All Chapters of Shattered Gift, Broken Engagement: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Hearing those words, I froze for a moment. I hadn't expected that this arrogant woman standing in front of me would actually be my fiancee's best friend, Zoey Mercer.To be honest, I really wanted to lose my temper right then. After all, smashing the national heritage porcelain wasn't something that could be brushed aside with a simple apology.However, remembering that the late Thomas Hayes had been my father's comrade back in the day, I thought it over and decided to give Lauren a bit of a step down."You should come down and take a look. It's better to talk face-to-face."I didn't know whether I said something wrong or she misunderstood me, but her tone suddenly went cold on the other end of the line. "I'm very busy. I don't have time to meet you. If you're not here yet, just go back."Then, she hung up right away.I actually laughed in disbelief.People in my industry got charged by the minute when they call me, yet she just hung up like that. Fine, then. I'd like to see jus

Chapter 2

"Do you know who Yuri is? My brother's the future son-in-law of the Hayes family. If you dare offend him, your life is over!"My eyes narrowed.Dad clearly said on the phone that the Hayes family had been waiting for me to return to fulfill the engagement. So why was Yuri suddenly Lauren's fiance?Could it be that Zoey was just bragging?Since I still hadn't met Lauren in person, I decided to keep observing for now. "As far as I know, Lauren already has an arranged marriage, yet you say you're her fiance. Do you have any proof?""You're just a broke loser, yet you want me to show you proof? Who do you think you are?" Yuri kicked over my motorcycle and jabbed a finger toward my face, shouting arrogantly."I'm telling you, even if I want to sleep with Lauren, I can. All her money will be mine sooner or later! If you know what's good for you, hurry up and pay. And lick the entrance clean for me, then maybe I'll let you off…"I finally had enough. I clenched my fist and charged at h

Chapter 3

Yuri's expression changed drastically, and Zoey was so terrified she immediately hid behind Lauren.I stepped forward and blocked Lauren just as she was about to get into the car. "Miss Hayes, can we talk properly about compensation now?"Lauren flushed with anger, glaring fiercely at me. "Do you have any idea what happens to people who offend the Hayes?"I laughed and shot back, "Then do you have any idea what happens to people who offend the Keanes?"She froze, then suddenly seemed to realize something. "You're… you're Harrison Keane?"I let out a chuckle, my gaze sweeping over her with amusement. "Should I feel honored that you still remember the fiance you once had a childhood engagement with, Miss Hayes?"Maybe Lauren heard the mockery in my tone, and she frowned slightly.Zoey instantly jumped out from behind her, shrieking, "What?! You're the broke loser who had that childhood engagement with Lauren?!"She looked me up and down with disgust before bursting into exaggerat

Chapter 4

"Harrison, where did you get this?"I kept my hands in my pockets and answered calmly, "Of course, it came from my dad. It was originally a family heirloom. We planned to use it as your betrothal gift."I paused, then let out a soft chuckle. "But it seems that won't be necessary anymore."Lauren didn't say anything. She just stared tightly at the porcelain shard, disbelief filling her eyes.I knew she had already realized the piece was extremely valuable.After all, the Hayes family built their fortune in the antique trade. As the eldest daughter, there was no way she didn't recognize the weight behind the name "Aurelius"."Lauren, what is it? Why are you wasting time with this scammer?" Still clueless, Zoey impatiently whipped out her phone. "We should call the police and have him arrested first. Let's see if he dares act cocky then!"Yuri stepped forward, flattering Lauren with every word, "Lauren, nobody in Kingshore has ever dared speak to you like this. He needs to be taugh

