Disbelief filled her eyes. She had imagined all kinds of surprises: a stunning outfit or something seductive.

She never thought that I was the Bowens' true heir.

Archer saw the expectation in her eyes, his face twisting with resentment. Grabbing her hand, he softened his tone for once. "You promised me."

However, the girl who had always indulged him didn’t even spare him a glance now. Her gaze stayed fixed on me.

[Affection at 90%.]

[Increase exceeds projection. Cause unidentified.]

A smile tugged at my lips. It had just been at 50%. That was a sudden spike of 40.

So this was what she really loved: the Bowen name.

I pressed the advantage, stepping closer, leaning in near her ear. "Don’t recognize me anymore, girlfriend?"

My breath brushed against her skin, and the tips of her ears flushed instantly. I closed the distance further. "Think I may have the honor of your first dance?"

Most of the older guests knew about her history with Archer—their childhood bond, and the unspoken understanding between the two families. It had long been assumed the Bowens and the Johnstons would eventually be joined by marriage.

No one expected me to appear out of nowhere.

Nevertheless, no one stepped in to stop it either. Between a biological son and an adopted heir, everyone knew which mattered more.

Everyone except him.

Just as she placed her hand in mine, accepting my invitation, Archer slapped my hand away furiously.

"What the hell are you? You took my parents, and now you want to take my girl too?"

The lively gala froze.

My father’s voice cut through sharply. "Archer, what nonsense are you talking about? Zane is your brother. You’re both my sons. Learn to get along."

My mother pulled him in, trying to calm him down, but he wouldn’t stop.

"You brought him back. That was one thing. But now you’re throwing him a gala behind my back, telling everyone who he is. Now that you have him, you won’t want me anymore!

"You promised that when I turned 18, I’d be engaged to her, but now you didn’t even throw me a birthday party, and you’re just standing there watching him take her from me!"

He cried and shouted, dragging everything out into the open.

Many of the guests, including business partners and clients, shook their heads, whispering among themselves.

My father’s expression darkened. He reached out to pull him away. "We’ll talk about this later. Don’t make a scene."

Seeing that even now his father was siding with me, Archer only escalated. He dropped to the floor, kicking his legs like a child.

"If you don’t kick him out, I’m not getting up!"

He was not just vicious; he was stupid. At an event like this, he was throwing the worst kind of tantrum, hoping to force people to side with him.

He didn’t notice the flash of disgust in her eyes, or the dark looks on her parents’ faces.

From this moment on, he had completely lost any chance of marrying into her family. That had been his best and only fallback.

Just as my father ran out of patience and was about to signal the bodyguards to drag him away, the doors burst open.

The house steward rushed in, breathless, his voice ringing out, "Mr. Bowen, representatives from the national exam board are here! Professors from Harvard and Stanford, too. They’re here to recruit the top scorer!

"They’re here for your eldest son, Zane!"

The room fell silent for a split second, then erupted into even louder congratulations. Everyone turned to my parents, offering their praise.

They stood there, stunned.

Archer had never been a strong student. Getting into a decent college would’ve been a stretch. They had already planned to send him abroad after graduation.

They never expected me to hand them a surprise like this.

Archer shot to his feet, screaming, "That’s impossible! How could he be the top scorer?!"

He rushed toward her, grabbing onto her clothes, desperate. "Didn’t you say the night before the exams, you and he spent the whole night at a hotel?!"