I ignored Brandon and kept my eyes fixed on Natalie. "I came here to tell you that we're over. At the same time, I'd like you to return my blue diamond necklace."

The people around us started whispering.

"He's asking for gifts back after a breakup. What a loser!"

"Of course, he is. That's what broke guys are like."

Upon hearing this, Brandon pulled the necklace from his pocket with a smirk.

"What a buzzkill! You found some random excuse to come looking for Natalie, and now that you've been called out, you still won't admit it. Instead, you're doubling down on a fake necklace like it's your get-out-of-jail-free card."

Brandon glanced at me, then dropped the necklace into an open bottle of liquor right in front of my face.

"If you want it, finish this entire bottle. But let me warn you. This bottle is worth 100 thousand dollars. You either finish it or you pay the full price."

His ignorance was almost laughable. "I'd suggest you fish that out right now and check if it's been damaged. A hundred bottles of that liquor wouldn't even cover a fraction of what that necklace is worth."

The moment I said that, the room erupted into jeers.

"That's a bold claim!"

Brandon laughed so hard that he was nearly doubling over. "The real necklace was sold for 20 million dollars. Is your knockoff even worth 20 dollars?"

Natalie had reached her limit, impatience flickering across her face. "Stop resorting to such childish tricks to get my attention."

I looked at her, my gaze firm. "I got together with you because your father asked me to. If you hadn't wanted this, no one could've forced you. Also, I put everything I had into this relationship for three years. I did my best."

"Did that involve blackmailing my father so he'd force me to date you?" Natalie sneered.

She was done talking, and so was I.

"Just leave already! Stop embarrassing yourself. Just looking at you makes me sick," she spat.

"I've told you a hundred times. I'm only here for the necklace!"

For the sake of the necklace, I repeated firmly, "Give it back, and we're even. But now, we're going to have to assess for damages."

Brandon didn't want Natalie talking to me, so he interjected coldly, "Are you still trying to scam us? Fine. Show me the original auction papers, and I'll reimburse you at their original value. But if you can't produce them, you'll chug this whole bottle!"

I cast a sidelong glance at the label on the bottle. The alcohol content was as high as 55%.

Drinking the entire thing would either kill a person or send them straight to the hospital for their stomach to be pumped.

As he spoke, Brandon tossed several pieces of cashew shells into the bottle, wasting a hundred-thousand-dollar bottle of liquor just like that.

The people around us cheered.

"Brandon, that's so badass! Now, that's how you play!"

Amid their cheers, Brandon looked at me smugly.

"Fine!" I smiled and pulled out my phone to dial a number, instructing the person on the other end to come over right away.

"Still putting on an act at a time like this?" Brandon remarked, his tone tinged with disdain. "You're so pathetic."

Meanwhile, Natalie leaned lazily into his embrace. "Judging by the way you look, I doubt you've ever had liquor at this price. You should be grateful that Brandon's giving you a treat."

At that, the other classmates laughed, their eyes filled with malice.

Brandon shot me a look of pure revulsion. "We'll wait for whoever you called until this party ends. For now, go sit somewhere else, and stop being such a buzzkill."

"Fine."

I made my way into a corner and sat down. At the same time, they started a round of Truth or Dare.

Natalie and Brandon repeatedly chose to complete a dare, using the opportunity to lock lips in front of everyone.

I felt nothing as I watched them. To me, it was like watching two circus monkeys grooming one another.

Just then, the doors to the private room were pushed open.

Natalie and the others all stood up.

They instantly recognized the man who came in as the general manager of the largest company in the city, which was also one of the companies most of them were dying to intern for.

Natalie quickly stepped forward and held out her hand. "Mr. Whitman, what brings you here? Do you still remember me? I'm Natalie Brooks."

She was brimming with excitement. If she could secure a connection with Robert Whitman, her company's projects would be set for life.

"Of course."

Robert hurriedly shook Natalie's hand. "How could I forget an outstanding young lady like you?"

The classmates had long known that Natalie came from money, but they were still shocked by the scene.

"Mr. Whitman, a few of my friends would like to intern at your company. Would that be possible?"

"For you, all you have to do is call me, and it's done!" Robert replied with a smile.

Natalie straightened, linking her arm intimately with Brandon's. "And this is my boyfriend, Brandon Clark."

Robert's expression shifted.

"No matter how important someone is, they'll all be impressed when they meet Natalie," Brandon said smugly. "And I'm the one who tamed her."

Everyone looked at Brandon with envy, while Robert seemed completely confused by the situation. He looked around and saw me sitting in the corner, and suspicion flickered across his face.

Brandon smiled and said, "Mr. Whitman, your company handled an auction a while back, the one where the Tears of the Stars was the crown jewel?"

He looked at me, assuming I was paralyzed with fear. "Do you happen to know this guy, Oliver Reed? Because he's claiming he's the one who bought it."

The blue diamond was breathtaking, and its light reflected like a river of stars. That was why it was called the Tear of the Stars. Inside the stone, the light seemed to shift and flow, almost like the Milky Way.

When I first obtained the diamond, I had already decided that I would give it to my future wife. So, after I started dating Natalie, I gave it to her.

"Mr. Whitman, since you're already here, this is perfect. Please help us settle this once and for all so he'll stop bothering me," she said with confidence.

She looked completely pleased with herself. When she noticed Robert's expression growing stranger by the second, she seemed to think he was simply awestruck by her poise.

"He even brought some cheap knockoff to fool her," Brandon continued, mocking me. "We already called him out, but he still refuses to leave."

"And he's asking us to pay him ten million dollars for it," Natalie sneered. "The nerve of some people!"

Brandon walked up to me with the bottle of liquor in his hand. "Now that the person who would know is here, don't bother waiting for your appraisal. Just drink up!"

He then turned to Robert with an eager smile. "Mr. Whitman, why don't you tell everyone who the mystery buyer of the Tear of the Stars was?"

The disgust in Natalie's eyes was palpable. She had always hated people who pretended to be more important than they were.

Meanwhile, the rest of her classmates were eagerly waiting for me to make a fool of myself.

Robert finally reached his breaking point. He scanned the room, then lowered his head toward me and asked in a low, respectful voice, "Mr. Reed, what's going on?"

"We broke up," I said nonchalantly.

Robert instantly straightened, and his voice turned cold. "Who do you people think you are, trying to make Mr. Reed drink this garbage?"

Natalie's family background and limited talent would never be worth Robert bending over backward for.

It was only because I had looked after her family for the past three years that their meager fortune had grown. I had even given her an unlimited black card to use as she pleased.

Robert had known about our relationship from the start, which was why he had always treated her kindly. After all, she was supposed to be my future wife.

Brandon froze for a moment.

Failing to read the room, he quickly tried to flatter Robert as he said, "Mr. Whitman, that bottle was meant for this idiot. We'd never use it to insult you."

Then, he turned around and snapped at me, "You moron! There's a VIP here, and you don't even know enough to greet him. Now that the witness is here, you go silent?"

"Shut up!"

Robert's roar silenced the entire room.

"You idiots have no idea who you've offended!"

He whipped his head toward Natalie, his eyes flickering with contempt. "You bitch! Did you really think people were nice to you because you had that much pull?"

"Stupid girl. Now that you and Mr. Reed have broken up, I don't have to suck up to you anymore!" he spat. "And you were thinking about sending your friends over to my company for internship opportunities? Fat chance!"