Shattered Gift, Broken Engagement

"Do you know who Yuri is? My brother's the future son-in-law of the Hayes family. If you dare offend him, your life is over!"

My eyes narrowed.

Dad clearly said on the phone that the Hayes family had been waiting for me to return to fulfill the engagement. So why was Yuri suddenly Lauren's fiance?

Could it be that Zoey was just bragging?

Since I still hadn't met Lauren in person, I decided to keep observing for now. "As far as I know, Lauren already has an arranged marriage, yet you say you're her fiance. Do you have any proof?"

"You're just a broke loser, yet you want me to show you proof? Who do you think you are?" Yuri kicked over my motorcycle and jabbed a finger toward my face, shouting arrogantly.

"I'm telling you, even if I want to sleep with Lauren, I can. All her money will be mine sooner or later! If you know what's good for you, hurry up and pay. And lick the entrance clean for me, then maybe I'll let you off…"

I finally had enough. I clenched my fist and charged at him.

Just as I was about to smash my fist into his face, a voice cut through the air. "Enough."

…

An impeccably dressed woman appeared in my field of vision.

I recognized her instantly. She was the woman from the photo Dad had sent me. She was Lauren Hayes, the one I had been promised to since childhood.

I had to admit, her looks were exactly my type. However, the contempt in her eyes when she looked at me was impossible to ignore.

"Lauren, finally you're here!" The moment Zoey saw her, she switched to a pitiful expression and pointed at me.

"This delivery guy not only tried to scam me, but he even tried to record me! Yuri came to help, and this dirtbag still tried to hit him! He's practically spitting on the Hayes family's face!"

Lauren didn't even glance at me. Her tone was airy and dismissive. "Don't let a mere delivery guy delay our spa appointment. I already told the driver to bring the car around."

Then she pulled out a checkbook from her bag, scribbled a number, and handed the check to me. "Take the money and leave."

I looked down. 50,000.

I almost laughed out loud. "Miss Hayes, you didn't even ask what happened, and you're already trying to pay me off?"

Only then did Lauren lift her eyes to me. Her gaze was cold, like she was looking at an insect. "People like you… All you want is money, isn't it? This is more than enough for you to last a few extra years."

A chill ran through me. At that moment, I saw my fiancee's true colors.

"Lauren, why waste time talking to this trash?" Yuri cut in smugly. "Take the money and get lost. Stop being an eyesore."

I held the check between my fingers and suddenly smiled. "Sorry, Miss Hayes. This amount doesn't even cover a fraction of the national heritage porcelain you owe me."

Lauren frowned slightly, impatience flashing through her eyes. "How much do you want?"

I slowly held up two fingers.

"Two million?" She let out a cold laugh, like she'd expected this all along. "Fine. Think of it as charity today."

I shook my head.

Zoey let out a sharp shriek. "Are you insane? You filthy broke loser, you want twenty million? You think that busted bowl was made of gold?!"

I shook my head again. Then, under their stunned gazes, I spoke, "Two hundred million."

Silence fell instantly.

Lauren's hand froze mid-air, as if she had just heard the joke of the century. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

I nodded lightly. "And that's only because your last name is Hayes. Otherwise, you'd be paying much more than two hundred million."

If this blew up and certain people in my family found out, no amount could save her.

Probably because she had never been provoked by someone she saw as beneath her, Lauren finally lost her temper. With a frigid expression, she wrote another check and threw it at me.

"Fine. Here's another fifty thousand. Take it and disappear! Otherwise, I'll make sure you can't survive in Kingshore!"

Yuri immediately waved the security guards over. "What are you standing there for? Drag this arrogant punk out of here!"

Several guards rushed forward to grab me. I stepped aside, grabbed one of the guard's wrist, and sent him flying with a kick.

In the blink of an eye, three guards were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.