Chapter 6

Cole had expected her to be upset or even angry, but instead, she simply nodded calmly. "Alright. I actually have some things to take care of today too."

Not long after Cole left, Jaycie also headed out. She went shopping, picking out gifts for each of her close friends whom she was planning to meet later. When they gathered at the designated spot, her friends unwrapped the presents and gasped in shock—each box contained a brand-new luxury item.

"Jaycie, where did you get all these knockoffs? They look so real!"

"They're not knockoffs. They're genuine."

Seeing their disbelief, she couldn't help but laugh. She then revealed her true identity. "Actually, the story I told you about my father gambling and my mother being seriously ill was made up. I'm actually the only daughter of the richest family in Housleton. I'm saying goodbye because I'm going home to inherit the family fortune."

Her friends were stunned at first, then shocked, and finally overjoyed. They couldn't stop exclaiming, "I can't believe an heiress has been right here with us all along!" Their excitement was so loud it felt like the restaurant's ceiling might collapse.

Once the initial excitement died down, someone remembered Cole and asked, "But what about Cole? Does he know your real identity?"

At the mention of Cole, Jaycie froze slightly, her smile fading. "He's planning to marry someone else."

"What? No way!" Her friends were in disbelief. "He's always been so devoted to you. We've never seen anyone so head over heels for someone."

"Yeah, remember three years ago when you said you liked the Queen of the Night? He spent a fortune buying every single one of that plant he could find just to make you smile. And two years ago, when you caught the flu, he canceled a billion-dollar deal abroad and flew back to take care of you himself. He stayed up all night, refusing to sleep."

"And then a year ago, when you were in that car accident—the truck was heading straight for your side, but he swerved to protect you. You walked away without a scratch, but he broke three ribs and was in the hospital for three months, barely waking up. How could he marry someone else now? It doesn't make sense!"

Hearing her friends recount these memories, Jaycie felt a wave of emotion. Back then, Cole had loved her so much he would have given his life for her. But now...

She shook her head and smiled faintly. "He did love me, but his family thinks I'm not good enough for him and forced him to marry someone else. I didn't even get a chance to tell him the truth before he had the wedding invitations printed. From what he's said, he probably expects me to be his mistress after he's married."

Her friends were outraged.

"What? A mistress?"

"He wants the heiress of the richest family to be a mistress? He must've lost his mind!"

"Oh, he's going to regret this big time. Just wait until he realizes what he's lost!"

"Yeah, when he finds out you've left and your true identity is revealed, his family is going to lose it!"

Just then, Cole and Eileen walked into the restaurant. Hearing the commotion, Cole frowned. "What true identity?"

Seeing them walk in together, one of Jaycie's friends was about to lash out, but Jaycie stopped her. She looked at Cole and Eileen, her expression cool. "What are you doing here?"

Cole looked uneasy, avoiding her gaze. "The Bensons and the Wises have a business collaboration to discuss, so we arranged to meet."

Jaycie smiled knowingly. Of course she knew about their "collaboration"—it was a marriage arrangement, after all.

Because they were there to discuss their "collaboration", Cole and Eileen didn't join Jaycie and her friends. Instead, they sat at a separate table nearby, close enough for Jaycie to see their intimate interactions.

He cut her steak for her, and she shared her favorite dishes with him; he handed her a napkin, then she wiped a smudge from the corner of his mouth...

The back-and-forth between them made Jaycie's friends furious, but Jaycie herself remained calm, her expression unreadable.