Chapter 2

I suppressed the emotions welling up inside. I had no desire to tangle with them any longer.

Just as I turned to leave, someone squealed in panic, "Oh my god! I think we missed the pickup time!"

"What?" Pearl glanced down at her watch. "Dammit! I hope Mr. Foster doesn't hold this against us. You two, hurry inside and wait! And you, drive the car over!"

Two of them sprinted off toward the terminal building.

I froze in my tracks.

The "Mr. Foster" they were talking about seemed to be me. That was the name I used back in Eldermere.

I looked at Pearl, keeping my voice cool. "Wait. You guys are here to pick up Foster?"

Richard looked back at me. "What's it to you? Don't tell me you actually know Mr. Foster. Right, you just came back from Eldermere, didn't you? Don't tell me you're about to claim you're Mr. Foster."

I nodded. "I am Foster. Let's just go. We're already running late for the meeting."

Silence fell over the group for a second. They exchanged quick looks, then burst into laughter.

Richard lets out a mocking laugh. "You're Mr. Foster? Who do you think you are?"

He tapped the pickup sign in his hand. "Read closely. We're waiting for the executive secretary of Carter Corp's secretarial department. Do you even know what Carter Corp is?"

Of course I did. That was Catherine's empire, and I was that very executive secretary.

"Ms. Carter of Carter Corp is the only daughter of the Carter family and their current matriarch. Word is, she met her husband under the cloisters of Fiorenza Cathedral, while he was trying to sell his paintings.

"She brought Mr. Foster to Iveraine, funded his gallery, introduced him to high society, and taught him how to run a business. Turns out Mr. Foster was sharp. He picked up the ropes in no time."

Another man in the group chimed in, "Everyone in the upper circles knows Mr. Foster is the rising star of high society. Everyone's trying to win his favor.

"You're just a washed-up, freeloading boy toy, yet you're dreaming that you're the Mr. Foster who made the head of the Carter family bow? Anyone would laugh themselves to death hearing this!"

"Alex, you're still the same as ever. Always dreaming!" Pearl sneered.

As I listened to their eager chatter, a faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

The rumors weren't wrong. Catherine and I were indeed head over heels for each other.

She loved showing her affection, always showering me with the world's finest treasures just to see me smile, which only fueled the wild rumors outside.

"I remember Ms. Carter bought a pair of sapphire cufflinks in Glenford last year just to make her husband happy. It cost 30 million dollars. Every guy on the internet was dying of jealousy over Mr. Foster back then."

Richard paused, pointed at my cufflinks, and let out a sharp cry. "Wait, it's that exact style!"

A hush fell over the crowd. Every pair of eyes locked onto my cufflinks.

Pearl violently grabbed my wrist, examined them, and then scoffed with disdain. "Pretty detailed knockoff. Which street stall did you buy this from? Without me these past few years, you really can only afford cheap trash like this. Don't wear them again. It drags down my standard."

I pulled my hand back, a smirk gracing my face as my fingers gently traced the cufflinks.

When Pearl saw me smile, her pupils shrank. She suddenly grabbed my wrist, trying to tear the cufflink off.

I hadn't expected her to physically attack me, and she managed to yank one free.

Richard took it from Pearl and turned it over in his hands. "It really is more refined than any fake I've seen. But no matter how nice the fake is, it's still trash. Alex, you're still as full of shit as ever.

"Wait, I remember you used to study art, didn't you? Don't tell me seeing Mr. Foster succeed gave you the bright idea to use the same trick on Ms. Carter?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the crowd burst into laughter.

To them, the idea was utterly absurd. The Carter family was a world-renowned defense giant, and Catherine, as the head of the family, lived in absolute glory. And just recently, I was a nobody Pearl had sent to prison, eating spoiled food.

How could Catherine ever look twice at someone like me?

"I'll just hang onto this cufflink. Since you're going to be my driver, don't go wearing cheap knockoffs like this. It'll embarrass us."

Afraid he might smash the cufflink, I snapped, "Give it back to me. Catherine gave me that—"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Pearl slapped me hard across the face, sending my head spinning to the side. Blood trickled from the corner of my lip.

"Shut up!"