Ryan's jaw dropped at the sheer absurdity of what Jasper had just said, especially the way he had compared himself to his father. The insult struck a nerve. And not only that, Jasper was nothing more than a pathetic simp for his sister. How dare he humiliate me like this together. He shot to his feet. “Look, you can't keep insulting me like this! Why should I call you Daddy? Because of a $2,000 meal?”Jasper sneered. “If you think it's just $2,000, then pay for it. Oh, you can't, can you? Because you're nothing but a parasite who has been living off me!”Emma could no longer take it. “You can't keep insulting my brother like this! You're going too far. Do you even want to marry me? Because I can't marry someone with this kind of attitude. Why have you suddenly changed?”Jasper gave her a cold, mocking smile. “Marry you? Do you seriously think you're some kind of catch? Why are you so sure I'm desperate to marry you?”Emma froze. His behavior today was completely out of character. The

Jasper his eyes just landed on a woman standing a few meters away, she was with a couple, attending to them, his entire body stiffened, and his eyes widened in disbelief. “Claire...” he muttered.Claire had been high school classmates. Back then, Jasper's family had been ordinary, and no matter how hard he worked, he could never compete socially with the wealthy heirs around him. He had even been bullied occasionally, but among that privileged crowd, Claire had been practically the only person who never looked down on him.Whenever others mocked him, she would quietly help him. Offered her with his note, assignment, and even played with him. Those moments had meant everything to him. He had remained deeply etched in his heart, making it impossible for him not to develop feelings for her.Yet the gap between their family backgrounds had always been enormous. Claire's family was very rich!. Jasper understood that no matter how hard he tried, reaching her world would be difficult,

“You… you really slapped me?” Emily muttered, her voice trembling with disbelief. “You are doomed. Do you understand that? You are completely doomed.”The entire lobby was in an uproar. Everyone had witnessed what happened, nobody had expected Jasper to actually go that far. Emily was the wife of the president of Grand Horizon Bank, and everyone knew how brutal her husband was. Yet Jasper had not only confronted her; he had actually slapped her across the face.People exchanged nervous glances while whispers spread through the lobby. Meanwhile, some seconds ago, the elevator doors opened.A tall, sharply dressed man had stepped out, his expression already dark and impatient. His name was Adrian Sterling, the president of Grand Horizon Bank and Emily 's husband. He had originally come downstairs only briefly before heading to a meeting upstairs, but shortly after entering the elevator, one of the security had hurriedly informed him that an incident had broken out in the lobby.He

Claire immediately covered her mouth, her eyes widening as she stared at Jasper. “It’s really you, Jasper! Long time! Wow!”Jasper smiled back. Keeping his cool. “Really long time. Nice meeting you again.”Claire then took the initiative to hugged him, still grinning. After that, she looked at him from head to toe. The first thing she noticed was his suit. It was clearly expensive, perfectly fitted, and nothing like the simple clothes he used to wear back in school. She could felt the aura coming from him. “You have changed so much,” she said, her eyes moving over him curiously. “And this suit… You look completely different. You seem really wealthy now.”Jasper chuckled. “It’s nothing special. Just pure luck.”Then she laughed it off.“By the way, thank you so much for helping me back there. Seriously. Who knows what might have happened if you hadn't shown up?, what can I do to repay you”Jasper waved his hand dismissively. “It was nothing. But if you really want to repay me, there