Rejecting Me for Another

Sure enough, Beverly's focus shifted upon hearing what I said.

She furrowed her brows, her gaze instantly turning cold.

"I've already explained myself many times. I don't want to discuss such a pointless topic with you anymore."

With that, she turned and walked into the bedroom. Moments later, she came out with a change of clothes.

"You clearly need some time to calm down. Once you're calmer, I'll come back and talk things over with you."

Just before she left, through the gap in the closing door, she added with disappointment, "Raymond, I'm disgusted by how petty you are now."

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

At that moment, my mind started to buzz all of a sudden.

Pointless topic? Petty?

I never thought she'd come to be this disgusted with me.

As I felt the familiar sting in my eyes again, the chill returned to my barely warmed fingers. I sat blankly on the couch, not knowing how much time had passed.

What Beverly didn't know was that the current me was the calmest I had ever been.

I checked the company's recent business operations on my phone and estimated the value of the shares I held.

Suddenly, a local trending news alert popped up on my phone.

It featured two very familiar people and a few candid photos.

"Renowned entrepreneur Beverly Galvan is living with her husband after marriage. The couple was seen together, and she is possibly pregnant!"

In the photo, Beverly was smiling radiantly, walking arm in arm with Timothy in a park.

At the end, the two entered the same villa together.

A surge of betrayal overwhelmed me once again.

No wonder she could walk out so easily with just a few clothes—telling me to "calm down" was merely an excuse to leave.

Once I was calmer and exited the trending news page, I received a message from Beverly.

"Raymond, I forgot a box in the safe. Could you bring it over for me? I'm at Timothy's villa."

Though I was surprised she would suddenly message me like this, I knew the items in the safe were important.

After thinking it over for a while, I decided to bring the box to her, afraid I'd be delaying something.

…

In front of Timothy's villa, Beverly was sitting on a swing, and Timothy was patiently pushing her from behind.

The moment I showed up, it was like I had ruined their peaceful, beautiful moment.

"Raymond, you're here. I haven't seen you in ages."

Timothy spoke as he went around the swing, whereas Beverly's face instantly clouded over.

She glared at me, eyes wide and blazing with fury.

"Who told you to come? Raymond, you're seriously unbelievable! Are you actually stalking me now?"

Before I could even say a word, she already looked ready to tear me apart.

"Beverly, I asked Raymond to come. Since you said that the heirloom in the safe was for me, I couldn't wait any longer and asked him to bring it to me. If you're going to yell at someone, you can yell at me."

Upon seeing how pitiful Timothy seemed, Beverly instantly relaxed her tightly furrowed brows.

Even her tone softened when she answered, "How could I ever yell at you? I already said it was a gift for you. Since Raymond is already here with it, I'll put it on you now."

Beverly approached me before coldly snatching the box from my hands.

That was when I realized that there wasn't anything particularly important inside the box that was business-related—it was the only bracelet her mother left behind after passing away.

Back when the company was at its lowest, Beverly had pawned it.

I once saw her staring at a photo of it on her phone in a daze. I then decided to sell my blood to raise money and get the bracelet back for her.

Later, she told me that this bracelet could only be passed on to the future son-in-law of the Galvan family, so I waited for a long, long time.

Never did I expect that today, she would give it to Timothy. Her message couldn't have been clearer.

I bit down hard on my tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I struggled to suppress my emotions.

"Now that the item has been delivered, I'll take my leave."

I had just taken two steps when Timothy suddenly grabbed me.

The bracelet was already on his wrist, swaying with his every move.

"Raymond, why are you leaving in such a hurry? Do you not want to see me? I know you've never liked me since we were children.

"You always thought our parents favored me, and you resent me because of that!"