My Missing Boyfriend Turned Out to be a Rich Young Master!

After Joel disappeared, I searched for him like a madwoman. I went to his school, but no one knew who Joel was.

It wasn't until I saw the news of Joel's engagement that it slowly dawned on me.... He was never just a poor student.

I should have had no further ties with him, but I needed money to save my grandmother. If I hadn't emptied all my savings to save Joel back then, I would've had at least some money to save my grandmother.

Thus, I began digging for answers, determined to uncover the truth. Eventually, I boldly entered a luxurious restaurant where Joel was rumored to be meeting friends.

When our eyes locked, an unsettling sense of unfamiliarity swept through me.

Joel was no longer the gentle and easygoing guy with tousled hair; instead, he slicked it back, his eyes devoid of warmth, replaced by sharpness and a hint of disdain.

Yet, facing this familiar face, I couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment. The boyfriend who once vowed to love and protect me... could he still feel a shred of compassion for me now?

Clearly not. Joel looked at me as if I were a stranger and asked sharply, "What are you doing here?"

His cold voice snapped me back to reality. He was someone else's fiancé now. Holding back tears, I spoke slowly and deliberately, "I'm begging Mr. Griffins to help my grandmother."

Jasmine pulled him away, signaling to bystanders. "She's here for money."

Several imposing bodyguards swiftly moved in to usher me away. With my grandmother's critical condition weighing heavily on my mind, I reluctantly set aside my pride and appealed to Joel. Kneeling before him, I felt like a desperate soul seeking mercy, reminiscent of the time Joel, in a drunken plea, had begged me not to leave him, calling me Jazz.

"Mr. Griffins, considering our past relationship, please help save my grandmother," I pleaded.

Joel glanced at me and asked coolly, "And what if I don't?"

I was taken aback by Joel's response. After all, my grandmother had poured her heart out to him.

"When you were sick, I used all my savings to pay your hospital bills, a total of twenty two thousand five hundred dollars. Please, Mr. Griffins, at least return those money to me!" I demanded.

Joel hesitated, clearly stunned. "What did you just say?"

Jasmine interrupted him, kissing Joel on the lips—a gesture that stabbed at my heart.

She spoke gently, "Joel, just give it to her. After all, you two used to..."

Joel hastily explained, "Jasmine, you know, I was just messing around with her."

Messing around? I'd never been in a relationship before Joel. And, for three years, I poured my heart into him, only to hear him say he was just messing around, just like when he left without a word.

Jasmine looked down on me, lifting my chin and sneering, "That woman looks so much like me. Joel, did you think of her as a substitute?"

Joel didn't hesitate to nod.

A substitute? No wonder he claimed he couldn't live without me from the first moment we met. Who was he really referring to back then?

I wanted to put an end to this ludicrous situation swiftly. I reached out, feeling like a beggar. "Mr. Griffins, please repay the money. If I hadn't used it to pay your hospital bills, I wouldn't be broke now."

Joel looked baffled. He grasped my hand, unconcerned about appearances. "You paid for my hospital bills? What's going on, Jazz?"

I jerked my hand away abruptly. "Mr. Griffins, please call me Jaslyn." I refused to be anyone's stand-in anymore. Back then, I mistook his calling 'Jazz' as a call to my name, but I don't want to hear that name now.

Jasmine wedged herself between us and produced a check, sliding it across the table to me. "Here, for you. Thank you for being with Joel for so long. Now that I'm back, it's time for you to leave. I hope you won't ever come back to disturb him."

I took the card and left, but Joel once again caught my hand. "Can you please tell me what's going on?"

Jasmine pulled Joel away. "Let bygones be bygones. I'm back now, aren't I?"

I didn't look back at him again as I walked out of the restaurant.

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. The beautiful love I had believed in, the mutual understanding I thought we shared—all of it was just a game played by the Prince of Blumens' Elite Circle with a poor girl like me.

I took the money to pay for my grandmother's hospital bills, only to find out that the check couldn't be used.