfort her? That was outside his field of expertise. Offer her a tissue? No, that wouldn’t stop the flood of tears currently soaking his shirt.

He awkwardly patted her head—was that what people did? Did that help? It felt weird. He was at a loss. His knowledge was vast, but none of it applied to this situation.

"Uh . . . there, there?" he tried, his voice unsure.

Gwendolyn sobbed louder.

Reid’s brain was now flashing every emergency signal possible. System overload. Mission failure. Retreat advised. But he couldn’t exactly run, not with her gripping onto him like a drowning person.

Just as he was mentally drafting an escape plan, the door swung open.

"Hey, Genius, I’m here—!"

It was Tabitha. Thank all logical forces in the universe.

She took one look at the scene before her—Gwendolyn clinging to Reid, crying like she had just witnessed the end of the world, and Reid standing there looking like a malfunctioning scarecrow—and immediately, a slow grin spread across her face.

"Oh," she said, crossing her arms. "Wow. I really didn’t expect to walk in on this today."

Reid shot her a desperate look. "Tabitha, help."

Tabitha strolled over, hands on her hips, clearly enjoying his suffering. "Let me guess," she smirked. "You tried to logic someone out of their emotions again?"

"She was crying before I said anything," he defended. "I was merely providing context—"

"Reid." Tabitha patted his shoulder. "Buddy. You don’t give someone an existential crisis while they’re already having an emotional breakdown."

"I didn’t mean to!" he hissed back. "I thought I was helping!"

"Well, congratulations. You made it worse."

Reid groaned. "Yes, I noticed. Now fix it!"

Tabitha turned to Gwendolyn, whose sobbing had turned into dramatic sniffles. "Gwen, hon, what happened?" she asked, her tone shifting into something gentler.

Between sniffles, Gwendolyn hiccuped, "R-Roman . . . he stole my first kiss . . . a-and then Reid—sniff—told me it wasn’t actually my first because my parents got to me first—hic—and now I can’t stop thinking about it!"

Tabitha paused, then slowly turned to glare at Reid.

"You told her that?"

Reid shifted uncomfortably. "Statistically, it’s true."

Tabitha smacked his arm. "Reid, what the hell?"

"I panicked!"

Tabitha sighed, then pulled Gwendolyn into a proper hug. "There, there, Gwen. Forget whatever nonsense Reid told you. Your first kiss is whatever you decide it is, okay?"

"Really?" Gwendolyn sniffed.

"Of course. Whatever that four-eyed nerd said doesn’t count."

Gwendolyn nodded, hugging Tabitha tightly while Reid stood there, insulted. "Hey, I’m right here."

Tabitha smirked over Gwendolyn’s shoulder. "Yeah, and you still suck at emotional support."

Reid sighed, rubbing his temples. "I tried."

"And that’s what makes it even sadder," Tabitha quipped, before turning back to Gwendolyn. "Come on, let’s go get some snacks. Nothing like sugar to fix a heartbreak."

Gwendolyn nodded, finally looking a little better, and the two walked off.

Reid slumped into a chair, exhaling. Well. That was a disaster.

Next time, he was really leaving emotions to Tabitha.

On the way to the cafeteria, Gwendolyn poured her heart out, venting all her frustration about Roman while Tabitha listened attentively. She nodded in all the right places, offering comforting hums and well-timed gasps of indignation.

Right now, I’m playing the role of the perfect best friend, she thought.

But deep down, she knew she was doing something much bigger—she was strategically inserting herself into Gwendolyn’s life, slowly but surely replacing Reid’s role.

The more Gwendolyn leaned on her, the less she would need Reid. And that was the goal.

Tabitha already knew how the story was supposed to go. In the Original story at least. Roman, the rich and arrogant heir, would torment Gwendolyn, and in her distress, she would seek comfort from Reid.

At first, Reid would only see her as a friend, but little by little, his feelings would grow—he just wouldn’t realize it until it was too late. Classic slow-burn romance. He would protect her from Roman, endure countless humiliations, and bullying, and stand by her no matter what. And for what? For Gwendolyn to still end up with Roman in the end.

What a joke.

And what was her original role in all of this? A forgettable background character. The chubby girl who didn’t even get a passing mention in the grand love story. Well, not this time.

"Yes, yes, Roman’s a jerk. Just ignore him," Tabitha said, patting Gwendolyn’s back as if to soothe her.

Of course, she didn’t actually want Gwendolyn to ignore Roman. If anything, she wanted Roman to keep being an absolute menace. That way, the story would stay on its natural course.

She would make sure that Gwendolyn and Roman still ended up together—this time, with no unnecessary detours through Reid’s heart. And as for herself? She would happily stay the ugly, fat friend Roman wouldn’t even glance at twice. Perfect.

If she played her cards right, Gwendolyn wouldn’t be running to Reid for comfort—she’d be running straight to her.

Good. Everything was falling perfectly into place.