Chapter 2

Lucille looked at Sawyer with undisguised admiration.

"Sawyer, why are you even wasting your breath trying to reason with him?"

Then she turned to me, her expression cold.

"Clement, haven't you made enough of a scene already?

"We may have grown up together, but nothing ever happened between us. You're the one who got the wrong idea. Sawyer is my boyfriend now. How much longer are you planning to keep chasing after me?"

Finally, I understood what was really going on.

Lucille had deliberately invited Sawyer here today so that, in front of both our families, they could put on a show of "adult maturity", make me look like the lovesick fool who couldn't take a hint, and humiliate me once and for all.

Too bad they'd picked the wrong person.

I gave Sawyer a cold look, ignored him completely, and slid the college application materials across the table toward Mabel.

Then I asked again, "Which university are you planning to apply to?"

Mabel looked completely caught off guard.

The indicator light on her hearing aid blinked twice.

She studied my lips carefully, making sure she hadn't misunderstood me. Then she pressed her lips together for a moment before answering quietly, "Aurelia University."

Her pronunciation wasn't clear, and there was a slight rasp at the end of her words, but her voice was steady and firm.

Someone in the room let out a quiet snort. It was Lucille.

"What did you say? Aurelia University?"

She looked at Mabel as if she'd just heard the funniest joke of the year.

"You? Someone who can barely hear what's going on in class thinks you can get into Aurelia University? Do you even know what kind of school that is? With grades like yours, you'd be lucky to get into a decent college."

Mabel's fingers slowly curled into fists.

I looked at Lucille and said calmly, "I'm applying to Aurelia University too."

The moment I said that, my father shot to his feet.

"Clement, stop being ridiculous! Lucille is applying to South Coast University. How can you suddenly decide to apply to Aurelia University instead?"

My mother lowered her voice, clearly trying to keep me from making things worse.

"Do you even realize what you're saying?"

I lowered my gaze, too irritated to argue with either of them.

But Melissa suddenly waved toward the door.

"Excuse me," she called to a server.

"Please escort Mabel outside. This dinner is for our two families. It's inappropriate for a servant to be sitting in on a private family gathering."

Mabel's face went pale. Still clutching the coats, she turned toward the door.

I immediately caught her by the wrist and stopped her.

"I invited her here. I don't think you have the right to ask her to leave."

Melissa's expression darkened at my words.

"Clement, don't be ridiculous. Mabel is just the chauffeur's daughter."

She gave Mabel a dismissive look before turning back to me.

"You're the heir to your family's business. Aren't you embarrassed to be seen associating with someone like her?"

I looked at her and laughed.

"Melissa, if you really think she's beneath you, then why have you kept her by Lucille's side all these years, making her run errands and wait on your daughter?"

My voice turned cold. "Is it because, in your eyes, the chauffeur's daughter is only good enough to serve your family? Because you don't think she deserves a life of her own?"

Melissa's face darkened.

Lucille stepped in front of me and lowered her voice. "Clement, you'd better know when to stop."

She glared at me. "You really think paying attention to another girl is going to make me jealous?

"Let me make this clear: even if you were the last man on Earth, I still wouldn't want you."

I didn't hesitate to refute her. "Don't worry. Even if you were the last woman on Earth, I'd rather stay single for the rest of my life than marry you."

Lucille's expression instantly froze.

I took Mabel by the hand and led her out of the private dining room.

Behind us, Lucille angrily hurled a glass against the floor, but I didn't bother looking back.

The comments, meanwhile, continued to follow me.

"Why is the second male lead acting so tough?"

"He has to be losing his mind with jealousy right now."

"He deliberately took the other girl away just to provoke the female lead, but she doesn't even care."

"Someone like Mabel actually thinks she can compete with the male lead for the female lead? Give me a break."

I stopped and turned to Mabel.

"Can you hear me?"

She shook her head.

I pointed to my mouth and asked again, "Is your hearing aid broken?"

She nodded.

"Did Lucille break it?"

Mabel didn't answer. But her silence told me everything.

My hand tightened into a fist as I led her toward the elevator.