"Or maybe you should track down your ex-girlfriend. Lilith is a Lawson opera master now, rolling in wealth. Who knows? She might just let you drive a luxury car for once."

Rowan, Thorne’s ever-loyal shadow, wasted no time piling onto the mockery.

Lilith…

She was the girl I had admired for three years in high school. We were never officially together, but there had been something, an unspoken understanding, a quiet kind of encouragement. Maybe there had been ambiguity, but more than that, we had pushed each other forward.

She was the reason I had turned from a reckless middle schooler into the top scorer in the college entrance exam.

Back then, Thorne had chased after Lilith relentlessly, only to be rejected time and time again. Maybe that was why he had always tried to make my life miserable. But as one of the school’s strongest candidates for the provincial top scorer, the teachers had done their best to shield me from his pettiness.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Before I could even respond, Thorne’s expression darkened. He shot Rowan a sharp glare. "I've been in frequent contact with Lilith lately. I even asked her about Cassius and she made it crystal clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. No ties, no connections, nothing."

Rowan chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, looking at him now, I can’t say I blame her."

I exhaled slowly, a weight settling in my chest. The urge to turn around and walk away was almost unbearable.

People always said high school reunions were nothing more than a stage for showing off and tearing others down. I never believed it.

After all, my university classmates and even those from my advanced studies had been normal enough.

Seeing that I remained silent, Rowan smirked and pressed on. "Don’t be too down just because you lost Lilith. Sure, you’ll never get the chance to drive Thorne’s Bugatti, but I own a Bentley worth over two million. I wouldn’t mind letting you take it for a spin, at least then you could say you’ve driven a luxury car before."

I let out a faint smile. "With my job, I doubt I’ll ever get the chance to drive a luxury car in this lifetime."

What a joke.

If I drove a luxury car today, by tomorrow, headlines would be plastered all over the internet: City Official Overseeing Belmond District 4 and Old Town Development Spotted Driving a Luxury Car.

"You’re surprisingly self-aware," Rowan sneered.

I met his gaze with a calm smile. "I only dropped by to check in on everyone. Now that I have, I won’t take up any more of your time. I’ll be leaving now."

With that, I turned to go.

But before I could take a step, Rowan, following Thorne’s silent cue, stepped in front of me, blocking my way. He shoved my shoulder roughly, a sneer curling at his lips.

"Where the hell do you think you’re going? If Thorne hasn’t told you to leave, you stay put."

At 1.85 meters tall and with a strict fitness routine, I barely moved, but the sheer audacity grated on my nerves.

Thorne smirked, his tone laced with amusement. "Don’t go just yet, Cassius. Lilith will be here later. Don’t you want to see her?"

"She never mentioned she was coming," I said instinctively.

Rowan let out a mocking laugh. "Like she’d tell you. Lilith is now a big name in Lawson's opera. I can’t even add her on WhatsApp. Only someone like Thorne has the connections to stay in touch. What makes you think you mean anything to her?"

"Actually, Lilith is my wife. We already have kids, twins, a boy and a girl."

"And I work for the city government," I continued. "I oversee the development of Belmond District 4 and the renovation of the old district."

I laid my cards on the table. Not to flaunt, not to fight back, but simply because I was tired of being ridiculed.

The moment the words left my mouth, silence fell.

Then, laughter erupted.

They laughed so hard they had to wipe the tears from their eyes as if I had just delivered the punchline of the century.

"You’ve got some nerve spouting that kind of nonsense!" Rowan sneered. "Now, I really can’t let you leave!"

Thorne doubled over, struggling to catch his breath. "Stay put! When Lilith gets here, I want to see you say this ridiculous lie to her face!"

Looked like I wasn’t going anywhere.

Fine. If they wanted to make fools of themselves, I’d let them. There was no point in arguing; they wouldn’t believe me anyway.

But I couldn’t help myself. I glanced down at my attire and asked, "Looking at the way I’m dressed, don’t I seem like someone who works for the city government?"

"Are you kidding?”

"What, just because you threw on an administrative jacket and slicked your hair to the side, you think you’re part of the system now?"

"If that’s the case, I’ll buy a dragon robe and declare myself emperor!"

Rowan was the first to crack up, his laughter echoing around us.

See? They wouldn’t believe me.

I smiled helplessly, too tired to argue.

Just then, someone piped up, "Boss Bennett, when are we heading in? Why are we still standing out here?"

"You really have no idea where we are, do you?"

"This is Evergreen Pavilion. Even with Boss Bennett’s status, we still have to make a reservation and wait in line."

"Just bringing us here is already proof of his connections."

Rowan scoffed. "Evergreen Pavilion? What’s so special about it?"

"I’ve been away for a while and just got back. I don’t know much about these places," the person pressed on.

It was the perfect moment for Thorne to show off, so Rowan wisely shut his mouth.

Thorne took a slow drag from his cigarette, his lips curling into a smug smile as he leaned against his Bugatti Veyron.

"Evergreen Pavilion isn’t exactly open to the public," he drawled.

"It was built to entertain important guests of the owner. Sometimes, when the city government is handling major investment deals, they hold their meetings here."

"Forget about me, even my father isn’t qualified to get a membership card for this place."

As he spoke, he cast me a knowing glance, the smirk never leaving his face.

"The only reason I could come today is that Lilith lent me her membership card. Otherwise, even with my father’s status, we wouldn’t have stood a chance of getting in."

"What?!"

"Lilith actually lent you something that important?"

"Boss, if you put in just a little more effort, I swear, you and Lilith might really have a shot!"

