Having been in a two-year long-distance relationship with my girlfriend, Kayleigh Richards, I finally have time to visit her family for the holidays. In doing so, I want to hash out the details of our upcoming wedding as well.

What I didn't expect is that Kayleigh would actually show up with a hooligan at the banquet. She even goes as far as to terminate our engagement in front of everyone.

The hooligan, Gerald Shaw, looks at me haughtily. A trace of mockery can be seen in his eyes when he notices how wretched I look.

"What makes you think you can fight with me over my woman? Kay, how the heck did you even fall for this wretched-looking beggar in the first place? He's even carrying an old sack with him! Don't tell me he just came back from collecting the trash!"

All of Kayleigh's relatives who are present at the banquet roar in laughter. My future mother-in-law even shoves me in an attempt to kick me out.

I merely gaze at Kayleigh calmly.

"Are you sure you want to choose him?"

Kayleigh sneers at me in return. "You're just a stupid miner! Gerald's dad is the owner of the gold mine, you know!"

I raise an eyebrow at her words. Then, I open the woven sack I've brought with me. The gold bricks that scatter from the sack shine brightly under the light.

"Oh? I have no idea that my gold mine has somehow become someone else's property."

My girlfriend, Kayleigh Richards, and I had been childhood sweethearts for ten years.

The day I was taken back by my family at 18 years old, she clung to my hand, tears streaming down her face, begging me not to go.

But in just two short years, the innocence in her eyes had faded. She carried herself with the poise of a grown woman now, and she had become much more calculating.

When I stepped down from the truck, the first thing I wanted to do was pull her into a hug. But she slipped away from my touch so subtly that it almost went unnoticed.

At the time, I told myself she was just shy, perhaps because we hadn't seen each other in two years.

But at the dinner, I watched as Kayleigh descended the stairs with her arm looped through a hooligan's, smiling like a blooming flower. Then, she said she wanted to break up. That was when I realized she had fallen for someone else.

As a man, I reflected on myself. It had to be my fault for not being by her side these past two years. Of course, she'd been misled by someone else. It was understandable. After all, I didn't cherish my own woman. It was only natural that someone else swooped in.

I opened my mouth to explain myself to Kayleigh, but before I could say a word, a cold liquid poured down from the top of my head.

Gerald Shaw stood there in front of everyone, casually emptying a full glass of red wine over me. His eyes were full of contempt, his tone filled with unconcealed mockery. "A toad like you thinks he can be with a swan? Take a look at yourself. This is a 1982 Lafite. You couldn't even afford a glass of it with a month of your salary.

"Honestly, you should be thanking me. Without me, a broke loser like you would never get the chance to wash your hair with something this expensive." He then burst into loud laughter.

The people around us joined in, their gazes filled with ridicule.

"So, this is Kayleigh's fiance? He really doesn't belong here."

"Right? I don't know what she ever saw in him."

"She was young and foolish back then. Now that she's met Gerald, she finally knows what a real man looks like."

My eyes burned red as I stared at Kayleigh, waiting for an explanation. "Kayleigh, don't you have anything to say?"

She turned her face away, avoiding my gaze.

A dull ache spread through my chest. I could understand if she had made a mistake. But if her heart had already gone to another man, then there was nothing left to salvage.

Even so, a sliver of hope lingered deep inside me.

Seeing that I wasn't getting angry and was still clinging to Kayleigh, Gerald's expression darkened. "You already got a taste of something so expensive. Why don't you get lost now? Or are you planning to stick around for our wedding banquet?"

Seeing Gerald's arrogance and Kayleigh's silence, something stirred in me. What if Kayleigh was being forced?

With that thought, I grabbed her wrist. "Kayleigh, don't be afraid. Did this bastard threaten you? Don't worry. I…"

Before I could finish, Gerald shoved me away and let out a scornful laugh. "Figures. You're a poor piece of trash. Once you stick, you just won't come off.

