Chapter 2

The next day, I went to campus as usual.

Actually, I rarely attended classes. Once my competition results secured my guaranteed admission, there wasn’t much left to compete for.

The university had given me special permission to use a private lab to work on my competition projects.

But I hadn’t made my admission public, so most people didn’t know.

At lunch, a classmate sighed and complained about how much tougher graduate admissions had become.

“You’ve got it easy, Ethan. None of this seems to bother you.” He patted my shoulder. “The rest of us work our asses off and still get nowhere. The pressure’s insane.”

“Plus, your girlfriend’s already got a place at a top school. We can’t compete with that.”

Another classmate quickly nudged him. He seemed to realize something and fell quiet.

I smiled without answering.

In their eyes, I was Ethan Reed, a guy from an ordinary family who spent his days skipping class and slacking off. I had a pretty girlfriend, but her family had nearly gone bankrupt recently. I was just the dependable fool left holding the bag.

Now that her university place was secured, she would probably think even less of me.

My phone vibrated. A message from Olivia.

“Dinner at my dad’s Saturday night.”

A command, delivered in cold text.

I replied, “Okay.”

I knew dinner wouldn’t be pleasant, but I wasn’t going to run from it.

On Saturday, I carried two cases of wine through the Bennetts’ front door.

The house that had once felt so desolate had been renovated and was bustling again.

Richard Bennett stood in a new suit, his face glowing as he held court with several business associates.

His smile faded when he saw me. Contempt filled his eyes.

“You’re here. Find yourself a seat.” He pointed to the most isolated corner.

A young man I didn’t recognize occupied the best seat in the living room. He wore designer clothes, and his watch gleamed under the lights.

Olivia sat beside him, smiling brightly as they chatted.

I hadn’t seen her smile like that in a long time.

But I didn’t make a scene. I simply walked to the corner.

“Ethan,” Olivia’s mother said, handing me a glass of water, her voice distant. “This is Mason Carter. His father owns Carter Group. Mason’s the heir. He just returned from studying abroad. Such an accomplished young man.”

I nodded and looked at Mason.

He was studying me, too, as though I were something cheap on a clearance rack.

“Oh, so you’re Olivia’s boyfriend? Ethan… what was your last name again?” Mason drew out the words, a faint smirk on his lips.

“I hear your grades aren’t even good enough to qualify for graduate school applications. Sounds like you need to… work a little harder.”

His words were polite. The contempt in his eyes wasn’t.

Carter Group? Wasn’t that the company begging my family for a partnership just recently?

So this was Olivia’s better option.

I said nothing and looked at her.

She looked uncomfortable, but she didn’t say a word in my defense.

I only gave an easy smile. “Thanks for the encouragement. I’ll work on that.”

Dinner was served, every dish more extravagant than the last.

Richard took the head of the table and raised his glass with a flourish.

“To all my friends who stood by me during the hardest time of my life!” He drained his glass, then changed tack, his gaze landing on me.

“And, of course, to certain people who also ‘stood by’ Olivia when she was struggling.”

He emphasized those words, drawing a wave of knowing laughter around the table.

Mason didn’t even bother being subtle. “Richard, that’s generous of you. Some people just have no ability or ambition. All they can do is cling to their girlfriends.

“Olivia’s different. She’s secured her place at a top university. She’s going places. She can’t let dead weight hold her back.”

They played off each other as if they’d rehearsed it.

I stayed quiet and continued eating politely.

To them, my silence meant weakness. It meant I was useless.

In reality, I just didn’t want to waste energy arguing with people who would soon have nothing to do with me.

Finally, Richard put down his fork and got to the point.

“Ethan.” He looked down his nose at me. “You can see things have changed for our family. Olivia deserves better than a life with you.”

He took a bank card from his pocket and pushed it toward me.

“There’s two hundred thousand dollars on that. End things with Olivia, and don’t bother her again.”