Preston's face flushed with anger. He stared at Maverick in disbelief. “You want me to kneel and lick your shoe?” Maverick glanced at him. “Do you need me to repeat myself?” “You bastard!” Preston slammed his hand against the table and stood up. Emily hurriedly stepped between them. “Enough! Both of you, stop this nonsense.” She turned to Maverick, her expression filled with displeasure. “What has gotten into you today? You've never behaved like this before. It's just $2,000. My brother has been away for a long time, and we wanted to have a nice meal together. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?” “Because I'm tired of paying for everything,” Maverick replied. “Your brother is a grown man. Why can't he pay for his own meal?” “Because we're family!” Emily snapped. “And we're getting married soon. He'll be your brother-in-law!” “Your brother, your responsibility.” Emily stared at him, struggling to contain her anger. After a moment, she took a breath and tried a differ

Maverick’s steps slowed the moment he entered the firm. His eyes stopped on a familiar figure behind one of the desks.Claire...For a moment, he simply stared because he knew her. They had been classmates in high school. Back then, Maverick’s family had been ordinary. He worked hard and kept his head down, but that had never been enough to fit in with the wealthy heirs around him. They had expensive cars, designer clothes, and families with connections. Maverick had none of those things. He had even been bullied by some of them.Claire had been different. She never looked down on him because of his family’s financial situation. Whenever those wealthy students went too far, she was one of the few people who would stand up for him. They had mocked his cheap, worn-out uniform, called him a beggar, and once deliberately knocked his books onto the floor before laughing as he scrambled to pick them up. Another time, they had taken his lunch and tossed it into the trash, telling him some

The entire lobby fell silent. No one had expected Maverick to actually slap Mrs. Collins. She was the wife of Richard Collins, the president of the bank and one of the most influential figures in the city’s financial circle. Yet Maverick had sent her crashing to the floor with a single slap.Claire stood frozen beside him, eyes wide. Around them, the bank employees stared in disbelief. Some covered their mouths. Others took a step back, as if afraid of being pulled into the mess.Mrs. Collins sat on the floor for a moment, hand pressed hard against her cheek. The shock on her face quickly twisted into fury. She scrambled up, pointing a trembling finger at Maverick.“You… you dare hit me?!” Her voice rose. “Do you know who I am? Do you know who my husband is?!”Maverick didn’t answer. He simply adjusted his sleeve, Claire finally found her voice. “Sir… You shouldn’t have interfered?”“I did what needed to be done,” he replied quietly.Before Claire could say more, the elevator opened.

CHAPTER 8Claire was still trying to process everything that had happened. Just a short while ago, she had been standing in the lobby being humiliated in front of everyone. Then Maverick had stepped in.Now, as they stood together, she finally got a proper look at him. Her eyes paused on his clothes. The suit he was wearing was clearly new. It was well-fitted, clean, and far more expensive-looking than anything she remembered him wearing back in high school.Claire couldn’t help staring for a moment. “You’ve really changed.” Maverick raised an eyebrow. “Changed?” “Yes.” She smiled slightly. “When we were in high school, you always wore simple clothes. Now you look completely different.”She looked at him carefully. “And somehow... you seem richer too.” Maverick laughed. “I just got lucky.” He wasn’t lying. From his perspective, waking up ten years in the past with knowledge of the future was the greatest stroke of luck imaginable.Claire smiled but didn’t completely believe him. T

“Maverick?”The familiar voice made Maverick slowly raise his head. Emily stood beside his table, staring at him as though she had just seen a ghost. Her eyes moved from his expensive suit to the elegant surroundings before finally settling on Claire.“How did you get into a place like this?” she asked with a mocking laugh. “Didn’t you tell me you were broke?”Daniel stepped forward beside her. He looked Maverick over from head to toe before sneering. “So this is the useless man you’ve been telling me about?”Emily’s expression immediately became proud. “Yes. This is Maverick.” She looked at Maverick with contempt. “He’s always been good at pretending everything is fine. In reality, he can barely take care of himself.”Daniel chuckled. “I can see that.” Maverick didn’t respond. His eyes remained on his food. Emily’s expression tightened. “Are you ignoring me?”Maverick finally looked up. “No. I’m just wondering why a woman who already found herself a new wallet is still standing h