Chapter 3

I barked out an indignant laugh at Luke's self-righteous tone and said coldly, "I don't have a single cent on me."

The words had just left my lips when Luke's parents, Eric Anderson and Selena Ford, suddenly burst into the room.

They took turns slapping me as they exclaimed, "You damned wretch! You stuck to Luke like a leech for so many years, yet you didn't lift a finger to save him when he put himself up for auction!"

"Janice tried to save him out of the goodness of her heart, but you tricked her into challenging you during the bidding and forced her to pay a price that she couldn't afford!"

My cheeks stung terribly.

The other guests couldn't take it anymore and shot their own retorts at Eric and Selena.

"Theresa wasn't the only one who was bidding at the auction! Janice immediately raised the price to 50 million dollars when the bidding started. Why aren't you criticizing her for spoiling the bid for everyone else?"

Eric and Selena crossed their arms. It was obvious that they didn't think that they were in the wrong at all.

"We've already acknowledged Janice as our daughter-in-law! She's nothing like that leech! She knows that our family doesn't approve of her, so she's probably cooking up some scheme to trick Luke into marrying her!"

Luke looked at me coldly as he supported Janice, making it clear that he agreed with his parents' words.

"I wanted to gauge your reaction during the auction. In fact, I even planned to spend a few extra days with you after you won the contract.

"I had no idea that you would be bold enough to toy with us. Mom and Dad definitely won't agree to us being together now. You'll be wallowing in regret soon enough."

I barked out a laugh as I held my reddened face.

"Me? Begging to be with him? Have you forgotten how eager you were for Luke to marry me two years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson?"

Luke and I had just started attending university at that time. The two of us had been madly in love with each other, and we had been very close to tying the knot.

"Will you marry me in the future, Theresa?" Luke would always ask with an adoring expression. "Mom and Dad keep pestering me to confirm our engagement as soon as possible."

Eric and Selena constantly urged us to get engaged after they found out about my family background.

However, they immediately changed their tune when Janice appeared with forged proof of assets and claimed that she was wealthier than I. They started nitpicking my character and forbade Luke from having anything to do with me.

Eric's and Selena's anger greatly deflated upon hearing my words, but they continued to keep their arms crossed over their chests while wearing matching looks of disdain.

I scoffed and raised my wine glass to toast the other guests at the table. I then grabbed my coat and prepared to leave.

Janice rushed over to me and fell to her knees. She groveled at my feet and exclaimed, "You can't leave, Theresa! You have to compensate me for what you did to me!"

"Out of my way!" I hissed while glaring at her. "If you're tired of living and want to actually be beaten to a pulp by me, I won't go easy on you."

Janice intentionally dropped her phone before looking up at me, smiling wickedly.

"Take a good look. Are you truly willing to let your beloved Luke's photos be spread online without a care in the world?

"It'll be all too easy for me to convince him that you're the one who's responsible. Don't come crying and begging me to send me money when he starts hating you and refuses to contact you anymore."

The photo showed Luke in a drugged state after Janice sold him to be toyed with by several wealthy women.

Although I disliked Luke, I wasn't heartless enough to stand by and do nothing while Janice plotted to do something so despicable against him. I grabbed a fistful of her collar and raised my hand to slap her across the face.

Luke lunged at us and slapped me before I could touch her.

"How dare you raise your hand against Janice!" he roared.

However, what hurt me more was the unbridled hatred in his eyes compared to the slap.

I barked out a self-deprecating laugh. I was laughing at my own absurdity of actually wanting to defend him. I threw a card at Janice before shooting an icy glare at Luke, saying, "I hope you don't regret choosing a scumbag like her."

"You're the one who's going to regret your decision!" Luke roared coldly from behind me. "Janice is the only woman I love! I will never regret that!"

…

I didn't waste another second and headed straight for the airport after I was done handling everything that I needed to deal with.

I received several messages from Luke before I boarded the plane.

"It's been five days since you pulled your disappearing act. Where did you go? Mom and Dad changed their minds. They're willing to let us get engaged. You just have to come back and apologize to them for what happened at the bar.

"This is your only chance. If you don't show yourself in the next three days, it means that you're giving up on getting engaged to me. Think about it and choose wisely."

I searched through the bar's surveillance camera footage and took a screenshot of Janice's phone that showed the photo of Luke's drugged state.

After sending the screenshot to him, I blocked his number and boarded the plane.