Ruins of Us

"I heard that Connor was here too, so I had to come over and say hello," Louis Hayes said.

He smiled at me, his face pale. "Hi, Connor. Don't misunderstand. I'm here this time as Ms. Chandler's assistant—"

"Why are you explaining anything to him?" Abigail asked.

She drew him behind her and looked at me coldly. "I don't have an official relationship with him yet. Your health matters most. Everything else can wait."

Abigail constantly accused me of lacking propriety, yet when it came to Louis, everything suddenly became negotiable.

…

At the auction, Abigail spent lavishly on three pieces of jewelry, leaving Louis both surprised and delighted. I, however, didn't find anything to my liking even by the end.

Just as I was about to leave, the auctioneer smiled cryptically and revealed an antique cufflink. Anyone familiar with antiques could tell at a glance that it was priceless. For the first time, I sat up straighter.

But before the auctioneer could introduce it, Abigail raised her paddle. "100 million."

He replied, "Ms. Chandler, I'm sorry—"

"In Lothriel dollars," Abigail added.

I looked over. Abigail shot me a cold glance, while Louis looked at her with unmistakable affection.

"I apologize, Ms. Chandler," the auctioneer said.

He then smiled at me. "This belongs to Mr. Foster."

"But we were clearly the first to bid!" Louis protested.

The auctioneer replied, "This was prepared by Mr. Foster Senior and is not for sale. He said that Mr. Foster has discerning taste, so if nothing earlier appealed to him, this should barely suffice."

A staff member respectfully presented the cufflink to me. He bowed and said, "We wish Mr. Foster an early happy birthday."

Louis' complexion turned even paler.

Abigail clasped his slender fingers reassuringly, but her eyes flared with anger. "Connor, if you keep harassing Louis like this, I'll refuse to marry you!"

That threat had carried weight in my previous life, but now it meant absolutely nothing to me.

…

A few days after returning to Jorvale from Lothriel, I was invited to attend a birthday dinner on Dad's behalf for one of his business partners.

After delivering the gift and heading for food, I saw Abigail preparing a cup of herbal medicine for Louis. She was speaking to him, her serious expression softening with a hint of indulgence. He wrapped his arms around her.

When the people nearby noticed me, their faces lit up with excitement, clearly eager for some juicy drama.

Abigail saw me as well, yet she acted as if she hadn't. Seeing Louis grimace after finishing the bitter drink, she bit into a grape and rose onto her toes to lean toward him. Louis hurriedly took it from her lips, his gaze lingering on her tenderly.

Abigail straightened up and cast me a seemingly casual glance. Everyone turned to look at me.

I sneered inwardly. Did she really think that I was still the man who lost his temper at the slightest provocation and feared upsetting her if I felt hurt?

I simply lowered my gaze and ate, paying them no attention at all.

Abigail paused briefly, then narrowed her eyes. "So, you finally understand that I like men who are broad-minded. Not bad."

She pulled a small box from her purse, opened it, and asked Louis, "Does it look nice?"

"Oh, that's the matching ring the Chandler family prepared to give Connor on his birthday!" someone said.

"The diamond is stunning," Louis said.

His eyes brightened, then dimmed as he forced a smile. "Ms. Chandler, you're really good to Connor."

"If you like it, then it's yours," Abigail said.

She ignored the shocked looks around her and slid the ring onto Louis' ring finger.

Louis put on a show of hesitation. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? After all, it's the Chandler family's gift for Connor—"

"It's just a ring. If he wants it, I'll just buy him another one," Abigail replied.

She shot me a cold glance and summoned a waiter. "Go order a ring on Amazon and have it delivered. Make it fast, or Mr. Foster might be unhappy."

Soft snickers rose from the people around me.