Biting the Hand That Fed Him

"Isn't that Mr. Loewe from Quinn Group?"

"Oh my gosh, they look perfect together!"

"I've seen them online! Mr. Loewe once spent millions on matching watches for his wife!"

"So sweet! I'm totally rooting for them!"

Xander, who had been featured in local news and newspapers, quickly became the center of attention.

Mistaking them for a newly engaged couple, the staff eagerly invited them to participate in the store's anniversary activity.

The challenge involved holding opposite ends of a cookie between their lips. They would win if the cookie didn't fall to the ground after ten minutes.

The crowd cheered enthusiastically, "Mr. Loewe, join in! Join in!"

I stood among the spectators, silently watching as if I were observing a stranger entirely unrelated to me.

Natasha noticed me out of the corner of her eye.

Xander's supposed "noble intellectual" raised her eyebrows mockingly.

She was provoking me.

I found it laughable.

"Xander, take a good look," I thought. "Who's the childish and scheming one here?"

Surrounded by the crowd's excitement, Xander blushed and reluctantly bit down on one end of the cookie.

The butter cookie was so fragile that it quickly teetered on the verge of breaking.

To keep it from falling, Xander and Natasha had no choice but to inch closer.

The crowd grew louder, chanting, "Kiss! Kiss!"

Finally, their lips brushed against each other.

With a sharp crack, the cookie shattered and fell to the floor.

Xander's earlobes quickly turned red, and he lowered his gaze, his lashes trembling. It was obvious he felt something for Natasha.

A wave of nausea hit me. They were absolutely disgusting.

Very well, then.

I gave the staff a tip of 3,000 dollars, asking them to shine the spotlight on Xander and Natasha. The store then began playing "Wedding in a Dream".

Such a grand love story certainly deserved to be put on display.

I led the applause, wishing them a lifetime of happiness and everlasting unity.

Xander was clearly startled. His beautiful eyes widened, and his gaze faltered as he looked at me.

"Cynthia? Why are you here so early?" He stuttered, "I... I was just playing a game... I didn't..."

The staff must have understood what had just happened, no matter how slow they might be.

The music stopped.

I only smiled. "Why stop the music? It's a wonderful day, and you make a perfect couple. With the mood set, maybe I should go ahead and book a few tables for you. We could get a certificate and hold a wedding banquet. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Probably embarrassed by the situation, Xander tugged at my sleeve and mumbled, "Cynthia, can we talk about this later? There Are too many people here. It's not a good place to talk..."

The only thing that could make this proud man lower his voice and beg me was the pressure of being watched by the crowd.

His reputation was always more important than mine.

Natasha came out to smooth things over then. "Cynthia, don't be so unreasonable. Xander couldn't get a hold of you, so I just accompanied him to try on the wedding dress. You should apologize."

In the past, I tolerated Natasha out of consideration for Xander's reputation. But now, I no longer cared about Xander.

I sneered. "Natasha, who do you think you are to be calling me by my name so casually? If I remember correctly, your so-called academic research was funded by Quinn Group, right? So what's with this attitude toward your sponsor?"

My words left Natasha speechless.

"Enough!" Without saying another word, Xander slapped me across the face. "Cynthia, Natasha is from the academic world, and she doesn't understand the superficiality of your business world. Can you at least show her some respect?"

I only found it amusing.

Did I need to remind him that the "innocent" and "guileless" woman he talked about was actually the same age as me, a successful CEO?

My face burned with pain, but my heart felt as though it had been frozen solid.

I remained silent for a moment, then looked straight at them calmly. "Did I say anything wrong? By the way, Xander, you only achieved success through sponsorship, too. Am I right?"

Xander's eyes went wide. "You... How did you know..."