Chapter 2

2

Evie Vance saw her savior and burst into tears, throwing herself into his arms.

"Silas! She ruined the limited-edition shoes you bought me! And then she hit me! It hurts so much!"

Silas's eyes darkened. When he saw the red mark on her cheek, his anger flared.

"Who gave you permission to touch Evie? You've got a lot of nerve!"

I looked at the man my mother called a "catch" and let out a dry laugh.

"Are you blind? She ran into me. She destroyed my model and my files. Do you have any idea what those were?"

"Oh, please. Just some papers? How much could they be worth? I don't know what my dad was thinking, trying to make me marry you. No looks, no status, nothing."

Silas pulled out a checkbook. He scribbled a few zeros and tossed it at my feet like I was a beggar.

"There's your compensation. Now, apologize to Evie. If I'm in a good mood, I might let you walk away."

This was hilarious.

Is this how rich people solved everything?

I had spent years abroad doing deep-core research. Between my grants and my salary, I had made my parents very comfortable. I wasn't as flashy as them, but I wasn't poor.

They weren't going to step on me.

Seeing that I wasn't moving, Silas assumed I wanted more money. His smile turned cruel.

"Never seen a check before? For my father's sake, I'll give you a way out."

He snapped his fingers, and a guard brought over a chair. He sat down, pulling Evie onto his lap.

"Make Evie happy today, and I'll let you live. If not, don't blame me for being heartless."

The arrogance was staggering.

"Silas Sterling, nobody talks to me like that. Who do you think you are?"

I stared at him, my eyes devoid of any warmth.

I should have never let my mom agree to this setup.

His face contorted with rage. The crowd whispered frantically.

"Who is this girl? How does she dare talk to Silas like that?"

"Does she have a secret backer? There's been a rumor about a new top-tier researcher in the city. Could it be her?"

Silas marched over and grabbed me by the collar.

"Nobody provokes me and gets away with it."

A cold, lethal smile touched my lips. Right in front of him, I dialed his father's number.

"Mr. Sterling, it seems your son doesn't understand who's doing whom a favor here. He's at the airport right now, letting his cousin bully me."

There was a silence on the other end for two seconds. Then, Arthur Sterling roared, "Silas! I told you Madeline is―"

Silas snatched the phone and hung up.

His jaw was clenched so tight I could hear his teeth grinding. His grip on my collar tightened.

"I don't care who you think you are. You messed with the wrong guy today."

"The wedding is off! Guards, drag this woman to the tarmac. Let's see how long her attitude lasts when she's staring down a jet engine!"