Five Years Abroad, A Stolen Love

I knew they were ignorant, but I didn’t expect them to be this stupid.

I almost laughed, but kept my face expressionless as I explained:

“This isn’t a modified car. It’s a Pagani—worth twenty million.”

“Dollars.”

For a moment, the crowd went silent.

Then came an explosion of laughter.

“Pagani? More like Panini! Did you get the name wrong? Too much fast food must’ve fried your brain!”

“Ethan Carter, wake up. You and Sophia Reed haven’t been in the same world for years. Spending so much effort on this car—are you still trying to win her back?”

“One Hermès bag of hers is worth more than that piece of junk!”

Seeing Sophia’s smug, arrogant gaze, I shot back coldly:

“Win her back? I have no interest in a woman obsessed with vanity.”

“And I despise a woman who’s crawled into the beds of ten different sugar daddies.”

“Only the blind Carter family would treat her like treasure. Rotten roots, rotten branches—no wonder you’re all blind together.”

“Since I’m not welcome here, I won’t attend the wedding. Goodbye.”

I turned to leave, but Sophia lunged forward, slapping me hard across the face.

“You bastard! What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Who had sugar daddies?!”

“You couldn’t have me, so now you slander me? You’ve gone insane with jealousy!”

“You claim you don’t want me, yet here you are, driving a pathetic car just to show off!”

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and sneered.

“What’s wrong? Should I tell everyone how you used to get into that Maybach waiting outside the school gates?”

“The hotel check-in records were sent straight to my phone.”

“Did you really think I didn’t know?”

“I left you your dignity—it’s you who’s shameless. Let go, or I’ll call security.”

Her composure cracked instantly, her face flushed red with rage.

“You’re lying! Who got into a Maybach?!”

“You came here just to ruin my wedding, didn’t you? I must have been blind to ever love you! Get out—leave right now!”

She raised her hand to hit me again.

I held up my phone.

“I still have the evidence.”

“Try hitting me again, and I guarantee by tonight the entire internet will know just how colorful your past really is.”

I turned toward my car, but Sophia grabbed my sleeve and yanked hard.

“Stop! What evidence? Tell me now!”

“Let me go!”

In the struggle, a loud rip split the air—her wedding dress tore at the hem.

Sophia’s face twisted in fury.

“Ethan, I’ll kill you! This gown was a custom luxury design—cost over a million dollars to ship from overseas!”

“You’re just trying to ruin everything for me!”

I spread my hands.

“You grabbed me first. Not my problem.”

“And a million? Crawl into a few more beds and you’ll get it back easily enough.”

Her eyes went bloodshot as she screamed at the onlookers.

“What are you standing there for? Can’t you see this bastard humiliating me?”

“Beat him!”

“Smash his damn car—I want to see how he pretends after that!”

I rushed in front of the Pagani, blocking it with my body.

“Touch it, and I swear the entire Carter family couldn’t afford the price you’ll pay.”

Sophia lost all reason, shrieking like a madwoman:

“It’s just a broken Tesla, what are you even showing off for?!”

“The Carters’ money could buy your worthless life a hundred times over!”

Several of the classmates surged forward.

“Ethan, you’ve lost your mind! That dress was specially chosen by Daniel Carter for Sophia!”

“Figures—poor men are always trouble. Date one once, and he sticks to you like a leech you can never scrape off!”