Chapter 2

At the dining table, William and his father were off to the side, discussing the documents.

Meanwhile, Claire, William's mother, kept sizing me up, asking about my background and personal details. When she found out my parents were just regular teachers, she couldn't hide the disdain in her eyes.

After a few more questions, Claire turned and took out a high-end bracelet.

"Rebecca, as soon as William heard you were back from abroad, he had this custom-made just for you. You haven't seen each other in ages, and he felt a bit awkward giving it to you himself, so he asked me to," she said.

The name "Rebecca" caught my attention.

I finally realized the young woman was Rebecca Smith, whom William had always called his childhood friend.

Whenever he brought up her name, William would get a smile on his face and start sharing all sorts of funny stories about their childhood together.

My eyes locked onto that bracelet, and for a moment, my mind just went blank.

Just a few days ago, William had slipped the exact same bracelet onto my wrist himself, right there in bed, when things were getting heated between us.

I had wondered what the "R" inside the bracelet stood for. Now it all clicked—he probably ordered two but forgot to tell the shop to make the inside different.

When William came back, he settled himself between Rebecca and me.

The three of them started laughing and reminiscing about old times I knew nothing about. It was like I was invisible, completely left out of their world.

After a while, Rebecca suddenly brought me up, almost like it was just an afterthought.

"William, Emily really helped you score that big deal today. It's tough being a boss lady like her, you know. You better treat her right and make sure you pay her more," Rebecca teased.

William looked like he couldn't care less.

"Come on, what credit does she deserve? It was all of us working together. She just tossed out a few words in Gremarian and made the client smile. Besides, that's literally her job. She's got family debts to pay off anyway," he said.

Claire took a sip of her red wine and said, "Oh, really? Why don't you help her out a bit? That poor girl's got it tough. Honestly, you've got money to burn, and just the cash slipping through your fingers would be more than enough for her."

"Mom, she's got her pride. She doesn't want my money, so you don't need to worry about it," William replied.

"Besides, I've already rewarded her this time," he added.

As he spoke, his hand found my thigh under the table and gave it a squeeze.

Claire continued, "It's good to have some backbone. Some women are different, always bragging about being independent and not needing a man, but who knows what they're really doing when no one's watching?

"I've seen all sorts of games before. There's always some woman plotting to gold-dig her way into a penthouse. Guess playing the long game to hook a rich guy isn't exactly breaking news. Am I right, Ms. Lane?"

Claire's smile stayed bright, but her gaze lingered on my wrist.

My nails were biting into my palm as I tried to hold myself together. I shot a look at William.

He was half-listening to his father while carefully cutting Rebecca's steak. Meanwhile, under the table, his foot kept teasing my leg, brushing against my dress again and again.

Claire was absolutely beaming as she watched everything play out.

She said, "William's still so thoughtful. He knows exactly how Rebecca likes her steak and even cuts it just the way she likes."

Then she turned to Rebecca. "I've watched you two grow up side by side. Just the other day, your dad was reminding us about your childhood engagement. He's already itching to be a grandpa."

"Claire, please stop," Rebecca pouted playfully, her face flushing with embarrassment.

"Oh, you're shy, huh?" Claire teased, her smile never fading.

"Ms. Lane, William's going to be busy taking Rebecca out and about these days, so I'll need you to handle things at the office. Don't worry. I'll make sure your overtime pay comes through on time. It's not that it's a lot anyway," Claire added.

I took a deep breath, pulling myself together as I got to my feet.

I said, "Sorry, but I need to use the restroom."