Chapter 2

Before I had realized it, Queenie was already standing in front of me. Holding her champagne glass in one hand, she silently judged my simple attire before her lips curved up into a subtle smirk.

"Well, this is unexpected."

She wasn't being very loud, but the people around us managed to hear her anyway.

"How did you manage to get into such an upscale event?" she spat.

Before I could respond, a man in gold glasses laughed. "Who is this man, Ms. Lloyd?"

Queenie gently swirled her champagne and announced coolly, "This is James Lawrence—my ex-husband."

Upon hearing the words "ex-husband", the entire group fell silent. Then, some of them began eyeing me up and down.

"Oh! Is he the man who used up his life's savings to hold his wedding?" the man in gold glasses exclaimed in realization.

Then, he dragged out his words and continued, "Judging by your attire and the fact that we've never met, I think it's safe to assume that your career is mediocre at best."

"You kind of look like Mr. Manson, though," a middle-aged man in a blue suit chimed in.

"No, he doesn't. He hardly measures up to Mr. Manson. You're giving him far too much credit."

I hadn't even opened my mouth when a young woman chuckled. "What a horrible thing to say, Mr. Wayne. Look at how embarrassed Mr. Lawrence is. For all we know, he could just be a stand-in Ms. Lloyd had picked up during one of her little spats. You shouldn't have said that."

"I was just calling it like I saw it," the man replied.

Subsequently, he walked over and patted my shoulder. "So what if you were a temporary stand-in for Mr. Manson? I think you ought to be grateful for the experience."

Upon hearing this, the rest of the group burst into laughter as well.

Queenie took a sip of her champagne. She didn't take part in ridiculing me, but she made no effort to stop everyone else from doing so either. Instead, she just quietly watched me with a triumphant and derisive look on her face.

Emboldened by what he saw, the man in gold glasses grew even more brazen.

"The way I see it, Mr. Lawrence shouldn't have come here at all. Look at Queenie's current social status! Don't you think you've made a fool of yourself by coming here?" he mocked.

"That's a bit harsh, Mr. Smith," said the man in the blue suit. "But since Mr. Lawrence is already here, he might as well get a drink before he leaves. But I'll have to say, the drinks here might be a bit more extravagant compared to what you usually enjoy."

Once some of them let out stifled laughs, Queenie finally decided to speak.

"Cut it out, everyone. Mr. Lawrence was a stand-in, but that's all in the past now," she said. "Our relationship was just a fling. There's no need to pay any attention to it."

She looked at me emotionlessly and continued, "If you're here to congratulate me, I'll accept your good wishes. However, if you have other intentions…"

She paused. Everyone around her was waiting for her to finish her sentence.

"We're no longer the people we were eight years ago. You should've moved on by now," she said. "Dressing up as a waiter to approach me won't convince me to get back together with you."

Her remarks made everyone cackle. The people who were once friendly and supportive at our wedding were now standing alongside her. Every single one of them was staring at me with pity and disdain.

I stayed silent until they had finished talking. While they eagerly waited for me to become flustered, I nodded and asked calmly, "Are you done?"

Then, I glanced at all of them before finally turning to look at Queenie. "Can I go now, Ms. Lloyd?"