Chapter 3

I waited ten minutes until they changed the topic.

My phone buzzed. It was a text message—short, cold, and professional, just like the sender.

[Where are you?]

I sent him my location. A second later, another brief reply popped up.

[Wait for me.]

I pushed the door open and walked into the booth.

There were two new faces inside now.

It was Elena and her broke scholarship boyfriend, Liam. Alex's dark gaze slowly retracted from them.

Seeing me enter, his drunken eyes warmed up instantly.

"Chloe, you're finally here. Sit next to me."

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?"

He raised his voice intentionally so everyone in the room could hear.

Especially… Elena, who was sitting across from us.

His words sounded like his usual gentle self, but they carried a hint of showy affection.

Alex always wore a mask of a gentle, polite gentleman, but deep down, he was emotionally distant.

As expected, Elena’s gaze flicked over to me.

"Alex, is this your girl?"

Once she got a clear look at my face, her eyes filled with disdain.

"Your taste has really gone downhill. If you can't get the original, I guess you don't mind a cheap knockoff."

Alex suddenly let out a low laugh.

"Then tell me, Elena, what kind of girl is worthy of me?"

His eyes were filled with jealousy, his jaw clenching tightly.

This was the first time I saw his perfect composure shatter.

He grabbed Elena’s wrist tightly.

"Elena, I don't have the patience to crawl behind you like a dog forever."

Just then, his phone rang in his pocket.

He answered it with irritation. Two seconds later, his face cleared up.

He turned to the group.

"Put out your cigarettes. Stuart is coming."

Alex had been terrified of his half-brother since childhood.

The Williams family was elite. Their parents were powerful figures in both business and politics.

But Stuart was a legend. In just five years, he took a dying company and listed it on the stock market. His power was unmatched.

Alex had always tried to follow Stuart’s footsteps, feeling crushed under his shadow yet deeply admiring him.

On my phone, the dark gray profile picture sent a message: [I’m here.]

The next second, the door opened.

Everyone’s eyes locked onto Stuart.

He was tall, wearing a charcoal-gray tailored suit that accentuated his broad shoulders.

Stuart’s eyes were deep and cold. He swept his gaze across the room and finally landed directly on me.

"Why are you here?" Alex asked, walking toward him. "I thought you hated loud places."

The two brothers stood side by side—one soft, one hard.

Compared to Alex’s delicate, pretty-boy looks, Stuart was ruggedly handsome and mature. Just standing there, he commanded the room.

"Just finished a dinner with a client. Stopped by for a drink."

Alex started introducing his friends. When it was my turn, he glanced at Elena, who was watching him with crossed arms.

She seemed to be waiting to see how Alex would label me.

"My classmate, Chloe."

Alex tried to read my expression, but I kept my head low.

Everyone in the room assumed I was heartbroken by his distant introduction.

"Chloe, this is my brother. You've met him before."

Alex used to invite me to the Williams mansion all the time. Back then, I was so proud because I thought I was special—he had even given me a spare key.

I bit my lip and forced out a dry, "Hi."

Stuart curved his lips into a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes.

Hearing my raspy voice, Alex paused, frowning with concern.

"Do you have a cold?"

I met Stuart’s dark, unreadable gaze, quickly looked away, and nodded.

Actually, I didn't have a cold.

It was just that yesterday, some dominant man had forced me to call him "Sir" on his bed all night. My voice was completely shot.

Looking at the straight-faced, elegant Stuart, I sneered in my heart.

What a hypocrite. He really knew how to act.