A few minutes later, Hector leaned against the wall of the restaurant where Madison was supposed to meet him. It was one of the high-end restaurants in town, known for its delicious food, and one of her favorites.She hadn’t been able to pick him up since she had something important to attend to that morning.The security guards had been watching him for a while, noticing that he still hadn’t gone inside. He didn’t even act like he was there to dine at the restaurant, which made them frown."If he isn’t going to go into the restaurant, why is he just leaning against it?" one of them asked the other two.“I thought he was here for the cleaning job mentioned on the flyers recently,” another replied.“Let’s get him out of here,” the last one suggested. “He might scare away potential clients with that beggar's face.”Hector had just glanced at his phone to check for a message from Madison when the guards approached him. Their gazes were hard, and they looked ready to confront him.“You sho

Hearing Hector’s words, a frown crossed Deon’s face, quickly replaced by a smirk as he glanced down at him. He had been brainstorming ways to prove to his girlfriend how influential he was and how he could do whatever he wanted. Now, he had just found the perfect opportunity to make himself look even more impressive.“You know, you were the poorest guy in high school. You couldn’t even afford the school trip and didn’t go with the rest of the class,” Deon said, his grin widening at the memory.Hector sighed, maintaining his composure. The truth was, he hadn’t gone on the school trip because it coincided with his grandmother’s memorial, an event he wouldn’t have missed for anything.“And let’s not forget—you didn’t buy food from the cafeteria. You always brought your lunchbox because the cafeteria food was too expensive for your family,” Deon added, clearly enjoying himself.‘That was because my mother was overly cautious about my health,’ Hector thought. ‘I was sick all the time as a k

Flinching as soon as the words left Hector’s lips, Valentina’s response caught in her throat. Her gaze snapped to Hector, piercing like she could see through him.“Why are you silent?” Hector pressed when she didn’t answer immediately. “Are you trying to come up with a good excuse?”A thin layer of sweat formed on Valentina’s forehead. No one had ever questioned whether she was really the owner’s daughter. She had always been the one to say it first, and people simply believed her. But now, some nobody was daring to doubt her?Even Deon, the guy she had been dating, never asked her to prove it.‘Does this loser know the owner?’ Valentina wondered, narrowing her eyes at Hector. ‘No way. Someone like him wouldn’t.’But then, why hadn’t he looked impressed when she mentioned her status?Uncertainty crept onto her face as she stared at him, as if willing him to take back his question. But Hector watched her closely, noticing how her shock turned into panic. That was all the confirmation he

Deon’s smug expression faltered. His brows furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”“You were boasting about your job,” Hector said calmly. “I figured you wanted congratulations.”Deon gritted his teeth and leaned closer. “Don’t change the subject. Call your wife. Let’s meet her.” He reached under himself, grabbing the phone he had been sitting on all this time, then tossed it onto the table. “Go on. Introduce her.”“There’s no need,” Hector replied without hesitation. “She had an important call to take.”Deon raised a brow. “Oh, that’s a lie.”“You’re obviously hiding her because she’s ugly,” Valentina added, drawing out the last word with a mocking grin.Hector sighed, growing impatient. “I came here to have dinner with her, not entertain the two of you. Now, if you’re done, could you move?”Deon smirked. “How about this? I’ll pay for whatever you both ordered—if you call her back.”Just then, a shadow fell over their table.A soft yet commanding voice sliced through the tension like a

“Huh?”The room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Hector. Everyone stared at him, their eyes wide with disbelief.“Did he just say what I think he did?” a woman in an evening gown asked.“Did he just tell Paul that he’d been scammed?”“Who does he think he is, saying stuff like that?”“Is he tired of living in this family?”Paul turned to Hector, his glare sharp enough to cut glass. “What did you just say?” he demanded. “How dare you claim it’s fake and that I was scammed?! This is a necklace I bought for Grandma to wear as a family heirloom!”Hector reached out to take the bracelet to make his point, but Paul smacked his hand away and pulled the box closer.“This is a gift for Grandma. How dare you try to touch it with your filthy hands?! Didn’t you hear me say it was just recently released? How can you claim it’s fake when you’re so poor you wouldn’t know a real bracelet if it hit you in the face?!”Hector smirked slightly. “Of course, I know what the bracelet looks like. I saw it