The corridor on the second floor was unusually quiet.Elise stood near the railing, one hand resting against the cold metal as she stared down into the living room below. Voices drifted faintly upward, but she barely registered them. Her mind was still tangled in the scene that had just unfolded downstairs, replaying her parents’ sharp words over and over again.She had thought they would be welcoming. And even if she already had prepared herself for awkwardness, for discomfort, even for disappointment. What she had not prepared for was the outright disdain in her father’s eyes, or the way her mother’s words had cut without hesitation. They had spoken as if Benjamin were a burden she had foolishly brought into their home, someone unworthy of even basic courtesy.And Benjamin had heard every word.That realization sat heavy in her chest.She bit her lower lip, fingers curling tightly around the railing as guilt crept in. She had invited him here with such excitement, so certain that to

“For now.” Benjamin said subtly.The words were quiet, almost casual, but there was a deeper meaning beneath them. Iris Reed heard it clearly. She lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening slightly around the cellphone in her hand before relaxing again.Benjamin leaned back against the chair, his posture composed. He studied her expression for a moment, then asked, “But then again, why is Terence Lin so determined to pursue you?”The question was direct.Iris paused. The faint noise of the Bar drifted around them, the soft clinking of cutlery and muted conversations forming a distant backdrop. She let out a slow breath, as if weighing whether she wanted to answer honestly.Finally, she sighed.“To him, I’m the ideal marriage candidate,” she said.Benjamin’s eyes narrowed slightly, not in surprise, but in focus. He waited.“We’re from the same city,” Iris continued. “Our families know each other’s backgrounds. There are no unknowns, no risks. And most importantly…” She hesitated, then f

“Umm... what the hell just happened?” Rose asked Ryan, her expression no longer calm.Ryan didn’t answer her immediately. Instead, his gaze lifted slowly, locking onto Benjamin.Benjamin met his stare, calm and composed. Then he smiled. Not the subtle kind, but the kind that reeked of mockery.Ryan’s face darkened immediately.“That smile,” Ryan said slowly, his voice tight, “is getting really annoying.”Benjamin didn’t bother hiding it. The smile lingered for a moment longer before fading into something cooler, more detached.Rose shifted her attention to Benjamin now, her brows furrowing. “You didn’t answer my question,” she said. “When did you get bodyguards and how can you even afford them?”Benjamin leaned back slightly, resting one arm against the chair. “Bodyguards?”He tilted his head, as if considering the question. “I suppose it was after I found out about your affair with Ryan.”The words fell cleanly into the space between them.Rose stiffened.Her lips pressed together, an

“Mocking? Never. We simply were just pointing out facts.” Ryan scoffed.“Facts?” Iris repeated. “All I hear is insecurity dressed up as arrogance.”Rose’s expression hardened. “Do you even know who you’re standing up for?”“Yes, I do.” Iris said without hesitation. “The real question now is, do you?”The surrounding noise seemed to vanish in an instant.The chatter, the mocking laughter, the clinking of glasses. Everything fell away, leaving only the tense silence that spread outward from the four of them like a ripple. Dozens of eyes locked onto the scene, uncertain, curious, eager for something explosive to happen next.Ryan was the first to recover.His brows knit together in disbelief as he stared at Iris, then at Benjamin, then back at her again. “Iris Reed?” he said slowly, his voice edged with confusion. “Wait a minute… what the actual fuck is going on here?”He knew her. Of course he did. Anyone who moved within the upper circles of Memoville University knew who Iris Reed was,

“Yes, I don't.” Iris’s lips curved into a faint sneer. “Whether he owes three hundred thousand or three million has nothing to do with me.”Her eyes hardened. “And it certainly doesn’t give you the right to slander him in public.”The words fell with quiet authority, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. The surrounding chatter dimmed, replaced by an uneasy silence that pressed in from all sides. Ryan stood a few steps away, his posture stiff, his expression caught somewhere between irritation and disbelief.For a brief moment, he did not respond.Then he laughed.It was not loud. It was the kind of laugh that came from forcing reason onto a situation he refused to take seriously. Ryan exhaled slowly and shook his head, as if everything had finally clicked into place.“So that’s how it is,” he said to himself, though his voice carried clearly enough for others to hear. “I should’ve known.”He glanced at Benjamin again, his gaze sharp and dismissive. “For someone like Iris Reed,” Ry