Seeing the words "break up" made my chest tighten with a weird, unplaceable feeling. I lowered my gaze and quickly typed out a brief reply.

"Fine. Let's break up, then."

Claire clearly hadn't expected such a decisive answer. She instantly became flustered and angry.

"What's gotten into you? We've been dating on and off for a year. Don't you have any feelings for me?"

I stared at her disgruntled response, confused. Wasn't she the one who wanted to break up? Now, she was upset that I agreed. At this rate, she'd probably be unhappy no matter what I said.

A sudden wave of exasperation with her hit me. I didn't respond and just blocked her, not wanting to listen to her endless complaints.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from my mom. After sending her a quick reply, her call came through.

"Hey, Mom."

"Lucas, your dad mentioned you're abroad right now. Are you about to board the cruise?"

I listened absentmindedly while packing my luggage.

Her warm, eager voice came through the speaker. "Do you remember Richard Sullivan, our old family friend? His daughter is on that same cruise for a vacation. Would you like to get to know her?"

I was slightly taken aback, but I knew exactly what she meant.

My parents had been trying to introduce me to the Sullivan family's daughter for a while. I'd always rejected them—partly because of Claire and partly because I never liked the idea of an arranged marriage.

But now, there was no real reason to refuse. I was going to be there anyway, and I'd have a front-row seat to the drama tomorrow. So, I agreed without much thought.

"Got it, Mom. Her name's Sophia Sullivan, right?"

Mom sounded delighted by how quickly I'd agreed this time. "Yes, that's her name. You met her at the last cocktail party. You remember her, right? Have fun together, and I'll let her know you'll be there."

Hearing the barely concealed hope in her voice, I felt a mix of amusement and mild exasperation. I was still so young, and she was already matchmaking me.

…

The next morning, I headed to the dock. As soon as I arrived, I spotted the familiar crowd. Even from a distance, I could hear their enthusiastic chatter.

"Ethan, yesterday's five-star hotel totally blew my mind."

"No kidding. The rooms were amazing."

"Ethan, are we really sailing back in first class today?"

Listening to their fawning compliments, I couldn't help smirking. I wonder how they had the nerve to tag along for the free ride. Before they knew Ethan had money, most of them didn't even give him the time of day.

If they were looking forward to today's itinerary, so was I.

A few sharp-eyed classmates noticed me approaching, and the snide comments began instantly.

"Lucas? What are you doing here? Where'd you sleep last night? Not on a park bench, I hope?"

The others gradually turned to look. Some couldn't hold back their derisive snorts.

"Hey! Why are you here? You're not trying to mooch a ticket home, are you?"

"Can't afford the trip back alone, huh? If it was gonna come down to this anyway, why bother with yesterday's drama?"

Ethan saw what was happening and immediately put on a show, pretending to calm everyone down.

"Alright, everyone. That's enough. Lucas, let's just put yesterday behind us. We're all classmates, after all. No point ending the trip on a sour note."

His "big-heartedness" immediately won him another round of praise.

"That's our Ethan. If it were me, I'd leave Lucas to sort it out himself."

"Exactly. Some people just don't know their place."

Ethan slowly approached me, his tone dripping with false sincerity. "Tell you what. I'll get you an economy ticket, so you can return with us."

His words were earnest, but the offer was still condescending.

"No, thanks." I frowned and rejected him outright, not bothering to guess what game he was playing.

My refusal left everyone stunned, and Claire looked even more displeased. "Lucas, must you be so ungrateful? How can you be so shameless when we're trying to be civil? What are you even doing here, then? Are you just trying to piss us off?"

I caught sight of her holding hands with Ethan and kept my face blank on purpose.

Just then, someone tapped my shoulder.

"Lucas Hart?"

I turned around and found myself looking at a strikingly beautiful face.

"...Sophia Sullivan?"

She gave a soft smile, then casually glanced at the group nearby before turning back to me. "It's me. Long time no see. Mrs. Hart mentioned yesterday that you were on this cruise. What a coincidence."

Her tone was gentle and polite, putting me completely at ease. I couldn't help but start chatting with her.

"It really is. It's been a few months since that last cocktail party. Even though we didn't run into each other during our trip here, sharing the return voyage is a nice surprise."

We exchanged a few casual words. As we were about to board, I caught murmurs coming from behind us.

"How did Lucas manage to get to know a woman like that?"

"Seriously, she's stunning. She has a vibe that sets her apart from the rest."

"Didn't he say they met at a cocktail party? Maybe she really is some wealthy socialite. Lucky bastard."

Claire's and Ethan's reactions were the most obvious. The way Sophia and I ignored them made their expressions shift instantly.

Ethan's face flashed with unmistakable admiration, and he tried several times to approach Sophia without success.

Meanwhile, Claire turned stormy. Jealousy twisted her features as she stared at us. She couldn't comprehend where I'd found someone who outperformed her in every way right after our breakup.

After scrutinizing us for what felt like forever, she finally seemed to lose her patience and stepped forward. "Lucas! Where did you even meet someone like her? Her standards must be in the gutter if she's interested in you."

After saying this, she turned her attention to Sophia, whose expression had shifted slightly. "I'd advise you to stay away from him. He's broke, and there's no telling if he can even afford the ticket back with you."

Ethan neatly adjusted his collar and stepped forward, nodding politely like a well-mannered guy. "Your name is Sophia, right? Forgive my frankness, but I would also advise you not to get too close to him. Our group happens to have an extra first-class ticket. Why don't you join us on the return trip? Consider it a chance to get acquainted."

"...You're offering me a first-class ticket?" Sophia found the whole situation absurd. She covered her mouth with a light laugh, her eyes gleaming with understanding that this was aimed at me.

The next second, she boldly looped her arm through mine. Her tone was flat as she shot back, "Of course, I'm going with my boyfriend. Why would I want to get to know you? There's no need for that."

Everyone was stunned. I couldn't help staring at her in surprise, but she just playfully winked at me.

"Is that so? Well, I wish you a pleasant journey, Sophia. Let's hope you guys don't find yourselves strapped for cash along the way," Claire fumed, stamping her foot and dragging Ethan away.

Once they were gone, Sophia smiled.

"So, what's all this about? How did the great Lucas Hart end up being looked down on?"

I caught the playful tease in her tone and could only offer a faint, resigned shake of my head.

Seeing their sponsor being disrespected, my classmates became even more ruthless in their verbal attack.

"Forget it, Ethan. She doesn't know what's good for her. Anyone hanging around Lucas can't be worth much."

"Exactly. She's an ignorant, ungrateful bitch. She doesn't deserve to travel first class with us."

"She's just relying on her pretty face. What's so great about that?"

Finally, Ethan dropped his hypocritical act and said plainly, "I'll let reality show them the gap between us. They'll regret this."

While saying that, he went to buy the tickets for everyone.

As the crew began registering their information, I watched his attention-loving display and pulled out my phone to call the bank. "Hello? Yes, I've lost my black card. Can you block it for me as soon as possible?"

The response on the other end was immediate. Within minutes, I received confirmation that the card had been successfully blocked.

At that exact moment, a payment failure alert sounded from the counter. The crew member had clearly seen situations like this before. He frowned and said, "Sir, there seems to be an issue. Your card is currently blocked and can't be used."

When I looked at Ethan again, his face had gone pale. His voice cracked when he finally said, "...Blocked? That's impossible."