"Didn't Kayleigh make herself clear enough? She doesn't like you. She wants to break off the engagement with you. You think she's threatened? You didn't see how she serves me in bed…"

Bang!

I couldn't hold back anymore. I swung and landed a hard punch on Gerald.

How could he say something like that in public? Did he think there'd be no consequences?

But what I didn't expect was that Kayleigh didn't even look at me. Instead, she rushed straight to Gerald's side. "Gerry, are you okay? Your nose is bleeding. Here, let me wipe it."

Kayleigh took out a handkerchief from her chest, her face full of concern. She used to use that same handkerchief to gently wipe my sweat. Now, it belonged to someone else.

After making sure Gerald was fine, she looked up at me and barked, "Jeremy Johnson, have you lost your mind? How could you hit Gerald? What if something serious happened to him?"

At that moment, the last glimmer of hope in my heart vanished.

When Gerald poured wine over my head, Kayleigh hadn't said a word. But I had punched him to defend her reputation, and all she cared about was him.

My expression turned cold. She wasn't being forced. She had truly fallen for someone else.

In that case, I wouldn't humiliate myself further.

Kayleigh continued to complain. "I've already told you. Gerald's father owns a gold mine. He's been supporting the Richards family all these years. Without him, where would my dad have gotten the startup capital for his company? Do you even know? Every New Year, Gerald's family sends us a lot of gold."

My heart skipped. I was the one who sent Kayleigh gold every year.

"Kayleigh, besides the gold, haven't you received anything else all these years?"

"No," she answered without hesitation.

Every year, along with the gold, I wrote her a letter by hand, telling her how much I missed her, and the truth about who I really was.

I was the son of the richest man in Kingsville. But when I was ten years old, a fortune teller predicted a calamity in my fate, and the only way to avoid it was to live in a mountain village in a specific location.

So, I was sent away alone to a small village in the mountains. Back then, I didn't know anyone. I was just a child. I couldn't understand why my parents had abandoned me in a strange place. I cried endlessly.

Until Kayleigh appeared, like a ball of sunshine, and warmed my world.

Unfortunately, people changed.

Looking at the unfamiliar woman in front of me, I spoke calmly. "Don't worry. From now on, no one will be sending you gold anymore. As for breaking off the engagement, I agree. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."

Standing beside Gerald, Kayleigh's pupils shrank. For a moment, there was even a trace of shock and reluctance.

What was that supposed to mean? She was the one who called off the engagement. So, what was with her expression now?

But I had no interest in finding out. I slung my woven sack over my shoulder and turned to leave.

Suddenly, an arm blocked my path. Gerald pressed his tongue against his swollen cheek, looking down at me like I was an ant. "Who said you could leave?"

As he spoke, the doors slammed shut. A group of thugs with brightly dyed hair surrounded me.

A sinister smile spread across Gerald's face. "You just hit me. You think you can walk away that easily?"

Kayleigh stood behind him the whole time, silent.

"If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll really think I'm a pushover!!"

I looked at him coldly. "What do you want?"

He stared down at me, eyes full of disdain. "What do you think I want? I want you to get down on your knees and apologize to me! Also, in front of everyone, you must lick my shoes and say you're a worthless dog. Then, I'll let you go."

Around us, Gerald's lackeys started shouting, "On your knees! On your knees!"

The chants grew louder and louder.

I let out a cold laugh. "You're the worthless dog!"

Gerald's face twisted in fury at being humiliated in front of so many people. Forgetting all about the banquet, he lunged at me.

Too bad for him, he was a weakling. How could he do any damage to me?

After several swings and kicks, he didn't even manage to touch the shirt on my back. Instead, I landed a few hard punches on him, leaving his eye swollen and bruised.

From outside the crowd, Kayleigh shouted anxiously, "Jeremy, stop right now! Do you even know what will happen if you make Gerald angry?"

Gerald completely lost it, shouting at the people around him, "Hurry up and grab this bastard! Mr. Johnson is coming tonight. He's the heir of the most powerful family in Kingsville. We don't want him to see this piece of trash here."

