08

At the business dinner I attended with Lily, I heard a familiar voice in the hallway on my way to the restroom.

Peering around, I saw Tom, in an awkwardly ill-fitting suit, hugging Maria from behind: “All these years, I’ve never forgotten you. I’ve always been thinking of you, Maria.”

It was evident that Tom had seen better days. His suit was awkwardly ill-fitting, exposing a portion of his ankle.

The once rebellious spark in his face had been replaced by a slick veneer, his belly had a slight protrusion, and he’d put on weight overall.

I wasn’t sure how he’d managed to crash the event. I glanced at the scar on Tom’s cheek.

After I left the country, my friends took it upon themselves to avenge me by setting up Tom in an ambush.

That incident nearly cost Tom his life.

My friends were so powerful that Tom never discovered who had orchestrated the attack on him.

He could only attribute it to bad luck, never realizing the truth behind it.

Later, he got into more trouble, leading to his expulsion, and with little education, he had no prospects of finding a job.

My friends back in the country kept a close watch on him, ensuring that every job he tried to secure fell through.

In the end, driven to desperation, he turned to robbery and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

It seemed that Tom, having hit rock bottom, was now trying to climb the social ladder by rekindling his connection with Maria.

Maria remained silent, her face a mask of unreadable emotions.

“I know you blame me, Maria,” he said, his eyes red with emotion.

“But back then, I was scared too.

I didn’t mean to do what I did.”

His hand slowly crept upward as he continued, “I know you can’t forget me.”

“Maria, have you forgotten how much you liked me?”

“You even gave up Dominic for me.”

Maria abruptly pushed him away, her eyes blazing with fury.

“Don’t you dare mention him again!”

Her voice was icy and merciless as she declared, “The thing I regret most in my life is saving you that day.”

She gave Tom a once-over, her expression turning disdainful and repulsed when she noticed his suit.

The infatuation of her youth, once so foolish, had been shattered by the harsh reality of the present.

The current Tom had no right to even stand before Maria.

Maria, with her eighteen companies under her name, was a true heiress.

A single piece of clothing she wore was worth more than what Tom could earn in a year of hard work.

And Tom, once the epitome of cool, was now an unemployed ex-convict.

They had become people from two entirely different worlds. “Tom, don’t ever show your face to me.

Tom was unnerved by her stare, his mouth hanging open, speechless.

Maria left straight away.

I turned my back and lit a cigarette.

What kind of twisted fate was this?

This wasn’t a small city, with a population of eight million.

When I returned, I never imagined I’d run into people I knew from back then.

But I didn’t expect them to come to me, one after another.

What I least expected was that Maria had no lingering affection for Tom.

Maria appeared indifferent to most things, but in reality, she was quite tenacious.

Ever since she was young, if she liked something, she had to have it, and she never grew tired of old loves.

Frankly, I thought Maria, who was so fond of him back then, would have stayed with him.

But it turned out to be a rushed breakup.

I returned to the banquet, assuming Tom would have left.

 But I didn’t expect him to still be there, and he even noticed me.

He approached me with a glass of wine in hand, seemingly having completely forgotten what Maria had said earlier.

He also seemed to have forgotten what had happened years ago.

He came over with an uneasy grin. “What a coincidence, Dominic. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. How have you been these years?”

I fixed him with a stare for a moment, said nothing, and turned to leave.

If Maria had chosen Tom back then, I could understand.

But when Tom slammed that door, he thrust me into hell. I still don’t know why she closed that door—was it to spite me for getting too close to Maria, or was she just desperate to buy time?

I don’t want to know.

I just want to know that I despise the person in front of me.

Especially when he appeared before me as if nothing had happened, I really wished I could kill him right then and there.

I took a deep breath; there were too many people around, I couldn’t afford to lose my composure in public.

However, Tom wouldn’t let up, grabbing me and insisting, “We’re old classmates, what high and mighty act are you putting on now?”

“Have you forgotten how you pined after Maria back then?”

He sneered, putting his arm around my neck, “You pined after her like a lovesick puppy, but she only liked me…”

He continued to prattle on, trying to vent the frustration he had endured from Maria on me.

