I Built His Future, He Ruined Mine

Sophie frowned and said stiffly, "I've had so much going on lately. I was so busy I forgot about your stomach condition. Never mind—I'll throw it out."

With that, she stood up to grab the container. Yet, she didn't hold it steady, and the sauce splattered all over her clothes.

Sophie frantically dug through her bag looking for wipes. With a crisp metallic clatter, a man's belt fell out of her purse.

The belt had subtle scratches on the surface. It had clearly been used before, so it definitely wasn't something Sophie was planning to give me.

In the past, I would have demanded answers if I had found something so personal in Sophie's bag. I would have made her explain everything in detail. But now, I simply picked up the belt calmly and handed it to Sophie.

Sophie snatched the belt away quickly, her expression somewhat unnatural as she explained, "Zachary left it in my car last time he rode with me. I haven't had a chance to return it to him yet."

Her eyes darted around as she continued, "You know how it is. They need to change into their jerseys for basketball, so sometimes, they change clothes in the car. That's how it accidentally got left behind."

"Okay," I said indifferently. "Well, make sure you take good care of it. Don't let it get damaged."

Although Sophie quickly tucked the belt back into her bag, I'd already recognized it the moment I picked it up. She'd bought it late last year when she went abroad on business, at a mall overseas.

She'd even sent me a photo at the time, asking if I liked it and saying she wanted to buy it for my birthday. But on my actual birthday, Sophie barely ate two bites before Zachary called her away, and I never saw the gift.

Apparently, Sophie had simply given it to the person she'd really wanted to gift it to.

She stayed to have lunch with me, though she was distracted the entire time, constantly glancing at her phone to check for new messages.

"By the way," Sophie said, "our families were supposed to meet next week to discuss the wedding arrangements, but my mom has a class reunion that conflicts with the date. She wants to move the meeting up to tomorrow. That works for you, right?"

Sophie's disrespect toward me had rubbed off on her parents. They'd always treated my family with a condescending attitude, even though the Lewis family had been helping Bennett Corporation all along.

Telling me about tomorrow's plans today wasn't asking for my input—she was just informing me.

Still, some things were better said face-to-face. Our parents did need to meet, and the sooner the better.

I nodded. "That's fine."

At that moment, Sophie finally received the message she'd been waiting for. Her expression softened, and a faint smile played at the corners of her mouth as she typed her response.

The next day, I sat with both sets of parents, waiting until the food had gone cold, but Sophie still hadn't arrived.

Just as the Bennetts were starting to look embarrassed and were about to call her again, Sophie rushed in, holding Zachary's hand.

"Sorry about that. Zach here hadn't eaten, either, so I brought him along."

Zachary waved cheerfully to greet Sophie's parents. That was when Sophie's father, James Bennett, suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Why are you wearing Ethan's wedding ring?"