"Mr. Johnson from Kingsville is coming to the same banquet as us?"

"As expected of Gerald. He can even invite someone like that. When Mr. Johnson arrives, I'll be sure to flatter him. If he throws me even a small project, my family will be set for life."

Gerald let out a cold laugh. "That's right. Mr. Johnson is only coming because of me. Now, why don't you hurry up and drag this stray dog out already? Make him apologize to me, then throw him out."

In an instant, a group of people surrounded me. I tried to fight back, but I was outnumbered and took several hard hits.

In the scuffle, the sack on my shoulder was knocked to the ground with a loud thud. The heavy sound immediately drew everyone's attention.

Gerald sneered coldly. "You've been carrying that trash bag since you walked in. What's inside? Don't tell me it's just some worthless homegrown potatoes or something?"

As he spoke, he lifted his leg and kicked the bag hard. He screamed in pain, clearly not expecting it to be so solid. He had kicked with full force, nearly wrecking his foot.

A red-haired guy hurried to support Gerald, keeping him from collapsing. But being embarrassed like that only made Gerald angrier. He barked an order for someone to open my woven sack.

Ignoring my resistance, the redhead sneered and yanked it open. Inside, a blinding flash of gold came into view.

"Holy moly! That's a lot of gold!"

"I thought Jeremy was broke. Is this what it means to be 'broke' nowadays?"

"If that's the case, I want to be 'broke' too."

"Looking at Jeremy now, he's actually got presence. He's nothing like the miner Kayleigh described."

Hearing the praise directed at me, Kayleigh's complexion shifted between pale and flushed. Her eyes locked onto the gold as she stammered, "Jeremy, you… Where did you get… this much gold?"

I didn't even spare her a glance. I shoved aside the people holding me, kicked the redhead away, and retied the sack. "You've all seen what's inside the sack. I'm leaving now."

Seeing the envy in everyone's eyes, Gerald's expression darkened. He grabbed the sack, his gaze icy. "Jeremy, where did you get this gold?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "It's none of your business."

"None of my business? Hah!" Gerald suddenly sneered. "You stole it from my family's gold mine, and you're saying it's none of my business?"

I frowned slightly, confused. "What the hell are you talking about? This gold is mine."

Gerald let out a mocking laugh, raising his voice. "Yours? That's hilarious. Where would a broke nobody like you get this much gold? Plus, what a coincidence that our mine just lost a shipment, and suddenly you're rich?"

As soon as he said that, countless hostile gazes turned toward me.

"What proof do you have?"

Gerald smirked. "Kayleigh is my witness!" He then grabbed her and dragged her forward. "Go on, Kayleigh. Tell him. Didn't our mine lose gold?"

All eyes instantly turned to Kayleigh.

Thinking of the kind, bright woman she once was, I couldn't believe she'd lie for him.

But under everyone's gaze, she hardened her heart, shut her eyes, and shouted, "Yes! The mind did lose a shipment of gold."

Mockery and scorn from the crowd flooded my ears incessantly. Just like that, I was branded a thief.

Gerald burst out laughing, slapping Kayleigh hard on the butt. "Good girl," he said, not forgetting to shoot me a provocative look.

A group rushed forward. I couldn't hold them off. Soon, more than a dozen thugs had me pinned to the ground. Gerald crouched down over me and patted my face. "You have no idea who you're going against." As he spoke, he stepped on my face, grinding his shoe into it again and again.

The laughter around me was deafening. Worse still, Kayleigh looked down at me with disgust.

I clenched my teeth, staring at them. "Have you thought about the consequences of laying a hand on me?"

For a split second, the room fell silent. Just as I thought they might hesitate and let me go, laughter erupted all around.

Even Kayleigh looked at me with ridicule. "Jeremy, you're insane. You're just a miner. Even if Gerald beat you to death, there wouldn't be any consequences."

Before I could respond, the door suddenly flew open. "Everyone, stop right there!"