Chapter 5

Chief Jacobs, who was usually stern and intimidating, actually had beads of sweat forming on his forehead."May I ask… are you the Mr. Keane who called earlier, the one who identified himself as Harrison Keane?"Before I could answer, Yuri yanked him back. "Chief Jacobs, why are you being polite to a thief? Yes, he's Harrison Keane. Hurry and arrest him! He's been provoking Miss Hayes nonstop!""Shut up!"Yuri froze, stunned by Chief Jacobs' sudden roar. He tried to speak again, but the expression on the police chief's face was more serious than anyone had ever seen."We are here specifically to find Mr. Keane. This has nothing to do with you!"In an instant, Yuri's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at me.Only then did I finally answer Chief Jacobs' question. "I am Harrison Keane."At those words, Chief Jacobs straightened, took two steps back, and gave me a perfect ninety-degree bow."Hello, Mr. Keane!"Behind him, more than twenty uniformed officers snapped to attenti

Chapter 6

"Breaking news: Our national scientist, Harrison Keane, alongside his quantum computing team, has defeated competitors from multiple countries in an international competition, earning our nation its very first Hawthorne Scientific Laureate! This marks a major breakthrough in our country's scientific achievements…"When everyone saw me standing on the podium on the TV screen, the entire crowd collectively gasped."No way. This has to be fake!"Zoey, who was now as pale as a sheet, suddenly screamed hysterically, "He's obviously just a broke delivery guy! He's got you all fooled. He must've faked this!"Chief Jacobs' expression darkened. He stepped forward immediately, shouting, "Young lady, mind your words!"He turned toward the surrounding crowd, his voice ringing out loudly, "Mr. Keane is a top-tier scientist under national protection. The quantum encryption technology he developed has already been implemented in our defense systems. He is truly one of the nation's greatest."A

Chapter 7

Lauren bit down hard on her lip, her flawless makeup unable to hide how ugly her expression had become."Two hundred million… I can't get that amount on short notice. What if I compensate you with a piece of porcelain of equivalent value from my home? We have plenty of antiques."I couldn't help laughing."Miss Hayes, there are only three such pieces of porcelain left in the entire world. One is at the Met Museum, another at the National Museum, and the last one…" I pointed at the shattered fragments on the ground. "…is right there. Where exactly do you plan to find a replacement?""Stop bragging!" Yuri suddenly jumped forward. "The Hayes' antique business has treasures of every kind. And you expect us to believe yours is the most precious? You're just trying to extort us!"He turned to Lauren, eyes full of flattery. "Lauren, don't let him scare you. So what if he's a scientist? There's no way he could have something that valuable!"Seeing that he still didn't know when to shut u

Chapter 8

That was giving herself far too much credit.Lauren bit down on her lip, then suddenly said, "Fine. If that's what it takes… I'll agree to marry you!" She lifted her chin, posture full of condescension. That porcelain was supposed to be my betrothal gift, anyway. Now that I'm willing to marry you, the matter ends here.""Lauren, you can't marry someone like him!" Yuri jumped anxiously. "He's clearly using this to force you! Don't fall for it!"Watching the two of them perform together, I finally couldn't hold back a laugh. "Miss Hayes, when did I ever say that I wanted to marry you?""You-!" Lauren's face flushed red instantly, yet she forced herself to keep speaking. "You showed up with a betrothal gift today. Weren't you here to propose?"I waved my hand. "That was just a formality. I'm not going to marry some random woman simply because of a childhood arrangement."Hearing that, Lauren trembled with fury, a few strands of her carefully styled hair falling loose.After a long

Chapter 9

On those pages was ironclad evidence of the Hayes family's years of smuggling cultural artifacts."Such disaster.." Eleanor let out a long sigh, her body seeming to age ten years in an instant. "You're right. Today's consequences were our Hayes family's doing. We can blame no one else."Hearing this, Lauren finally lost it."Grandma! Why would you kneel to someone younger? The Keanes disappeared from Kingshore years ago. How can our Hayes family possibly be inferior to some washed-up family?!"Before she could finish, Eleanor lifted her hand and slapped her hard across the face, sending Lauren sprawling to the floor."You fool!" Eleanor's voice cracked like a whip. "The Keane family have simply kept a low profile all these years. Whether in the past or now, the Hayes cannot compare to even one finger of the Keanes! Even the childhood engagement… your grandfather begged for it on his knees! Yet, you didn't cherish it!"Her words struck like thunder.Lauren was completely stunned,

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