Zara immediately frowned, her face full of disdain. "No way. I don't want to. I just had my car cleaned, and I don't want it getting dirty!" She glanced at Joseph and Cora's dusty shoes as she spoke.Zayn's face darkened in anger. "Zara! Get the car right now!"Seeing that her father was upset, Zara had no choice but to grumble under her breath and go get her car. Soon, a Mercedes C-Class pulled up. Sitting in the driver's seat, she rolled her eyes at Timothy and snapped, "What are you waiting for? Do you need me to invite you personally?"Cora, trying to appease her, walked carefully to the car, bending down slightly. "Zara, you can go ahead. We'll just take a cab. It's really fine."Zara, clearly irritated, replied, "I said get in, so get in! Stop wasting time."Cora's smile faltered. "Oh… okay!" She opened the door, and she and Joseph helped Tiana into the car.Timothy, however, stood still. Cora called out, "Timothy, come on, get in the car!"He shook his head. "Mom, Dad
As they reached the hotel entrance, the two uniformed waitresses immediately frowned, eyeing Timothy's group suspiciously. One of them asked, "You are?"Cora, feeling embarrassed, answered hesitantly, "We're here to have dinner.""You? Here to eat?" The two waitresses exchanged glances, scanning the group from head to toe, clearly not inclined to open the door. Their skepticism was written all over their faces.From inside the hotel lobby, Zara saw this and smirked coldly. She called out to the two waitresses, "Let them in."Startled, the waitresses quickly opened the door and allowed Cora and Joseph to step inside. Timothy, suppressing his anger, led Tiana inside.The ponytailed waitress gave Timothy a once-over and muttered under her breath, "Why are these broke folks here for dinner? They're bringing down the class of the place."Tiana's face flushed red, but Timothy simply looked at the waitress calmly and asked, "What's your name?"Caught off guard, the waitress answered, "
Soon, the food was served.When Flynn looked at the extravagant spread, he frowned in confusion. He wondered what was going on. There was king crab, 20-year-old Pinot Noir, and several bottles of nearly 30-year-old Burgundy wine, each worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Every dish was a rare delicacy, each one more luxurious than the last.With each new dish that was served, Flynn's face grew paler. He wondered what was happening as he definitely hadn't ordered anything this expensive.Unable to hold it in any longer, he quietly stopped a waiter and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? I didn't order any of these dishes."The waiter simply smiled. "No mistake. These are for your private room."Flynn was completely stunned, his heart sinking with dread. This meal had to cost hundreds of thousands, maybe even close to a million! He definitely couldn't afford that.Just then, Zayn, visibly impressed, commented, "Flynn, how did you order so many fancy
Flynn slammed his glass down on the table, coldly stating, "Since Timothy isn't going to show me any respect, then he can pay for himself later! Even the owner of this restaurant is showing me so much respect, who does he think he is not to return the favor?"Timothy smiled faintly. "Are you sure the owner is doing you a favor?""Of course! Are you implying that he's doing it for you instead?" Flynn laughed, the sarcasm thick in his voice.Feeling the rising tension in the air, Zayn attempted to mediate, smiling as he said, "Timothy, if you can't drink, then just don't. Flynn, don't push him too hard; Timothy really can't handle it."Maybe Flynn had a bit too much to drink. His face was flushed as he impulsively replied, "If he can't drink, then so be it. He'll pay for himself. I'm curious to see how this poor guy gets out of it!"As soon as those words left his mouth, the atmosphere turned ice-cold, and Zayn's expression stiffened.Winnie rolled her eyes and scoffed. "It's fine
"Flynn, what's going on? Didn't you say you knew the owner here?" Zara asked.Flynn's face contorted into a grimace as he forced a weak smile. "Zara, there's been a misunderstanding… I didn't expect this, and it must be a mistake!""A mistake?" Zara gritted her teeth, glaring at Flynn. She felt a wave of frustration wash over her. It would've been fine if he didn't know the owner. However, why did he pretend to know him and end up making a fool out of her family?The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up, staring furiously at Flynn. "Flynn! I always thought you were grounded and sincere, so you'd better explain this clearly. Do you actually know the owner or were you lying?"Flynn, already feeling down, was incensed by Zara's words. He kicked his chair aside and shot up, yelling at her, "Shut the hell up! How dare you talk to me like that! Your family is relying on me! "Yes, I lied, but so what? Does it change the fact
Timothy's tone was quite cold as he said, "The condition is that you and your mother apologize to my parents!""What? Apologize?" Zara's expression fell instantly. Winnie's face also darkened. Apologizing to Timothy's parents would be like slapping their own faces. Looking at the poorly dressed Joseph and Cora, Zara bit her lip, falling silent."What's wrong? Are you not willing to do that?" Timothy sneered coldly.Zara wrestled with her thoughts. She was a proud woman who sometimes valued her reputation more than anything else. Being forced to lower her head like this was simply unacceptable.She bit down on her lip and, after a moment of silence, avoided Timothy's gaze. "I won't apologize!"Zayn sighed softly. "Zara, you should apologize to Joseph and Cora. What you said today was indeed out of line.""Dad!" Zara shot a glare at Zayn. "Are you my father or his? Asking me to apologize is the same as bowing to them! I refuse! Anyone who wants to apologize can go ahead!"With
Zayn forced a bitter smile and said, "Winnie, Timothy might have acted inappropriately, but you've made mistakes too. You were so harsh on his parents, saying all those unkind things. It's only natural for him not to spare you the embarrassment."Winnie, fuming, retorted, "What's that supposed to mean? What gives him the right to do that? Is it just because he knows the hotel manager here and is a VIP customer? Does that give him the right to act all high and mighty? "Ugh! I couldn't care less! I'll find someone to look into his background, and if I find out he's been toying with me, I'll break his legs!"Winnie was furious, her eyes blazing, while Zayn could only smile in resignation."Okay, Winnie, let's not talk about that anymore. Timothy is a good kid. You shouldn't look down on him.""I will look down on him! So what if he knows a manager? My family runs a company. He's got no right to think he's better than us! Ugh!" Just then, Timothy approached them, a faint smile on h
The hallway was empty, and the world seemed to fall silent. It was as if only Susan and Timothy existed. Facing him, Susan silently stared at him, struggling to believe it was really him standing there. Three years had passed since Timothy mysteriously vanished without a trace. Everyone assumed he had either met with some misfortune or was dead. No one thought they'd ever see him again. Not even Susan. The past three years hadn't been easy for her. She had always felt a pang of guilt. After a brief fling with a rich classmate, she realized that the one she truly loved was Timothy. She wanted to apologize and try to win him back. However, on that very day, he disappeared, and she buried this secret deep in her heart, thinking she'd never have the chance to say it. Currently, she was in a daze. Susan parted her rosy lips, which trembled slightly like a delicate petal in the wind. She looked at the man before her. After three years, Timothy seemed different. He was more mature a