My Childhood Sweetheart#

2

Sierra Shaw thoughtfully took her wine glass and walked elsewhere, leaving Brandon Sutton and me alone together.

My expression was blank, though I still wore a faint smile.

'I, however, was cursing the two of them out in my head.'

Due to my personality, I was never a fan of these kinds of events.

But Kian Langdon had insisted, saying we had to celebrate our first major deal since returning to the country—a great start to our business.

That was the only reason I came.

I just never expected that after all these years...

...we'd still be destined to cross paths.

Brandon Sutton looked at me, his eyes churning with emotion.

"Jocelyn, over the years..."

"How have you been?"

My tone was normal as I answered coolly.

"Thanks to you and Ms. Shaw, I wouldn't say I'm fabulously wealthy, but I'm managing just fine."

I stared absently at the clock on the banquet hall wall.

I remembered Kian Langdon said he would come and get me tonight.

'I hope he's not late.'

Otherwise... I let out a soft sigh.

'...who knows how long I'd have to keep wrangling with Brandon Sutton tonight.'

"Jocelyn, you blame me."

Brandon Sutton gave a bitter laugh and downed the wine in his glass.

"Back then, I was the one who wronged you."

"It was all my fault, every last bit of it."

I swirled the wine in my glass, listening to Brandon Sutton's insincere apology.

"Jocelyn, I know I hurt you."

"It was all my fault."

"But please, I'm begging you, don't be so cold to me, okay?"

I watched Brandon Sutton with a cold gaze, saying nothing.

Brandon Sutton's pained expression was so convincing, it was almost as if it were real.

If my memory of what happened wasn't so vivid, I might have actually believed his bullshit.

Brandon Sutton was materialistic and obsessed with status.

It started back when he was a kid, when he saw a luxury car on the side of the road and told his classmates it was his family's.

I should have known then.

For some people, their baser nature is etched into their very bones from a young age.

Both Brandon Sutton and I came from ordinary families. We were comfortable, but that was it.

As a boy, Brandon Sutton was different from the other guys.

While other boys were still playing in the mud and watching cartoons, Brandon Sutton had already, far too early, learned to recognize all the major luxury brands.

Brandon Sutton's mother would often proudly boast to the neighbors about how bright he was.

Luxury cars, designer clothes, all kinds of expensive shoes and jewelry.

It was like Brandon Sutton knew it all.

While other boys were going through puberty, proud of their changing bodies, Brandon Sutton had already learned how to expertly style his hair and coordinate his outfits.

Proper. Mature.

His precocious maturity made Brandon Sutton seem a bit out of place among his peers, but in the girls' eyes, he was an absolute dreamboat.

Back then, I also thought Brandon Sutton was different from all the others.

A different kind of maturity, a different kind of charm.

A teenage girl's crush is just that simple.

Brandon Sutton and I were childhood sweethearts, a fact I loved to show off back then.

I was sure that the bond we'd forged growing up together meant Brandon Sutton felt differently about me.

'At the very least, Brandon Sutton had to like me a little bit, right?'

I believed that right up until the moment I worked up the courage to give Brandon Sutton a love letter.

However, Brandon Sutton found me first, and his words sent a chill straight to my heart.

"From now on... maybe we should see less of each other. I don't want to make Sierra unhappy."

Clutching the still-undelivered love letter in my hand, I agreed.

Brandon Sutton had fallen for the wealthy heiress in our class, Sierra Shaw.

Drowning in my misery, I had a sudden realization.

So that explained all the teasing glances our classmates had been giving Brandon Sutton.

The other person involved was Sierra Shaw.

Sierra Shaw was so beautiful, and her family was so rich.

It was perfectly in character for Brandon Sutton to fall for someone like her.

Brandon Sutton and I gradually lost touch.

I never expected that after so many years, with so much having changed, we would meet again like this.