5

Liam Martin was indeed exceptional in every way and had always been highly valued by the Martin family.

If not for the car accident that cost him a leg and got him struck from the Old Lord's list of heirs, he wouldn't have been at this birthday banquet at all.

Moreover, his uncle Marcus Martin was deeply connected to that accident. Charles Bishop didn't want Chloe Bishop caught up in such a complicated and dangerous family.

Mrs. Bishop sighed in disappointment. Charles Bishop said, "Let's keep looking at the others."

At that very moment, a slender young girl was also leaning by the window, her gaze fixed on the boy beneath the magnolia tree. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes sparkled with light.

He came!

Chloe Bishop never expected that the boy who had made her heart race—the one who had captivated her for two whole years—would actually show up at her birthday banquet.

Seeing the boy beneath the magnolia tree, she felt like her heart was about to leap right out of her chest.

This must be what it feels like to fall for someone.

The feeling wasn't unfamiliar to her.

Ever since the first afternoon of high school, when he ran toward her in his white jersey, that feeling had stayed with her ever since.

From then on, the basketball court became her daily pilgrimage.

Unfortunately, the accident took his leg, and she never saw him on the court again. It wasn't until the college entrance exams that he appeared at school in a wheelchair.

He got into New York University; she continued high school. But she never missed a single piece of news about him.

The guests had all arrived. Charles Bishop and his wife led Chloe Bishop downstairs.

It was worth mentioning that Chloe Bishop was quite famous in New York City.

They said that on the morning she was born, every flower in the private hospital bloomed at once, and a golden light hovered over the building—from a distance, it looked like a golden ingot.

At the time, the famous fortune-teller Keth Rollins happened to be recuperating in that same hospital.

He declared in front of visiting friends and relatives: "The youngest daughter of the Bishop family has arrived with a treasure bowl in hand. The Bishop household is about to change."

Back then, the Bishop family was still a small, unremarkable business.

But the family's later growth proved Keth Rollins right.

After Chloe Bishop's birth, in just a few short years, Bishop Group grew from an unknown company into one of New York City's largest enterprises. The entire Bishop family was on the rise.

The boys invited to today's banquet were all promising young talents selected from various families—but none of them were heirs.

Any boy chosen by Charles Bishop and his wife would eventually marry into the Bishop family. In plain terms, he'd be a live-in son-in-law.

Mrs. Bishop mentioned a few names to Chloe Bishop, but she couldn't hear a single one—because Liam Martin wasn't among them.

Mrs. Bishop led her daughter through the crowd, then let her go play with her friends.

Chloe Bishop had always been warm and easy to get along with. She had many friends, and the boys took the opportunity to shower her with attention.

The eldest daughter of the Bishop family had both good standing and good looks. Many of these young men would gladly marry into the family.

"You go too!"

Isabella saw that the young man beside her hadn't moved and grew anxious. "Xavier Grayson, you have to understand—if the Bishop family's daughter chooses you, Charles Bishop will help you pull some strings. Your father might get a shorter sentence."

The aloof young man's face finally showed a crack of hesitation.

Isabella pressed on. "I've looked around—you're the most outstanding one here. She'll definitely pick you. Go—for your father's sake."

Xavier Grayson looked at the girl surrounded like a princess. A faint, mocking smile tugged at his lips—but he walked over with long strides anyway.

Watching his tall, lean, straight back, Isabella smiled with satisfaction.

Ever since Xavier Grayson's father went to prison, the Grayson family had fallen into decline, year after year.

If Xavier Grayson was chosen by the Bishop family's daughter, the entire Grayson family would benefit.

"Hello, I'm Xavier Grayson. I'm from NYU—"

After finally shaking off the swarm of boys, Chloe Bishop's only thought was to get to the magnolia tree. She had no patience for small talk.

She spotted the boy under the tree about to leave. In her urgency, she cut Xavier Grayson off impatiently. "Sorry, you're blocking my way."

At that age, Chloe Bishop was proud.

She didn't even look up at Xavier Grayson—just walked right past him.

Xavier Grayson stared at his outstretched hand for a few seconds before pulling it back.

The crowd around them snickered at the Grayson family's fallen status, mocking his overreach.

But the boy seemed utterly indifferent to their ridicule. He glanced once at Chloe Bishop's retreating figure, then looked away without a trace of emotion.

No sadness, no anger—as if nothing in this vast world could affect him.

Just as he turned to leave, voices from the crowd reached his ears: "Is that Xavier Grayson? The son of that actress Lana Rose?"

"That's him. Lana Rose is such a disgrace. She got married but couldn't settle down—always chasing after other men. Eventually Lucian Grayson caught her red-handed, stabbed her lover to death in a rage, and threw away his own future."

"I don't know why Lucian Grayson only killed the lover. If it were me, I'd have gone after Lana Rose first."

Actress. Lover. Whore. These words cut into Xavier Grayson's heart like sharp knives. The cold, indifferent young man finally showed a flicker of emotion.

Chloe Bishop heard the whispers behind her and stopped. She frowned at the boy from before.

His fists were clenched so tight they were white. All color had drained from his face. His red-rimmed eyes seemed to burn with bloodlust, and the air around him radiated a killing intent—like a demon crawling up from hell.

She thought: He must hate his mother with a vengeance.

As Xavier Grayson walked away, he passed by Chloe Bishop, his gaze brushing over her face.

When his eyes swept across hers, she felt as if her blood had frozen solid. Her whole body went cold. Even her breath turned icy.

After Xavier Grayson left, it took Chloe Bishop a long time to recover from the fear. She thought to yourself: That boy must be a demon!

The episode came and went quickly.

Like a stone thrown into a lake—no one truly cared.

Because after Xavier Grayson left, everyone's attention returned to Chloe Bishop. She was the reason they were all here.

The beautiful, proud young girl, having turned down every boy, walked alone toward the one in white standing beneath the magnolia tree.

Everyone knew—this was the Bishop family's daughter's choice.

But... the Bishop family's daughter had chosen a cripple?

Chloe Bishop walked boldly toward the boy. It was the bravest thing she had ever done—and the first time she had openly defied her parents. "I choose him."

Liam Martin watched the girl walk toward him with unwavering steps, under the astonished, contemptuous, and envious gazes of the crowd. His hands slowly tightened.

"Why me?"

"Because I like you."

Chloe Bishop tried to sound casual, her bright eyes sparkling.

She was a beautiful girl—delicate as a porcelain doll. Her clear black-and-white eyes were so clean, so sincere, so brave.