Chapter 2

The next day, I attended the class reunion as promised. The moment I stepped into the venue, I was met with hostile looks from every direction.

They were all from former classmates who used to flatter me because of my status.

"Tristan, you've got some nerve showing up. If Jasmine and Marcus hadn't told us about you, we wouldn't even know you're a fraud!" one of them said, reaching out to shove me. Before he could touch me, June stepped forward and slapped his hand away.

The moment Marcus saw June, he immediately put on a pitiful expression. "Jasmine, look at how arrogant he still is. He doesn't take me seriously at all…"

Jasmine and June had always been rivals, and Jasmine clearly disliked her. She shot me a furious glare.

"You brought her along, Tristan? All these years, and all you've got is this bodyguard to prop yourself up. Make her leave right now, or forget about our promise!"

By "promise", she meant marrying me through the drawing.

I smiled. For the first time, I didn't bend to her will.

"You say I'm a fraud, but do you have any proof? I'm the eldest son of the York family—one of the Yorks. Marcus is just a nobody."

"Ridiculous!" Jasmine exploded. "All Marcus did was keep his father's surname. Are you trying to twist the truth?"

The crowd jeered, "Marcus, the impostor's getting way too arrogant! Show him your family heirloom! That can't be faked!"

I turned to Marcus. He slowly raised his hand. On his middle finger was my mother's diamond ring.

I had been waiting for this moment.

In my previous life, Jasmine helped Marcus steal my mother's ring and twisted the truth using it. She threatened me with the marriage, and I compromised out of love.

I stepped forward and slapped Marcus. "Marcus, you stole from us?"

That ring was my father's token of love for my mother. It was also a York family heirloom. It was custom-made and priceless.

I had to take it back.

Marcus' head snapped sideways at the strength of the slap. Tears immediately streamed down his face.

Jasmine raised her hand to hit me back, but June blocked her.

"What?" she growled but couldn't get past June. She turned her anger on me instead.

"Calm your dog down. It's Marcus' time to shine today. If you ruin his moment, forget about marrying me," she threatened near my ear.

Those words stopped me from saying anything back to them. I let those snobbish classmates crown Marcus and humiliate me.

To make things worse, I had listened to her and didn't bring June along. I was defenseless when the crowd took advantage of the chaos to lay their hands on me. I begged Jasmine for help, but all she did was look at me coldly.

"You've never served a woman before. Let them teach you. Make sure to study up."

Later on, private videos of me spread everywhere. I became the subject of ridicule and abuse. I hadn't been able to lift my head ever since.

My parents were old. Jasmine used those videos to threaten me. I became her puppet and her tool in bed.

But now, Jasmine is nothing.

"June, get the ring."