Chapter 2

After handling that matter, I crashed back into bed to get some sleep. When I woke up, I discovered that Lenard had called me several times.

I called him back immediately. The moment the call connected, his voice—too high to be a male's, yet too low to be a female's—drifted through the phone tauntingly.

"Jonathan, so what if you forwarded that video to the university chat group? In the end, Mandy still believed me!

"I seriously don't understand how I'm inferior to you. Let me tell it to you straight—I'm definitely going to win Sarah over. It's only a matter of time!"

It was clear that Lenard was laying his intentions bare, openly challenging me. I spent the next ten minutes or so cussing him out before he finally hung up.

However, a short while later, he edited the recording of me cursing at him and uploaded it to the chat group.

"You didn't think I would manage to steal your video, huh? That's right, I just can't stand you! What are you gonna do about it? Mandy must be on another level of stupid for falling for you!

"Think of a way to clear things up in the chat group yourself, though I should remind you that if you dare speak nonsense, you'll have to deal with the consequences!"

The way he tweaked the audio made it seem like everything had been a deliberate ploy on my end, as if I were the one caught in a lie and was now lashing out.

I fell silent, hitting myself over the head for losing my cool and falling for such a lousy trick.

Meanwhile, the others in the university chat group were all up in arms. Having heard the edited recording, they were raging at the "injustice" on Lenard's behalf.

"Damn! Jonathan always seemed like such a great guy. I honestly didn't think he was capable of being so despicable and ruthless!"

"It actually sounds like Jonathan has designs on Mandy. Isn't he satisfied with the campus belle? How could he still be lusting after another guy's girlfriend? How shameless!"

"I know, right? I guess we truly can't judge a book by its cover. I feel so bad for Sarah, though. She should hurry up and dump his ass."

Lenard chose that moment to play martyr.

"Everyone, there's no need to make such wild speculations. Maybe Jon just hates me, plain and simple. He stole my video and uploaded it to the group. It's no big deal."

On the surface, it looked as though he were defending me, but his "explanation" only added fuel to the fire.

Those who had remained silent to watch the drama finally joined the fray, attacking me relentlessly in a cry for justice. Among them, Mandy was the most aggressive.

I instantly started typing a message to clarify things, planning to confront him head-on. However, that was when I realized I had been banned from posting in the group—by none other than my fiancée, Sarah.

Fury had my blood roaring, pounding in my ears so loudly I couldn't hear anything else.

At that moment, Sarah barged into the room with eight bodyguards, who promptly yanked me off the bed. One of them kicked me squarely in the chest, and I collapsed to the ground, immobilized by the pain.

Sarah stood off to the side with her arms crossed, coldly watching the scene unfold.

In the eyes of everyone else, she was a goddess. Not only was she the campus belle, but she was a strong, capable woman who had started her own company immediately after graduation, earning a yearly income of several million dollars.

This was the first time we had ever had a real falling out. Not only had she brought bodyguards, but she had done it for the sake of another man.

With blood seeping from the corner of my mouth, I slowly stood up.

"So this is the resolution you and Lenard came up with? Sacrificing me to smooth things over?"

Her brow furrowed before she replied in a tone that suggested she was doing me a massive favor. "This is the only way to handle the matter. No one else should have to clean up the mess you caused."

It was only then that I noticed the hickeys dotting her neck. The sight caused my heart to clench.

When I remained silent, Sarah assumed I was surrendering and smirked.

"This is the end of it. Don't you dare get any more ideas, or I'll definitely not forgive you. Also, Mandy and Lenard have been looking to buy a house lately. I want you to transfer 200 thousand dollars to me. I'll give it to them on your behalf to ease the tension."

I couldn't stop the bark of angry laughter that escaped my lips. They expected me to help pay for their house and even have Sarah deliver the money on my behalf? Did they seriously think I was so oblivious to their affair?

All these years, I had never revealed exactly how much money I had; not even Sarah knew the extent of my wealth.

She had asked about it once, but I had given her a vague answer, saying I had a streak of luck a few years back. I never gave her an actual number.

The reason was simple—like any other rich person, I didn't want my partner to only be after my money.

Now, it seemed she was testing me with this maneuver.