Chapter 1

I looked at Victor Thompson, utterly confused, and pressed further, "You know Phoebe? Are you even sure we're thinking about the same person?"

He gripped the pregnancy report, swaggering as ever. "Oh, quit the nonsense already, Colin! File for a divorce first thing in the morning and step down as her husband. Otherwise, you're only going to make a fool of yourself."

The once-humble Victor was now dressed in an expensive suit with a perfectly styled hairdo. The arrogant, lofty stance he had now was vastly different from the scrawny, insecure boy he had been eight years ago.

Although I was displeased with the provocative tone he was using, I still held on to a little hope for him. "Alright, Victor. Enough with the prank. It's my birthday today, so have a slice of cake."

He pushed the cake I handed him aside, slamming his hand down on the table. "'Have a slice of cake?' Dude, just tell me, are you filing or not? If you're not, don't blame me for resorting to other methods."

His outstretched fingers nearly poked me in the eye. Seeing that, my girlfriend, Serena Allen, pulled me a step back and snapped at him. "Don't touch him!"

With everyone around us staring and whispering, I, as the host of the birthday party, couldn't help but feel increasingly awkward. "Victor, if you keep this up, I'll stop sponsoring you and your family starting tomorrow."

When I first decided to sponsor Victor, he was wearing clothes he had picked out from a trash heap, with blackened nails; there were even cockroaches crawling out of his hair.

I was deeply moved by his situation when I discovered his parents were bedridden, and he had to both study and scavenge to take care of his younger brother.

Back then, I had told him, "I'll sponsor you to finish college and improve your family's lives from now on, Victor."

From then on, I would transfer 20 thousand dollars to him every month, and during the holidays, I would send him extra gifts.

Now, the person who had benefited from my kindness and fortune sneered at me disdainfully. "You think I care about your feeble sponsorship?"

He leaned in and slapped my face lightly. "Get this straight—I'm the one who got Pheebs pregnant."

He showed off the designer shoes he was wearing, then flaunted the diamond watch on his wrist. "She said that once she has a son, she'll not only buy me a mansion but also bring my whole family over to enjoy the good life.

"As for your measly 20 thousand, you might as well save it for your own grave."

Victor let out a derisive laugh. Then, he grabbed a liquor bottle and threw it at my birthday cake. The four-tier cake my friends had specially ordered for me was instantly ruined.

His outrageous behavior soon caused an uproar.

"How can you, a sponsored student, out of everyone, steal your benefactor's wife? You've got no shame!"

"You're ungrateful, and you've sold yourself out for money! I can't stand people like you!"

However, all my friends' criticisms only elicited a mocking eye roll from him. "You guys really think Colin did something amazing? You've all been fooled by him."

Victor spoke with a righteous tone, as if exposing some shocking truth. "He was only using Phoebe's money to create a false persona. He didn't spend a single dime, but he took all the credit for a good reputation he didn't earn!"