Chapter 3

To Sheryl's shock, Shawn accepted the plate of cake from me and took a big bite out of it.

She stared at him in disbelief before looking at me, her eyes darting rapidly between the two of us.

"Mr. Goldman—"

Shawn arched his brow and clapped me on the back. "It's good. Anyway, have fun."

He nodded at me before he took his leave.

Sheryl sighed in relief before turning to look at me. "You're lucky that Mr. Goldman's a gentleman. That's why he didn't lose his temper at you. Get out of here right now! You've already more than enough to humiliate us!"

Hunter burst into laughter. "Don't admonish him, Sheryl. He totally did that on purpose. Apparently, Mr. Goldman has certain 'hobbies'. He was just catering to Mr. Goldman's preferences."

The other guests immediately pinned me with strange looks.

"Is it true?"

"That's impossible! He looks like a pretty upstanding guy."

"Mr. Goldman must be desperate if he's willing to settle for someone like him."

A look of utter disdain crossed Sheryl's face.

"Why did I get engaged to someone like you, Felix? I'm calling off the engagement! I want to break up with you!" she said as she removed her ring and threw it at me.

I picked up the eight-carat diamond ring that I had meticulously designed myself. Creating the ring was the first time I had poured so much effort into something.

Meanwhile, the ring that I was wearing was identical to the one that Shawn wore. Our respective family crests were engraved on it. They looked similar, but there were some minuscule differences. However, there was no way that Sheryl and the others knew that.

I arched my brow at her and asked, "Are you sure?"

Hunter forced himself into our conversation, saying, "Of course she's sure! Although you managed to catch Mr. Goldman's attention through unscrupulous means, you're not going to get very far. After all, Mr. Goldman is getting married today. He'll discard you soon enough."

He then smugly wrapped his arm around Sheryl's waist, not even bothering to pretend that they weren't together anymore.

The guests began to whisper among themselves.

"I knew something was amiss when I saw him for the first time. He always showed up at Mr. Goldman's company."

"I can't believe that he shares that type of relationship with Mr. Goldman!"

"The bride is so unlucky."

I couldn't hold myself back anymore as their speculation became progressively more ridiculous.

"I don't care that you want to break up with me, Sheryl. But don't forget that we're in the Goldman family's territory now. If you badmouth Mr. Goldman, you're going to have to pay the consequences of your actions."

Sheryl scoffed. "What an arrogant thing to say. If the bride learns of your existence, you're the one who's going to get punished, no? Well, I'm interested to see just who has the guts to teach me a lesson for what I just said!"

The words had just left her lips when a voice boomed behind us.

"I do!"

Surprised gasps erupted all across the hall.

"Mr. Goldman is here!"

Sheryl was momentarily stunned. She immediately presented herself with a refined demeanor when she noticed Shawn and his bride, Katie Irwin, approaching us.

"You can't keep protecting him like this, Mr. Goldman. The others might not know about the nature of your relationship with him, but I can see it clearly with my own eyes!"

I couldn't help but snicker as Sheryl continued to blurt out her misassumptions.

"And what do you see exactly? Your own vision is tainted because you're no saint either."

"Are you still going to deny it, Felix?" Sheryl asked, raising her voice. "Our engagement was just a cover. That's why you never touched me. Furthermore, we've never worn couple rings, but you're obviously wearing the same one as Mr. Goldman. How are you going to explain that?

"Yet you dare to insist that there's nothing going on between the two of you. Your relationship with Mr. Goldman is so obvious, but I just don't want to say it aloud. I feel repulsed just thinking about it!

"Oh, by the way, I'm not talking about you, Mr. Goldman. My criticisms are all targeted at Felix. He's just too shameless!"

Shawn arched his brow and asked, "What exactly is the nature of my relationship with Felix? Why don't you enlighten me? After all, I have no idea what other scandalous relationship I could possibly have with my nephew except for a familial bond."