Chapter 3

Just as I was about to call for security, Vivian, standing next to me, suddenly grabbed the arm of the woman who was harassing me.

Her gaze was ice cold, as though she was furious. "Behave yourself," she snapped at the woman.

Pained from Vivian's tight grip around her arm, the woman wailed nonstop.

The next second, Eric grabbed Vivian's hand. "Vivian, what are you doing?"

Vivian's face remained cold as she spoke. "I'm just doing the right thing. This is a charity event, not a place for your crazy drama."

With that, she tossed the woman's arm aside. The woman didn't dare confront Vivian, but she shot me a venomous glare.

I couldn't help glancing at Vivian. I never thought she'd come to my defense.

Eric forced a smile through clenched teeth and announced, "Word is, the heir and the CEO of Grant Enterprise are both in the meeting room upstairs. If we're lucky, we might even catch a glimpse of Monica Grant—the richest woman in town!"

That immediately set off a wave of excitement among the crowd.

After all, Monica wasn't just loaded—she was drop-dead gorgeous, too. People said she was only in her thirties, but she was already the mother of a six-year-old. And as for her husband? The guy's identity had never been revealed.

Someone gushed, "Wait, does that mean there's a chance we'll see her husband today? I heard he's a celebrity educator who's famous nationwide.

"Every school wants him, and every parent tries to snag a spot in his class. Anyone who gets to be his student is basically the luckiest person in the world. This is too epic—I have to post it on TikTok. It's an exclusive scoop!"

Soon, a group of bodyguards escorted a little boy into the party hall, and the crowd instantly erupted with excitement.

"With such an entrance, I bet he's Monica's son! Wow, he's really good-looking," someone commented.

The woman who'd just been harassing me didn't dare to confront Vivian, only having the guts to throw a tantrum at me.

"Henry Cole, if it weren't for Eric, a mere worker like you would never get to meet Monica's son! If I were you, I'd straight-up apologize and thank her right now.

"Who knows, maybe you'd score a sweet job, and even snag the attention of a rich lady like me—someone who rakes in a whopping 2,000 bucks a month!"

Thinking that she was crazy, I ignored her and looked toward the boy.

With phones in hand, everyone went forward with ingratiating expressions, desperately snapping photos and videos of the boy.

Even Eric, who always acted like he was above everyone else, walked right over with an almost sycophantic grin.

"Hey, kiddo, bet you got your good looks from your dad, right?" he said and reached out to pinch the boy's cheek.

However, nobody saw what came next.

Surrounded by bodyguards, the little boy didn't even spare a glance at the adults around him. He just walked straight up to me.

With a sweet smile, he threw himself into my arms. "Dad, you're finally back!"

The boy, who'd been all cold and distant just a moment ago, put on a pitiful expression the second he saw me. "Why didn't you come home yesterday? I missed you so much!" he whined.

I scooped my son, Lucas Cole, right into my arms, hugging him tight as I softly consoled him. "Hey, buddy, I was working yesterday, remember? I told you before I left. But tomorrow's my day off. How about I bring you out to have some fun?"

"Yay! You're the best, Dad," Lucas chirped, nodding enthusiastically.

Everyone in the room was floored, and they stared at me in disbelief like I'd just grown a second head.

Just as they were about to speak up, a stunning, elegant woman hurried down from the meeting room upstairs.

"Honey, I heard from the event organizer that you were here at the charity gala. Why didn't you let me know you were back? I could've driven to pick you up!" she called out.

The event's person-in-charge stepped forward and introduced her to the stunned crowd. "Everyone, this is Monica Grant, CEO of Grant Enterprise, and the wife of Mr. Cole, a well-respected figure in the world of education welfare.

"If you have any requests during the event, just let me know, and we'll do our best to make sure Ms. Grant and all our charity partners have a fantastic time here, as honored guests," the person-in-charge said.

The charity partners in the room all had different reactions—some were practically bouncing with excitement, while the woman who'd just been harassing me looked like she'd seen a ghost.

A few of the women who'd worked with me on multiple charity projects couldn't help but speak up.

"Henry, is your wife really Monica Grant, the richest woman in Roxendale?"

"Seriously? Did you not hear the organizer call him Mr. Cole, and Monica's son just called him Dad? He's obviously Monica's husband, the one nobody's ever seen. He's the famous educator everyone's been talking about!"

"Wow, now that's what I call real nobility..."

With everyone whispering and throwing stares my way, I just managed a smile in response.

Meanwhile, standing aside, Monica scrutinized my attire. With distress flashing in her eyes, she wrapped me in a gentle hug. "Were you in a rural area again? Promise me you'll head home and rest up as soon as this gala's over."

I nodded. "Okay."

Afterward, ignoring Eric, who wanted to talk to her, Monica turned to Vivian with a faint look of disdain. "So, you're my husband's ex?

"Thanks for rejecting him back then. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have landed such a great husband."

Vivian totally ignored Monica's snark, acting like she didn't hear her.

Instead, she turned to me with a storm of emotions on her face, looking like she was about to break down. "Henry, is this how you wanted to get back at me? How much did you spend on hiring these actors?"

I set Lucas down, then laced my fingers with Monica's. "This is my wife, Monica Grant."

Vivian's face went from disbelief to utter shock, then turned ghostly pale, settling into a silence that felt absolutely lifeless.

Maybe there was a time when I'd have had a soft spot for Vivian, no matter what she did.

But she had a point—the past was the past. Why bother holding onto old memories?

I had a new partner, a kid, the career I've always wanted, and a happy marriage and family—the two things I wasn't able to have in my previous life.

No matter how I looked at it, life was way better for me this time around.

Eric was the one who organized this gala, but the moment everyone found out my identity, their attitude changed dramatically. Just a few minutes ago, they were falling over themselves to please Eric—now, suddenly, they were gushing over me to make sure I was comfortable.