"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!"

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Natalie stared at Robert in disbelief. "Those internships were already agreed on. You can't just take them back because you feel like it."

"Not only can I talk to you like that, but I'm also this close to slapping some sense into you," Robert said, looking her over with contempt. "And your boyfriend is even more ridiculous. Are you actually blind?

"Let me be crystal clear. I said none of you are getting in, and I meant it. You threw away a fortune just to settle for this idiot!"

Brandon's face flushed red. He parted his lips to retort, but the words died in his throat.

The classmates around us were stunned, unable to fathom the sudden turn of events.

A few of them had gone pale, probably because they had been the loudest in mocking me alongside Brandon.

"Wait… Does that mean the diamond is real?"

As soon as those words were uttered, the gazes in the room turned hungry.

"That's enough," I said with a calm smile. "The blue diamond is sitting in a bottle of liquor right now. I want it assessed for damages. Did you bring a specialist?"

Robert grinned. "Mr. Reed, your matters are always of utmost importance to me. I'll handle this myself."

With that, he took out his tools and carefully began working the blue diamond necklace out of the bottle. To avoid letting it scrape against the glass, he couldn't simply tip the bottle over and pour it out.

At that point, he didn't need to say a word about its authenticity. The care he took with it said enough.

I looked at Brandon. His breathing was shallow, and the panic on his face was palpable.

Natalie noticed and softened her voice as she comforted him, "It's just a diamond. Don't be scared. I can afford to pay for it. Even if we have to pay the full price up front, my family can handle it!"

Brandon nodded, clearly moved. "Natalie, you're the best! I love you so much."

Watching their public display of affection only made my skin crawl.

But when Natalie said her family could come up with ten million dollars, something immediately felt off to me.

"You're really overselling it," I reminded her. "Natalie, you know exactly what your family can and can't afford. Are you planning to embezzle the project funds from Reed Enterprises, or are you thinking of using the card?"

"What does that have to do with you?" she snapped, anger creeping into her voice. "I don't know what your deal with Mr. Whitman is, but you don't get to tell my family how to spend our money! Once you get the money, take your diamond and get the hell out!"

I shook my head disdainfully. "And what if I do get a say?"