My words seemed to sting Victoria’s pride.“Regret? Julian, I think you’re the one who’ll regret this!”She pointed at me, her voice dripping with disdain.“Do you think you’re still the same young master Hayes from five years ago? Your family went bankrupt long ago!”“Now, you’re just a gold-digger who relies on me to survive!”
“I give you food and clothes; making you kneel is me showing you respect!”Brandon immediately chimed in, “Exactly! Julian, don’t be ungrateful!”“Victoria is the CEO of Caldwell Tech now; countless men are lining up to marry her!”“If it weren’t for her sentimental attachment, you wouldn’t even be fit to tie her shoes!”The surrounding guests also began to whisper.“Oh, so his family went broke. No wonder he’s so pathetic.”
“I thought Victoria married some rich husband. Turns out he’s just dead weight.”“Serves him right, no ability and still so arrogant. He’s just asking for humiliation!”Every harsh word pierced me like a knife.I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and forced myself to calm down.There was no point in arguing with people who were already dead.Memories flooded my mind.That winter, Victoria’s company suffered a cash flow crisis, hitting dead ends everywhere. She got drunk and collapsed in the snow.
