Chapter 3 All That We Used To Be

"Seriously? Look at you. You've hit rock bottom and still have the nerve to show your face here? Coming to a reunion like this, what else could you be after besides connections? Who are you trying to fool?"

Vincent chimed in with fake concern. "Hey, don't be so harsh. Maybe Lucas actually likes what he's doing now."

Then, he turned to me with a practiced smile. "Lucas, we're only trying to help. Out of old friendship, we even found a job for you. Don't let your pride get in the way of a good opportunity."

I honestly couldn't figure out what they were getting at, forcing money and jobs on me like charity.

If we were talking about assets, everyone in that room combined still couldn't match what I owned.

"I really don't need it," I said calmly. "But thank you."

Vincent kept that gentle smile, but his eyes were full of mockery and disdain.

Sophie clutched the check in her hand, her tone icy. "Pathetic. You're beyond help. I tried to give you a hand, but you'd rather rot where you are. Fine. Stay poor for the rest of your life."

Right after her jab, a group of our former classmates, mostly women, surged forward, eager to join in.

One heavier woman even tried to force a drink on me.

"Lucas, I've got money." She sneered. "You look so pitiful now. Drink this, and I'll send you a thousand. If you're really that desperate, maybe I'll even throw in a little extra."

Her eyes were shamelessly suggestive, and the others burst out laughing, no one stepping in to stop her.

I frowned. This reunion was nothing like what I'd imagined. If I weren't waiting for someone, I would've walked out long ago.

Just as I was about to call security, Sophie suddenly grabbed the woman's arm. Her eyes turned sharp and cold, anger flaring in her voice. "Keep your hands to yourself."

The woman yelped in pain, struggling against Sophie's grip.

Vincent grabbed Sophie's wrist. "Sophie, what are you doing?"

Her face stayed cold, her tone even colder. "Doing the right thing. This is a reunion, not your circus."

With that, she shoved the woman away. The woman didn't dare talk back to Sophie, but she shot me a venomous glare before slinking off.

I couldn't help glancing at Sophie, surprised she'd stepped in to defend me at all.

Vincent's jaw tightened, but he still forced a smile. "I heard the young heir and the CEO of Crestwell Group are having a meeting upstairs. If we're lucky, we might catch a glimpse of Aston's richest person."

The mention of that sent a ripple of excitement through the crowd.

Aston's richest person was said to be stunning and immensely wealthy. At just thirty, she already had a five-year-old child. Yet, despite her fame and success, her husband had never once appeared in public.

"Do you think we'll see her husband today?" someone asked. "They say he's a world-class surgeon. People wait months just to get an appointment with him! Even the rich and powerful have to pull strings for consultation. I swear, if I get a photo, I'm posting it on TikTok."

"Yeah, that would be exclusive content!" another squealed.

Before long, a small entourage of bodyguards entered the hall, escorting a young boy. The crowd erupted in whispers.

"Look at that entrance. He must be the son of Aston's richest woman! He's such a handsome kid."

The same woman who'd been harassing me earlier, still smarting from Sophie's grip, didn't dare make another scene, but she turned her bitterness on me instead.

"Lucas, if it weren't for Vincent, a wage slave like you would never get to breathe the same air as the son of Aston's richest person. If I were you, I'd drop to my knees right now and thank him properly. Who knows? Maybe you'll get a decent job out of it and even land someone like me, a rich woman with a six-thousand-a-month paycheck!"

I thought she was pathetic.

Ignoring her, I kept my eyes fixed calmly on the boy walking in.

Everyone rushed forward with eager, flattering smiles, phones held high as they scrambled to snap photos and record videos of the boy.

Even Vincent, usually so self-assured and aloof, put on a warm, almost obsequious grin as he stepped toward the child.

"Hey, buddy," he said with forced cheer. "Is there anything you'd like to eat? It's on me."

As he spoke, he reached out, clearly intending to pinch the boy's cheek.

But then, to everyone's shock, the boy, surrounded by bodyguards, completely ignored the adults fawning over him. Instead, he walked straight toward me.

With a bright, innocent smile, he threw himself into my arms.

"Daddy, you're finally here!" he said, his voice full of pure joy.