Rowan exaggerated his reaction, his voice full of mock enthusiasm.

I knew they were saying this just to get a rise out of me, but I had no interest in arguing anymore.

"I hope so. I’ll keep trying."

Thorne flashed a modest smile before gazing into the distance as if lost in thought.

"You guys probably don’t realize this, but the owner of this place is ridiculously well-connected. They even have ties in Washington, saying they have access to the highest levels of power wouldn’t be an exaggeration. If I could just get in touch with them, my family’s business could reach an entirely new level."

"The owner’s connections aren’t that impressive," I said casually.

"Oh? And you’d know that how?"

His smirk deepened. "Come on, Cassius. If you actually knew the owner of this place, you wouldn’t be dressed like that or pulling up in a cab."

"At least make your lies a little more convincing."

Thorne cast me a sideways glance, his expression unreadable.

"Cassius, if the owner ever heard you running your mouth like this, a single word from them could make sure you never worked a day in this country again. Do you even have the slightest clue how high society operates?"

"Boss, you already said it’s high society," Rowan sneered. "How could someone like him possibly understand?"

I exhaled a quiet sigh and stepped aside, lighting a cigarette.

Their world was small, their perspectives even smaller. They could only believe what was within their reach.

My job wasn’t exactly classified, but it wasn’t something they’d ever hear about in their circles. With their social standing, they had no way of knowing who I really was.

I wasn’t interested in arguing. I just wanted to get through this gathering and leave, preferably never seeing them again.

Just then, a pink Maserati purred to a stop.

The door swung open and a woman stepped out, her long, slender legs wrapped in sheer black stockings.

Even Thorne, usually so composed, had his attention stolen in an instant.

"Ivy Anderson, you’re here too?"

"I thought you wouldn’t have time to come."

Thorne was overly eager to please, but no matter how expensive his car was, his status was still leagues beneath hers.

Yet Ivy didn’t spare him a single glance. She remained cold and distant, her gaze locked onto me instead.

I turned away, refusing to meet her eyes and took another slow drag of my cigarette.

Then came the sharp click of high heels, closing the distance between us. A familiar scent followed: sweet, intoxicating, unmistakably Ivy.

She stopped right in front of me. Without hesitation, she reached out, fingers gripping my chin, forcing me to look at her.

"Cassius, back then, I liked you so much. I followed you around every single day, but you chose Lilith instead."

"And look at you now."

"You don’t even own a car and Lilith has already cut ties with you."

Her nails dug into my skin as she tightened her grip. Then, with a smirk, she murmured, "What do you think? It’s not too late. You don’t have to marry into my family, just say the word and I’ll divorce my husband right now to marry you."

Back in high school, I had my fair share of admirers, but Ivy had been the most relentless.

She wasn’t even in my class, yet she sat through our lessons every day just to chase after me.

"Cut it out. You already have a kid; what nonsense are you spouting?"

I brushed her hand away, uninterested.

Ivy huffed, clearly making things up just now.

But there was still resentment in her eyes.

"Cassius, if I were you, I wouldn’t have shown up at this reunion. You’re just begging to be humiliated."

Thorne rushed over, eager to put on a show in front of Ivy.

I said nothing, taking another slow drag of my cigarette.

Seeing this, Thorne turned to Ivy with a smug look. "Ivy, don’t tell me you actually came here for Cassius?"

"Of course not." Her tone was indifferent, detached.

"Although Lilith and I were love rivals, we kept in touch online. We actually get along quite well."

"We talked for a while last night and she agreed to come today. She even said she’d introduce me to the owner of this place."

"Really?"

Thorne’s face lit up with enthusiasm. "Ivy, since we’re all classmates, why not take me along?"

"That’s not up to me." Ivy’s lips curled into a faint smirk. "It depends on what Lilith says."

"My relationship with Lilith is great. She even lent me her membership card for Evergreen Pavilion."

Ivy shot him a glance but didn’t say much. Instead, she lightly kicked my leg. "Give me a cigarette."

I handed her a cigarette without a word.

Ivy took it, flipping the pack over as if out of habit. Clicking her tongue, she mused, "Still smoking the 329s? These aren’t easy to find. Where did you get them?"

"A work benefit." I smiled.

Thorne scoffed. "Fake, I bet."

"Maybe." I shrugged.

At that moment, the grand entrance of Evergreen Pavilion swung open, not the side doors, but the central ones.

Evergreen Pavilion had strict rules. Regular guests were only allowed through the side doors. The central doors opened only for the truly distinguished.

As the heavy doors parted, heads turned.

A red carpet unfurled beneath the golden glow of chandeliers as staff moved with practiced precision.

A stout man in a tailored suit emerged, a folding fan in hand, flanked by an entourage.

Thorne stiffened, instinctively smoothing out his clothes. His voice dropped to an awed whisper. "This has to be a big shot… The owner of Evergreen Pavilion wouldn’t personally open the main doors otherwise."

Even Ivy, who had just lit her cigarette, flicked it away, her demeanor shifting. A rare moment of unease crossed her face as she hissed, "Straighten up. Don’t embarrass me.

Everyone straightened their clothes, their expressions turning serious.

Just as Ivy was about to step forward and greet him, the owner of Evergreen Pavilion did something unexpected: he walked over himself.

Ivy and Thorne immediately rushed to meet him, their smiles bright and eager.

I, however, remained where I was, casually leaning against a car, cigarette between my fingers.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, the owner didn’t just walk; he jogged over.

Thorne shot me a sharp glare before smacking the back of my head. "Stand up!" he hissed.