Hector's body was shaking as he waited for his girlfriend, Sarah Hendrix, to call his name on stage. He wanted to hear her tell everyone that he was the person who helped build the app she was showing to the tech investors. More than that, he wanted her to say he was the one who stood by her side through everything.At that moment his body started shaking even more when he thought about what would happen next. Sarah Hendrix calling out his name in front of everyone - it would be the best moment of his life. She was the school's three-time beauty queen and still the most beautiful girl on campus. Being recognized by Sarah Hendrix felt like a dream he never thought would come true. Yet here he was, a nobody in everyone's eyes, and he was actually Sarah Hendrix's boyfriend.He remembered wanting to make their relationship public from day one. But Sarah had other plans. She wanted to wait until all the school drama was over, then nobody could mess with their love, their lives, their busi

The crowd ate up every word Sarah and James said. Heads bobbed up and down in agreement. Voices started rising from different corners of the room.“Yeah, apologize!”“Who does he think he is?”“Sarah was just trying to help him out and this is how he repays her?”“Get on that stage and kiss his feet like he said!”More and more people joined in. They looked at Hector like he was dirt on their shoes. Like he should be grateful Sarah Hendrix even knew his name. How dare some nobody computer science student think he was in love with the most beautiful girl in school? How dare he embarrass her on such an important day in front of all these big investors?But Hector didn't hear any of it. Their words bounced right off him. His mind was spinning too fast, trying to process everything that just happened.Sarah Hendrix was a snake. A real, cold-blooded snake who had been playing him this whole time. And James Wesley? That fool was standing up there taking credit for work he didn't do, acting

At that moment Sarah felt like her whole world was spinning. James had given her expensive gifts before - designer bags, fancy dinners, maybe a nice bracelet here and there. But a million dollars? Never. Not even close.And if those necklaces were really worth that much, then the ring from earlier... Her brain connected the dots she'd been trying to ignore. The Jelone King Wedding ring wasn't some cheap knockoff. It was real. Which meant Hector just pulled out over two million dollars worth of jewelry like it was nothing, how is that even possible.“What is happening here?” Sarah's voice came out shaky and weak. Nothing like the confident tone she used on stage just minutes ago.“Hector.” She reached out her hand toward him, desperate to touch him, to make some kind of connection that would explain all of this.But Hector stepped backward, putting distance between them. Her hand grabbed nothing but air.Before Sarah could say anything else, the second woman clicked open her briefcase

At that moment Sarah walked back toward the stage with her head held high, acting like nothing embarrassing had just happened.But James stayed behind. He had some things he wanted to get off his chest before this whole mess was over.“Listen here, you pathetic loser.” James stepped closer to Hector, his voice low and threatening. “Even if you hadn't stupidly donated all that jewelry just now, I'm still way richer than you'll ever be.”He puffed out his chest like a peacock showing off its feathers.“My family was worth a hundred million dollars two years ago. And that was just the beginning.” James's voice got louder and more arrogant. “Right now, we're worth somewhere between 170 and 250 million dollars. Maybe even more.”He pulled out his phone and waved it in Hector's face.“I could buy everything you just gave away with one phone call to my parents. All I have to do is ask, and they'll transfer the money immediately. That's the difference between real wealth and your once in a

At that moment Sarah felt like her whole world was crashing down around her. She couldn't believe her eyes the Ross Group was walking away after promising her they would make a sweet offer today. This couldn't be happening.Mr. Andrea stopped and turned to look at Sarah. For just a split second, his eyes flashed with something that looked almost deadly, but then he controlled himself and his face went back to being completely professional.“Your product?” He said the words like they left a bad taste in his mouth. “I don't think so, Sarah. Fashion Icon will stay on hold until we decide what to do with it.”Sarah's mind was spinning. She couldn't understand what he meant by that.“But what if I get offers from other people? Other investors?” Her voice was getting more desperate by the second.Mr. Andrea looked at her like she was a child who didn't understand how the world worked.“You won't get any offers from anybody.” His voice was flat and final, indirectly telling her that the Ros