I set my drink down on a passing waiter’s tray and loosened my tie.

Bang!

Tom was struck by my fist, turning his head, the rest of his words stuck in his throat.

I retracted my aching fist, my gaze turning colder with each passing second.

“You dare hit me?!”

A flash of malevolence flickered in Tom’s eyes as he covered his face and shouted loudly in all directions, “Dominic, you f*cking hit me!”

“What the hell are you? Hey, someone’s getting assaulted over here, call the police quickly!”

 It was evident this was his first rodeo in such an environment.

The people around looked on as if watching a clown’s performance. Tom’s voice trailed off.

I casually took the hand towel offered by my secretary, wiped my hands, and tossed it aside.

Maria, having seen the commotion, rushed over anxiously, concerned.

“Dominic, are you alright?”

She gave me a thorough once-over, checking that I was unscathed, then she glared down at Tom on the ground, her disdain palpable as she scolded, “Why are you still here, disgracing yourself? Didn’t I tell you to scram?!”

Tom clenched his teeth tightly, about to retort, but I looked down at him with a condescending gaze.

“Security, remove this person.”

Tom was hauled away in a panic by two burly security guards, shouting Maria’s name, but she didn’t spare him a glance.

I irritably shrugged off Maria’s hand and walked out of the banquet hall.

The autumn wind carried a bleak, biting chill, and I belatedly felt a chill. Lily chased after me, handing over the coat she had prepared for me.

“Who was that jerk just now?”

“I asked you last time, what’s the story with this Maria girl? How did she treat you badly?”

I grabbed the coat, absorbing the lingering warmth on it.

After the incident, I hadn’t told anyone about this. I didn’t want to bring it up.

But now, for some reason, perhaps because the autumn night was too cold, or perhaps because the person beside me was too warm.

After a long silence, I finally spoke.

09

Lily remained silent for a while. I tugged at the corner of my mouth, a faint bitter smile playing on it.

The tragedy that happened to others often carried a tinge of mockery, and it was normal for her to feel disdain.

However, she slowly embraced me, blocking out all the night’s darkness.

Only her warmth remained.

I whispered, “Was it pretty stupid?”

Lily whispered back, “A little, but not you, it was them.”

I couldn’t help but curl the corners of my mouth upward.

I didn’t expect her to say anything sentimental.

Lily was clueless, and the boys in the company usually flirted with her in secret, but she would think they had eye spasms and ask if they had dry eyes from staring at the computer for too long.

But the wound in my heart suddenly didn’t hurt as much.

I blurted out, “Lily, do you have feelings for me?” I’m not an idiot, and I don’t enjoy playing games of cat and mouse.

 If I continued to pretend, I didn’t notice her feelings, it would be unfair.

In the dim night, Lily’s face visibly reddened, and soon, even her neck was flushed.

She widened her eyes, and my smiling face was reflected in her beautiful, luminous eyes.

I thought she would deny it, but instead, she just stared at me and said, “You’re only realizing this now?”

I was speechless and looked away. “I don’t want to hold you back; I really don’t want to start dating right now.”

I once liked someone too. But having my unrequited love end so painfully, I was truly scared.

There were girls who had shown interest in me over the years, some of them quite excellent.

I had tried to force myself to give it a chance, but I always found myself retreating at the last moment, unable to go through with it.

Over all these years, only Lily’s presence was something I could tolerate. But it was only to that extent.

I was really scared. Lily looked somewhat disappointed but still managed a smile, one without a trace of gloom.

“I understand, and I can wait.”

“Dominic, as long as you don’t push me away, I won’t force anything else.”

I was taken aback.

Lily had excellent conditions.

Her background and appearance were no less than Maria’s, and although her personality was a bit rough around the edges, there were no shortage of men in the company who liked her.

Suddenly, an indescribable emotion welled up in my heart, making it feel sour and swollen.

Just then, Maria came looking for me.

Upon seeing me, she hastily explained.

“Dominic, I had no clue he’d show up today.” “You…”

She didn’t finish her sentence.